Chapter Twenty-One
Joanna
“Red must be your favorite color,” I mused, looking at myself in the full-body mirror.
The garb Marcus bought for me was a gorgeous maxi dress with off-shoulder long sleeves. Acceptable for sophisticated company had it not been for the ridiculously high split. Every time I moved, the luxurious velvet played with the light, glowing like red embers.
Marcus rose from where he’d sat on the bed watching me and licking his lips whenever I caught him staring.
We were in his home. Not his room in the main building, but his actual home.
I admired his reflection once he stood next to me, convinced he’d had all his suits tailored for him. They fit him so deliciously, accentuating every muscle on his body.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Red is my favorite color,” he replied smoothly, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “What’s yours, Sullivan?”
Warmth pooled low in my stomach. “It changes,” I admitted, tucking a braid behind my ear. “It used to be green. Now it’s yellow because the leaves are changing color.” Or maybe because it reminded me of his eyes.
Marcus nodded. “Understandable.” He shrugged.
“Red hasn’t been my favorite color for long, actually.
It changed about three months ago.” He pulled one hand from his pocket and pinched my chin, tilting up my head.
His eyes darkened as he brushed his thumb over my bottom lip.
“The night I saw for myself how fucking sexy it looks on you.”
The carnal hunger in his eyes was effusive, but he lowered his head slowly.
“I want to kiss you,” he murmured.
“Are you asking for permission?” I breathed against his mouth.
“I don’t want to mess up your—”
Fuck it. I didn’t let him finish.
I could touch up my damn makeup, and he could wash his fuckable face, but my want for this man—his mouth on mine, his hands on my skin—needed to be sated before I had to share him with his pack.
With our lips entangled, he lifted me up by my waist, and I wrapped my legs around him, digging the heels of my feet into his ass so I could push his growing erection against my body.
With one hand still holding me, he used his other to pull down the zipper on the back of my dress.
“We’re going to be late,” he pointed out as he dropped me onto his bed, loosening his tie.
My fingers flew to the buttons of his shirt, helping him unfasten enough of them until he could pull the garment over his head. He tossed the dress shirt on the floor and checked the clock on the wall.
“Forty-five minutes, Sullivan.” He positioned his top half over me, pulling down the shoulders of my dress until he’d exposed my breasts. My nipples were already hard and eagerly awaiting his touch.
I shimmied my arms out of my sleeves and reached for his belt.
He grinned. “No.” He took one of my nipples in his mouth, licking and sucking while his free hand massaged my other breast.
I moaned, loving the warmth of his mouth—the way his teeth grazed against my skin. The way he gently pinched and tugged on the other nipple, making me writhe in pleasure.
He trailed kisses from my chest to my neck while his hand slid down my stomach to my swollen clit that’d been aching for his touch. He played with me through the fabric of my underwear, but it wasn’t enough.
“Marcus,” I groaned. “I need…”
He growled, pushing the lace aside and shoving two of his fingers inside me.
My breath hitched, and he groaned into my neck.
He drew back his fingers until they were nearly all the way out, and he thrust them back in before finding the spot that made me squirm. He gestured with those fingers, signaling my orgasm to the stage…
But it was me who was about to sing. I clenched my teeth, a soft whimper slipping out.
“Fuck, Joanna. I love all the sounds you make.”
It didn’t take much, not after that… Not with Marcus’s two fingers pressing my upper wall in that spot, or his thumb circling my clit the way I liked it. Or the fact that he was grinding his erection against my thigh.
He left me gasping for air, crashing down from the wave of pleasure that traveled to my toes.
When I climaxed, Marcus still had his nose buried in my neck. And he was still rubbing himself against me.
I reached over and gave his head a soft pat. “What do you want right now, Alpha…?” I asked through the pants with a loaded grin. “In this very moment?”
Marcus stopped moving his hips. He lifted his head, and I bit my lip when his amber eyes locked with mine. Their glow was so intense, I’d be able to find him if the Moon fell from the sky.
He removed his fingers from inside me and placed them in his mouth, sucking them clean of my arousal. “You.”
“Then let me take off your—”
“I want the world to know you’re mine.” His golden orbs darted to my chest, where my heart raced underneath. “I want the world to know I’m yours.”
“…And how do you suppose we do that, Blackwood?”
He sighed and began stroking himself through his pants. With each of his grunts, the floodgates reopened.
“Tell me, Marcus,” I whispered.
He dropped his head until his lips were on my neck. “I love you more than I’ve loved anything in my entire life,” he moaned. “But if you’re not sure—”
“Shut the fuck up.” I rubbed the aching bud between my legs. “And do it.”
His forehead was hot, like an active volcano on the verge of erupting. “I, Marcus Blackwood, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack,”—he kissed my neck—“accept you, Joanna Sullivan,”—he swallowed hard—“as my mate.”
His words hit my heart like a shockwave, shaking my soul.
I released my bottom lip from where I had trapped it between my teeth. “And I, Joanna Sullivan, rescind my rejection…”
Marcus quickened the pace of his hand against his erection.
“And take you, Marcus Blackwood as…”
“Fuck.” Marcus dashed from my side, dropping between my legs and throwing them over his shoulder.
“Marcus—”
“Finish it,” he demanded, replacing my finger with his tongue. It swirled around, fast and rough and warm and wet and—fuck, he was eating me out like I was the sustenance he needed to survive.
So, as I grabbed his hair, and reveled in the succulence of his lips, with his fingers deep between my thighs, I rewarded him with the words he wanted to hear—the words I wanted to say. “My mate.”
My magic danced underneath my skin, alive and unapologetic. Our auras swelled until they filled the room. The scent of lavender and pine filled my lungs. The dull ache that had been lingering in my chest vanished. And the orgasm I had was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
I tilted my head into the mattress and cried out, pushing at Marcus’s head, not knowing if I could last through the sensation without it destroying me.
