Chapter Twenty-Three #2
The metallic taste in her mouth was real.
What have I done? She’d bitten him. No, she’d marked him with a mating mark, something traditionally done by the male.
Sweat cooled on her skin, making her shiver.
Her system thrummed with pleasure with the most intense orgasm of her life, but she couldn’t relax and enjoy it, not until she knew how he was going to react.
The bleeding was stopped, but the puncture marks on his neck would leave a visible scar.
No one would mistake them for anything other than what they were.
A sense of possessiveness welled up inside her, even as she was appalled by her actions.
Was she trying to tie him to her in case things went sideways with his brothers?
Eli stirred and raised his head. Pure male satisfaction gleamed in his dark eyes. Maybe he’d been too caught up to realize what she’d done.
“You bit me.”
And that faint hope died. “It just happened.” Talk about lame. “It doesn’t have to mean anything.” Even as she said the words, she wanted to pull them back. Her wolf howled in protest.
He pushed upright, supporting his weight on his hands, but didn’t move away. “Did you want it to mean anything?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She thumped her head against the pillow. “It was instinct. I shouldn’t have done it, not without discussing it with you.” It was unconscionable.
He pulled out and dropped down beside her. “How does it look?” He rubbed the area in question.
“The bleeding stopped.” It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. “Well?”
He stroked his fingers over her cheek. “You marked me. That must mean you plan on keeping me.”
“This isn’t a joking matter.” Any other male would be yelling at her. She’d never heard of a female marking a male before. It was always the other way around. It was how things had always been done.
“No, it’s not. I told you how I feel about you, what I want.”
“You’re not mad?” He honestly didn’t seem the least bit upset. If the situation was reversed, she couldn’t say with conviction she wouldn’t react totally differently.
“You claimed me. That makes me a very lucky man.”
The tension inside her melted away. “Oh, Eli.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I love you. Marked or unmarked. Mated or not. It doesn’t change a damn thing. I want you in my life.” A frown pulled at his mouth. “Prepare yourself. My brothers are not going to ignore this.”
Her shoulders tensed. She closed her eyes and groaned. “I’ll never live it down. Cyrus won’t be happy.”
“No time like the present to find out.” Eli dropped a kiss on her lips before climbing out of bed.
He stretched his arms over his head, momentarily robbing her of all thought.
From his broad shoulders, sculpted arms and chest, to his muscular legs, the man was sheer perfection.
He scratched his stomach and held out his hand. “Whatever happens, we’ll be together.”
She slipped her hand into his, allowing him to tug her out of bed. “Together.” It was a foreign concept, but it felt right.
They showered, but there was no sexual interlude this time. They didn’t waste any time getting cleaned up. She did notice Eli staring in the mirror at his neck, but neither of them mentioned it. She dawdled as long as possible, making the bed and fluffing the pillows.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “They won’t hurt you.”
She spun around. “I’m not afraid of your brothers.
” Oddly enough, she wasn’t. They were men of honor, despite their fearful reputation.
“I don’t want to cause a fight between you and them.
” Eli had dressed in jeans and boots and pulled on a cotton shirt he’d left unbuttoned.
There was no missing the mark on his neck.
She resisted the urge to fasten the buttons.
“You sure that’s all it is?”
“Isn’t that enough? What else would it be?”
He took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Maybe you’re regretting what you did in the heat of passion.”
“I love you. Mark or no mark. I’m not ashamed of that.” It was easy to forget this kind of relationship was as new to him as it was to her.
“Then let’s do this.” He opened the bedroom door and waved her ahead of him.
Praying for courage, she tilted her chin up and went down the stairs. A sense of déjà vu hit her when all six men seated at the table turned toward them.
“Took you long enough to get up. Guess you were busy.” Levi grinned, not bothering to hide his amusement.
Kinley tried to not think about how much they might have heard.
The rooms might be soundproofed but the damn bedroom window had been open.
If they ended up staying here, her first purchase was going to be an air-conditioning unit for the window that they could blast when they made love.
It would keep them cool and help muffle the noise coming from the room.
From the icy glares she was getting from Cyrus and Josiah, it might not be an issue. They might be leaving.
Stomach in knots, she hung back and let Eli take the lead.
This was his family. Hand at the small of her back, he guided her to the table.
They had plenty of comfortable seating in the living room area, but she’d never seen any of them use it.
They all gravitated to the big table next to the kitchen. It was the heart of their home.
Eli took the seat beside her and leaned back. It was no accident that his shirt dipped on the left side, giving them an excellent view of his newly acquired mark.
They all seemed spellbound by the sight. Levi broke first, releasing a low whistle. “Well shit, you were busier than I thought.” His gaze went to her neck, frowning slightly when he didn’t see a corresponding mark.
She dug her nails into her thighs, fighting the urge to run back upstairs and hide. While they wouldn’t physically harm her, she’d come to respect and admire Eli’s brothers. She wanted them to like her. More, she didn’t want Eli to lose their regard.
“This is all my doing. I didn’t give him a say in the matter.”
Silas and Levi grinned. Zach rubbed his hand over his mouth, trying to hide a smile. Noah chuckled. They must think she was an idiot, but their reaction didn’t bother her as much as Cyrus and Josiah’s did. Both men were somber, finding no humor in the situation.
