Chapter 25 #3
It’s a taunt, and we both know it—he was right earlier. I don’t want to win. I want to prod and pry him until he takes the win for himself. His nostrils flare, fingers tightening in my hair.
“You’re a fucking brat,” he grunts.
“And?” I lift a brow, squeezing him tighter. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Open your pretty mouth, and I’ll show you.”
He uses his grip on my hair to force himself into my mouth. I’m full of him, taking him, his hips thrusting into my mouth recklessly. My eyes never leave him as he goes, letting him fill my mouth—both of us sharing the knowledge that I don’t have to breathe. No need to stop.
When he comes down my throat, I’m squeezing my thighs together, already wet and needy again.
He grasps my hair harder, pulling me off his length. “Fucking hell. Come here, princess.”
I’m on my feet before he can ask again, and our mouths crash together. Devouring, tasting, needing…
Finally, we clean up and go to bed. We could both keep going—and we know it—but I force myself to settle down. I rest on top of his chest, my ear pressed to him, and his heartbeat lulls me into comfort.
I could stay here all night—all week, perhaps for the rest of my life. Forget the mysteries. I could be happy with him if we both lived different lives.
“Margaux?” he whispers.
I lift my head. “Hm?”
The lump in his throat bobs. “It’s embarrassing…”
I narrow my eyes. “You had better tell me before I assume the worst.”
What he says next can ruin us or start us, and I don’t know which to expect. We’re good at this—at being in bed and pushing each other’s buttons—but what if we don’t amount to anything more? What if we can’t?
“I fucking love you,” he says.
My eyes widen. I had a feeling he would say something important—but that is unexpected. “I beg your pardon?”
“Sorry, but I do. And it’s not just tonight. It’s not about the sex. That’s great, too, but it’s more. I think you know that. It’s always been more. Come the fuck on.”
He feels it, too. The mating bond. The warmth in my chest curls up, settling in, and I realize what’s happening.
We’re choosing each other, and the bond that comes with it. The energy between us strengthens, roaring to life, and I know no one can keep us apart.
“Then what is it about?” I sit up, fixing him with a serious look.
He rolls his eyes. “You’re digging for compliments.”
“Perhaps. Will you give them?”
“It’s about everything. You are everything. I’ve always admired you—you pushed me to be my best and to want to live a… I don’t know. An actual life. One with dreams and ambition.”
“I’m sure you had those before we met.”
“No.” He chuckles. “I was mediocre as fuck when I came to Strode. It was you. Seeing you put your heart into your passion made me want to do it, too. Do you know I was planning on being an accountant? I came here with no major and no clue what I wanted to do, and accounting was my backup plan, but one drama class with you had me switching up.”
“I didn’t know that. How are you this good on the stage if you’re so new to it? I spent my life working at my craft.”
“I’m good because of you. I always wanted to perform, but I never thought it could be real. Not for me. You pissed me off—and you made me realize if you can do it, I can do it too. So, I took a risk.”
“Did it pay off?”
“I don’t know yet… I mean, fuck. I guess it did, because I’m here with you.
Whether it pays off with an acting career doesn’t matter anymore.
And now I know you’re more than talented, driven, and passionate.
You care so much about your friends, and for the first time in my life, I feel like someone gives a fuck about me, too. Is that true?”
There’s something pleading behind his expression. I know how hard this must be for him, to give me all the power, to wait for me to set him free or let him find his home in my heart. Either option is terrifying, after all we’ve been through together.
My gaze softens. “Of course, it’s true. You have no clue how much I care about you. I want to protect you. Do you know how weird it is to want to protect a demon built like a brick wall?”
“Mm… no. Can’t relate.”
“Lucky you.”
He lets out a shuddering breath. “And that? That protective shit? That’s hot—and it’s more. I can’t put it into words.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “Jun. What if we really are mates?”
“Then I’m a lucky bastard.” He shrugs. “Whoever you choose as your mate is.”
“I’m not ready to choose yet, but I think… I think I want it to be you. And I think it’s a possibility.”
It being a possibility at all is huge. Not everyone fits as a mate—most people don’t. Out of all the people I’ve been with, none of them awakened the mating bond.
And even though I won’t make it official with a mating ceremony anytime soon, it feels like we already chosen each other. He leans in, pressing the sweetest kiss to my lips, and I accept it.
“I love you too,” I murmur, closing my eyes. “You make me feel safe. I haven’t been safe in a long time.”
He doesn’t question the bond the way I do. It’s enough to find safety in this cruel, terrifying world.