She hummed and listened to him drift off to sleep, letting her mind slip to thoughts of the male in the kitchen. She didn't know what it meant to be a true mate to a wolf. Damien had made sure that she was totally clueless about pack dealings, and had led her to believe that their marriage meant something. She could see now that it had been a way to control her. Pregnant after a few months of dating, she had felt he was an honorable guy because he proposed right away. She didn't want to be a single mom, so she said yes, trusting that he would take care of her and Jack. By the time she was ready to give birth, Damien had become verbally abusive, seeming to enjoy making her cry. He wasn't even there when Jack was born, and sent his mom to pick her and Jack up from the hospital. She should have left him right then, but she'd persevered, thinking being a father would make him a better husband. All it really did, though, was make him feel trapped. The verbal barbs he slung at her were slowly replaced with physical abuse. The first time she tried to leave, he told her he would kill Jack, so she'd stayed. She only confided in Diane, who helped her leave when Jack was one. Damien found her right away. He tried to drag her back home and threatened to kill both her and Jack, but Diane called the police and Damien disappeared. She'd never been truly free of him, and she still wasn't, not as long as their marriage was intact.

She stood slowly with Jack in her arms, her sleepy sweetie softly snoring as she moved to the crib and lowered him gently. She tucked his favorite stuffed wolf against his side, blew him a kiss, and left the room, closing the door behind her.

She could hear the sound of a fire crackling, and smelled burning wood as she walked down the hallway to the family room. Malachi was sitting on the couch facing the fireplace, one arm slung over the back. He seemed to be staring into the fire. She walked around the couch and his gaze snapped to hers.

"Is Jack all tucked in?"

"Yeah."

"I know you don't drink wine, so I poured you a gla.s.s of Pepsi," he said, leaning forward and lifting a wine gla.s.s for her. She took it and sat down next to him.

"In a wine gla.s.s?"

"I'm all about cla.s.s, baby."

He lifted his gla.s.s to her and she said, "What should we toast to?"

"How about perfect days?" She raised a brow and he added, "Today was perfect. It deserves to be toasted."

"Was it perfect? Adam gouged your wall when he carried the rocker in, and I may have broken a coffee mug when I was putting my dishes away."

"Gouges can be fixed with s.p.a.ckle, and I already know you broke a coffee mug." He wiggled his brows and she laughed.

"To perfect days," she said, touching the rim of her gla.s.s to his.

"Perfect."

The orange and yellows of the flames flickered over Nila's beautiful face and made his heart ache. d.a.m.n, he was falling hard for her. But that was okay, because he hadn't ever fallen for anyone before, and he was glad his first, and only, was his mate.

She took his wine gla.s.s and set it on the coffee table next to hers. Her hands trembled. If he hadn't been watching her closely he might have missed it, but since he considered himself her personal non-creepy stalker, he caught it.

He'd opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, when she turned to face him, her hands cupping his face as she drew close to him. They'd kissed. A lot. She was addictive as h.e.l.l. But tonight felt different. Their lips touched and he slipped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Tongues touched and teased, dancing together as he tried to reason with his body that Nila was still in no-touch-land, and they shouldn't try to dry hump her on the couch.

She made a soft sound in her throat and slipped one hand around to grip his neck, her fingernails digging into his flesh lightly. She nipped his bottom lip as their mouths parted, and he was panting as he stared into her dark eyes.

Because he had no blood left in his brain, he wasn't able to stop himself from saying, "I want you in the worst way, Nila."

Her nails dug into his neck a little more and she smiled softly. "I want you, too, Mal."

He mentally shook himself, trying to get rid of the fog in his head that being around her always seemed to cause. She leaned forward and kissed his neck, right over his pulse.

"You smell so good," she whispered huskily.

He gripped her waist with his hands, his fingers kneading lightly. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a soft growl.

