She turned her head, meeting his gaze. “You coming?”

“Yeah. I plan to.” He grinned, hurrying to join her.

She laughed. “You know that isn’t what I meant. I was distracted but now…” her nose flared. “You smell so good.”

The sight of her fangs spurred him to tear off his pants and pin her against the wall once she’d stripped bare. He didn’t care if they both had blood on them. He just wanted to kiss her.

“Water,” she urged as he lifted her high enough to press his hips between the parted thighs she’d wrapped around him.

He groaned but turned, releasing her with one hand to yank open the shower door and step inside. She clung to him the entire time. It only took seconds to turn on the water and pin her against the tile. Warm water sluiced down their bodies. His mate found his lips, kissed him.

It took control not to just bury himself balls-deep in her. It quickly slipped away, though, when her nails dug into his shoulders, urging him on. He lifted her a little higher, pressed her back firmly against the tile and drove home. Her pussy clamped around him. He growled and tore his mouth away from hers to avoid drawing blood. Her cries of pleasure assured him that he wasn’t causing pain while he fucked her hard and deep.

The sharp stab of her fangs biting into the top of his shoulder sent him into the mother of all orgasms. He locked his knees to keep them both upright as he rode out her climax. Her muscles clenched and unclenched around his shaft, milking every drop of cum from him. He shook from the force of it.

“Wow,” Charma panted.

Slowly coming down from the high, he nuzzled her throat and opened his mouth, his tongue tracing the column down to her shoulder. His fangs were out so he used them to gently nip her skin. She shivered in his arms and gasped. His dick had started to soften but it instantly hardened again, ready for another round.

“Mating heat,” he rasped. “I’m not done with you.”

“Good. Put me down though.”

“No.” He liked her exactly where she was—in his arms, pinned against the wall. He loved having her thighs wrapped around his hips. He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “The heat has backed off enough to allow me to take my time, hon.”

He started to move again, almost withdrew his cock completely, paused and then drove home, deep. Watching the way her eyes narrowed and her features twisted with ecstasy turned him on even more. Her fingernails kneaded his shoulders, a reminder of her leopard blood. She ran her tongue over her lips to wet them and moaned while he kept up the leisurely pace.

“Faster,” she ordered.

“No. I want to enjoy watching your every expression this time.”

“Bastard.”

He laughed, knowing she didn’t mean it. He’d missed playing with her. She’d snap soon, always did during her heat, and he couldn’t wait. Charma was aggressive as hell and he kept teasing her until she hissed. He tensed, believing he was prepared for what she’d do. He was wrong. His old Charma would have bitten him again, urging his wolf to surface. Instead she used his shoulders to lift up suddenly, the slippery, wet tile against her back helping her dislodge his dick, and she bucked sharply. His feet slipped and he fell back but tried to protect her as they went down. Charma released his waist with her legs and his back hit the other side of the stall. He landed on his ass on the tile with her coming down on top of his thighs.

He was stunned for a second but took note that he wasn’t injured. Just his pride. She laughed and rose, her hand reaching between them to grab the base of his shaft. She straddled his lap higher and adjusted his dick to the entrance of her pussy. She released him to grip one of his biceps and ground her hips down, taking every inch of him.

He didn’t even mind when she wrapped her other hand around the back of his neck, getting a good hold on his hair and began to frantically ride him. It felt too good to do anything but enjoy it. He watched her face when she tipped her head back, seemingly oblivious to the water that rained down on them.

Brand gripped her hips, helping her move on him faster and used his feet against the opposite wall to brace so they didn’t slide around. He glanced between them, loving the way her breasts bounced. He wanted to catch one of her nipples with his mouth but he couldn’t dip his head enough with her fisting his hair. White-hot bliss seared through him as he started coming again when she did.

“Brand!” she yelled and slumped against him. Her grip on his hair eased.

He adjusted his hold, hugging her tightly while they recovered.

“Did I hurt you?” She kept her face down, resting it against his chest.

“Never. Do I have any hair left?”

“Sorry.” She laughed though.

“Liar.”

“You were just out there fighting so don’t bitch about a little hair tugging.”

“How about being body-slammed in the shower? I think the drain is going to leave an imprint in my left ass cheek.”

She laughed harder. “I hit my knees on the way down so we can compare bruises later.”

His hands slid down from her hips to cup her ass and he squeezed. “Are you hurt?”

She raised her chin and grinned at him. “It hurts so good.”

He sobered, staring into her eyes. “Damn, I missed you.”

Her mood changed from playful to serious. “I’d rather die than live without you.”

“Me too. We agree. Only neither of is allowed to die. We have a lot of time to catch up on.”

“It’s a deal.”

Epilogue

Four weeks later

Charma paced the living room, glancing at the clock for the hundredth time in half an hour. She had to trust that Brand would be home for dinner. She’d said it would be ready at five o’clock. She glanced again at the time. He had less than twenty minutes before the pot roast came out of the oven.

“Calm down,” Bree ordered. “They are going to walk through that door at any second.”

“We haven’t heard anything.” That made her afraid.

“They didn’t want anyone tracing their whereabouts. You know that. That’s why they left their cell phones at home. The last thing the Harris Pack needs is another war with the pride council.”

“They could have bought one of those disposable cell phones.”