“You’re looking at me like you’ve never seen me before.”
“Every time I see you, it’s like the first time, like I have new eyes. Does that sound corny?” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so…whatever this is.”
Her eyes were serious when she spoke. “Cyrus, when you came into the bar, and I was coming out of the haze, all I could think was, oh, there he is. My heart melted. I’ve known you two days, but I am in love with you. How can that be? How can I feel like I know you when I don’t know basic things like your favorite color or what you like to eat on Sunday mornings?”
He took her nipple into his mouth, sucking on it. She gasped, and he smiled, loving the sound of her responses. “I like black. I know it’s a shade not a color, but it is what I like. And I don’t know what I like to eat on Sunday mornings. I’m usually sitting in the office. Coffee?”
She dug her fingers into his back, drawing him closer. “That changes, okay? No work on Sundays.”
“Okay.” He kissed her on the mouth again, letting his hand travel down to her pussy. He stroked her sex, pushing one finger and then two inside of her.
“I mean it.” She bit down on his shoulder, and his cock hardened to the point of pain. Yes. She could do that anytime she wanted. Maybe that’s what it was like for her when he bit down. If he’d been less in control, he would have come right there.
“Yes. I’ll stay home on Sundays.” He kissed her again, positioning his penis by her entry. Since her little bite, there was no time to waste. If he didn’t get inside of her, he wasn’t going to make it there.
Cyrus pushed inside of her, feeling the welcoming heat and pulses from her muscles. She fit him like a glove, and he groaned out his appreciation. Betsy raised her hips, and he pushed deeper.
“Yes, more like that, darling, please.” He loved the darling.
Picking up the pace, he pushed and withdrew until they were both in a frenzy. His mouth hurt, and it took him a second to realize his canines had descended again. What the hell? He shouldn’t have to mark her again so soon. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist and knew he was lost.
All sense fled him, and as he pushed both of them over the edge with a grind against her clit, he bit down on her shoulder, marking her in the same spot again. Betsy writhed beneath him, calling out his name again and again as his cock filled her with his seed. Finally, when he could breathe, he let go of her shoulder, licking the spot again. At this rate, her skin would never heal, and he felt fine with that idea. Always his, always marked.
“Betsy,” he whispered in her ear. Her eyes were closed, but she smiled.
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
He lay down and rolled her against his side. She yawned, snuggling deeper. “It’s red.”
“What?” He hadn’t followed what she said. Was she talking in her sleep?
“My favorite color. Just so you know. And I like pancakes with maple syrup.” He was going to be sure to get some in the house.
Chapter Fourteen
Betsy sat in her seat listening to Cyrus talk about the moon, about the earth, about being part of things. Several of her pack mates wept, and one woman had actually gotten up and left. Betsy could feel their misery as if were own, and it pressed down on her shoulders like a mountain had formed on top of them.
But she knew her burden to be nothing compared to her mate’s. Cyrus had stayed home from work, and although she hadn’t known him long, she knew enough to understand how odd that happened to be. He’d slept well into the morning, and, although he’d answered questions if she spoke to him, he’d all but shut her out otherwise, their closeness from the night before long gone.
They were all gathered on the roof of the office building. A hush had descended on the place when Travis, Lilliana, and Alexei had arrived for the ceremony. Travis and Alexei had left guards at the entrance of the building so all of Cyrus’ people could attend. Betsy took in the gathering. She hadn’t even known there were so many wolves in Cyrus’ pack. Somewhere around five hundred, she would guess. Some women clutched babies, and old couples held each other’s hands.
All of them had stared at her when she’d entered in on Cyrus’ arm. Betsy didn’t want to imagine what they were thinking about her. Who was the woman who had stolen away their Alpha? Why hadn’t she been able to help Kyra? What use was a woman mated to an Alpha if she was so clueless in what to do for all of them?
Betsy sighed and forced her attention back to Cyrus. He stood silently in front of them. It must have been unusual because whispers started behind her. The wolf pack didn’t know why their Alpha had failed to finish the ceremony.