12. Marley
MARLEY
His eyes go glassy, his pupils blown so wide I’m slightly worried. Then his lips curl into a snarl.
“Mine,” he growls out. His hands on my waist tighten, and he rocks his hips, grinding his stuffed cock deeper into me. “Mine, mine, mine.”
My heart shudders a bit, even with the overwhelming fullness and slight pain of him stretching my pussy, my mind is still clear enough to know what’s going on.
A strange giddiness spreads in my chest. I know I should be a little worried, maybe afraid, but I’m not. I sent my alpha, my alpha, into a rut.
My hand rubs up his chest. “My alpha.”
His chest rumbles with another growl. Another hard rock of his cock into me and both our eyes roll as I cry out.
He lets go of my waist, draping over me fully as he braces his palms on either side of my head, and the short thrusts of his stuffed cock make me bounce.
I moan, feeling his panting breaths on my neck and shoulder, the presence of his weight over my body, and the stretch of him between my legs.
“Mine.”
My lips quirk, and I get out a breathless, “Yours.”
Then the next second, there’s a sharp pain at the curve of my throat, and I gasp, not only at the shock but the flicker of emotion that flares up in my chest. Jax pulls away, licking at the blood on his lips, and I stare up at him.
He bit me. A bonding mark. My eyes water with tears, not because I’m upset he did it, but because of the profound love, consuming possessiveness, that is pouring into me from him. I know it’s from him. It’s like a direct line between us, our souls. I cup his face, tears flowing down my cheeks.
“I love you.”
He shudders, his cock jerking, and more cum spills inside me. He pants into my neck, his tongue licking up the already healing skin before rolling us onto our sides. My leg is thrown over his hip, his cock still locked up tight.
His eyes are closed, a look so content that it pulls at my heart, and when they suddenly flutter open, he stares down at me sleepily.
“Love you more, Kitten,” he murmurs softly, and then he’s back to sleep while I struggle to hold back the tears.
It’s a nickname I haven’t heard in years.
I almost forgot about it, and it makes me emotional that he’s used it twice now.
Another way we’ve fallen back into what we used to be.
But not…because even as he sleeps, I can feel the happiness and contentment pouring straight from him into me.
A reassurance that is calming every single one of my fried nerves as my blinks get heavier.
Fingers brush over my neck and I startle awake to stare up at Jax’s concerned eyes.
“Did I hurt you?” His voice is thick and rough. I can’t tell if it’s from emotion or morning grogginess.
I blink the sleep away. “W-what?”
His throat bobs up and down. “Did I hurt you? I fell into a rut after my knot slipped inside, and my memory is foggy. It may take a bit to become clear.”
I catch his hand, and I can feel his overwhelming concern strain our bond. “It’s okay. Calm. Feel.” I place our hands on his chest.
His mouth goes a little slack, looking at me with such intensity that tears start to well in my eyes.
“I—holy shit.”
The smile I give him is a little broken, but starting to be healed. “It was a surprise, but I don’t regret that it happened.”
He swallows roughly. “I wanted to go slow with you, not mark you forever on our first date.”
I laugh. My hand explores his muscular chest and the tattoos on it.
I was too nervous to take the time to stare at them in detail last night; now I wish I had because I would have seen what I already knew without the bond.
He has our story, our love, etched into his skin. A permanent reminder of us.
Sadness bleeds into my heart, and Jax frowns, cupping my face.
“Why do you feel like that? What are you thinking about?”
It’s hard to admit when I’m wrong, but as I look up at him, I’m stuck with the reality of what happened. “I feel like you never gave up on us, and that’s all I did.”
His expression collapses, and he shakes his head, pulling me into his arms tightly.
“No, Marley. Nothing is your fault. We were young, with an inexperienced doctor filling our heads with lies. We both wanted the same thing. We just didn’t talk to each other and work out how to go about it, okay?
All that matters is that we found our way back to each other. ”
I sniffle, not realizing that tears have escaped me until I feel the wetness on my cheeks. I wipe at them and then hug Jax tighter. “I just hate that we wasted so much time.”
He rubs my back and kisses my temple. “We can’t go back, but we can make the most of every moment going forward. Let’s buy a house.”
Stunned by his proposal, I pull back to look up at him. “A house?”
He nods. “One of those down Wicker road, the ones you’ve always wanted with a large porch and yard. Lots of bedrooms for the kids we’re going to fill it with.”
I want nothing more. I want it so badly, but it’s still just a fantasy. I scrunch my nose. “Let’s wait first.”
Jax frowns. “For what?”
“To see if I can even get pregnant.”
The look he gives could only be described as if I stabbed him.
“What? I’m just saying let’s not make a big decision until we know for sure,” I try to explain. I can feel Jax’s contempt and his hurt for me. Am I being irrational? In my heart, it feels right to wait.
“I want the house with you either way,” he says.
I nod, looking away. “I know that. I just don’t know if I can live in an empty house with the reminder so loud.”
There’s another tug in my heart, and his own sorrow reflects mine.
“Alright. We’ll wait. So, my apartment or yours?”
I snicker, turning back to run my hands over his chest. I’m a little sore between my legs, from being stuffed full of his knot last night, but I want him again. “Yours. Too many lonely memories in mine.”
He raises an eyebrow. “We could get a new one altogether?”
Shaking my head, I hook my leg around him and rock my center against his legs, wanting more. His cock twitches to life on my hip.
“I like yours.” I like that he filled it with reminders of us, as if he was just waiting for me to come home one day. I blow out a breath and trace his jaw with my fingers.
“I have to say something.”
His eyes watch me cautiously, and it tugs at my heart a little. I never want to see that look on his face again, but I know I caused it so I have no one to blame but myself.
“I’m sorry. I wish?—”
“Marley, there’s nothing?—”
“Let me get this out.” I shake my head. “We can disagree on the semantics, but I need to say this to you.”
Jax’s throat bobs, and there’s a sting of hurt that worms in my heart that I know is coming from him. It’s hard to describe other than fear of what he thinks I’m about to say.
My tongue drags across my lips. “I’m sorry.
I’m sorry that I…how I left without talking to you.
It seemed easier at the time, like you were too stubborn to see what I could.
And I didn’t stop to think that maybe I was being the stubborn one, and I’m sorry I hurt us the way I did.
And I’m sorry that—” My throat is swelling with the urge to cry as tears prick my eyes.
Jax holds me closer, shushing me. “It’s okay. I don’t need apologies. I just need you, Marley. Just giving us a chance is all I need. And okay maybe, yes…this time we can talk about things before running away.”
A shaky, hiccuped laugh bubbles out of me, and he smiles down, kissing the tip of my nose.
“I know you’re sorry. And I’m sorry I waited so long. Let’s just focus on moving forward, okay?”
I nod, and he kisses my nose again before moving down to brush against my lips.
“I love you. I always have.”
My heart thuds faster with happiness, and I rock my hips against him, wanting more than just words at this moment. I want to feel him on every inch of my body. I pull his face closer, teasing the seam of his lips with my tongue. “And I love you. Thanks for waiting for me.”
He rolls me onto my back, lining up his cock to my hole and thrusting home.