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His hands traced iving nodown htly as he outlined my shoulder blades, the points and wide planes of scapulae He ently with his thumbs into the pressure points between blade and spine When ers beneath uidly, down e ofsoers, slick and slippery

He eased his weight away, our bodies still connected at our hips, and paused, hands spread wide just at the curve of my lower back My bones went liquid Beast purred deep inside me Ours, ours, ours Mate

Bruiser whispered, "I hear your cat when you breathe," as hemuscles of my spine I moaned, the pitch deep and low, a vibrato of need

My eyes slitted open, to see the stea around our feet, Bruiser’s and ainst uorous, stroking hands

I smiled as his palms slid down my spine and between our bodies, to cup my buttocks The heat of the water and of the Onorio radiated into ers splayed overht hand was traced with reddish streaks, still not healed froe I leaned back into hiain, close totime, body to body Silent Content I felt his lips curl into a smile before he spoke "The last time I was in your shower, I had been nearly drained by Leo and beaten into a bloody pulp by his other Enforcer And I was alone Totally alone"

"That sounds so sad," I whispered,

With mate Not alone now With mate, Beast purred

"It was very sad," Bruiser said "Positively wretched And to reenhouse in bloo Justfloral bouquet soap When I returned to the Council House, several days later, unwashed since that time, unshaven, and unkempt, Leo said I smelled as if I had spent an uncole slipped out I do not giggle But one slipped out Bruiser laughed with me, his breath hot at my ear I said, "I didn’t know you showered then The soap was a Christirls If it makes you feel better," I said, "I dropped that bottle of body wash soo It accidently drained out and away before I had a chance to pick it up"

"Accidently"

"Absolutely accidently"

He bitrab hisBeast hissed and the sound came fromthe mound at the center of me And lower, across the cleft Clever, skillful caress I wanted to step to either side, wideninghiainst ers, such talented fingers One slid gently between the lips and over the heart of me

I sucked in a breath, archedit on his shoulder,us as he pressed harder, forcing ers danced, curling and circling and drivinga hu that vibrated asrippedthrough river sand, burning every nerve end as if crystalizing the me here and there

Bruiser whippedhtbefore he even started toexhausted in my bed, the covers shoved off to the floor When I could speak, I mumbled, "Are you sure that wasn’t hot, wild hed "No, love Hot, wild ive me when you see the wyrds I discovered in the ave me Wyrds of power Molly says they are wyrds that she and Sabina can use to ensnare Joses Bar-Judas"

I ed to roll my head on my neck "You’ll have to wait a while on any activity that requires rin, the one a man used when he knew he had satisfied his partner--part conceit, part lasciviousness, part wicked pride I ignored it "You got wyrds? Seriously?"

"I did I already gave them to Molly" A sainst his scratchy beard

"Fine," I said, as ifhis offer "Next time, monkey sex"

"Hot and wild," Bruiser specified, as if this was a bargain ere striking "But for noe sleep We need sleep Even a skinwalker and an Onorio can’t fight well on no sleep"

I rolled over and pressedinto him until ere skin to skin from top to toe "Okay Wake me when it’s time to kick SoD heinie" I closed my eyes and slept

I hen Bruiser rolled to his feet and stretched, ourfroet your promise," he murmured to my ear

"Yeah Whatever," I said, and closed my eyes Moments later I heard Bruiser leave the house I flipped back the covers and showered off our fun-tiood ti to do And made doubly unfun when said vas I braidedbun, in case I didn’t have time to do so later While I pulled on my jeans, I dialed Eli, and when he answered I said, "Get up and arure out all the causative factors of this mess, devise a plan that will make the witches happy, avert a vamp war, and have tiroaned and I could hear the sheets move as he rolled over in his bed "You said to call," I added, trying not to taunt "I can do this alone But if you’re co, we need to conference in the kitchen"