The fire was down to glowing embers. Wrapping-paper scraps littered the floor and poked out from under the couch. Tessa leaned against Mark’s chest and sighed happily. “That was an awesome party, if I do say so myself.”
Her mate did nothing but hum in response, so she wiggled around to face him.
Mark cracked one eye open. “Yes, awesome. Now we get to move into lazy-relaxing season, correct?”
She mock gasped. “Lazy? You mean you don’t feel like doing more renovations?”
He groaned even as he pulled her alongside his body and nestled her in comfortably. “We’re done, sweetheart. The place is ready for the spring. You’re already getting bookings, the furniture is complete. We’ve got months before the first people will show up. Definitely time to hit relaxing mode.”
Tessa played with his buttons. “I guess so. If you insist.”
A snort of laughter escaped him. “How about we go back to those days when you slept like twelve hours straight? I could use a few of those.”
“You know that’s not going to happen.” Tessa resisted poking him. “And that’s not nice, bringing that up. I didn’t know my cat was causing it.”
He lifted her chin and kissed her slowly, taking his time like he was dead serious about them switching into slow motion. She didn’t fight it. He was too good a kisser, and that lovely distraction made her far too happy to complain.
“I love you.”
Mark rumbled with happiness at her words. The fact she could say it with complete honesty was a little bit of heaven. He never seemed to get tired of her repeating it, either. She brushed her lips over his cheek and said it out loud, just for emphasis. “I love you inside and out. I love you, I lov—”
He crushed his mouth over hers, and this time there was nothing slow about it.
When they finally came up for air, they’d lost their clothing.
Strange.
Tessa pressed her naked body to his, loving how the heat of the fire and the rosy-red haze blanketed them as they lay on the thick rug.
They’d been mates for months now, and the connection simply got better and better. Thank goodness for friends who wouldn’t shut up, and mates who wouldn’t give up.
Mark stroked her naked shoulder, seemingly as fascinated by the firelight as she had been. “Yip, your cat knew all along we were meant to be together. All that nesting and snoozing was her trying to convince your human side to slow down and accept what was meant to be. Have I mentioned lately how much I like your cat?”
Tessa didn’t fight the urge. She shifted, right there in his arms, meaning he had a whole lot of cougar pressed up against him.
He jolted for a second. “Very funny.”
“Well, you said you liked my cat…”
He didn’t struggle as she licked him once, a full-face-wash type of grooming move that satisfied something deep inside her cat nature. Then while he was still laughing, she shifted back and proceeded to satisfy the human sides for both of them.
Mates. Who knew they could be so much fun?
About the Author
Vivian Arend in one word: Adventurous. In a sentence: Willing to try just about anything once. That wide-eyed attitude has taken her around North America, through parts of Europe, and into Central and South America, often with no running water.
Her optimistic outlook also meant that when challenged to write a book, she gave it a shot, and discovered creating worlds to play in was nearly as addictive as traveling the real one. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both contemporary and paranormal stories, Vivian continues to explore, write and otherwise keep herself well entertained.