Текст книги "Speed Mating"

Автор книги: Jessica Sims

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"Or horrified," Estrella said quietly, sipping her own iced coffee. She normally preferred her drink scalding, but, with the heat, the thought of putting anything warm in her system was repulsive. "I just don't want anything to jeopardize my spot in the clan, Jayde. Bad enough that I'm an outsider. I don't want to be that weird outsider who’s crushing on the alpha. I'll never be able to look him in the eye again if he turns me down."

"So who are you going to go with? The chauvinist asshole, the competitive asshole, or the pothead?"

Estrella buried her face in her hands. "I really hate that those are my only options."

"So don't have a baby. Get hot and bothered, get a date for the night, and then go on with your life." Jayde shrugged. "It's what I'd do. No time for a kid. I don't know that were-jaguars are the most maternal anyhow. Maybe tigers aren't either. Skip it this time."

Not have the baby? But she'd spent the last week hyper-focused on the possibility of an upcoming child. Estrella touched her abdomen. "It's weird, but I want this baby."

"It's not a baby yet."

"No, but it's a sure thing," Estrella told her. "And what if I don't go into heat again? I'll have missed my chance to be a parent. The timing isn't great, but the more I think about it, the more I want this."

"Suit yourself." Jayde sucked loudly on her straw, and then eyed her. "Which one of the three screams daddy material to you?"

"God. None of them."

"Time to climb that alpha like a scratching post, then. I bet he'd make some pretty babies."

Estrella grinned. "You are single minded, aren't you?"

"That's why we're friends. I have the cojones to say things that you won't admit to yourself." Jayde winked and shook her cup, dislodging the ice at the bottom. "And I'm telling you, bag that alpha."

Estrella bit her lip, pushing aside her iced coffee. It was leaving a sour taste in her mouth...either that, or it was nerves. "I wish it were that simple, Jayde. I–"

Her phone rang. Estrella frowned and glanced at the screen. Unlisted number. After a moment's hesitation, she answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, may I speak to Estrella?" The chirpy voice on the other end was instantly recognizable. "This is Ryder."

"Oh, hi Ryder. This is Estrella. Did you get my message?"

"I did," Ryder cooed. "And I'm so glad you called me back! We did have someone mark you down on your card as interested."

Jayde wiggled her eyebrows at Estrella encouragingly, her shifter senses able to pick up every word of the phone conversation. Estrella crossed her fingers. "Who was it?"

"Let me get out my notes." On the other end of the phone, Estrella heard paper shuffle. "Ah, here we go. It was number six."

"Which was..."

"Vic Barlow."

Estrella's mouth hung open. Across from her, Jayde did a fist pump in the air, making her bracelets crash like cymbals. "I...he did?"

"Yes. Should I contact him and let him know you're interested?"

"I...no, no thank you." Her voice came out a breathless squeak and she clicked the call off.

"What are you doing?" Jayde tried to grab the phone from Estrella. "This is perfect!"

"He only went to that dating – mating – thing because he was feeling protective of me. That's probably why he put my name down."

"Uh huh." Jayde didn't look convinced. "Couldn't be that he wants to tap that ass?"

"He knows I'm going into heat. Why wouldn't he say something?"

"An alpha skeeving on a chick in his clan? That probably wouldn't go over well if he didn’t know you were interested. Talk about an abuse of power. My guess is that he's being super careful." She gave Estrella a knowing look and sipped from her iced latte again. "Has he ever given you any hints that he might want you for himself?"

"No, I don't think so." Bewildered, she thought back to their recent conversations. You're the only one here worth having, 'Strella.

She'd thought he was just being a nice alpha. Supportive. Like finding her other tiger males to consider.

And yet...he'd snapped a pencil when she'd told him she was going into heat. He'd looked so rattled.

Maybe...maybe this would work out after all. Estrella reached across the table and grabbed Jayde's hand. "Should I do this?"

"Girl, I've been saying that all morning. Of course you should!"

"Then I need a plan."

* * *

God, this was a bad idea. Jayde was a good friend, but a good planner she was not.

Estrella paced in the woods, dressed only in a thong and a lacy, sheer bra. The heat was burning through her, making her thighs – and other parts of her body – ache with need. Even though nightfall was approaching and the wind was picking up, with hints of snow and ice in the weather, she didn't feel it. The heat was keeping her warm, elevating her body temperature to an almost feverish degree.

And heavens, she was horny.