She chuckled against his neck, and then opened her mouth over his flesh and bit down. Her blunt teeth didn't do any damage; he only felt pressure and heat. But his wolf took notice, and his gums and fingertips tingled as he suddenly found himself needing to push his wolf away so he didn't scare Nila. The last thing he wanted to do was make her afraid of him.

She released his neck and licked the mark she'd made. It wasn't permanent, which he didn't like, but maybe she'd be willing to bite him every night.

No, d.a.m.n it, he growled at himself. She was theirs, but she was emotionally vulnerable and he wouldn't take advantage of her.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath skirting over the mark. "I haven't been with anyone in a long time, Mal; I want you to be the last male who ever touches me, because I want to be yours for real."

He blinked in surprise, the s.e.xy haze in his head dissipating as he absorbed her words.

Pushing her gently to arm's length, he looked at her. She was smiling, almost shyly. He brushed the hair off her shoulder and hooked his hand behind her neck, letting his thumb rest on her pulse. He could feel the thrum of her pounding heart as he stroked her throat, envisioning his permanent mating marks there.

He'd wanted to let her take the lead in their relationship. He was bossy by nature, but with Nila he never wanted her to feel like she was forced into anything. She was his, but he'd been content to wait until she was ready. The last few weeks had been h.e.l.l, but she was here and he wasn't going to push her away.

"I want to be the last male who ever touches you, too, sweetheart. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Mal."

He cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers, a hungry growl lodged in his throat. She was his and that was all that mattered.

Her nails sc.r.a.ped against his skin as she tugged on the bottom of his shirt. He pulled away from the kiss to tug it over his head, and his breath caught in his throat as she undid the b.u.t.tons of the pink top she wore. He didn't want to blink for fear he'd miss her baring her body. He helped her push the top off her shoulders, and then he let his fingers slip down the soft curve of her lush b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She wiggled a bit until her bra came undone, and he helped pull it off and toss it aside.

Her hands landed on his chest, her cool fingertips tracing his muscles. He kissed her again, delving his tongue into her mouth, her sweet taste making his head spin. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed against him as he pulled her closer, the tight tips of her nipples abrading his chest. Tipping her backward, he settled her gently on the couch and released her mouth, kissing down her chin, the column of her throat, and her collarbone, until his lips found one nipple and he covered it with his lips, sucking gently.

Her hands fisted his hair, and she groaned his name.

He couldn't believe how soft her skin was. It felt like heaven under his fingers, as he slipped one hand from her back and cupped her other breast. He gazed at the tight nipple, watching it harden further. Glancing at Nila, he found her chewing her bottom lip, her eyes hooded with pleasure.

He worshipped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, sucking and licking the tight buds until she writhed under him, panting for breath and fisting his hair so tightly he was surprised he actually had any left.

He kissed down her stomach, his chin b.u.mping the unforgiving material of her faded jeans. She smelled amazing, even muted through the fabric. Hot and sweet and wet, and all his.

Undoing the b.u.t.ton and zipper of her jeans, he spread the material, looking at the waistband of her panties. He kissed the s.p.a.ce just over her panties, and her stomach twitched.

He sat up, and she untangled her fingers from his hair. Her hips lifted in silent invitation, and he hooked his fingers into the waistbands of both her jeans and panties and tugged. He moved out of the way to divest her of the clothes that prevented him from seeing every inch of her.

He tossed her jeans behind him as she pressed her feet into the couch and her legs spread slightly at the knees, baring just a hint of her to his hungry gaze. He touched her knees and urged them apart further, and she opened herself to him fully. The sweet scent of her arousal surrounded him, making his gums tingle again and his heart pound. His c.o.c.k sc.r.a.ped the inside of his jeans as it hardened further.

He glanced up her body to see her smiling softly at him. His fingers tightened on her knees and he said, "We could go to the bedroom."

Her soft smile spread into a wide grin. "That'll be round two."

He growled at her playful tone. Bending forward, he inhaled slowly, letting her scent saturate his senses. He would never forget the way she smelled when she was turned on, like wildflowers heated by the sun - warm, sweet...his.

