Chapter Six #4
“I know.” Nic’s eyes closed briefly. “I just didn’t want you to be in danger because of me. I thought if I could just find more information and get out—”
“You thought you were expendable.” The realization hit Tamsin.
He should’ve realized it before. “That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?
You still don’t believe you’re worth protecting.
” Nic thought the clan hated him, and maybe most members did, but Tamsin didn’t believe that.
He and the other Vila shared the village with Krsniks, but also with humans.
Hell, Nic’s friend Devon was human, and even though they were still working through what Nic had done, Tamsin didn’t think that Devon wanted Nic dead.
Tamsin’s heart ached. He tilted Nic’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “You’re my mate. You’re worth everything to me. When you put yourself in danger, you’re hurting me, too. Because if something happens to you, I—” His voice broke. “Please don’t do that again.”
Nic’s expression crumbled. “I’m sorry,” he said again, and Tamsin believed that he was. “You’re right. I should have talked to you first.”
“Yeah, you should have.” Tamsin ran his hands down Nic’s arms. He needed to reassure himself that Nic really was here, and the easiest way to do that was to touch him.
“Come on. You need a shower, then rest.”
Nic didn’t argue when Tamsin pulled him upstairs to their bathroom, or when Tamsin raised his sweater to take it off after dropping the blanket Clay had given him earlier. He was quiet while Tamsin worked, making Tamsin wonder what was going on in his head.
“I’ve never had someone care like this before,” Nic finally said. “Someone who wanted to take care of me. Well, I’m sure that my parents did, but I barely remember it, and it’s been so long.”
“Well, get used to it. You’re stuck with me.”
A smile tugged at Nic’s lips. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Their bond would make sure of that, but more than that, Tamsin wanted to be stuck with Nic. “For life, remember? That’s what the mate bond means.”
“I love that we’re bonded, but there’s more, isn’t it?”
Tamsin sucked in a breath. There was more, yes.
They’d been waiting for the right moment, but maybe there wasn’t one.
After all, Nic was it for Tamsin, no matter how much they waited to have sex.
Besides, there was no way to know what would happen in the future.
Parrish was still out there, and while Tamsin didn’t know him well, he was ready to bet that with Celeste gone, Parrish would look for revenge, and he wouldn’t stop until he either got it or died.
He’d make sure to hurt Nic as much as he could, and there was a possibility that he and Tamsin wouldn’t have the long decades together they were supposed to have.
“Is that what you want?” Tamsin asked carefully.
Nic pulled him closer. “I want you,” he said. “I’ve wanted you since the moment we met. And after tonight, I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“You’re sure? You’re not just reacting to what happened tonight?”
“I’m sure.” Nic’s hands settled on Tamsin’s hips, warm and steady. “I know our bond is right.”
Tamsin’s eyes stung. “I was so scared,” he admitted. “When I felt your fear through the bond, I—”
Nic kissed him, slow, tender, and sweet. “I’m here,” he murmured against Tamsin’s lips. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Tamsin deepened the kiss, pouring everything he’d felt—from his fear to his relief, to his growing love—into it. Nic responded by sliding a hand up to tangle in Tamsin’s hair while the other held him close.
When they finally broke apart for air, Nic’s eyes were dark with want. “Take me to bed,” he said. “And let me show you I’m really okay.”
Tamsin couldn’t help the shaky laugh that escaped. “You’re supposed to rest.”
“I’ll rest later.” Nic kissed the corner of Tamsin’s lips. “Right now, I need you.”
How could Tamsin argue with that when he felt the same way? He claimed Nic’s mouth in another kiss, letting his mate feel the depth of his need, his relief, his love through their bond. Even though he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to express all of it with words, he didn’t need to.
“Yes,” Tamsin breathed between kisses. “Yes. But if—”
“No ifs.” Nic’s hands were already working down Tamsin’s body. “I promise. Now stop fussing and touch me.”
The air between them was thick, or at least, it felt like it.
Tamsin walked backward until he felt his bare legs brush against the bed.
