Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(40)

Kaden had just claimed me as his own in the most primal way.

As if I was his mate.





Chapter Eighteen





I woke slowly, a lazy sort of heat enveloping me. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize why. My eyes popped open to the ceiling of the inn Kaden and I were staying at. Sunlight streamed into the room, letting me know that we’d slept well into the morning, possibly even into the afternoon.

I carefully cataloged the heat of Kaden’s naked body alongside my own. His arm was still flung over my waist from where he’d pulled me close last night. When I glanced down, I saw the half-healed mark from where he'd bitten into me. A little thrill ran through me at the memory. Kaden had marked me as his own as if I were truly his mate. But would he regret it now that the night was over? Like the first time, when I'd been in heat?

I held still for a few moments, scared to move, trying to figure out what to do. Kaden had been notorious for leaving when things got too emotional for him. It was practically his signature move by now. I didn’t want him to run away after everything that had happened last night. Or worse, tell me none of it meant anything, and that we couldn't do it again.

“What are you thinking about?” Kaden’s low voice rumbled close to my ear, and I carefully controlled my reaction so I wouldn’t jump.

“You,” I said truthfully.

His eyes looked clouded with sleep, and I continued holding myself as still as I could, waiting for the moment he realized where he was, and who he was hugging close to him. But he just smiled at me, the look so open and un-Kaden-like that I frowned at him.

“What's that face?” He pushed himself onto one elbow and arched an eyebrow. His hand slid across my stomach, and I shivered at the sensation. We’d touched everywhere last night, but it still felt like the first time. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of it.

I turned over in his arms, chasing the last of whatever he was willing to give me. To my surprise, Kaden didn’t immediately jump out of bed and run away. He trailed his knuckles along my side, seeming to enjoy the way my muscles flexed under the attention.

He must have seen some of the confusion on my face. “What is it? You look like you’re waiting for me to bite you.”

“You already did that,” I said, waiting for him to tense up at the reminder of what we’d done last night. "I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Kaden dipped his head and pulled me closer to him. He kissed me slowly, his mouth lazy as it claimed mine, and I melted against him, eyes dropping shut to revel in the sensation.

“I’m done,” he said, looking me in the eyes, his gaze possessive. “I’m done pretending I don’t want you. I meant it last night. You’re mine. No one else can have you.”

I shivered at that, my heart doing a funny extra beat, and Kaden's body moved over mine. His kiss deepened, his hard cock nudging between my thighs, seeking entrance. I opened up and he slid inside easily, my body already wet and ready for him from the moment I'd woken up. We both sighed as he filled me, and then he began fucking me slowly. Lazy morning sex, with the sun streaming down on us, while he held himself up on his strong arms and plunged in and out. I did nothing except let him pleasure me, and he gazed into my eyes the entire time. He never looked away, soaking up each moan from my lips, then watched me fall apart all around him before joining me with a groan.

When we were done, he pulled me back into the circle of his arms. I reveled in the feeling for a few moments before the real world began intruding along the edges. Doubts crept in, and I wished he would fuck me again to chase them away, but I knew we'd have to face them at some point.

“What about the mate bond?” I hated to ask, but I needed to know. If Kaden was only going to say he wanted me now to reject me later, I didn’t think I could take it again. If this was going to work, I needed him to be okay with us being together, even with the mate bond intact.

“Fuck the mate bond," he said. "It’s obviously bullshit.”

Relief washed through me, and the last of the tension I’d been holding in my body eased away. He was finally admitting what we had was real, and that the mate bond didn't matter. I knew that had to be difficult for him, after what he'd been through with his ex.

I took his face in my hands. “I choose you.” I swallowed, my throat tight with emotion. “Even if Jordan wasn’t my brother, I’d still choose you.”

Kaden’s next inhale was a bit ragged. He tried not to show it, but I could see in his eyes that the words meant a lot to him. He lowered his head and kissed me, the kind of long, deep kiss that you feel all the way in your soul.

When it was done, he sat up and played with my hair idly. “Come on. As much as I'd like to stay in bed with you all day, we should eat something and get on the road.”

I groaned and rolled over, still limp from the orgasm he'd just given me. Kaden slipped out of bed and went over to the desk, flashing me his naked ass and his broad, smooth back. He’d left his phone there to charge overnight, and now he frowned down at the screen. I watched him for a few moments, reveling in the fact that he was mine just as much as I was his. I wanted to wake up to Kaden every morning for the rest of my life.

Finally, I shook myself and slid out of bed, making my way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. We did still have a mission to complete, and no amount of lazing around in bed would make the Leos stop coming after us.