Her p.u.s.s.y was free of hair. He nuzzled the juncture of her thigh and she giggled. Smoothing his hands down the inside of her thighs, he felt her tremble as he lifted his head and kissed the top of her p.u.s.s.y. He pushed her thighs open further, making room for his shoulders before pressing his lips against her hot flesh and touching her c.l.i.t with his tongue. She arched under him, and he slipped his hands under her hips and lifted her lower body off the couch. His brain fizzled out as the first, heady taste of her exploded on his tongue. He groaned, and she echoed the sound.

He lapped at her c.l.i.t, wiggling his tongue over the fleshy bud until her breath hitched in her throat as he stroked the top of it. Lifting her closer to his mouth, he sealed his lips over her c.l.i.t and ran his tongue over the top of it, rubbing and licking. She clawed the couch as her body trembled, and he sucked harder.

She cried out his name as her back bowed and her body tensed. Releasing her c.l.i.t, he tilted his head, pushing his tongue into her p.u.s.s.y to lap at the sweet taste of her climax. She moaned, shivering, as he f.u.c.ked her with his tongue.

"Mal, please, Mal," she moaned, tugging on his hair.

He lifted from her body and said with a snarl, "Mine."

"Yes, I'm yours. Make love to me." Her voice was rough with use, and he flexed his fingers on her a.s.s before lowering her to the couch.

He couldn't control the trembling in his hands as he stood up and undid his jeans, shoving them off with his shorts. He looked at Nila and she lifted her arms to him. A well of need opened up in him. He'd never wanted anyone more than he wanted her, and it had nothing to do with his attraction to her physically and everything to do with the emotional tie. She was his mate; his everything.

He went to his knees on the couch and leaned over her, placing one hand on the cushion where her head rested, and with the other, he grasped his throbbing c.o.c.k. He squeezed the base, trying to stop the o.r.g.a.s.m that was pushing hard. He didn't want to come like a teenager on the first stroke.

When he felt like he was back in control, he watched her face as he pressed into the tight, hot heaven of her body. Her gaze locked with his as she hooked one hand around his bicep, the other resting on his chest over his heart. Her mouth fell open as he pushed into her, but she never stopped watching him, and he couldn't look away either.

As he sheathed himself completely inside her and his vision winked out a few times from the sheer pleasure, she wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles in the small of his back. The motion drew him even deeper into her, and he bit the inside of his cheek to control himself.

Angling his hips back, he slipped his c.o.c.k nearly entirely from her and thrust back in, slowly, until he was certain she was ready to take him. Her nails dug into his arm as she lifted her hips to meet him.

He drew in and out of her a few times, slowly, making sure she was ready for more. Her head lifted and she kissed him, her thighs tightening on his waist as she urged him to move faster. He stroked into her body as his tongue played with hers, and he moved his free hand under her hips and lifted her up, moving faster and harder until their kiss broke and her breath gusted from her mouth.

"Yes, f.u.c.k, yes," she panted as her nails sank into his chest.

He found the angle to make her come again, his body hitting hers just the right way so that her p.u.s.s.y clutched at him rhythmically and heat flooded his c.o.c.k. She rubbed her body against his, using her legs as leverage to keep rubbing her c.l.i.t against him. His b.a.l.l.s drew up tight and the base of his spine tingled, but he gritted his teeth, determined to let her come before him.

He lifted her a fraction higher and she screeched in pleasure, her heels digging into his back as her p.u.s.s.y locked down on his c.o.c.k, and he couldn't have stopped himself from coming if he'd had a gun to his head. The world dropped away until it was just the two of them, and the hot pleasure that poured over him as his c.o.c.k spasmed inside her welcoming p.u.s.s.y.

His fangs elongated and he snarled, fighting his wolf's instinct to mark her neck and make her theirs. It was too soon, and he hadn't asked her. The urge to bite rode him hard as his c.o.c.k spasmed a second time and his vision blurred. Doing the only thing he could think of when he had zero blood left in his brain, he sank his fangs into his bicep and bit himself.