Her fingers itched to touch herself, to relieve some of the pressure she was feeling, but she kept her hands clasped. Touching herself wouldn't do any good – her biological urges would override any sense of relief and this torture would just keep going and going until she either passed through the heat in another day or so...

Or until she found a man to make her pregnant.

A visual of that whole 'getting pregnant' process flashed through her erotically-charged mind. Of Vic, looming over her, muscles straining and tight ass flexing as he pounded into her.

She whimpered, shaking her head to clear it.

Her cellphone rang. Jayde. Her purse and clothing were hanging on a low branch nearby, though they'd soon be snow-covered if something didn't happen. The droplets were frosting her hair and turning the woods into a powdery white.

The plan was a simple one. Tell Vic that she'd been out running in her liger form and she'd gotten caught in some barbed wire. He'd come running to protect her – or possibly yell at her since she'd have theoretically gone out in cat form without his permission.

And then when he ran across her, he'd see her, oozing mating pheromones and dressed in sexy lingerie...and hopefully nature would take over. Problem solved.

She tapped her screen to answer the call. Before she even had a chance to say hello, Jayde's voice rang through the air. "He's coming and he's seriously pissed, girl."

Estrella winced, just imagining her large, often surly alpha angry at her. "Well, I suppose that's not a surprise."

"Maybe we should come up with a Plan B," Jayde said thoughtfully.

"This was your plan, Jayde!"

"I know, but I forgot the part where your alpha has a volatile temper. It's not going to do you any good if he gets there and he's too pissed to make babies."

Estrella groaned. "There's no time for a plan B! Are you kidding me? You said this would work."

"Well, it should still work," Jayde said brightly. "Call me when you're pregnant. Good luck!"

"Jayde–"

Click.

Estrella growled. Sometimes her friend could be really, really annoying. She tossed her phone back in her purse and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make it look tousled and sexy. Fuckable. She'd even worn a hint of eyeliner, though that was all she dared as far as makeup went. Male shifters didn't like the scent of makeup. No perfume, either. Her own turned-on musk would scent the clearing. It was definitely a good thing that Vic had sent the others out of town, or she'd be dragging every half-interested tiger or lion male toward her no matter what she did.

So she paced. And she waited.

Vic's scent reached her first. Still distant, the masculine smell of tiger sent waves of pleasure rolling through her body. Her nipples tightened in response and she crossed her arms over her chest, shivering at the sensation. Her toes wiggled in the inch-deep snow, but she forced herself to remain where she was.

He needed to come and find her.

Of course, just waiting made her nervous. She chewed on her lip, thinking as she studied the naked trees nearby. Maybe a sexy pose? She could lean up against a tree trunk, cock a leg, maybe thrust out her breasts...

Vic crashed into the clearing in full tiger form.

Estrella yelped in surprise, flying backward automatically, her claws coming out. She could feel her cat under her skin, an automatic defense mechanism, and forced herself to calm, shoving away her shifter form. The last thing she wanted was to transform right now.

Vic's gaze moved to her, studied her for a moment, and then he opened his mouth and roared so loud that her eardrums vibrated.

Boy, he was furious. Estrella backed up to the nearest tree, automatically feeling that awful mental heaviness that came with disobeying your alpha. She leaned against it, forcing herself not to cringe away from his anger, and thrust her breasts out in the skimpy bra. "I'm so glad you're here, Vic," she murmured huskily. "I'm in trouble."

The tiger paced around her, nostrils flaring and scenting the clearing. His tail lashed wildly.

She patiently waited for him to finish checking out their surroundings, knowing that he'd find no other scents but hers. Once that was done, he leveled her another pissed off gaze and then hunched in the snow-covered grass, shoulders flexing as he began to change back to human form.

A few rather long minutes later, and he was in human form. She eyed him appreciatively, noticing for the first time that his chest was sprinkled with dark hair and he had the tightest buttocks she'd ever seen. God, she wanted to wrap her legs around them right about now.

She forced herself to meet his gaze as he approached her, his dark, damp hair steaming in the bitter cold. "What is it?" Vic growled. "What trouble?"

Here we go, she told herself mentally. Now or never. "This kind of trouble," she said in a throaty voice, and reached behind her to unhook her bra.

He growled again, the low rumble managing to come through despite his human form. The wild, furious look returned to his eyes. "What the fuck is this, Estrella?"

She stopped, humiliated.

She wanted to clutch the now-slipping bra to her breasts and run into the woods. Shame made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. "A mistake, apparently."

