Chapter 37
We don’t sleep much that night.
Unlike past boyfriends, Cal doesn’t roll over and go to sleep or awkwardly find an excuse to leave. After basking in the afterglow of mind-bending—and pussy reshaping—sex, Cal helps clean me up, and we joke about how much of a mess he made.
It’s fun and easy, and I realize for the first time in my life I feel safe after sex.
Maybe it’s because of how tenderly he touches me, how he keeps chuckling at my jokes and finding excuses to kiss me.
When he suggests I go grab us a midnight snack while he changes the sheets, I profess my love again.
There’s no question about whether he’ll stay. The storm has passed, so he could easily head back to his cabin, but we both know he’s not going anywhere.
Cal regales me with his saga of searching for Doodle as we snack on cookies I stole from the dining hall. We laugh over the rooster’s antics until my cheeks hurt. My chest swells with so much adoration and wonder that he’s here with me.
We snuggle into the freshly made bed, saying goodnight, but as soon as the lights go off and I roll over to press closer to him, needing to reassure myself that this is real, and he’s not going anywhere, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
I finally pass out with Cal’s tongue caressing my swollen, well-used pussy, faintly registering the shift of light outside indicating dawn is almost here.
When I wake, I’m nestled against his expansive chest, his arm around my waist keeping me tucked safely where I won’t roll over and poke my eye out on one of his horns.
He’s hard against the back of my legs, and I squirm a little, my pussy giving a throb of protest at the idea of taking more, even as I grow wet.
“Go back to sleep,” Cal whispers, his sleep-rough voice doing nothing to help with my arousal.
“Mmm, but you feel so good,” I murmur back, guiding the hand splayed across my belly up to give his palm a kiss, then placing it on my breast.
Cal’s half-chuckle, half-groan makes me smile. “So do you, darlin’, but if I use your pretty pussy again so soon, you won’t be able to walk today.”
“Not if you’re gentle.” I reach back and do my best to wrap my hand around his length despite the awkward angle. “Please?”
He clearly likes it when I beg, his dick leaking onto my fingers. Cal kisses my hair, idly playing with my nipple. “Not a good idea.”
“Don’t tell me what I can’t do,” I grumble, spreading my thighs in invitation.
“God, woman, you’re the most stubborn, determined person I’ve ever met,” he says with a deep laugh, and I savor the way it makes his chest rumble against my back.
“That’s why you love me,” I reply, sighing in relief and anticipation when he hooks one of my thighs over his arm and the head of his cock brushes against my pussy.
“Mmm, true,” he says, nuzzling against my hair. “One of many, many reasons.”
I let out a little whine when he shifts so he can pump some lube into his palm, but my sore pussy thanks him when he tests me with two slicked-up fingers and helps get me ready. I should be a gaping mess by now, but the human body apparently is very resilient, and he’s been careful.
Cal doesn’t press into me until he’s made me come with his fingers, and when he does, it’s so, so slow that we’re both gasping and sighing as each slick inch of him works inside me.
I’ve never felt anything like this before. Not the size of him, though, yes, that’s a notable difference from other men, but the connection. The overwhelming sensation of not knowing where his body starts and mine ends. I feel infinite in Cal’s arms.
He unravels me and puts me back together, stronger, safer, and more whole.
Cal must feel it too, because he holds me like I’m everything.
“I love you. I love you, and you better be ready, because this is it for me,” he whispers as we grow closer to our release.
“I love you, Cal. You’re it for me too. I’m yours.”
He groans and fills me with all he has to give, and I follow him over the edge in languorous waves.
My eyelids grow heavy, fatigue catching up with me. “Sleep,” Cal murmurs, making no effort to move or pull out. It feels oddly nice, having him nestled inside me, keeping us as connected as we can be as I drift off to sleep.
When I wake up again, Cal is gone.
There’s a split-second of panic before I hear the shower and his faint humming. I sit up and wince, reaching between my thighs to find the remnants of Cal’s release is still oozing from me.
Another spike of panic hits me.
Grabbing my phone, I quickly search the odds of getting pregnant from having sex with a minotaur. I’m pretty sure it’s incredibly rare, but with my luck my birth control shot won’t be able to hold up to minotaur sperm.
Thankfully, the search reassures me my birth control is enough, and even if I wasn’t on it, the chances are so rare that many minotaurs believe having a baby with a human results from the universe aligning to create a “star-blessed” child.
I also learn that there are no STIs we can get from each other and cow man cum has natural antimicrobial properties, so I won’t get a UTI because I sleepily indulged in some cockwarming.
The shower shuts off right as I work up the energy to get out of bed, and the sight of Cal toweling off on my grandma’s floral bathmat, his hair disheveled, is so cute I can’t help but giggle.
“Morning, darlin’,” he says, eyeing my naked body and all the evidence of what we got up to with a mixture of pride and concern. His fingers brush against the slight bruises on my hip with a frown.
I place my hand over his before he can apologize, and go up on my toes to kiss him. “Morning, handsome.”
His tail wraps around my calf as he holds me close. “Saved plenty of hot water for you,” he says, making no move to let me go. “If we hurry, we’ll make it in time for the end of breakfast, or you can stay here and I’ll go grab food and coffee for us.”
God, he’s sweet. Not that it should be a surprise after all the ways he’s shown me care, always trying to help me out in some way or another—at least once he decided I wasn’t a threat to everything he held dear.
