Jeremiah woke a couple of hours later, hard as a rock. Soft fingers trailed sensuously over his skin, lips kissing, sucking, tongue licking. A low groan left his throat when those fingers found his cock and began stroking him slowly. “Rikki.” His beautiful mate. So strong and courageous around others, but soft and feminine with him. She was everything to him. His world.
Those lips made their way down his stomach, teeth nipping, her tongue sneaking out to soothe the small marks of pain. His dick jerked, and he dug his fingers into the bed, clutching at the sheets to stop himself from guiding her where he wanted her. She was playing, and as much as it killed him, he was going to let her.
Rikki’s hand moved up over the tip of his dick, and then down again. “You’re so hard, but the skin is soft,” she murmured. “Like velvet.”
He groaned, unable to stop himself from arching his hips and pushing into her hand. “Feels so good.”
She looked up at him, a mischievous grin on her lips. “Yeah?”
“Hell yeah.”
“How does this feel?”
Her tongue snuck out, wetting her lips, and then she lowered her head, licking the head of his cock. Jeremiah froze, his body alive with sensation. His dick jerked again and a shudder ran through him. Yes, she was definitely going to kill him before this was over.
“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted your lips around my cock,” he growled, watching those lips curve into a smile, before she took him into her mouth. He felt a hand on his balls, the tentative touch as she explored them. Then, she cupped them in her hand and tugged. He couldn’t stop his involuntary reaction, and cursed when his hips jerked and he found himself deeper in that hot, wet mouth. “God, baby, that’s so fucking good.”
Tightening her mouth around him, Rikki sucked gently as she moved up and down. Her tongue stroking the tip of his dick when she raised up, and then sliding down the side as her mouth engulfed him again. It was too much, and he found himself close sooner than he wanted to be.
“Pull back,” he rasped, his fingers sinking deep into her silky hair. “You gotta pull back, baby. I’m gonna come.”
She growled around his cock, sending a burst of pleasure zinging through him. Her eyes glowed as she looked at him, those gorgeous pouty lips still wrapped around his length. “Mine,” she snarled in warning, before swirling her tongue around the tip of his dick and swallowing him again.
His cock hardened to the point of pain at her declaration, and Jeremiah rasped, “Yours.” Groaning, he gave in to the need to move, and slowly began to thrust his hips. Soon, he had to stop. It was too much. His body held taut with desire, shaking as he tried to hold back the orgasm that was already spiraling through him, he groaned, “Faster, Rikki. Harder. Suck harder.” She did exactly as he wanted, and he found himself going over the edge, shouting as he came in her mouth.
Rikki swallowed all of him, licking him clean, and then slowly crawled up his body until she lay next to him, playing with the curls of hair on his chest. “I’ve never done that before,” she admitted softly.
“Never?”
She shook her head, tugging gently on a curl. “No.” She paused. “I liked it.”
“I loved it,” Jeremiah growled, pulling her over on top of him and guiding her hips where he wanted them. He saw her eyes widen in surprise when she felt his thick shaft nudging at her sleek, wet entrance.
“How?”
“I will never get enough of you,” he growled, grasping her hips tightly. Slowly, he lowered her over his cock, gritting his teeth when he was enveloped by her heat.
“Never?”
“Never,” he vowed, groaning when he was finally completely inside, pausing to make sure she adjusted to him before he began to thrust slowly inside her.
“Me neither,” she whispered, before placing her palms on his chest and taking over.
“We need to get moving soon,” Rikki said, placing a soft kiss on Jeremiah’s chest. She’d been plastered to him all night long, waking up two more times to make love. The thought of what was coming next, what could happen when they reached Virginia, was tearing her apart. If anything happened to him, she knew she would choose to follow wherever he went. She couldn’t live in this life without him. Didn’t want to. “Angel will be here in an hour.”
Jeremiah gently ran a hand over her back, holding her close. He didn’t respond at first, just leaned down to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. Rikki fought the tears that wanted to slip free. She’d cried enough lately. She needed to be strong for her man. He was the only thing that mattered right now.
“I should have claimed you years ago,” Jeremiah said, resting his cheek against the top of her head. “I’m so sorry I didn’t, Rikki. I wasn’t rejecting you. You were just so young. I didn’t want to take your life from you. Didn’t want to pressure you into a relationship with someone like me.”
“Someone like you?” Rikki asked in confusion.
“Older, hard, set in my ways.”
“I don’t know,” she murmured, skimming a hand down his chest to his abs and lower. “You don’t seem that old to me. And I love the hard part.”
Jeremiah grunted when her hand connected with his already thickening cock, and he grabbed it to pull it back up to his chest. “You are insatiable, woman.”
“Good thing I’m yours,” she said, laughter in her voice. “I need someone who can keep up with me.”
Jeremiah shook his head, chuckling. “You are going to be the death of me, mate.”
Rikki went quiet, her arm going around Jeremiah and holding on tightly at the thought of his death.
“I am sorry, Rikki. For not telling you about us before, for not claiming you when I should have. For not being here these past few months.” Rikki froze when she heard the pain in his voice. “I thought I was doing what was right. Getting on the inside to fight the bastards who hurt you. I wanted to take down the entire organization, and I feel like the only way to do that is from deep inside. That’s no excuse, though. I should have checked in. Should have called. Should have…”
Rikki placed a hand on his lips, tilting her head back to look at him. “Stop. It’s enough that you’re here now.” And it was. She’d been so angry before, but she was beginning to understand the pull of mates more now that she had her wolf with her. With that understanding came the knowledge that she would do anything for hers. She would live for him, kill for him, die for him. How could she fault him for wanting to take care of her in whatever way he thought best when she felt the same way. Who knows what she would have done if the positions had been reversed. Probably the same damn thing.
“I hurt you,” Jeremiah rasped, his eyes darkening in pain. “There is no excuse for putting your mate through what I put you through.”
Rubbing her hand over his chest to try to soothe the beast she could tell was rising, she kissed his neck. “It’s over and done with. We can’t change the past. Neither of us can. We can only go forward.”
“Together,” he said gruffly.
“Together.”
“Will you tell me what it was like? These past few months?”
She didn’t ask him to clarify what he meant. She knew. Rikki sighed, doing the only thing she could. She told him the truth. “It was horrible. Scary, terrifying. I felt so lost and alone. The only thing that kept me going were the visits from my teammates. My family.”
“You were aware the whole time?”
“Most of it, I think. It’s hard to explain. There was a time when the darkness threatened to push me under and not let me back up. It was a struggle to hold on, to stay in this world. A part of me wanted to give up so badly.” A low growl vibrated in his chest, and she buried her head in his neck, rubbing a hand over his skin. “I found out a few days ago that it was because one of the General’s people, Ashley, had a gift where she could seep into someone’s mind and make them feel things like that. Like they didn’t want to live.”
“What?” Jeremiah snarled, his arm tightening around her.
“Steele found her, and Chase killed her. After that, things began to get better. It was as if I were sleeping, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t wake up. But the darkness was gone. I had the will to fight again. Doc Josie thinks it was more of a healing sleep.”
“Dammit,” Jeremiah growled, tugging her up until her entire body covered his. “I should have been here!”
Raising her head to look in his eyes, his gaze turbulent with emotion, she smiled. “You’re here now.”
“I’m never leaving you again,” he vowed, his lips capturing hers.
Rikki lost herself in his kiss for a moment before pulling back to whisper, “I love you, Jeremiah Black. With all that I am. Whatever the future brings, we will face it together.”
“God, baby, I love you, too.” His lips found hers again, almost desperate this time. “Always. Forever.”