13. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Spencer
Strong arms wrap around my middle from behind and I let myself fall back, leaning against Cade’s strong chest. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this, to having Cade as my mate. His presence is a bright light in life.
Thinking of the word mate , my stomach turns a bit sour.
Despite living together, having a baby together, along with a baby on the way, we still haven’t exchanged mating bites. Everything has happened between us so quickly, we’ve been so caught up in getting everything ready to move in together and once that was done, we were swept up in baby prep, and now we’re anxiously waiting for the baby inside Cade to come into the world. It’s been something after something after something.
I love Cade so fucking much and not wearing his bite is really starting to get to me. But how do I bring that up?
Cade nudges the back of my head and I tilt it to the side, letting him have access to kiss the side of my throat. A shiver runs through me at the feel of his hot breath and the tickle of his thick beard. His plump lips press into my sensitive skin over and over until my shoulders are relaxing and a grin is stretching across my lips.
He’s so good at this, taking my worries away and allowing me a safe place to let go of my anxieties. I love him so much which is why I so desperately want to have his mating mark scarring my skin.
“She’s so perfect. When she was first born, I loved her so much and somehow that love has grown deeper every single day since.”
I hum softly in agreement. I turn my head in order to give Cade a kiss over my shoulder that’s just a tad awkward from this angle. His arms squeeze me tight in response. He makes me feel so safe, so loved.
“That’s how I feel about you,” I say softly, making sure to keep my voice down so Amery doesn’t wake up. “My feelings came on so quickly that I thought they’d eventually start to simmer out. But that hasn’t happened. In fact, it’s been the opposite. The feelings I have for you somehow continue to grow hotter and deeper. I love you so much, Cade, and the most incredible thing is knowing that you love me too.”
Cade is the one to hum happily this time, the sound rumbling through his chest. I can feel it against my back and it reminds me of the sensation of purring which happens quite a bit when it’s just me and Cade snuggling.
“I love you too, my whiskered mate.”
I smile at the silly nickname. But it does bring up those worries once more. Cade must sense something is going through my head before he pulls away, taking my hand instead and pulling me out of the room.
Cade doesn’t say a word as he leads me into our room. Once the door opens, my breathing stops. I look around in wonder at the sight of our room lit with candlelight. It flickers beautifully, an intimate bubble for just the two of us.
“Spencer,” Cade says, turning towards me and taking my hand into his own. “I love you and can’t imagine my life without you. I know it hasn’t even been a year since we met, but you’re it for me, sweetheart.” He leads my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles.
My chest is a whirlwind of emotions. This wonderful, amazing man somehow knew exactly what I needed.
“I know our lives are busy right now with everything, but I don’t want to spend another day without wearing your mark. Will you bite me, Spencer?”
“Oh my gods, I’ve been feeling the same exact way,” I blurt out with a broken noise at the back of my throat, pulling Cade into my arms, kissing him with so much force our teeth knock together. We giggle for a moment before I moan into the next kiss which is all passion and tongue and emotions. We kiss until our lips are tingling and our heads are spinning.
My fingers find themselves in Cade’s beard, running through the soft strands. Pulling back, I look down, carefully pulling a tie from his beard. I run my fingers through the braid, carefully unpleating it. It’s wavy compared to the hair around it and that little detail makes me smile.
I take my time, carefully pulling each of Cade’s beard braids free before brushing the hair with my fingers.
“What do you think?” Cade whispers, smirking up at me. “Should I shave it?”
“Absolutely not,” I say right away before pausing. “Well, it’s your hair so you can do whatever you want with it, but it seems a shame to shave it off now that you’ve got it so long and beautiful.”
“You’re so cute,” he says with a grin. “You love it but if I wanted to shave it, you’d let me. Such a wonderful mate of mine.”
My cheeks heat from the praise. “Wonderful mate,” I breathe out. “Make me your mate, Cade.”
“Where do you want it?”
A shiver runs down my spine at the question. There’s something so sexy about the way he’s asked me, wanting to know where I’ve been dreaming about wearing his mark.
“My wrist,” I say, holding my hand out for him. “Please.”
Cade runs his fingers from my elbow down to my wrist. He cradles my hand in his own and my breathing picks up, my heart hammering against my ribs with anticipation. He kisses the inside of my wrist, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Do it,” I whisper and a moment later, Cade opens his mouth, rests his teeth against my wrist, and bites down.
A sharp hiss leaves my lips as he bites down, breaking the skin and marking me as his. I close my eyes, overwhelmed with how happy I am. I can feel our mating bond sliding into place, resting at the back of my head right above my spine. I’m taken. I’m claimed. I am Cade’s.
When I open my eyes, Cade is standing there, staring at me. He’s got a little smile on his face, his lips red from my blood. He’s marked me and now it’s time for me to do the same for him.
“Would it be fucked up to have you bite my pec, so your mark rests right above my heart?”
I chuckle softly. “I’m into it. Take your shirt off.”
“Buy a guy dinner first,” he says with a low whistle, teasing me. I slap his shoulder and roll my eyes which makes him laugh even harder.
I bite my bottom lip as Cade pulls his shirt over his head. He’s about ten months along which means he’s finally starting to show. Just two more months and the baby inside him will be here with us. I can’t wait.
My eyes sweep over Cade’s body and my mouth runs dry. Jesus fucking Christ, my mate is hot. Cade might be bald but the rest of him is covered with hair that I find I love running my fingers through.
“Right here,” he says, touching his left pec.
Instead of going straight for biting him, my fingers skim over his pecs. They’re furry and soft. I’m tempted to squeeze them but instead, I run my hands lower, petting his stomach. Two of my fingers run down into his boxers and he yelps, catching my wrist.
“You’ll have time for that in a moment. Bite first, then you can have your wicked way with me,” Cade says, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
I give him a little pout before nodding. “Fine. But once I’m done biting you, I’m sucking your dick. You wouldn’t deny your mate what he wants, would you?”
“Of course not,” he says with a smile.
Wrapping a hand around the back of my head, Cade guides me to his chest. My hand cups his pec, squeezing the soft mound gently as I bring my mouth to where his mating bite will go. After giving his chest a soft kiss, I open my mouth and bite down.
“Fuck,” Cade hisses out, a mixture of pleasure and pain. His fingers tighten in my hair before he’s pulling, bringing my mouth away from his chest up to his mouth. When our lips meet, our blood mixes on our tongues.
Our mating bond solidifies. Where once there was Cade and Spencer, now there’s us .
“Mine,” I say, pushing Cade backwards. With a chuckle, he crawls back onto our bed. My chest rumbles with a pleased purr, thundering through our otherwise quiet room. I follow him onto the bed. “You’re mine,” I say, punctuating the words by kissing him again.
I have a feeling we won’t be getting much sleep tonight.