Snuggling into him she whispered, «Well, big guy, you were in the Chronicle this morning.»
«I was? Why-oh, shit…»
«Yeah. Big Ass Werewolf Races Down I-10 In Midst of Traffic Pileup, or something like that.
Not sure why so many people saw you. That late at night, and you moving so fast, I'd have thought you'd be some kind of blur, but apparently you ran across the tops of a few cars.»
«Fuck.» He shot up. «Lark! Did I hurt anyone??»
«Of course not, baby, I'd have told you already if you did! Lie down.» Once he'd settled back, she wrapped her arm around him. «No. You scared the hell out of a bunch of people, but you missed the cheap cars-you only hit the big stuff. Left some dents and scratches. So far, the department's only said it was a police officer in pursuit of a dangerous suspect, and they'll reimburse all vehicle owners for damage. So it's good. Your name might not even get out there.»
«Nick didn't mention any of that last night.»
«I think he was more concerned with you.»
«About TJ…»
«No, Taran. No about TJ. That one's off limits.» She laid a hand against his cheek, looked into his eye. «Swear to me, baby. No word to anyone.»
«Yes, ma'am.»
«God…» she groaned in ecstasy, «…I love it when you do what I tell you. If I'd known all these years I could boss you around like this, I would've been so…Taran!»
She shrieked as he flipped her on her back, held both her hands above her head in one of his giant paws, and tickled her mercilessly under her arms and on her sides. She screamed and thrashed but she couldn't very well move with three hundred pounds of werewolf on top of her.
«Good Lord, little girl!» he shouted. «Where the fuck did you learn language like that?» He had to stop tickling her because he was laughing too hard.
She lay beneath him, gasping for breath. «Taran Lloyd, you fucking asshole,» she panted, «every time you tickle me like that, there's gonna be consequences. You hear me? Big, big consequences.»
«I think there already are,» he rumbled into her ear. He still held her hands imprisoned above her head, and now his other hand dipped into her folds, stroking the fresh wetness. «See? I think you liked it.» He rested his hand there and stared at her, daring her to move, his mouth an inch above hers.
«So. You want to know what Meg and I talked about?»
He grinned wickedly. «You trying to embarrass me? You think I can't make love to you if you bring up my mom? I've been having dirty dreams about my cousin for years. Nothing embarrasses me.» He lowered his mouth to stroke his tongue across her nipple, so lightly she wasn't even sure he'd done it, and she arched against him with a needy little cry.
«What'd she say?» he asked casually and began to suckle the whole areola.
«Aunt Meg said…» she gasped and ground her hips against his, «…she said…oh thank heavens finally.»
«Wait. Huh? Was that you saying that, or her?» He lifted his head, and she giggled at the confusion on his face.
«Her exact words. 'Oh thank heavens, finally.' Said she'd always suspected we felt that way and she just prayed we'd figure it out one of these days. I asked her why the hell she hadn't said something, and she said-« she slipped into her Aunt Meg voice, «-'Well, sweetie, I just didn't know what to say. You know I don't like to pry.'» «She loves to pry! She lives to pry!» He roared with laughter and she did too, but he didn't let go of her hands. She wrapped her legs around his waist and began grinding against him again.
«She said something else.»
«What?» he grinned against her neck.
«She said you had to marry me. She can't wait to be the mother of the bride AND the groom. I think she's already planned the whole thing.»
He lifted his head to gaze down at her. «You'll marry me, right?»
«Oh, baby,» she breathed, her heart breaking once again at the question in his eyes. «Let go of my hands.»
Brushing his hair from his eyes, she traced his scar with a finger, reveling in the heat and the love and the tenderness on his face. She slid her fingers into his hair and brought his mouth down to hers.
«Of course I'll marry you. I'm yours, Taran. I've always been yours.»