Chapter 36
Pain pierced Nessa’s shoulder as Murphy bit into her flesh, a direct contrast to the riot of sensations coursing through her. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip to keep from crying out in discomfort. Intense heat spread from the mark and across her already sensitive skin.
Just as quickly as the pain appeared, it gave way to infinite pleasure, leaving her breathless and strung out on the incredible feeling of Murphy behind her. Inside her. Intertwined in her heart and soul. He was everywhere, keeping her grounded even as he fucked her into oblivion.
She loved it—loved how he made her feel. He was uninhibited. Passionate. Rough yet caring. Not once had he reached for her throat or made her feel unsafe. Even caught up in the haze of their lovemaking, he kept complete control in all the right ways.
Murphy sucked on the wound, lapping at her skin with his tongue as his strokes became frantic. Desperate. He fucked her into the mattress, straight through her first orgasm and quickly spiraling her toward another.
Her pussy spasmed around his stiff length, and she breathlessly panted his name as another orgasm tore through her senses. Her toes curled, white dots exploding across her vision as she fought to keep from passing out from the overstimulation.
She whimpered a string of sentences into the bedsheets, but she couldn’t understand a single one. It was either gibberish or her eardrums had stopped working. At that moment, she didn’t care. All she cared about was this—this moment–being claimed.
Her mate’s arms tightened around her front, his palm cupping her breast as he pulled her more firmly against his sweat-damp chest. His cock pulsed inside her, and his bite on her shoulder grew firmer, his body going taut around her.
With a low grunt, he came, plunging one last hard thrust into her body before he went still.
Nessa collapsed beneath him, her legs and arms shaking as she took one heaving breath after another. Her lungs burned, her heart beating heavily in her ears. It felt like she’d been fucked within an inch of her life.
What a way to go.
Vaguely, she felt Murphy remove his teeth from her shoulder and lick the bite mark. Felt him pull out of her, only to turn her gently onto her back. He fit his hips back into the cradle of her thighs, his semi-hard length resting on her pussy.
Palming the back of her neck, he pulled her head gently from the bed, his eyes glowing golden in the room’s darkness. “Time to mark me, little mate.”
Yes. I’m about to be an officially mated woman.
The thought had anticipation pooling low in her belly, intertwining with the aftershocks still pulsing through her core.
Nessa wrapped her arms around his neck as he guided her mouth to a similar spot on his shoulder, his fingers sifting through the hair at the base of her scalp.
Her lips brushed against his heated flesh before her tongue darted out, swiping languidly over him.
Murphy shivered, the arm around her waist tightening possessively.
Her teeth clamped onto his shoulder, and she bit down, expecting his blood to fill her mouth. Instead, all she tasted was a hint of salt on his skin.
“Harder, Nes,” Murphy instructed huskily, his cock thickening between them. He pulled his hips back, notching his tip at her entrance and sinking back inside her with a sensual groan that had her sensitive pussy fluttering wildly around him.
“Bite me.” He plunged into her with a deep, slow stroke. “Make me yours.” Another pump of his hips had her mindlessly obeying, her legs wrapping around his waist as she clung to him. Eagerly, she canted her hips, taking him deeper as she met each of his thrusts.
The warm, metallic taste of his blood hit her tongue, and Murphy shuddered around her, whispering her name reverently into the darkness. He grabbed her ass, lifting her hips off the mattress as he powered into her, her mind going completely blank as the sensation overwhelmed her.
Fisting her hair, Murphy pulled her head away from his shoulder, only to slam his mouth over hers, his tongue sinking past her lips and into a bruising kiss.
He dominated her mouth, drinking from her like he’d never get a chance at another taste.
Just as frenzied, she returned his affection, her nails raking over his upper back as she pulled him closer, teetering on the edge of a third orgasm.
It was too much, but she couldn’t get enough, the ache in her core a silent plea for more.
Murphy’s hand slid over Nessa’s hip and then between them, his thumb finding her clit and rubbing the overstimulated bud. She cried out, her core spasming around his cock as she climaxed. He devoured her moans, bottoming out as he toppled over the edge with her, warm spurts of cum filling her.
Whatever strength she had left fled, and she went pliant beneath him, too delirious, too drained to do anything but enjoy the blissful aftereffects.