Vic was still breathing hard, still furious. "This is a set-up, isn't it?" His shoulders heaved with each angry breath.

She remained silent.

"Fuck, Estrella!" Vic turned and stomped away, snarling. "Do you have any idea of how fucking worried I've been? Here I thought that you – one of our females and near a dangerous mating heat – was hurt and in trouble. I've been mentally figuring out what the fuck to do if you need medical help, and you're just trying to seduce me?"

Bitter disappointment mixed with the shame. She reached behind her back and tried to resnap her bra, blinking back humiliated tears. "I didn't think–"

"No, you didn't," he roared again. "What if you were in tiger form and you were injured? What am I supposed to do? The Alliance doc can only do so much. Do I fucking call an animal hospital and hope they don't try to put you down? A fucking ambulance? What?" He continued pacing furiously, his hands clenched into fists that were so tight she could see white at his knuckles. "Never, ever fucking do this to me again, do you understand?"

"I understand," she whispered. God, she felt like a bug. An ant.

A really, really horny ant.

She closed her eyes, determined not to stare lasciviously at his naked muscles any longer. It was clear that she and Jayde had been all wrong about this – Vic was just thinking of her like an alpha thought of everyone in his clan. There was nothing more to it, and she'd embarrassed herself and jeopardized her place in the clan.

This was officially going down as the worst heat ever. Maybe she'd get lucky and never go into heat ever again.

"I'm your alpha," he snarled, pushing toward her. "Your safety and well-being are always at the front of my mind. You can't fucking jerk my chain and expect me to come running. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said meekly.

"Look at me, Estrella."

She squeezed a cautious eye open.

His jaw was clenched harder than she'd ever seen it, and his eyes were so dark with anger they were almost black. As if to take the edge off of that, snow was falling in big, fat flakes now and dotted his hair and eyebrows.

"Never do that to me again," he rasped.

Yeah. She got it. She'd alarmed him. She yanked on the back clasp of her bra, determined to re-snap it, but her fingers were trembling from a mixture of the heat, nerves, and shame, and she couldn't quite do it. She gave up, crossing her arms over her breasts instead. "I'm sorry, Vic. I wasn't trying to scare you. I just wanted..."

Her voice trailed off with embarrassment. Now was not the time to confess her crush on him.

"The heat's clearly affecting you," he said after a moment, dark eyes glittering as he studied her face. "I'll forgive this lapse of judgment. It's clear you're desperate right now."

"Desperate?" She echoed. Did he just call her...desperate? Ouch.

"Approaching me for your heat. I must be your only option left. I just don't understand why you didn't pick one of the men I brought for you."

Well, it was a good thing she had no pride left after this debacle. Estrella shook her head, tamping down her own irritation. "Which one? The asshole? Or the chauvinist?"

His lips twitched with amusement, some of his anger receding. His arms crossed over his chest, echoing her own protective stance. She tried not to notice that he was really, really naked…and that it was incredibly arousing.

And not just to her, if the wood he was sporting was any indication.

But he was still talking, still arguing. "So you didn't like Nelson or Montgomery? I admit they're not my favorites, but they're both good candidates for a female in heat. Young, relatively attractive, tiger clan." He shrugged. “What more do you need?”

"Yeah, well thanks for that stunning criteria list, but I am not having the baby of either of those douchebags, much less sleeping with one of them."

"What about Cory? He seemed like a nice guy."

"His last name is Janitor, Vic," she cried plaintively. "If I'm picking men for ridiculous reasons, I don't want my baby to have a toilet bowl last name."

His brows furrowed. "Ridiculous reasons? Your heat's not ridiculous."

"But me picking men based on their looks and the fact that they can grow the same kind of tail as you? That's not ridiculous?" She sighed heavily, staring off into the woods. "It doesn't matter. They're not the ones I want."

"So who do you want?" The question was low, husky.

The words froze in her mouth. Vic had made it quite obvious that she'd made a bad call in inviting him out here. Like hell she was going to blabber about how much she wanted him. Her mouth remained mutinously shut.

"It's me, isn't it?"

Estrella remained silent, but she could feel the blush rising on her face.

"Fucking hell, Estrella. You're kidding me."

"I'm sorry that grosses you out," she cried. "Freaking sue me for having a crush on my alpha!"

"Goddamn it, why didn't you ask?"

"Hello!” She shouted at him, gesturing at her unclasped bra, her lacy panties. She felt like an idiot. “What do you think I'm doing?"

