Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

"Can you do all the things you promised to do to me, Knox?" Rue challenged.

Her voice came out low and a little shaky, but she meant every single word. She stayed pressed tight against his sweaty chest. She locked her arms firmly around his thick neck. The heat inside her stomach burned hotter with every second that passed.

Knox swallowed hard. His golden eyes went incredibly wide.

"Rue... we’re outside." His big hands settled on her waist. He touched her gently, like he was afraid she might break. The tall pines stood all around them. Bright patches of afternoon sunlight cut straight through the branches and hit the dirt. Anyone could just walk by. The cabin wasn’t far away at all.

"And what else?" Rue whispered back. She tilted her head right up so he could see her flushed face clearly. Her cheeks felt like literal fire. "We’re animals, Knox. Who cares if they see us? Don’t you want to have a baby with me?"

Knox’s breathing hitched. His thick fingers tightened immediately on her yellow dress. He bunched the soft cotton fabric up in his fists.

"Rue, you aren’t thinking straight right now," Knox warned her quietly. His deep voice rumbled right against her chest. "This heat is messing with you."

"I don’t want to think," she said.

Her small hands slid slowly down his chest. She felt the frantic beat of his heart right under her palms. It raced just as fast as hers. His skin smelled strongly of fresh-cut pine wood and sweat. It was a raw, male scent that her brain.

"Don’t you want to show me all the things you promised me?" Rue asked softly.

For a very long moment, Knox just stared down at her.

The careful worry in his golden eyes mixed with something much darker. He was incredibly hungry for her. He spent weeks treating her like glass. He held himself back. Then his tight control just snapped.

He let out a rough, vibrating sound right in his throat. It was half a groan and half pure growl.

He lifted her straight off her feet.

He moved incredibly fast. Her back hit the rough, hard bark of a wide pine tree. The thick bark scratched lightly right through her thin dress. She didn’t care at all. The slight, sharp sting only made the fire inside her burn even brighter.

Knox kissed her hard.

His mouth claimed hers. He kissed her like he was starving. One of his calloused hands cupped the back of her head to protect her skull from the hard tree. His other hand roamed heavily down her side. Rue kissed him back with absolutely everything she had. She poured all her raw feelings right into it.

He broke the kiss just long enough to pull her dress up.

The cool forest air brushed against her bare legs. She wiggled quickly until the yellow cotton slipped over her head. The dress dropped softly onto the dry pine needles. Knox got rid of his own clothes a second later. His broad shoulders and dark skin gleamed with sweat in the patchy sunlight. Every single muscle in his arms stood totally tight with need.

"Rue," Knox murmured right against her hot neck. His voice sounded wrecked. "Tell me if it’s too much."

She shook her head blindly. She pulled his shoulders even closer.

"Don’t stop," Rue begged.

He didn’t. Knox lifted her higher. He hooked his large hands firmly under her thighs and pressed into her.

Rue gasped loudly at the sudden stretch. She felt incredibly full. It was rough exactly the way she wanted it. His hips snapped forward with heavy, powerful thrusts. The hard tree bark dug sharply into her spine every single time he moved. But his hands stayed careful. He held her securely, treating her like something highly precious even while his wild panther instincts took over.

The pleasure built incredibly fast.

The heat season made every single touch sharper. Every slide of his hot, sweaty skin against hers sent absolute sparks straight through her blood. She buried her face deep into his shoulder. She held on tight, digging her short nails directly into his broad back.

Knox growled her name over and over again. The low, desperate sound vibrated straight through her chest.

She felt loved. She felt wanted. For the first time in her life, the wild, unpredictable part of her biology didn’t scare her at all. It felt perfectly right with him.

Their bodies moved together in the quiet woods. Small birds called out somewhere far off in the trees, but she couldn’t focus on anything else. The only things that mattered were their shared breaths and the loud, wet slap of their skin. Her legs shook violently around his waist.

The intense pressure inside her wound tighter and tighter. Then it broke in a bright rush.

She cried out loudly. She clung to his shoulders as waves of pure feeling washed over her. Knox followed right after her. He buried himself deep with one final, hard push. His thick arms trembled violently as he held her tightly through the long release.

The overwhelming, frantic heat inside her stomach eased almost instantly.

It didn’t disappear. The need was still there, but the sharp edge softened into something incredibly warm and sleepy. Her entire body felt heavy. She was totally satisfied and exhausted all of a sudden.

Knox stayed exactly where he was for a long minute. He pressed his sweaty forehead right against hers. He kissed her softly now. He left gentle little presses against her lips, her flushed cheeks, and her closed eyes.

"My little one," Knox whispered.

Then her legs gave out for real.

She would have slid straight down the rough tree trunk if he didn’t catch her. Knox scooped her up against his chest like she weighed absolutely nothing. He reached down and found her yellow dress. He draped it carefully over her bare shoulders before he pulled his own clothes back on.

Rue rested her head on his shoulder. Her pink eyes were half-closed. She felt safe. A tiny, genuine smile tugged at her mouth even as sleep pulled at her brain.

Knox carried her straight out of the dark woods and back across the bright yard.

His steps were totally steady, but she could feel his heart still beating fast against her cheek. The afternoon sun warmed her bare shoulder perfectly where the yellow dress didn’t quite cover her skin.

Caius stood near the half-torn cabin wall. The Serpent Alpha was wiping fresh sawdust off his hands with a dirty rag.

He heard the footsteps. He turned his head.

The second he spotted them, the dirty rag dropped straight into the dirt.

Caius didn’t sigh. He didn’t look tired. His golden eyes instantly bled into a terrifying, glowing red. His pupils narrowed into thin, deadly slits. His black tail whipped violently behind him, smashing directly into a stack of fresh wooden planks and cracking the wood in half.

He saw his fragile mate totally limp in another man’s arms. He saw her bare, flushed skin and her messy silver hair.

His ambush predator instincts overrode his logical brain.

He didn’t walk. He crossed the wide yard in less than a second. He stopped right in front of Knox. The temperature in the air dropped. A deadly, cold aura radiated straight off his tall body.

He didn’t ask a polite question. He didn’t wait for an explanation.

He reached his long arms right out and demanded his mate.

Knox stopped walking. He didn’t fight the snake. He knew exactly what this looked like. He carefully shifted Rue’s weight and transferred her directly into Caius’s waiting arms.

Caius pulled her tight against his cold chest. He buried his nose straight into her messy silver hair. He inhaled deeply. He smelled the dirt, the pine needles, and the very clear scent of Knox all over her. But underneath all of that, he smelled the overwhelming, sickly sweet scent of her sudden heat.

The glowing red slowly started to fade from his eyes.

"Her heat hit," Knox explained quietly. The giant panther rubbed the back of his neck. He looked highly protective, keeping his broad body close just in case she needed him. "It hit her right in the trees. Completely out of nowhere."

Caius didn’t look at Knox. He looked down at Rue’s sleeping face.

The terrifying, murderous tension drained right out of his shoulders. His cold hands gently adjusted the yellow dress to make sure she was totally covered. He held her perfectly secure.

"You should have brought her inside immediately," Caius said smoothly. His voice was low and dangerous. "She’s too soft for the rough ground."

"She didn’t want to come inside," Knox argued softly.