“Get your ears cleaned!” he hollers back before plucking me away from his head that I’m trying to squeeze and starts tickling my sides.
“Ah! Stop!” I screech. “This is not funny, and you totally L bombed me. Just admit it, you little shit!”
I laugh when he hits a particularly ticklish spot right above my hip bone, but I get my revenge when I find his ticklish spot right beneath his armpit.
“Ha!” I crow victoriously as he starts laughing and writhing to get away from me. “The big bad Alpha Bowen is ticklish and prematurely drops L bombs!”
Wrapping his tail around my ankles, he yanks my legs out from under me, taking me to the ground. His arms cradle the back of my head and back so that I don’t fall hard, but as soon as I’m down, he ruthlessly goes for my sides. I squeal and jerk around and try to kick him away from me.
“Confess!” I shout at him in between peals of laughter.
“I’m the one winning. Why would I confess?” he argues as he straddles me, using his weight to hold me down as his merciless fingers dig into every ticklish spot I possess.
Knowing I need to play dirty, I lick my finger and stick it in his ear. He jerks back and looks at me with shock and disgust. “Tell the truth, or I’ll do it again,” I warn, licking a different finger and waving it in his direction as he gets off me and wipes his ear.
“You’re twisted,” he accuses playfully.
“The truth will set you free, Rook,” I retort before lunging at him and extending my drool-laden finger like it’s a sword and I’m prepared to duel.
He squeals and leaps away, and the loud ass lady-scream that exits his mouth has me bent over and barking out laughter. I’m dead. Completely finished.
“Alpha Bowen drops L bombs and lady-screams!” I shout out between fits of giggles that have my eyes tearing up. “Oh, when people find out...” I threaten as I hold my side and cackle even harder.
“Sunrise,” Rook warns as he puts his hands on his hips. “Don’t go messing with my rep.”
I laugh even harder.
“I will. Unless you admit it,” I warn, my eyes gleaming with satisfaction at pinning my prey.
“So vicious,” he says, but I don’t miss the light or the heat in his eyes as he says it. “Fine. I started to say the L word before I caught it and corrected myself,” he admits, one of his eyebrows going up in challenge.
“So what you’re saying is...that I’ve got you slippin’,” I press, my gaze alight with mischief and excitement.
“Maybe,” he agrees with a shrug, and there’s that adorable blush again.
I walk over to him, my face stretched in a smile so big that it hurts my cheeks. “You totally love me. You’re, like, completely obsessed.”
“That’s it,” he warns.
I scream as he lunges for me, but before I can get away, he grabs me by the waist and picks me up to throw me over his shoulder. He slaps my ass hard, and I’m so fucking slap happy, I can’t stop laughing long enough to fight. He strides down a long hallway and into a massive master bedroom. “You need a time out.”
He tosses me onto the bed, and I nearly bounce right off, but he’s on me in a second, holding me down. His hands come to cup either side of my face, and then he just looks down at me, his turquoise eyes tracking my features like he wants to memorize every inch of me. My gleeful smile slips at the reverent way he’s drinking me in, and the thudding of my heart starts beating in sync with his.
“I’m sorry, Sinclair,” he says quietly, all previous laughter and joking wiped away. I can see how deeply he means it. I can feel it too.
“I know,” I reply.
“Give me a chance to make you happy. To prove that Prison Guard Rook and Alpha Bowen are worthy of you.”
I don’t take his words lightly. I know what he’s asking me. To stay. To live here, as his mate. To get to know him outside of his prison guard uniform.
“You better pay off all my lounge’s debts,” I tell him sternly.
“Consider it done.”
I breathe out long and slow. “Okay.”
His eyes light up, as though he didn’t expect me to say that. “Okay?”
I nod slowly. “Okay, Alpha PG Rook Bowen. I’ll stay with you and do this mate thing. But I want four.”