Chapter 14
fourteen
CADE
Maverick pulls the ingredients from the fridge for the bacon-wrapped asparagus and places them on the freshly cleaned counter. His housewarming party is in a few hours, and he wants to get everything done before guests arrive.
We decorated earlier today, making sure there were sparkling lights wrapped around the bars of the patio, there were extra chairs and he was able to snag a few boxes of pastries from his bakery.
I offered to do the cooking since he had to work yesterday, but he said he’d rather we did it together.
I already added the meatballs to the crockpot—a newer design, but something I was familiar with from before my curse—and organized the charcuterie board that’s cooling in the fridge.
We also made some kind of pig-in-a-blanket thing stuffed with meats and cheeses.
Maverick let me wrap a few after he showed me how it was done.
They look nothing like his, but I’m proud of them.
And Maverick was proud of me, too. I saw the glint in his eyes as he looked at me folding the dough, making sure to flour the counter before I started.
My heart almost beat out of my chest as a blanket of happiness settled over me.
If I’m not mistaken, Maverick feels about me the same way I feel about him.
I knew from the first moment I smelled him that I loved him. My soul became entwined with his, knowing who he was on a deeper level than most humans could ever dream of. He was mine—fate told me he was—making it easy to fall for him.
Falling in love with your mate within minutes or hours is normal for us. It might scare Maverick, so I’ll keep it to myself until a reasonable human time has passed.
Two weeks from now seems long enough.
He smiles as he rinses the vegetables. “I knew if I had asparagus on its own, no one would eat it. Gotta give the heathens some meat for them to eat healthily.”
“Most people eat it for dinner as a side, so I completely understand not wanting to eat it as a finger food.”
He glares up at me, but his face breaks open with a smile. “Yeah, well, I like it. It’s my party, so we’re having the fucking asparagus.”
I snake an arm around him, pulling his back to my front. “I’ll eat them, whether they have bacon or not.” I kiss behind his ear, feeling him shudder against me. “I’ll eat anything you cook for me.”
“You’re sweet.”
He moves out of my arms and gets started on wrapping the veggies. I sit on the counter, watching as he works. He has a pensive look on his face, and as he glances up at me, opening his mouth, but closing it quickly. Maverick does that two more times before he shakes his head with a sigh.
Something is on his mind, but he won’t tell me without some prodding.
It’s only been a little over a week since he found me, but I’d like to think I know him by now.
When he has something on his mind, he thinks that it’ll be an inconvenience if he says anything.
I have to pull it out of him. I don’t mind; Maverick is worth the effort.
I just wish he would realize that he can tell me anything and I’d never be upset with him.
“Got something to say, baby?” I prod, grabbing his hand before he can wrap more asparagus. “Talk to me, please?”
He sighs and pushes the food away. “I was wondering…yesterday and…when you showed yourself to me…”
When he goes silent, I prompt him again. “You were wondering…?”
Blowing out a long breath, Maverick asks, “How come I could take your cock so easily?” I tick up an eyebrow.
“Me and Walt…he cheated on me because he said I couldn’t take his dick like he wanted me to.
He liked it rough, with not a lot of prep.
I mean, it was fine, because I liked that too.
But he wasn’t patient, and he was big.” He looks up at me with wide eyes. “But you’re way bigger.”
I smirk and widen my legs, watching Maverick’s eyes drop to my crotch. “Thanks for the compliment, baby.”
“Seriously,” he says, rolling his eyes with a grin. “You’re bigger than him, so how come you can fuck me hard and deep, and it doesn’t hurt?”
“It’s my magic,” I tell him simply. “Our bond. You were made for me, so your body molds to mine. If you were to fuck me, the same thing would happen.”
He shakes his head. “Topping is fine sometimes, but I like bottoming more.”
I shrug. “If you did top me, my body would mold to yours, my hole would accept you just as easily as yours accepts my dick. I can bring you all the pleasure and none of the pain.”
“Magic…affects my body?” He rubs down his front, his hands shaking. “What does…what does that mean?”
“Nothing bad,” I say with a shrug, “It just means we’re made for each other.
I won’t hurt you when it comes to our love life.