“I’m sure Eli didn’t stand a chance against you.” Cyrus shook his head. “Poor little brother. Taken advantage of.”
Heat climbed up her cheeks, but she met his gaze, refusing to back down.
“Knock it off, Cyrus.” Eli pointed to the marking on his neck. “I plan on mating Kinley when she’s ready.” He turned to her. “If she’ll have me.”
Insides melting at his immediate defense of her, she took his hand, linking their fingers together. “I love him.” It was a bold step, but a necessary one. His brothers were an indelible part of his life. They deserved the truth.
“But you haven’t mated him,” Cyrus unnecessarily pointed out.
Eli gave a low growl that vibrated through the entire room. “Kinley’s life has been ripped out from under her in the past couple of weeks. I don’t think it’s asking too much to give her time to adjust. The big question is whether we’re welcome here.”
Cyrus shoved his chair back while the rest went deadly silent.
Eli pushed to his feet and she stood with him, ready to face whatever judgement was about to be handed down.
They were brothers, a family, but they were also wolves.
A hierarchy existed among them, whether they’d admit it or not.
As an outsider, it was easier for her to see what they simply all accepted without question.
“There hasn’t been a woman here since Mama died.” The coldness in Cyrus’s voice sent a chill through her and killed any hope that they’d be able to stay. Her chest constricted, her heart breaking for Eli.
“No, there hasn’t.” Pride at how steady and calm Eli was battled with her need to find a way to fix the situation, but it wasn’t her place. He’d chosen her. All she could do was stand beside him and offer her support.
Arms crossed over his massive chest, Cyrus’s scowled deepened. “Gonna need to make some changes.” He glared at Levi. “No more walking around naked in the morning. And you,”— he pointed at Noah—“you’re going to have to share the kitchen.”
Eli began to chuckle. Kinley went hot, then cold. The room began to spin. Her knees buckled and she went down, missed the chair, and landed on the floor. Eli dropped to his knees beside her. “Kinley?” He gently pressed her head forward. “Breathe.”
She closed her eyes and sucked in air. So much for being strong for her man. She lifted her head, ignoring Eli’s worried gaze, and lasered in on Cyrus. “You really mean it?” There was too much on the line to beat around the bush.
He crouched in front of her and held out his hand.
“We’re the Seven Deadly Sins. We stick together, no matter what, little sister.
” Little sister. Her throat tightened and she took his hand, giving it a brief squeeze.
Cyrus tugged her upright and canted his head toward the table.
“You sure you want to take this lot on?”
Happiness burst through her and a huge smile crossed her face. “Oh, yeah, I’m sure.” Eli wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple, his warmth and strength surrounding her.
Zach laughed. “I’m not sure if we should be worried or not, but I’m glad you’re staying.” He dropped a kissed her cheek. “I also wanted to make sure you were dressed for every occasion.” He grabbed a box from the end of the kitchen counter and set it in front of her.
Surprised, she glanced at Eli, who shrugged.
It had been sent overnight delivery. She ripped off the tape, peeled back the flaps, and started to laugh.
Printed in bold red letting on the front of the white t-shirt was Thank You.
The one beneath it was light gray with bold blue lettering that read, I’m sorry.
She tugged the white t-shirt over the one she was already wearing.
Cyrus and Josiah still weren’t smiling, but there was acceptance there. That was more than enough. Best of all, Eli wouldn’t lose his home or family.
“There aren’t enough words to express what this means to me, but this shirt says it all. Thank you.”
“Just don’t hurt him.” It was the first thing Josiah had said.
She laid her hand over her heart. “I can’t promise that will never happen. We’re both liable to make mistakes and mess up, but I can promise I’ll never intentionally hurt him.”
Josiah came around the table and kissed the top of her head. “That’s all I ask.”
They came one by one until all of them had hugged or kissed her. Eli growled and muttered, “Get your own woman.” But she could tell their actions pleased him.
“This calls for a celebration.” Noah headed to the kitchen and began pulling pans out of the cupboard. “This calls for cupcakes.”
“I need to take care of some business,” Josiah announced and headed down the hallway to the office. “I could use your opinion on a couple of things, Cyrus.”
“Right behind you.” With a nod, he followed his brother.
Zach patted her shoulder as he passed. “We can go over your finances later, if you’d like.” Then he was out the back door.
“I’m going to get a run in.” With a wave Levi followed behind Zach.
“I need a nap.” Silas ambled up the stairs.
“What just happened?”
Eli began to laugh. “Welcome to the family.”
It seemed almost too easy, too good to be true. She threw her arms around him and buried her face against the mating mark. It was real. He was hers, she was his. He held her so tight it almost hurt, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You two hungry?” Noah asked.
She’d forgotten they weren’t quite alone.
There were Sin brothers everywhere. It would take some getting used to.
It wouldn’t all be smooth sailing, but she was up for the challenge.
“Starving.” She dropped a quick kiss on Eli’s lips.
“What would you like?” It was time to become contributing member of the household.
“I’ll eat anything.”
Smiling, she headed into to the kitchen.