He charged forward. Before she could back away, his mouth claimed hers in a hot, hard, wild kiss.

Stunned disbelief rocked her. Vic was kissing her? The surprise of it almost overwhelmed her out-of-control hormones...

Almost.

A bolt of lust shot through her body, so strong it nearly knocked her over. She clung to him, her mouth parting under his hard lips. The kiss he was giving her was not polite, or tender. It was savage and hungry and punishing.

And she freaking loved it.

Vic's hands curled around her waist, dragging her nearly naked body against him. He rumbled low in his throat as his tongue slid against hers, as if pleased by the taste of her. She felt the stab of his cock against the crux of her thighs.

Oh god, this was everything she'd wanted. If this is a dream, don't let me wake up.

Then, he pulled away from her, the kiss ending so abruptly that she staggered against him.

"What is it?" She asked, the heat pounding through her veins.

Vic's eyes glittered with lust as he stared down at her. "Just tell me one thing. Am I the last resort?"

Estrella stared up at him, at the eyes as feverish as her own. The strong, stubborn set of his jaw. The dark hair that waved over his forehead. The big shoulders and strong arms covered in tattoos. A low moan of pleasure escaped her, just from looking at him. "God. Not in the slightest." She leaned forward, pushing her breasts against his hard chest, desperate to scrape her aching nipples against him. "I've always liked you, but I thought you didn't like me."

"Not like you?" He looked incredulous for a moment. "I practically browbeat you to join the tiger clan instead of the lions because I wanted to be around you. As it is, I've had to force myself to leave you alone since you never showed any interest before."

It was her turn to be surprised. "You wanted me? Even though I'm a liger?"

"Estrella," he whispered huskily, and his hand moved to ensnare her hair in his fist, an action that made a new rush of wetness dampen her panties. He slowly pulled her forward, until her lips were barely brushing against his. Her breasts flattened against his chest. "You're smart and utterly gorgeous."

"I'm six foot two. Most men don't want a giant in their bed."

"Their loss," he growled, then brushed his lips lightly over hers. "Do you want me for me, then? I want you to say it."

"I want you, Vic. So, so badly." Her hands slid up his arms, caressing his biceps. A purr nearly erupted from her when she felt how firm they were. "Are you sure you want me?"

"I've wanted you for years," he murmured, the look in his eyes making her knees weak.

But she had to clear something up, first. "Do you want me even though us coming together is going to make a baby? This is more than just a one night stand."

"Who said I wanted a one night stand?" he told her. "If you want me, I want to be your mate. Right here, right now. No more fighting it."

Her breath caught in her throat. "And the baby?"

"I'd be proud to be the father." And he lightly kissed her again.

Estrella sighed in pleasure, melting against him. "Do me a favor and pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming."

His free hand slid to her buttock and he lightly pinched it. "Better?"

"Yes and no." Yes, because she knew she wasn't dreaming. The delicious man holding her against him and declaring that he wanted to be her mate was the real thing. No, because even the slight motion of that pinch made the heat inside her pulse with need. Her skin felt like it was on fire – too sensitive and overly tender. She could feel her pulse throbbing in her veins, pounding a staccato beat that seemed to center right at her core.

"Should I pinch you again? Or do you want to get out of this cold?"

She growled low in her throat at the thought, and her fingers curled into his biceps, digging in like claws. "Still so hot, Vic. I'm burning up inside. We stay out here."

"Even in the snow?"

Her mouth quirked in a grin. "It'll cushion the blow when I knock you to the ground and ravage you."

His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Will it now?"

She shoved at him, flinging him backward into the snow. As a liger, she was strong, just as strong as him. It intimidated most men, but she saw the excitement and challenge in Vic's eyes, and her own excitement grew.

He wouldn't mind that she was strong, fierce, and independent. For a man as rough as him, it was a turn-on to have a fierce mate. And that aroused her even more.

As he landed on his ass in the snow, her claws popped and she shredded the remnants of the bra loosely hanging from her shoulders. Her panties ripped away in the space of a breath, and then she was straddling his hips, bearing him back down to the thin blanket of snow in the grass.

He lay on his back and watched her with ravenous eyes. His hands reached for her hips, dragging her downward.

As if she needed any encouragement. Estrella took him into her hand and guided his hard cock into her body, seating herself fully onto him.