” I hop down from the counter and walk behind him, letting my dick fall into his crease.
“I make you feel good, right?” I kiss behind his ear, loving the reaction I get when I do.
“Have you been in pain when I fucked you? Even when I was rough?”
“No,” he pants, rolling his hips so my hard cock gets the friction it’s begging for. “Never. You always feel so good.”
My hand inches under his shirt so I can touch his bare skin. He’s warm and hard, but soft at the same time. Maverick moans and arches his back, his plump and soft ass pressing back against me.
“I always want you to feel good, Maverick. For the rest of our lives, I’ll make sure you do.”
Dropping to my knees behind him, I drag his pants down, watching inch after inch of his glorious ass come into view. Gods, he’s magnificent. Every part of him is beautiful, from his face to his body to his soul and spirit. He’s just…perfect.
Maverick pokes his ass out, spreading his legs as much as the jeans around his thighs will allow.
Pressing a hand on the middle of his back, I push him closer to the counter and say, “Finish your asparagus, baby. I want to eat now, though.”
With that, I spread his cheeks and dive in, licking around the circle of his rim. The taste of him bursts across my tongue and I groan, needing more of him down my throat.
I lick and suck at him, clamping my mouth around his hole so I can taste more of him. Maverick shivers and babbles, gyrating his hips to meet my tongue. I drag my tongue from his balls to the top of his crease, over and over, listening to the sweet sounds of his moans.
If we had more time, I would eat him out for hours until he came all over the dishwasher, but his guests will be here soon, and he’ll want everything perfect for them.
I rise to my full height, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Maverick turns his head and loops an arm around my neck, bringing me down for a greedy kiss. I follow his lead, letting him take control as I root around for the bottle of olive oil he was using.
Once I have it in hand, I slather my fingers and stuff two in his hole. Maverick snatches his mouth from mine, moaning in my ear. “Cade…” He huffs and leans over the counter, fucking himself on my digits. “Please.”
I grab him by the throat and pull him up, holding him while I slam my fingers into his sexy fucking pucker. “Tell me how it feels, Maverick. Tell me how I make you feel.”
“So fucking good. I’m almost there. So close to coming all over my fucking asparagus. Please…fuck me.”
“See how my fingers are inside you, rough and unyielding?” Maverick nods as he moans, spreading his legs more. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” he gasps when I hit that sweet spot inside him.
I hum, nosing along his neck. “You’re tight around me, almost choking my fingers, but my magic makes sure I don’t hurt you.
You open for me, beautifully, but without pain.
I can play with you all day, take you apart every fucking day if I wanted,” I say, nibbling at his skin as I fuck him with my fingers, “and you wouldn’t hurt. ”
“No pain?” he asks, cursing when I speed up my fingers.
“None. But you’ll know I was there. Your hole will pulse for me.”
“Shit, Cade. Fuck me, please!’
I bite down on his neck, where his pulse point is. His sweet aroma wafts into my nose and I breathe in deeply, wanting to mark him, wanting to claim him as mine so every man—shifter and human—will know that he belongs to me.
Removing my fingers from his hole, I quickly fish my cock out of my pants and coat it with oil.
I jerk myself a few times, then slap my slick shaft on his ass. “You want me, baby?”
“So bad,” he groans, standing on tiptoe to get my dick to his entrance. “Don’t tease me. We can take things slow another time. Right now, I want to feel that big dick inside me.”
Deciding not to drag it out any longer, I grip my cock and shove it inside him, feeling the ripples of his hole as it yields to my intrusion, then grips me with urgency.
Maverick’s back arches, and a raw sound tears from his throat. I swallow it as I take his mouth in a greedy kiss, loving the closeness of our flesh. He’s solid and warm in my arms, the mate that I didn’t think I’d find after all the years I was trapped.
But fate sent me the perfect man—an amazing man who refused to be broken—who built himself up from the lowest point of his life, and made himself into the strong, compassionate person he is now.
He could have easily kicked me out on my ass when I shifted, mate or no, but he chose to give me a chance, to see the good in me, even when he knew I did something almost unforgivable.
Maverick snatches his mouth away and tips his head to the side, moaning and begging. “Claim…me…please.”
