Oh God, she was gonna cry. “Stop,” she rasped.

“Tell me how I couldn’t want to make her happy, whatever it took.”

She would have backed away if she weren’t already plastered against the wall. “I said stop.”

“Tell me how I couldn’t want to keep her and claim her as mine.”

“Seriously, stop.”

“Tell me how I couldn’t love her.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, stunned.

Jesse raked his hands into her hair. “That’s right, baby, I love you. Always will.” He slammed his mouth down on hers. The kiss was hard. Deep. Wet. Greedy. Almost savage. The addictive taste of her drove him into a frenzy; he’d always crave it, always burn for it. Always burn for her.

A primal, powerful need clawed at him, causing his body to tighten and his cock to harden to the point of pain. Jesse angled her head how he wanted it, making the kiss even deeper. He took her mouth like he needed it to survive—and he did; he needed Harley. One of her hands tugged on his hair while the other clawed at his nape, demanding more. Then that’s what she’d get.

Harley hissed as his teeth bit into her lip, drawing blood. Licking over the puncture marks to ease the sting, he lifted her leg and hooked it over his hip. Each time he thrust his tongue into her mouth, he rocked his hips into hers. She moaned, tightening her leg around him to bring him closer. She felt empty. Hot. Restless. Almost like a cat in heat. “I need you in me.”

With possessiveness flaring through him, Jesse shredded her clothes with his claws just as she yanked off his T-shirt and tore open his fly. “Good, because I want in you.” Her cat eyes glowed with a primitive lust that hit him right in the gut. “Now.”

Harley curled her arms around his neck as he abruptly lifted her, his hands like steel bands around her thighs. His dark eyes blazed into hers, and her pussy clenched at the raw, unadulterated possession stamped on his features. No sooner had she wrapped her legs around him than he savagely thrust hard, burying himself balls deep inside her. “Fuck,” she gasped, digging her claws into the sleek skin of his back.

Jesse groaned as her hot pussy clamped down on his cock, so tight and slick he could come right then. But he didn’t. “Hold me tighter.” Her limbs tightened around him until they were as close as two people could be. Then he was powering into her with rough, territorial strokes. His wolf’s possessiveness fueled every thrust. “My pussy,” Jesse growled against her mouth. And for once, she didn’t fight him on it. There wasn’t even a glint of defiance in that gold gaze. “You belong to me, don’t you?” His tone dared her to deny what they both knew was true.

“Yes,” she rasped, watching as masculine approval gleamed in his gaze.

“Then give me your throat.” Ah, a little wariness flashed across her face. He wasn’t surprised to see her still struggle with that. “It doesn’t mean reining in your dominance, Harley. It just means giving me what’s already mine—everything.” Still, she hesitated, waging an inner battle. He growled, “Give it to me.” And finally, she tilted her head back, exposing her neck. He damn well almost came. “Such a good girl.”

Harley held on tight as his pace turned brutal and he ferociously hammered into her, grunting and growling into her neck. Her cat reveled in how animalistic it was. His fingers dug so hard into her thighs that Harley knew he’d leave bruises, but she didn’t care. She loved the little brands he left. Loved how rough and aggressive he could be. Loved him. Loved him with everything she was, just as her cat did.

“Jesse, I’m gonna come.” She could feel her orgasm tumbling fast toward her.

He bit her neck. “Mark me, Harley. Claim me.” He needed it. His wolf needed it. It was a soul-deep need that tormented both man and animal day and night. Jesse had asked her time and again to do it, but she never did. Never—

Jesse hissed out a breath as sharp little teeth sank deep into his shoulder, stabbing hard enough to draw blood. His mate sucked and licked at the mark . . . claiming him. And like that, he exploded. He didn’t just come; his entire body quaked and fragmented as his cock swelled and pulsed deep inside his mate while her pussy contracted around him. “Fuck, I love you,” he growled.

And then every bit of energy seemed to leave them both. She sagged over him, limp. Holding her tight, he turned and slid to the wooden floor, stretching out his legs for her to straddle them. For a long time, they just sat there, panting and trembling. She’d claimed him. His mate had finally claimed him. The satisfaction of that went beyond anything he’d experienced before. It settled into every pore, every muscle, every bone. His wolf was both smug and relieved that this little cat they adored had returned their claim.

Languid with pure contentment, Harley and her cat snuggled into their mate. He was the only male both her human and animal side had wanted. The cat had always quickly grown bored with Harley’s human partners. This wolf impressed, amused, delighted, and challenged both sides of her nature. “Oh, um, by the way . . . love you too,” she slurred into his chest.

Throat burning, Jesse kissed her hair and inhaled the honey scent of her shampoo. He’d known she cared for him—she would never have let him claim her if she didn’t—but he hadn’t known how much. There had been nights when he watched her sleep, wondering if he’d ever find a way into that big heart that was encased in an iron cage. It was probably natural that someone who felt things so deeply would protect that heart so it didn’t go through life constantly bruised. He’d hoped she’d trust him to be a person who wouldn’t abuse that trust and purposely wound her. But he had hurt her, and now he needed to fix it.