The breath escaped from her lungs. A small sound came from her throat, and she closed her eyes in pure ecstasy. He was big, and thick, and she was so very wet that he'd slid home perfectly. The sensation of it was amazing, and she soaked in the feeling of his cock deep inside her. Through the haze of her own desire, she barely heard his pleased groan.

All too soon, the delicious feeling faded, returned by the intense craving of the heat. She had him inside her, but she needed more, and she needed it fast. It made her crazed – this wild desire. Bracing her hands on his chest, she began to rock her hips, lifting up and down on his cock. Her movements were jerky and harsh, and she ground her hips into his with every movement. "Need more," she breathed. The heat was an inferno inside her, raging out of control.

"I've got you," Vic murmured, and she felt his big hands dig into her hips. All of a sudden, she was out of control. When she lifted again, he slammed her back down onto him.

She cried out – oh yes, that was exactly what she needed.

He stilled under her. "Estrella?"

Her fingers dug into his chest, claws gripping at his skin. "No," she panted. "Keep going. So good."

He growled low in his throat, and then he was slamming her down on him again, their movements so forceful that she was positive she'd have bruises in the morning, but she didn't care. She needed this – needed him – so badly. The heat was being fed, once and for all. It built inside of her, and she began to growl low in her throat, feral and rough. Her hips lifted with his thrusts, making each slam of their bodies together faster and harder than the one before. If he'd been human, she would have destroyed him. But this was Vic, her Vic, and he was as strong and fierce as she was, and when her eyes met his, she saw the intense excitement there. It didn't matter that she was rough – he liked it.

A shiver ripped through her, and then she was coming, the sensation so intense that stars swam in front of her eyes. A low, guttural groan ripped from her throat and she couldn't stop her claws from digging deeper into him as her entire body shuddered, flexing and tightening against him. Through the haze of the intense orgasm, she heard him bite out her name, and then she felt him come too, bathing her insides with warmth.

Estrella gave a wordless sigh and collapsed on his chest, breathing hard.

They lay there for long moments, the woods quiet about them, the only sound the symphony of their harsh, ragged breaths. Vic's hands slid to her thighs, and she felt his fingers lightly trace her skin, over and over, a soothing motion. She didn't move, though. She just laid on his chest, eyes closed, and tried to catch her breath.

Eventually, she cracked an eye open and surveyed her surroundings. Snow was falling in a thick blanket now, the snowflakes large and fluffy as they descended to the ground. Around them, the blanket of snow was patchy, the brown grass underneath exposed. And on the snow itself were dots of blood.

She flared her nostrils, alarmed. The scent of the woods touched her, along with the smell of her body and Vic, sex, and...blood. Warily, she lifted a hand and winced at the sight of the blood lining the beds of her fingernails.

Vic chuckled. "You play rough, 'Strella."

She sat up, pushing back on his chest, alarmed. Sure enough, the chest she'd been resting on was covered in scratches and gouges from her claws. Traces of blood dotted his skin and the snow around him. And Vic was smiling like he was pleased. "Oh my god," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm not." His hand continued to stroke her thigh as she straddled him. "How are you feeling? Better?"

She shifted slightly, testing her body. Vic was still seated inside her, and that felt good. Her muscles weren't sore, but the heat didn't seem to be gone quite yet. Sated for the moment, but still lurking in the background. She grimaced. "I think we're going to have to do this again."

He chuckled. "Don't sound quite so pleased."

"It's not that," she began hastily. "It's that I want to have sex with you and just enjoy you. I don't want to feel like I'm going to flay you alive with my claws simply because the heat's driving me wild. It doesn't feel normal."

"Normal's overrated," Vic told her. "Are you better right now, at least?"

She stretched, working out her muscles. "I am. I feel pretty good, actually." Amazing, really, but she'd feel weird telling him that. "Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" His voice sounded funny.

A flush crept up her cheeks. "For, you know. Volunteering in my time of need."

His eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he moved, and she went from sitting atop him to being flipped onto her back in the space of a moment.

Her eyes widened at the sudden movement – and the surge of desire it sent through her. Vic loomed over her, pinning her to the snow. "Estrella. Let's clear one thing up right now," he told her in a hard voice. "I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart or because I'm your alpha. I'm doing this because I've wanted you for years. Me. Vic. It has nothing to do with free sex and everything to do with you."

Tears blurred her vision. "Good. I just didn't want you to feel...obligated."

He snarled. "Fuck obligation. I'm doing this because you're mine. And now that I know you want me too, there's nothing that's going to stop me from putting my mate mark on your throat. Understand?"

