33. Harper
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
harper
"See you in a few days," Bloom called to us, as Rhone carried me toward the stairs. I swear, no one but him ever used those things.
"See ya!" I called back.
The doors closed behind us, and I tipped my head so I could see Rhone's face.
"Hi," I said.
There was a new look in his eyes. It was almost... wild.
Guess breeding season was to blame for that.
"How long until it peaks?" I asked him.
"A few hours."
"How are you feeling?"
"Really fucking horny."
I flashed him a grin. "My favorite of your moods, then."
He only made it up two flights of stairs before he put me down on the top step and ripped my pants down my thighs. His mouth was on my center a moment later, and I gasped out a curse as my fingers dug into the hard flooring.
Rhone was insatiable.
It took me longer than usual to get to the edge, considering our current location and position, but he was in no rush. I came hard, and he was driving into me before my climax ended. His hand was around my waist, playing with my clit roughly, as he filled me.
He fucked me hard until we came together, and didn't manage to pull out before his knot swelled.
So, that's how we ended up trapped together in the stairwell.
Rhone groaned when he lowered his forehead to my shoulder. "What the fuck was I thinking?"
"Your cock was thinking for you," I managed to get out, already close to the edge of my pleasure again, with his knot sending fierce waves of it through me constantly. "I like the way it thinks."
"I'm going to have to try to get us up the stairs like this." His voice strained.
"There's no way."
There was a way.
He slowly, painfully (for him, not me) carried me up the stairs.
We got off together on the way, and he had to stop, both of us swearing and groaning under the sheer intensity of it.
Eventually, we made it back to our apartment. The bed was too far, so we crashed on the rug, with Rhone holding me until his knot softened.
"That was amazing," I panted, relaxing into his arms in complete and utter bliss.
"It's always amazing between us." We were face to face, and my eyes met his gorgeous, glowing blues. "Trouble, can we... talk?"
"You want to talk?"
"Not really. But we should."
"Okay. Let's talk."
"When breeding season starts, I'm going to lose control of myself completely."
"I know. You've told me that repeatedly. I really don't think it's going to be that—"
He covered my palm with his hand. It was the clearest possible way he could've told me to shut up, so I shut up.
"I'm going to tell you things," he said bluntly. "Things about the way I feel. About how I feel about you. They'll be true. You can't lie, when you're that out of control. You can't even think. I don't want to say it for the first time, when I'm basically rabid."
"Say what?" I asked against his hand. My voice was muffled.
"I... feel things for you. Strong things.
I want to live for you too, Harper. I want to live with you.
Sharing candy bars. Teasing each other. Driving each other insane.
I like what we have. I love what we have.
I love you." He held my gaze, his expression as intense as it was uncertain.
"I don't expect you to feel the same way, but I wanted you to know before I do the werewolf version of devolving. You deserve to know."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
If I didn't want to respond, I knew he'd never force me.
I wanted to respond, though.
My throat felt thick, and I was blinking a little too fast. "I feel strong things for you too. I want to live with you too. I—"
He crushed his lips to mine.
I pulled away after a moment and said breathlessly, "You didn't let me finish."
"I knew what you were going to say."
He kissed me again.
I pulled away again. "What was I going to say?"
"That you love me as much as I love you. The thing is, Harp." He lowered his lips back to mine. They brushed mine as he spoke. "You've been mine from the beginning. Whether you loved me or hated me."
This time, I kissed him.
And I didn't pull away.
Rhone was the one who did that, with a grumble of, "I need to let you sleep so you have energy when breeding season hits. You won't have hormones driving you."
"Who needs sleep?" I tossed back.
"You do." He pulled me to his chest. "I won't be sane enough to ask for permission. You need to leave the room and lock the door if you want space from me. Think of me as being devolved through it," he warned.
"You keep saying this. I keep reminding you that I won't want space."
"But if you do—"
"I don't, Rhone."
He pulled me closer. "Then get some rest."
"I will," I mumbled.
Rhone loved me.
He was my friend. Almost my best friend, though Bloom still had that particular trophy.
He thought I was perfect, too.
What more could I want?
Rhone woke me up when he slid inside me, making me moan around his erection. I didn't know at what point during the night he'd pulled out. Or whether it had been intentional or not.
But god, he fit perfectly inside me.
He growled mindless compliments as he drove into me over and over.
"You're so fucking sexy."
"You're so fucking wet."
"I love you."
"You're the fucking best mate."
"You're perfect."
"I never want this to end."
The compliments went on, but grew more sparse as time went on and nature's hold on him grew more intense.
We fucked.
I bit him.
He knotted me.
We made out.
He goaded me into biting him again, taking more blood.
And on, and on.
By the time breeding season came to an end, I was covered in both of our pleasure, and so exhausted everything was basically spinning.
We crashed on the couch, on top of the pillows and blankets we'd somehow ended up tangled in. The lullaby that was Rhone's loud snoring made me smile before I passed out.
The next time I woke up, Rhone was carrying me to the bathroom. I cuddled up closer, and he held me in his arms as he started the water.
His hand moved over my skin slowly as he washed me up, holding me to his chest with the other arm.
"Hey," I mumbled into his mind.
"Hey, Trouble." His voice was soft, exhaustion and satisfaction all but radiating off him. "You feel okay?"
"Amazing. You?"
"Better than I've felt in a long fucking time. Thank you."
"Thank you."
He kissed my temple. "Did I do anything too ridiculous?"
"Nah. Unless you count licking every inch of my body. You did that at one point."
"I'm a wolf. It's not surprising."
"I thought it was cute."
He tickled my side.
I smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too, Harp."
"You're never spending breeding season alone again."
"You're never spending another day alone again. Hell, make that another hour."
"You're stubborn."
"Not as stubborn as you." He kissed me lightly. "How do you feel about spending the next day in bed, watching stupid cake shows and doing absolutely nothing else?"
"I feel insulted that you called my cake shows stupid."
"Fabulous cake shows," he drawled.
"Then I feel absolutely on board. As long as you don't put clothes on."
"Not a chance. You're staying naked, too."
"That's only fair," I agreed.
The grin he flashed me wasn't all wolf.
It was all Rhone.
And it was fucking perfect.