Chapter 25
25
I t takes until 3am for the fever in my blood to die down enough to let Ariana rest. Every time I think I’m sated, she makes a little breathy sigh or whispers something that makes my chest expand with warmth and my cock surge back to life. Somewhere around my third time claiming her sweet pussy, we transition from our roleplay to our raw selves. Ari chants my name, calling out for me to give her what she needs, and I groan hers in return as my movements inside her become less hurried. I could keep going until the sun comes up, but I know she’s exhausted and can’t let myself deprive her of any more sleep.
I guide Ariana to my shower, and her eyes droop as she stands under the hot water. A strange, primal pride surges in me when she relaxes fully into my hold, trusting me to keep her standing and allowing me to take over cleaning her of f. I reluctantly wash the trails of my release from where I coated her breasts, stomach, thighs, and ass in my beast’s attempt to mark her as mine thoroughly.
When we’re both clean, she reaches out to stroke my cock, stiff from the pleasure of touching her lush body and caring for her the way I crave, but I shake my head. “That’s enough for tonight.”
A cute little wrinkle forms between her brows as she looks up at me. “You’re still hard. I want to take care of you, too.”
I suppress a groan at the thought, but stand my ground. “If we used my cock as a guide, we’d never stop fucking. My dick being hard is not nearly as important as you getting some rest.”
“It’s just…” Ari wets her lips as she thinks, drawing my eyes to her mouth and reminding me of all the ways she used it tonight.
I stroke her arm, forcing myself not to dip in to caress the side of her breast. My voice is a little hoarse when I prompt her to continue. “Just what, sweetheart?”
Her eyes flutter closed, and she releases a deep sigh. When she looks back at me, she smiles weakly. “Once we stop, I’ll have to face reality.”
That’s not at all what I was expecting, though I can’t say I don’t understand. Nothing outside of us matters when our bodies are joined. Still, I’d hoped she wouldn’t worry quite as much now that she knows I’m by her side. Does that mean that she wasn’t serious about moving in? Shit, maybe it was just idle talk spurred on by post-coital bliss.
I must not keep my worries off my face because Ariana frowns and shakes her head. “Not face reality about you! About my business. About Doug.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Had me worried there for a moment, baby girl. I know it’s daunting, but you don’t have to conquer either of those things alon e. Get some rest and we’ll take them on when you’re not about to fall asleep on your feet.”
She opens her mouth to say something, maybe a protest, but all that comes out is an enormous yawn that backs up my point. Ariana giggles and nods. “Alright, alright.”
She smiles softly at me and goes up onto her toes, and I dip my head down to meet her, but she doesn’t put her lips on mine. Instead, she reaches up and cradles my snout in her hands and kisses the side of it in an achingly sweet, affectionate gesture that makes my eyes fall closed in contentment. I bask in her small, loving touch, and once again, the urge to tell her I love her swells inside me.
It’s not the right time. I want to tell her when she’s fully relaxed and rested, not after such a harrowing day. I open my eyes and she pulls back after placing one more gentle kiss just to the side of my wide lips.
Shaking away my reverie from her tenderness, I quickly strip the bed and put on sheets that aren’t coated in cum. Ariana wrinkles her nose at how much of a mess we made of my bedding. “You’re going to need some industrial strength laundry detergent to deal with those.”
“Eh, I can always buy more sheets if I can’t get them clean. You’re worth it.”
Ariana laughs and rolls her eyes. “Oh wow, I’m worth a new set of sheets? You really know how to make a girl feel valued.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a beautiful woman who takes my cock so well.”
She scowls at me, but I know that there’s no genuine anger behind it. “That’s all I am to you? A pretty cocksleeve?”
I shrug. “Not just that. Hmm… Oh! I know. You helped me solve those puzzles in the escape room. So you’re good for that too. ”
Ariana smacks my chest with her towel and I cackle in delight. Fuck, I love how we can go from the most intense sex of my life, to tender emotion, to silliness so seamlessly. It reinforces what I already know in my heart—we were made for each other.
