A hundred times over the last couple of days, she’d wondered why he had such an effect on her. A hundred times, she’d tried to talk herself out of liking him. A hundred times she’d tried to convince herself she was just crazy, or broken after the break-up, or that her heart was just trying to latch on to the first man who showed her kindness…but as she stood in the shadow of the pines, in the strength of Kamp’s arms, her heart soaring because it felt at home, none of those insecurities mattered. All that mattered was that Kamp made sense to her.
“I’ll have to put Grim down someday soon,” he murmured. And, oh, his voice held the grit of sadness. “I hate him for doing this.”
“For doing what?”
His heart beat from his chest against her cheek so steadily. Ten beats before he murmured, “He just made me care about this Crew.”
A slow smile stretched across Remi’s face, and she leaned back so she could see his eyes after he admitted his heart had been thawed.
“It’s your fault, too, you know,” he said, brushing his fingertips along her cheek. “You came in here and brought me back to life, and now I have work to do.”
“What work? Becoming Alpha?”
Kamp shook his head slowly, eyes never leaving hers. “No. That’s not my fate, Novak. Nothing in me wants that title. Not when it means taking Grim out to get it. I mean, now I actually have to put in effort here, try to prop up a bad king.”
“Mmmm,” she murmured, running her fingernails gently up and down his back. “Where I’m from, there are no bad kings. Only damaged ones. And the Crew who props them up are just as important as the Alphas.”
Kamp huffed a breath. “Only a Gray Back would find out an Alpha has two lions and call him salvageable.”
“I’m built for this,” she whispered through a grin.
“Built for what?” Was that hope in his eyes?
“I’m built for a C-Team Crew like this one.”
The corners of his lips lifted just slightly. “Tell me again that you’re real.”
Remi pushed up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She loved how he tasted, how soft he went against her. He was very tough, very hard, very closed off…with most. With her, he was different. She had no idea how long they stayed like that—kissing like they had all the time in the world. All she knew was that right here with him, everything felt like it would be okay. Maybe this was what falling in love was supposed to be like. Perhaps she’d just gotten it wrong in the first place so she could have this epiphany moment. Ah, this is what it’s supposed to feel like. Maybe she’d gotten it wrong in the first place so she could fully appreciate Kamp. So her bear could know exactly who it was she wanted.
Kamp’s hand rested gently on the back of her neck, and he pushed her backward, his other hand steady on the small of her back as he laid her down. His lips massaged her as he kissed her. God, his weight on top of her felt so good, like a comfort blanket that made her feel all safe and warm. With each layer of clothing he removed from her, his fingers dug into her skin perfectly—breasts, hips, the back of her knee as he bent her leg and lifted it to encase him between her thighs. His lips left hers to trail down her jaw line, to suck on her earlobe, bite her neck gently, and then he pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked it until she was moaning, gripping the back of his hair. Remi’s body moved against him like waves crashing onto a beach.
Down, down he went, trailing kisses and fire until he reached the space between her thighs. His eyes were bright gold and green when he looked back up at her, and they sparked with wickedness. His smile was perfectly feral.
He ran his tongue up her slit, and when she gasped and rolled her hips toward him, he murmured, “Beg me.”
She hadn’t done this before! No man’s mouth had ever touched her there, but right as her insecurities reared up, Kamp ran his tongue up her folds again and struck her dumb. Over and over, he licked, slow and controlled, the tip of his tongue hitting her clit. Her legs trembled with want. She needed more, so she did something else for the first time ever. She begged.
“Please Kamp, I need you. I want to feel you in me.”
“Good girl,” he purred, and then his tongue slid deep inside her.
With a moan of ecstasy, she slid her fingers into his hair and let herself get lost in the stroking of his tongue. His head bobbed between her legs, and his arms were wrapped around her thighs, holding her tight against his face, as though he never wanted to stop tasting her. The purr that emanated from his throat rattled against her sensitive nub, and nothing had ever felt like this. So sexy. So perfect.
The purring sensation between her legs vibrated stronger, until she rode the edge of climax. It felt better every time his tongue pushed into her. Purring, purring…growling. Growling?
Felt too good to pay much attention. Almost there…
The growling got louder, and Kamp jerked back suddenly. He crawled over her and unfastened his jeans in a rush. And before the shock of his blurred movement even wore off, Kamp slid his thick, hard dick into her. He buried himself deep. Hard and fast, he slammed into her, his powerful body tense, his face contorted and his canine teeth longer and sharper as he bared them. He gripped the back of her hair and, oh dear lord, this was the hottest thing she’d ever been a part of. The intensity in his eyes alone was enough to make her come, but when he threw his head back and yelled a feral sound, his cock throbbing inside of her, she lost it. She cried out as her body pulsed to match his, her release so potent she couldn’t think a single thought. She could only watch his powerful body as he came inside of her. He jerked and twitched, dragging out every throbbing sensation, his stomach clenching every time he released more seed inside her. He was absolutely captivating when he came.
“I almost bit you,” he ground out, locking his arms on either side of her head.
“W-what?”
“I almost claimed you, right there on your thigh. It’s all I was thinking about while I was eating you out.” Kamp’s lip snarled up. “You should know the monster you’re bedding.”
When he eased his dick from her, warmth spilled down her leg. Eyes downcast, he leaned down and kissed her throat and lips before he stood. “I’m sorry,” he murmured as he strode away, buckling up his jeans.
Remi was at a total loss. Sorry for what? The urge to claim her? She’d dreamed of a claiming mark like human girls dreamed of wedding days.
Remi sat up, anger pulsing through her body that he was running from her.
Through the woods, her voice echoed as she called out, “I’m still real, and I’m still here!”
Kamp skidded to a stop. “Fuck!” rang out. He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Woman, did you not just hear me? I told you I almost just fucking claimed you. Claimed you! Look around here.” Kamp waved his hand at the felled logs and the processor. “It should be your choice to tether yourself to this life. Not my animal’s.”
Carefully she asked, “Is it only your animal choosing me? Is that the problem?”
Kamp huffed a breath and stared off to the side, his head shaking slightly. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“What? Giving me the best bone of my life and then running away? Scaredy cat,” she accused him.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Scaredy lion,” she corrected herself, standing. “You wanted me to come back, but you didn’t want to actually get close to me. Right? Getting close to people is scary?”
He nodded. “Getting close to you. To Grim. To Rhett. You’ll all leave.”
“Or we won’t. But you’ll never know if you keep everyone at arm’s length.” She stomped toward him, good and pissed, and then blasted him in the shoulder with hers as she passed. “I don’t like feeling unimportant.”
Kamp put his arms around her from behind and forced her to stand still. She growled, “Careful, Cat, I apparently don’t like feeling trapped either.”
“You aren’t trapping me. Fuck…just wait…just hold still…I need a second. My head is so loud.”
“Was it the first time you ever felt like claiming a girl?” she whispered.