I curse and grip his hips, fucking into him in nice, steady strokes. “Maverick, baby. Are you sure?”
“Yes. I need it. I love you. I want to be yours.” He pulls me closer to his pulse point, pressing me to his sweet-smelling flesh. “Cade, please!”
My cock grows harder as I thrust into him, his begging and pleading for my claiming mark lighting me up from the inside out.
Leaning closer to his flesh, I lick a stripe up his neck, tasting sweat and his natural flavor.
Before he can beg again, I clamp my lips around Maverick’s pulse point, sucking almost to the point of pain.
A deep, shuddering moan rolls through him as his hole contracts around my cock, his orgasm bursting out of him.
I’m not far behind, coming inside him, wave after wave of my orgasm exploding out of me.
It’s like a bubble of pure pleasure wraps around us, every touch, every moan, every sense heightened.
My brain is wiped clean of everything but my mate, how he feels in my arms, the new thread that links us together irrevocably.
Through that link, I can feel his pleasure, his happiness, his uncertainty, his love.
I feel every part of Maverick, and I know for a fact that he meant it when he said he loved me. We may not know everything about each other, but our feelings are real. We have the rest of our lives to learn what makes the other one happy and how we can please each other.
For now, we love each other and that’s enough.
When I’m drained, I release the suction I have on Maverick’s neck and help lower him from his tiptoes.
He chuckles, his head leaned against my pecs.
I look down at him, seeing how radiant and content he looks and vow to always keep this look on his face.
I will find a way to take care of him, to make his life as easy as possible so he can enjoy it to the fullest.
“Wow,” he breathes, opening his eyes to gaze up at me. “That was—”
“I love you too,” I interrupt him, not wanting another moment to go by that he doesn’t know.
Maverick sighs and pushes against my hips. I pull out of him and he moans, his body quivering. “I’ll never get used to feeling this good.”
I turn him around and pick him up, plonking him on the counter. He spreads his legs, allowing me to step closer to him. “It’ll always be like that. I swear it.”
Tipping his neck to the side, I admire the deep purple of my mating mark. It’s fucking beautiful, something I never thought I’d put on someone’s skin. I thought Barry would be the one, but he wasn’t right. I never felt the level of feelings for him that I do with Maverick. Not even close.
What I feel for Maverick is so big that I can barely contain it within my body. He’s so patient, so kind, so sweet, so fucking hot. He’s everything I wished I’d had even before I fucked up with Blossom. Now that I finally have it, I won’t be letting him go.
“How does it look?” Maverick asks as I continue to stare at the mark, my fingers lightly brushing over the spot.
“Amazing. Almost as beautiful as you.”
He loops his arms around my neck, his fingers playing with the hairs at my nape.
A blush colors his cheeks, and my heart does a funny fluttering thing as I stare at the pink patches.
“I can feel it.” He closes his eyes and hums contentedly.
“Will I always feel this…pulsing thread between us?” He opens his eyes and his bright gaze locks with mine.
“Always. You’ll always know how I feel, just as I’ll know how you feel. We can be in a crowded room, separated by dozens of people, and I’ll feel you.”
Maverick smiles and leans forward, offering me puckered lips. How could I possibly turn that down?
We break the kiss only when Maverick shifts and grunts.
I pull back and meet his gaze with a raised eyebrow.
He looks almost shy as he says, “Your cum is leaking out of me.” His eyes blow wide, then he lowers his head to my shoulder.
“Ugh, now we have to throw out the asparagus and bacon. No one wants cum-covered finger foods.”
“I wouldn’t turn down finger foods covered in your cum,” I say as I rub his back.
“God, Cade, that’s so gross.” He giggles and slides off the counter. “Help me clean up, then we can shower. I think what we have will be enough. If anyone is hungry after it’s all gone, we can order pizza or something.”
“Sounds good to me.” I scoop Maverick up in my arms, making him snort a laugh, as I cart him to the bathroom.
“We gotta clean up the cum veggies,” he squeals, his head tipped back with glee.
“Later. Right now, I want to clean you up.” I plant a hard kiss on his lips as we step into the bathroom. “With my tongue.”
I kick the door shut.