I tug her closer and laugh even harder as she pretends to struggle against me. After a moment, she sighs and relaxes into my arms, the burst of playfulness overtaken by fatigue. I press a kiss to her hair and squeeze her tighter. “You’re everything to me, baby girl,” I murmur.
“Mmm, so are you. Everything. To me.” Ari’s voice is slightly slurred, letting me know it’s past time for her to sleep.
I guide her over to the bed and wrap myself around her back, savoring the way she fits there perfectly. Sure, I have to lie further up on the bed than her to make sure that my horns don’t poke her in the eye if she rolls over in her sleep, but who cares?
Hmm, I should look into getting horn cozies. Max knits and crochets, so maybe he’d be willing to make something for them. Maybe put a pom pom on the ends to look extra cute…
As I sleepily ponder horn protection, Ariana’s breathing evens out to a slow rise and fall. She’s already asleep, and it doesn’t take me long to follow. Right before I drift off, I kiss her shoulder and sigh in contentment, then let out the words I’ve been holding in, whispering them into her skin.
“I love you, baby girl.”
Ariana’s soft form is still tucked up against mine when I wake up the next morning, exactly as she was when we fell asleep. Harsh sunlight hits me right in the face when I open my eyes, and I hiss in distress.
“Not yet…just a few more minutes,” Ariana groans, tugging the arm I have draped over her in closer so it rests beneath her breasts.
I glance over her shoulder to check the clock on the bedside table, surprised that it’s almost 11. I never sleep in late, even on the weekends. Guess fucking for hours really knocked me out. Good thing Doug and I don’t meet to work out on Sundays, or he’d be wondering where the hell I am. The last thing we need is for him to come back again and find Ariana naked in my bed.
“As much as I don’t want to, we should probably get up. Need to check and make sure Doug’s doing okay and…”
“Tell him about us,” Ariana finishes for me with a tired sigh.
“Trust me, I’d much rather stay here snuggling with you than go tell a heartbroken werewolf that we’ve been sneaking around behind his back.”
Ariana groans again and rolls over. My breath stutters at the sight of her beautiful face, her cheek pillow-creased and sleep flushed in a way that utterly charms me. Though, I feel a bit of guilt seeing the dark circles still present under her eyes. Dammit, I’ve gotta get my girl some rest.
“How about I go meet up with him while you sleep more?” I ask, stroking a strand of hair away from her eyes.
Her forehead crinkles as she frowns at my words. “What? No. I’m awake, and I want to be there. Doug needs to see us together if he’s going to believe it’s more than a sex thing. Besides, I want to make sure he’s still doing okay. Shit, I should’ve already checked on him.”
She pushes up on her arms and reaches to grab her phone from the bedside table, but I take her hand in mine and bring it to my lips. “He’s okay. You don’t need to be there for him 24/7, and no one expects you to except you. ”
“I know, it’s just…I feel bad that I didn’t check in and?—”
I kiss her to stop her from spiraling. She lets out a little huff when our mouths part, but doesn’t continue. “You’re allowed to prioritize your own needs, Ari. In fact, I insist on it. So be a good girl and go do your morning routine. I’ll check in with Doug and make you some coffee.”
She laughs and shakes her head at my order. “Alright, daddy .”
It takes all my willpower not to roll her onto her stomach and discipline her for her bratty tone, but if we start that, we’ll never get out of bed. I’ll file it away for later. My dick perks up as she slips out from under the covers, and I watch her ass jiggle as she walks to the bathroom. Hopefully not too much later. Gods, please let this conversation with Doug go alright so we can spend more time in my bed together before the weekend is over.
I know Ariana said she wants to move in together, and we’ll have plenty of time together in bed then, but I’m greedy for more of her after months of hiding my feelings. My monster instincts tell me to barricade the doors and never let her leave. She thought I was kidding about keeping her trapped in my lair, but there’s a not so insignificant part of me that screams at me to do just that.
