lips against the bite mark. He licked her and then nipped the same spot gently. She could feel through their bond that he was playing with her. He wanted, needed to bite her. He needed to reestablish the mark, but he wanted her to submit to him. Jacque saw images in her mate’s mind of her biting him, only he was the one beneath her. This alpha of alphas would bare his most vulnerable parts to only one—his mate.
“Fane.” Jacque didn’t even recognize the sultry voice that came out of her.
“Yes, my love,” he said as he continued to assault her neck with kisses, licks, and bites.
“I need you.” She squeezed her thighs on either side of him and grabbed both of his shoulders, pulling him with her as she rolled them so that he was once again on top of her. Jacque turned her head, baring her neck to him.
She didn’t have to tell her male twice. He was a quick learner. A second later, his face was buried in her neck as his teeth sank into her flesh. The initial sting was quickly replaced with pleasure. Jacque tried to retain some of her dignity and not let her eyes roll back in her head, but it was difficult. She felt Fane rumble and shake against her and realized he was laughing. She reached up and grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled. His tongue swiped across the bite mark once, twice, and a third time before he finally relented.
When he pulled back, he was frowning. “I wasn’t done.” He sounded like a child who’d just been told to throw away their ice cream cone.
“You were laughing,” Jacque accused.
He smiled. Gah, why does he have to have such a sexy smile?
“You’re adorable. And it helps my male ego when you don’t retain dignity while I make love to you.” He pressed kisses across her jaw, down her neck, collarbone, and farther.
Jacque moaned. “By all means, alpha, prove you’re male enough to make your mate lose some dignity.”
“As you wish.” He pressed a kiss to her belly button.
Let it never be said that Fane Lupei shied away from a challenge.
*****
Adam carried Crina into their suite and set her back on her feet, but he didn’t let her go. She tried to pull away, but her mate wasn’t having it. He locked his arms around her waist like a steel band. She kept her eyes down for fear of what she might see there. Disgust, anger, confusion? It was all because of her. She kept the bond closed enough that he wouldn’t be able to feel the shame running through her.
“Crina.” Her name rolling off his tongue was a caress. “Look at me.”
She shook her head. Crina knew they needed to talk, like Jacque had said. But saying something and doing something were two very different things.
“We can stand here all night.” Adam’s voice was gentle but resolute. “But I’m not letting go of you. Not until we’ve talked about what’s wrong.”
Slowly, the fingertips of his right hand traced up her spine. Then his left hand slid across her waist from one side to the other. He pulled the back of her shirt up until his hand could meet her flesh and ran it again from one side of her waist all the way to the other. He was caressing her markings, the ones that matched his own.
Crina’s eyes closed as she felt her wolf practically purring. It had been too long since she’d let him touch her like this, too long since the beast had felt flesh on flesh, and it was her fault.
“No,” Adam said firmly. “It takes two people to make a relationship work, just as it takes two people to let it fall apart.”
He heard that thought. Crina had been so relaxed by his touch she hadn’t even realized she’d loosened her end of the bond. “Is that what’s happening?” She opened her eyes and finally looked up at him. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “Are we falling apart?”
His eyes narrowed, and she felt his fae powers pulse around him. He released her and stepped away. Crina felt the rejection hit her, nearly knocking the breath from her body. She forced herself to stay on her feet, and she bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. To her surprise, he didn’t turn and march out of the room, or say, “Yes, we’re falling apart.” Instead, he pulled his shirt over his head and