A surge of liquid desire rolled through her at the thought of Vic's mouth on her neck, teeth biting into her skin, and her hips flexed in response. "So what's stopping you right now?"

"Absolutely nothing," he growled, and leaned in. His tongue lightly moved along her throat, and she moaned at the sensation. "Ah, 'Strella, I can smell your desire. Smells fucking amazing."

She felt his cock, already hard, against her inner thighs and rocked up against him again. The heat was returning, but this time, she welcomed it. Relief was only inches away. "Need you, Vic."

"My 'Strella," he said softly, and she felt his tongue trace along her collarbone, making her shiver with need, her nipples hard.

Then, he bit down on her skin, at the spot where her neck met her shoulder. She felt his teeth sink in, ever so slightly. Another orgasm ripped through her, and she cried out, clenching his body close against hers. "Oh, yes. Vic. Vic. Vic."

He growled low against her throat, not pulling away, his mouth anchored there. She felt him shove her thighs forward, until they pressed backward on her chest and she was bent in half, knees almost to her shoulders. And then he sank deep again, and she cried out. Her claws popped again and she sank them into his back, clutching him to her.

"My 'Strella," he repeated in a hoarse voice, pounding into her.

"Vic," she cried out, and oh God, his rough strokes were driving her wild. She couldn't hold his body close enough to her. He sank so deep inside her that every thrust made her quiver with the orgasm that seemingly wouldn't stop. It kept building and building, her body quaking and muscles tight with the sensation, but it kept going and going, the fires stoked hotter with every thrust of his cock deep into her.

Too soon, he bit out her name against her throat, biting down on her again. And that made the orgasm skyrocket, until she was nearly passed out from bliss. She felt him come again, and then he collapsed on top of her.

After a few moments of panting, he moved away from her neck and leaned in to kiss her. In contrast to their rough, wild lovemaking, his kiss was tender and sweet. "Love you," he said gruffly.

Tears pricked her eyes and she ran her fingers along his hard jaw. "Love you, too."

"Your heat?"

"Still there," she admitted. "We might have to do this a few more times."

He grunted. "I see you plan on wearing your mate out."

Estrella grinned. "Are you telling me that I mated with a man with no stamina? That's disappointing."

"No stamina?" He gave her a mock-offended look, and then rolled his hips against hers in a seductive manner. "You want me to show you 'no stamina'?"

She moaned. "Yes, please."

They rolled in the snow and made love for hours on end, oblivious to everything but their own desires. Afternoon faded into dark, the moon came up and went away again, and sometime toward morning, they fell into an exhausted sleep in each other's arms.

When Estrella woke, the skies were orange and purple with the coming dawn, a blanket of snow was thick around them, and she was shivering from the cold.

Finally. Her heat was quenched. She gave a loud sigh of relief. Marathon sex was fun, but she was ready for the heat to be gone. Thank goodness shifter women only went into heat a few times in their lives. The intense craving – and hormonal craziness – was not something she wanted to experience on a regular basis.

A hard arm tightened around her hips, and she felt Vic nuzzle her shoulder. "You feel cold."

She burrowed closer to his warm body. "I am cold," she admitted, and couldn't keep the happiness from her voice. "Heat's gone."

His hand slid lower, to her belly. "So that means..."

"Yes." When he was silent, she began to worry. "What are you thinking?"

He kissed her shoulder again. "I was thinking about names. What do you think about Vic Junior?"

A happy giggle escaped her throat. "Uh, I think that's the worst name ever."

He gave her a mock growl. "That's my name."

"I didn't say your name was a good name. It's simply tolerable because it's yours."

He pulled her closer to him. "I see my mate is full of sass in the mornings."

"And afternoons. And nights," she told him happily. "Get used to it. You mated a woman who’s not going to let you walk all over her."

"Good." Vic nipped at her shoulder again, and despite the exhaustion in her body, she felt a stirring of desire. Not because of the heat, but because of Vic.

She smiled. "Besides, what if it's a girl?"

He paused for a minute, thinking. Then, "How about...Vickie?"

She groaned. "You're clearly terrible at picking out names."

Vic's hand slid to her breasts, caressing them, and she sighed with pleasure when he began to stroke her nipple. His lips moved from her shoulder to her jaw, and he began to kiss her lightly. She turned her face so he could brush his lips against her mouth. "I suppose it's a good thing we have nine months to decide on a name, then. I'll bring you around to my way of thinking."