His tongue stopped moving. He was shaking and groaning and panting like he had come alongside me. He kissed the tattoo on my groin, and traced the ink with his tongue before lifting his head.
Those eyes…
Fuck. They could burn me alive… and I’d enjoy it.
He wiped his mouth with his hand before crawling back onto the bed. He dropped beside me, trying to catch his breath, hand on his chest and a sated grin on his face.
We had accepted the mating bond.
He was mine.
Nothing could’ve made the moment any better except …
“I love you.” I held a hand over my mouth to hide my childish smile.
His head whipped toward me, his eyes studying my face. “What did you say?” His voice was almost a whisper, as if he feared his question would frighten me into silence.
But I reached over and caressed his cheek. I am in charge of how I feel, and I choose to be happy. No more running. “I love you, Marcus Blackwood.”
He drew in a deep breath, his hand flying to his face so his thumb and index finger could rub his eyes. He dropped his hand and kissed the inside of my palm, staring at me like I was a gift from the Goddess. “I love you, Joanna Sullivan.”
I couldn’t deny myself the urge to touch him all over any longer.
I rolled on top of him and felt the wet spot on his pants. My eyes widened. “Did you—”
“Fuck,” he exclaimed, lifting his head. “I’m sorry, I thought you realized.”
I smirked. “Don’t apologize to me, mate. Apologize to your almost beta—who now has to wait for both of us to get changed.”
Marcus agreed with a wide smile. “Maybe you should wear a different color dress.”
I’d settled for a simple black sleeveless gown paired with a shawl and got changed while Marcus put on a new pair of pants.
In less than an hour, Maya was going to be sworn in as the new beta. This ceremony was going to be the first ritual in the Den since the fire, so everyone was in high spirits. I couldn’t have been prouder of her.
Marcus had been afraid that Maya would turn down his offer, but her boyfriend played a huge role in convincing her to accept. Maybe Marcus would promote Jerome to gamma as gratitude.
I felt Marcus staring at me from the bathroom as I finished patting on more powder foundation.
“Take a picture. It’ll last longer,” I quipped.
He chuckled, pushing off from where he leaned against the doorframe.
I turned my back to him, gathering my braids to the side, silently asking for help with the zipper of the dress.
I could’ve sworn his breath stopped short.
“There’s a lot a man can do with a picture,” he finally replied, his voice low and provocative. He trailed his finger down my back, making me shudder. “But a picture can’t do that.” He placed his hands on my waist and pulled me closer, eliciting a small whimper from my lips. “Or that.”
He pulled away with a snicker and zipped me up, and when I turned around… he was on one knee.
My jaw dropped. “Marcus, what the hell are you doing?”
He held one hand behind his back and reached for mine with the other.
The blood drained from my face. No way… “Marcus.”
He sighed. “I think I’ve loved you since the day I met you, Joanna.” He straightened. “Will you—”
“Marcus—”
“Wear this holster?”
I gawked at him as he pulled a thigh holster from behind his back.
A corner of his mouth rose. “I want you to feel safe in the new Den since I didn’t let you have your weapons the last time.”
I blinked at him rapidly before hitting him in feigned rage. “You fucking piece of shit. Why the hell would you do that?” I sputtered.
He stood, blocking my attack and laughing. “Mate, you just accepted the bond. You think I’ll be impatient about marriage?”
What an asshole.
“What is it with you?” I mumbled, grabbing the holster from his hand. “You jumped straight from Joanna to mate?”
He shrugged. “Maybe it’s a wolf thing? I love the sound of mate.” His smile was all teeth. “As for Joey… Everybody calls you Joey. Maybe I wanted to be different.”
“Maybe you wanted to piss me off, Alpha.” I rolled my eyes and bent to fasten the holster to my leg when he took a few steps toward me, making me stop and straighten.
“Maybe… deep down I always knew how important you were, and that scared me. So, I found a way to challenge our familiarity with one another, and I ran with it. And maybe that still didn’t work.”
I scoffed. “No shit.”
“Maybe I knew I couldn’t fight it. So, I gave myself a rule.”
I shook my head, raising a curious brow. “A rule?”
He nodded, trailing two fingers up my arm before holding them in front of my face.
My knees wobbled. “You gonna tell me what that means, Blackwood, or are you threatening me with another good time?” I took the fingers into my mouth.
He moaned, as expected. “May I finish, please?”
“You did,” I teased, licking his fingers one last time. “But I’m ready to go again. It’s your ass on the line with the Beta.”
“Joanna—”
“Fine. Fine.” I laughed. That’s what he gets for fucking dropping to one knee. “You gave yourself a rule…” I looked up trying to figure out what he was referring to. “Of peace?”
He shook his head.
“Of… two?”
He smiled.
“Okay… two… two…” I gasped. “Blackwood, your rule better have nothing to do with the sentence that starts with ‘you’re’ and ends with ‘mine.’”
He lowered his head and kissed my forehead through his laughter. “Isn’t that three words?”
“Oh, baby,” I whispered.
The wide smile that had appeared on his face grew even wider when I looked down at my stomach and he realized I wasn’t speaking to him. “Thank God your daddy is at least the strongest alpha I know.”
“It’s the two-syllable rule.” He held up his fingers again. “There’s only one thing I dreamed of calling you, and ‘Joey’ wasn’t it…”
I bit my lip in concentration, and Marcus’s eyes flew to my mouth.
“But I needed to be worthy of it; that was the rule.”
I nodded as if I understood. “And did you succeed, Alpha?”
He took my head in his hands. “Yes,” he groaned.
I smiled. “Then say my name, Marcus.”
He lowered his lips until they were inches from mine and breathed the word into my mouth. “Luna.”