“Of course, man.”
We raised our hands to shake, like men, but instead Jackal pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I tensed, but then let myself ease into the protective embrace. This was my brother, by blood. Someone who always looked out for me.
“Come back soon,” Jackal said. “Bring your omega and her new toy for some matching ink, hm?”
I chuckled as I pulled away. “Maybe. How much do I owe you?”
Jackal shrugged a shoulder and raked his hands through his shoulder-length hair. I wasn’t sure if it was black, or purple, or what, only that it was dark. “Fuck it. Fifty for the supplies. Labour’s free this time.”
I grinned. “Thanks. And yeah, next time Skye and me are in the neighbourhood we’ll be sure to stop in.”
“You’d better.”
Chapter 23
SKYE
Cruxwasn’tgoneaslong as any of us expected. Sometimes he could disappear for hours, bordering on days. But it had only been two or three hours by the time he came home. By then, Rowan had left and gone back to his apartment. None of us were comfortable with him staying longer than necessary, and the sole reason he had come over at all was for us to drop the bomb, which we did.
Thoroughly.
I was curled up in the porch’s hanging egg chair, trying and failing to read a novel when Crux pulled in. I closed my book and watched him get out of the Jeep. He was shirtless, his upper arm wrapped in plastic.
“Where did you go?” I asked, unfurling from the chair and standing to meet him. Under the clingy plastic wrap I saw the artwork. Two birds, one black, one blue.
I couldn’t help but grin a little as I flit my gaze up at him. “Impulsive. But not your worst coping mechanism.”
“For you,” Crux said. He cupped my neck, his hand fitting right into the space between my jaw and shoulder. His fingertips grazed my bite marks. “For us.”
I nodded and got on my toes as he came down to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and locked my thighs around his hips. He grasped my butt and pressed himself against me as he was already navigating his way to his bedroom.
He lay me down on his bed and started to lift my shirt up. Moving quickly, I turned, and popped my denim-covered ass at him.
“Like this,” I breathed. “Please.”
Crux might have put up more of a fuss if not for the fact my slick was already darkening the crotch of my denim shorts. I gave my ass a little wiggle and pulled off my crewneck t-shirt before tossing it on his floor, soon followed by my bra.
Meanwhile, Crux worked on my jeans, which were just tight enough that we had to struggle slightly to get them down my thighs. He was rewarded with the dewy sight of my slick-soaked pussy that was eagerly awaiting his attention. I didn’t have to wait long as my mate went for me, tongue first. I moaned at the sumptuous feeling of being licked from clit to cheeks and barely managed to keep enough sense to reach for one of his pillows and stuff it under my hips for support.
“Crux.” His name came out like a breathless squeak. “Please… more.”
All I wanted was to be licked and sucked by my alpha. I didn’t even care if he couldn’t hold back or control himself. If he destroyed me, so be it.
My alpha paused his attention just long enough to say, “I’ll give you anything you want, little one.” He plunged his tongue back into me, against me, and I popped up on my knees to make it easier for him.
I clenched his blue sheets in my fists and pressed my face into the pillows that smelled of him, of whisky and the dirt freshly settled on a grave. It all made my mouth water. My nipples grazed his bedding, and it wasn’t as soft as my nest, so it was a little overstimulating, but deliciously so. My slick seeped into the pillow underneath me, tainting it with my scent.
“Crux,” I managed to pant out. “Fuck me.”
His face withdrew from my pussy and the bed shifted all around me as he climbed over me, his chest against my back. He could crush me if he wanted to. “Are you sure that’s what you want, bluebird?” He said into my ear.
I managed to nod, the movement of it making me light-headed. “Like you did that night. The first time.”
The first time, Crux sank his teeth into the back of my neck and he didn’t let go as he rutted into me from behind like a dog. It was the first time I had taken a knot, or been with a guy. Now, his tongue ran along the three distinct bites that ran from nape to base of my neck.
“Are you sure you’re strong enough for that?” he asked.
Truthfully, I didn’t know, but I was so turned on that IthoughtI was. “I need your knot,” I said. “Please.”