Nila stopped squeezing his waist with her legs and her arms moved around him, tugging on his body until he lowered enough so they touched, chest to hip. He kept most of his weight off her with his arms, and extracted his fangs from his bicep. He'd heal quickly, even if his wolf was a little p.i.s.sed that he'd bit himself instead of her.

Nila pressed her face into his neck and hugged herself closer, and he held her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

Chapter 10.

Nila had never felt such peace on the heels of pleasure. No one had ever rocked her world the way that Malachi did. He'd made her come twice, and he'd seemed determined to make her happy. Which she so totally was. She was certain now that she and Malachi were meant to be together. Something had clicked in her heart for him. She knew she was human, but maybe humans could have mates, too, and if so that meant that Malachi was meant to be hers and she was meant to be his.

She inhaled and smelled something metallic.

"Mal?"

He lifted off her slightly, his hair mussed from where she'd gripped it so tightly, a sleepy, s.e.xy look on his face.

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

She looked at him, wondering why she smelled blood, and then she saw bleeding teeth marks on his bicep.

"What did you do?"

He glanced down, looking guilty. "I bit myself."

She frowned. "Obviously. But why?"

"I needed to bite something and I didn't want to bite you."

Immediately, the afterglow faded and her happiness leaked away with it. "I see." She felt like she'd been sideswiped by a truck. That he wouldn't bite her when they made love meant that he didn't want to mark her as his mate. It was Damien all over again. She'd opened her heart to Malachi and he'd treated her just the same.

He pulled from her body and then sat up, hauling her into his lap. His finger curled under her chin, and he tilted her face until she was forced to look into his eyes.

"Sweetheart, you misunderstand. I didn't want to bite you because I haven't asked you to be my mate officially, and I didn't want to take that choice from you. Once I mark you, you're mine forever, no matter what."

She blinked and tears leaked from her eyes. "I thought..."

"Because I'm a jacka.s.s." He kissed her lips and cupped her cheek, brushing the tears away with his thumb. "I know you believe you understand what being my mate means, but I'm not going to rush into things until you know everything there is to know. Then I'll ask you properly, declare us mates to my pack, and bite your pretty neck and mark you."

She let out the breath she'd been holding. "I'm sorry, I ruined the snuggling."

He chuckled and cradled her in his arms. "It's okay, love. We'll snuggle after round two."

Looping her arms around his neck, she kissed his throat. "Thank you for taking your time with me."

"I would never betray your trust, Nila. You mean the world to me."

She closed her eyes and inhaled his spicy scent. "You mean the world to me, too."

When she woke in the morning, she found Malachi on his back on the bed, Jack sprawled on top of him. The footy pajamas were missing, and he was wearing only his diaper. Jack's mouth was open as he breathed deeply in sleep, his thick lashes casting shadows on his chubby cheeks.

She went up on one elbow and looked down at Malachi, whose eyes opened slowly. He grinned.

"How do I keep sleeping through Jack waking up?"

"I wore you out." He kept his voice low to match her whisper.

She gave his shoulder a light slap and he chuckled softly. "Where are his jammies?"

"His diaper leaked, and by the time I figured out the diaper he was already asleep, so I just brought him in here. The bedding was a little damp, and I was worn out from you keeping me up half the night." He winked.

"Thanks, Mal."

His smile slipped and he looked serious. "You do know that I want him as part of our family, right? You're a package deal as far as I'm concerned, and I want Jack to be part our new life together."

She felt tears sting her eyes. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Someday, when you're ready, we can give him a sister or brother to play with."

"I'd like that."

Her heart actually felt like it would burst. It had been one thing for her to care for Malachi and want to be his mate, and she'd known that he cared about Jack, but because they hadn't talked much about their relationship yet, she wasn't sure what his feelings were. In Damien's pack, males ostracized the pups of other males if a female became pregnant before she was mated. Malachi accepted her and Jack without reservation.