Sipping gently from her lips, Murphy rolled onto his back, taking her with him until she was lying on his chest, listening to the heavy beat of his heart against her ear.
He played with her hair, petting the long strands rhythmically.
Her eyelids felt heavy, and she slid them shut, lethargy sweeping in and taking over.
She didn’t know it was possible to feel such peace after being taken so fiercely, but this was everything. He was everything. And now they’d taken that final step to cement their relationship. This was it for both of them.
Forever.
Nessa placed a gentle kiss over Murphy’s heart, her own filled with a tenderness and adoration she’d never felt with another before. “I love you, Murphy,” she whispered, lifting her head to gaze down at him.
His eyes widened with surprise, and then he pushed up to his elbows, his mouth meeting hers in a sweet kiss. He nuzzled her nose. “I love you, too, Nessa. So fucking much. You bring so much joy into my life—I don’t know how I ever lived without you.”
Her heart swelled, happy tears pricking her vision. She opened her mouth to utter a similar, emotional response when she felt something hard press against her inner thigh.
Startled, she looked down. Surely he wasn’t ready to go again—
“Murphy, what—”
Murphy grabbed her legs, parting her thighs and dropping her knees to either side of his hips. His cock swelled beneath her, and he grabbed her waist, lifting her slightly to line her up with his length. He pulled her back down, sinking inside her in one powerful motion.
A strangled moan escaped her throat, ecstasy nearly blinding in its intensity. “Murphy, I’m so sensitive—”
He paused beneath her, cupping her cheek. “We can stop.”
She shook her head, a hurried denial rushing past her lips as she planted her palms onto his muscular chest. “Don’t you dare.”
Sending her a wicked grin, Murphy’s hands landed on her ass, squeezing appreciatively as he urged her hips up and down. “Then ride me, little mate. Let me watch you come apart on my cock.”
An angry bird chirping woke Nessa with a start. She jerked upright in bed only to sink pitifully back down into the warm sheets as her entire body protested against the movement.
Her muscles ached, her inner thighs felt chafed and her pussy throbbed, far less erotically than it had only hours before.
What did you expect to feel like after last night?
Despite her soreness, a serene smile stretched across Nessa’s face.
Murphy had been insatiable, and after they’d claimed each other, his hunger had only increased.
It was a miracle her bed was still intact after the things they’d done in it, not to mention the positions he’d put her in.
She hadn’t even known she could bend like that, not until her knees had been by her ears, her feet thrown over her head like they belonged there.
That bear had bent her like a pretzel and devoured her like she was a dessert he’d been craving for weeks.
And it had been freaking phenomenal.
Who knew she’d love sex so much?
She’d liked it a long time ago, but that enjoyment had soon turned to hatred, and before Murphy, the thought of an all-night sex-fest would have sent her running for the hills. Now she was wondering how quickly they could repeat everything.
As that damned bird began harping on yet again, Nessa rolled onto her side, blindly searching through the sheets for her mate. Only, he wasn’t there.
Nessa opened her eyes, squinting blearily at her empty bed. She sat up, ignoring the pinch of pain in her shoulder as she ran a hand through her messy hair.
“Murphy?”
Another chirp—Nessa craned her head toward her nightstand in confusion.
Her alarm! Shit, she was going to be late for work. It was Monday, which was usually a busy day after being closed all weekend, but she’d just have to open the teahouse a bit later than usual—again. Once she hired someone to step in, sleeping in on occasion wouldn’t be a problem.
Tugging back the comforter, Nessa hopped out of bed, only to wince at the stiffness of her muscles.
Whatever. Last night was totally worth it. Hustling to the bathroom, she turned on the shower before relieving herself. Just as she began washing her hands in the sink, she looked up into the vanity mirror, staring in wide-eyed fascination at the bite mark on her shoulder.
Leaning in closer, she inspected the already scabbed-over wound. It would scar—oddly enough, she found she was looking forward to that. A mark that claimed her as his. But how had it already healed so much in just a few hours?
“Has to be a mating thing,” she murmured, barely able to tear her gaze away until she caught sight of several hickeys covering her breasts.
She’d expected some bruising on her hips from where he’d gripped her tightly while he’d fucked her, but aside from a few red blotches from where his stubble had scratched across her skin, there was no other evidence to show just how unrestrained he’d been last night.