Breakfast here sounds nice, but I worry that’ll lead to us getting wrapped up in each other and letting all our tasks for the day fall by the wayside. “I’ll be quick. I want to see the look on August’s face when we walk in together.”
Cal’s grin is so bright it dazzles me. “Can’t say I mind that at all.”
Once I’m cleaned up and dressed, we head to the dining hall. He holds my hand the entire time, checking every so often to make sure I’m not too sore to walk and offering to carry me more than once.
Yeah, I can definitely feel that I had a giant minotaur between my thighs multiple times last night, but I kind of like the dull, aching reminder. I’m oddly proud of it, which confirms my suspicions that I’m a bit of a masochist.
Cal pauses by the doors to the dining hall. “Still want to hold my hand? Because I understand if you’re not ready for everyone to know. I’d like to tell them, but I want to go at your pace.”
I squeeze his hand tighter, smiling at his thoughtful, nervous words. “You sure you want to go at my pace, cowboy? Because I have you mentally moved in already.”
He lets out a surprised, delighted huff of laughter. “I’ll tell August he can expect me out by the end of the week. Sooner, if he’s willing to help me pack.”
“Perfect.” I beam at his wonderful, handsome face that I’ve grown so fond of, at his certainty that matches mine, at everything that he is. I wrap my arms around his neck and tug him down into a kiss.
There’s a spluttering sound and a gasp, the doors beside us swinging open. We part to find Wylie and Remy staring at us, jaws dropped.
“Morning, boys,” I say with a cheerful smile as Cal places an arm around my waist.
“Morning!” Remy squeaks, but Wylie continues to stare in disbelief.
“We’re not too late for breakfast, are we?” I ask, fighting not to laugh at their shock.
“No, you’re not. You…so you’re a you now?” Remy asks, ears flicking.
Wylie smacks his arm. “It’s not polite to ask that!”
“They were kissing! That doesn’t feel like a secret to me,” Remy huffs back.
“Yes, we’re together,” Cal says, his voice serious. “Now, would you mind moving out of our way so I can feed my woman?”
“Your woman?” I raise a brow.
Cal shrugs. “You said you’re mine.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, but that sounds so…old fashioned. I’m sure as shit not going to be your little woman you get to boss around.”
Cal’s tail comes up to wrap around my thighs. “Hmm, what about my very capable and independent partner…” I nod, and he lowers his voice to something much more intimate before he continues, “who likes it when I boss her around a bit, despite her protests?”
Remy lets out a choked sound at his implication.
My cheeks heat, but I nod. “That works. Now, if you boys will excuse us, I need to get my man some breakfast.” I wink at them as I tug Cal with me, laughing as he grumbles about me being a hypocrite.
We fill up our plates and find August sitting with Rhett, the pair deep in conversation. The older minotaur perks up as we approach, holding a hand up to cut off whatever Rhett was saying.
“Well, look who rolled out of bed to grace us with their presence,” August calls out, a shit-eating grin on his lips.
Guess he figured out what we were up to when Cal never came back home last night and left him with rooster-sitting duty. I make a mental note to buy something nice for August as a thank you for keeping Doodle from giving me his usual wake-up call.
“Yeah, this one was worn out, so I decided to give him a break,” I say, loving it when Cal huffs at me.
August laughs, and Rhett reaches out to give me a high five, which I gleefully accept.
“Are you two serious, or was it just a bit of fun?” Rhett waggles his eyebrows.
“Serious,” Cal says gruffly, glaring at Rhett, who holds his hands up appeasingly.
“And definitely more than a bit of fun,” I add, and August and Rhett laugh again, Rhett clapping Cal on the back.
Cal’s rigid posture eases, and he smiles back, letting himself enjoy the teasing for what it is—our friends being happy for us.
We join Rhett and August for breakfast, and when Cal mentions that he’s going to move in with me, August seems less than surprised and Rhett perks up.
“Does that mean you’ll need a roommate?” Rhett asks August, who pretends to groan.
“Ugh, I don’t even get a minute to consider the prospect of living on my own.”
“I wouldn’t ask, but the place I’m in is horrible. I promise I’ll be clean and quiet. You won’t even know I’m there!”
“Doubt that,” Cal mutters to me under his breath.
August lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine.”
“Glad to know I’m so easily replaced,” Cal says with an unserious frown.
“Hey, you’re the one that’s moving in with Belle and leaving me to deal with this guy,” August retorts. His eyes are warm as he smiles. “Glad you both got your heads out of your asses and did the damn thing.”
Cal scowls at his best friend, but I laugh and squeeze his thigh under the table. “Me too.”
Breakfast goes by too fast, and suddenly it’s time to get back to work. Cal pulls me behind the check-in desk for a quick kiss before he heads out.
“I’d call this weekend a success, wouldn’t you?” I ask, glancing out at the bustling lobby and happy guests.
“In more ways than one,” he replies, squeezing my hand. “I can’t imagine how things could get any better than this.”
I laugh and cup his cheek. “Well, you better buckle up, cowboy, because I sure as hell can. This?” I gesture between us and around the lobby, then tug him down for another quick kiss. “This is only a taste of what’s on the horizon. We’re just getting started.”
He squeezes my hip as he takes his hat off and places it on my head. “I’m ready for anything as long as I have you by my side, darlin’.”