Not that I ever would, despite the very selfish part of me that wishes she’d scale back her business and let me provide for her so I can have as much of her time as I want. So much more of me wants her to thrive and have the success she’s dreamed of. My covetous, greedy beast will just have to be content with caring for her and supporting her as much as she’ll allow.
Yes, I’m going to take care of my baby girl and give her everything she needs to shine. Starting with today’s conversation with Doug, then with finding her a godsdamned personal assistant, so she has some time to breathe.
Doug agrees to meet up with us for a late brunch at a diner owned by sisters who apparently are also part of the recently formed Moonvale coven. Their mega meat breakfast platter is one of Doug’s favorite cheat day meals—partially because his wolf craves the protein and partially because he likes to joke that he’s eating my distant cousins when he digs into the steak. I can only hope that he won’t want to sub in minotaur for beef after he hears about me and Ariana.
While Ari gets ready to go out, I call a tow truck to take her car in for maintenance. She barely fights me on doing that for her, so she’s either beginning to learn how to release her guilt about getting help or she’s just too exhausted to argue. Either way, I’ll take it.
She emerges from my bedroom as I’m pouring coffee into travel mugs, looking like a vision in an adorable light pink dress that hugs the curves of her belly and hips more than her usual baggy outfits. Her hair is pulled up into a ponytail, showing off her neck and the line of her cleavage peeking out from the neckline, and she’s put on some makeup that highlights her sparkling green eyes and her plush lips.
“Godsdamn, baby girl,” I say, letting my eyes drag up and down her body. I love all versions of Ariana, but this dress is especially nice. Makes me want to lift her up on the counter and bury my face between those juicy thighs.
“Don’t look at me like that!” Ariana says, her pale cheeks flushing in a way that makes her even more enticing.
“Why not?” I ask with a grin, tugging her closer so I can run my hands across her hips and thighs.
She squeaks when I grab a handful of her ass. “Because I don’t want to be a mess when we meet up with Doug!”
I release her and take a step back, grinning and holding my hands up in appeasement. “Okay, okay. I’ll do my best to keep myself under control until we get back here.”
“Good.” Ariana shakes her head with a soft laugh and murmurs “horny monster” under her breath. I file that comment away to the list for her discipline later.
Before we head out the door, I put up my human glamor. Ariana practically pouts at the sight. “Am I really that ugly as a human?” I ask with a chuckle.
“No. You’re super hot and you know it. But you’re too pretty—it makes you look almost like you’re fake. Which I mean, I guess you are, since that’s not the real you.”
“Hah! Never had anyone complain about me being too good looking. I don’t control what I look like as a human—the glamor takes my minotaur appearance and translates it as best it can to a human. Not my fault I’m ‘too pretty’.” I strike a pose and give her my best smoulder, laughing when she rolls her eyes at me.
“Part of it is my annoying worry that I don’t belong with someone that’s model handsome. When you look like a minotaur, you’re still gorgeous, but it’s more approachable because you’re not human. Plus, I really like your horns, and how soft and nice you are to touch. And how, uh… big you are.”
“Oh, I know how much you like my impressive girth.” I cup my cock through my jeans and give her a wink. “Still, there are perks to my human glamor. For one thing, I can kiss you a hell of a lot better like this.”
“I like your kisses!” Ariana protests, but she sighs and melts in my arms when I bend down and press my lips to hers. Kissing feels good either way, but in my glamor I can slip my tongue deeper into her mouth without threatening to choke her, and there’s a lot more finesse.
She whines softly when I pull away, clinging to my arms. “That is pretty nice, but I think I need to test it more to be sure.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Later. We’re going to be late if we keep going, and I thought you didn’t want to be a mess when you see Doug. Grab your coffee and get in the car. If you behave, I’ll show you how well I can kiss you other places like this.”