The sheets were still rumpled from when he’d gotten up earlier after realizing that Nic wasn’t there, and he fell back onto them.
Nic stood by the bed, watching Tamsin, who could feel his gaze traveling from his ankles all the way up to his face.
“You’re overdressed,” Tamsin said.
Nic slowly smiled as he reached for his jeans.
He unbuttoned them and pushed them down his hips along with his briefs.
His cock sprang free, hard and leaking, and Tamsin’s mouth went dry.
Nic didn’t join him on the bed, though. Instead, he leaned over Tamsin, bracing one hand on the mattress beside his head, his body a delicious, warm presence above him.
“You look perfect like this,” Nic murmured, his voice low and rough.
He dipped his head, and his mouth found the sensitive skin where Tamsin’s neck met his shoulder.
It wasn’t a kiss. It was a press of lips that made Tamsin’s back arch off the bed when Nic’s teeth grazed his skin.
A low moan escaped Tamsin’s lips, and he tangled his fingers in Nic’s hair, holding him there.
They were already bonded, but his entire being wanted Nic to bite him.
Nic continued his exploration, his mouth branding Tamsin’s collarbone, his chest, the plane of his stomach.
Each gentle bite felt calculated, balanced between soft and hard enough to make Tamsin’s body jerk every time he felt Nic’s teeth on his body.
Tamsin was panting, and his skin felt oversensitive, but every part of him screamed for more.
“Nic, please,” he gasped.
That was all Nic needed. He moved up Tamsin’s body, his body hot and solid against Tamsin’s. He reached for the bottle of lube in the nightstand, the sound of the cap snapping open obscenely loud in their otherwise silent bedroom. Tamsin watched as Nic slicked his own fingers, then his cock.
When Nic’s fingers found him, Tamsin cried out. One slick finger pressed inside, stretching him in a way that had him seeing stars.
Nic didn’t waste time now that he was inside Tamsin. A second finger joined the first, stretching him open with a practiced ease that barely gave him the opportunity to breathe. Nic crooked his fingers just right, brushing over that spot, and Tamsin’s vision whited out for a second.
“Ready?” Nic asked, his voice strained.
Tamsin wasn’t the only one feeling things so strongly, and he could only nod. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to speak even if he tried.
Nic positioned himself between Tamsin’s legs.
Tamsin held his breath when he felt the head of Nic’s cock press against his entrance.
Nic pushed forward in a slow invasion that stole the air from Tamsin’s lungs and forced him to suck in a breath.
The stretch was a burning fullness that quickly turned into a deep pressure that threatened to make Tamsin scream.
Nic slid home, and they both stilled, breathing together.
Then Nic began to move.
He started with a slow, deep rhythm, hitting that spot inside Tamsin insistently.
Tamsin clutched Nic’s shoulders, digging his nails in and making Nic moan.
Nic caught one of his hands, lacing their fingers together and pressing it back against the mattress by Tamsin’s head.
The gesture was unexpectedly tender and reminded Tamsin that this was more than just a physical connection. Nic was claiming him a second time.
Their other hands found each other, fingers intertwining tightly as Nic pressed his body against Tamsin’s.
His thrusts became faster, harder, as Nic lost control.
The bedframe knocked against the wall, the sound punctuating their grunts of pleasure.
Tamsin could feel the coiled tension building in his gut, a tight, hot knot of pleasure.
Nic bent his head, his breath hot against Tamsin’s ear. “Come for me,” he said right before biting Tamsin.
He didn’t break skin—or at least, Tamsin didn’t think he did, but he didn’t pay much attention.
His orgasm ripped through him, making him gasp.
His back bowed off the bed as he came, muffling a cry against Nic’s shoulder.
His body clenched around Nic’s cock, and Nic’s rhythm shattered as he gave a final deep grinding thrust into Tamsin, burying himself to the hilt with a moan.
They collapsed together, a tangled, breathless mess of limbs. Nic’s weight was a comforting pressure that reminded Tamsin that he was safe. Their hands were still tightly entwined, and Tamsin wasn’t ready to let go.
So he didn’t.