5
“Tal, why were you hiding a neck tattoo earlier? Does it mean something?” Lightly Del traced over it with one finger, the pattern ornate and flowing, she found it beautiful. “Am I not supposed to see it?” She looked at his face again and met his eyes. He looked confused and that made her a little scared.
He didn’t HAVE a neck tattoo. What was his girl…no…she wouldn’t tease him about....oh fuck! Without saying anything Talon was up off the bed and into the attached bathroom in an instant and flipped on the lights which were way too fucking bright after being in the two dim rooms. As his reflection greeted him though, there it was and he couldn’t deny what he saw. Holy FUCK! Â
“Uh, Red Hot, ya wanna come here? We need to talk, sweetheart.” Yeah…that was an understatement, genius.
He heard her coming behind him before he saw the red hair over his shoulder and when he turned around he saw it. Fuck yeah! “Babe, I got some good news and some bad news. Which ya want first?”
Del’s eyes searched his face and she felt like crying. After what had just gone on between them and now there was bad news of some kind? Had she done something? Was there something about Talon that Brie hadn’t told her? Did he hate her? Was she just a pity fuck?
“Bad.” She choked out and tried not to cry. He really needed to get better at teasing her. She was going to break his heart if she kept crying when he was trying to to tease.
“K, if you say so.” He got down right in her face so that their noses were touching. “You’re absolutely and positively, 100%, without any doubt….stuck with me. Yep, can’t get rid of me. I mean, you are literally going to have to put up with my fucking ass for…well, ever.” He saw confusion cloud her eyes and she did that thing where she looked back and forth between his eyes and her little eyebrows drew together. FUCKING CUTE! God, he was falling for her in less than five hours, and that was without the nifty magic tattoos they now had. Â
Talon leaned in and kissed her softly. “There’s more bad news.” Her eyes went wide and before she could react, he deftly moved behind her and pushed her forward so she could see herself in the mirror. “You got one too. Only yours is right over your heart. Kinda cool.” He grinned as he put his chin on her shoulder, watching her stare at herself in the mirror in disbelief. “Ya do know what this means, right?”
There it was, he wasn’t lying. She did have one, and it matched his. And, he was almost giddy over it. He was happy. She was afraid to be happy and could nor be more shocked if he’d said she’d sprouted a second head. They. Were. Mated. Married. Bonded. Paired. Suddenly her eyes met his in the mirror and she still had a look of shock as she tried to take it all in, but as their eyes met the joy in his eyes was not debatable. Â
“You’re happy about it?” She was hesitant.Â
“You’re not?” Now he looked unsure, but his arms came around her waist to hold her. He was trying to comfort her, she could tell but she honestly wasn’t sure what she needed.
“I’m overwhelmed.” She was honest, but she was happy and she put her arms over his to keep him from pulling back. This caused his arms to tighten. “I am happy, but this whole immortal thing is new. Like a week old new. And now, I’m married…ish…and…I just….well…I…” Del closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. Her anxiety was kicking up.
“Red, shh.. You don’t have to explain any more than that.” He understood now. He had been afraid she hadn’t wanted him, but now he got it. It hadn’t occurred to him how new all of it was and then this. “We’ll take everything as slow as you need it to be, ok?” Her head nodded and he kissed her cheek before turning her around and pulling her against him, then reaching over and flipping off the light. “Come on, let's go back to bed.” Tracing them over to the bed again, they climbed in and he laid on his back, letting her choose where she wanted to be. Her head came to rest on his chest and it made him smile. “You can stay in here, or have your own place. I’ll leave it up to you. Or you can go back and forth depending on how you feel most comfortable. Delilah, I’m not going anywhere. Even without this new shit, I liked ya. I liked ya A LOT. I didn’t want what just happened to be a one time thing or just something casual. I know we just kinda met and all, but I had a feelin about ya.” Talon’s finger’s were gently caressing Del’s arm as he talked to her. “Del, babe, I was gonna be all yours even before we knew about this. From the second I saw ya and Brie told me about what ya liked, I just wanted to get to know you. No one else. Just so ya know.” He stared up at the ceiling. He had wanted her to know, to understand.
He was HERS? Even before? This sexy as sin man was hers? He could have walked into any bar in any city and walked out with some hot chick and he had wanted her? She found it hard to believe and just about said it, then her brain kicked in. What was it he had asked her about when they’d left breakfast? Gaming. Hot as he was, how many women complained about their men being heavy into gaming? And being immortal, how many women were going to want a man who was heavy into gaming and killing things? Two things that were her passions. Â
“Right now, I’m liking right where I am.” One of her long legs moved to lay atop his and she heard a light chuckle and felt his chest move. Her fingers played lightly in his chest hair. Unlike so many of the “pretty boys” that her friend had dated, Talon was not smooth chested. He was fuzzy, and she found it sexy. “And don’t you ever shave, Feathers. I like the fuzz. Only place you can shave is the face.” That earned her an outright laugh.
“As my lady wishes, Red Hot.” His free hand rose to press her head briefly into his chest as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. HIS “Any other demands that I must obediently follow? I might have a few demands of my own for you, you know?”
“Whatever this cologne is, wear it. I think I could just smell it all day. I might be addicted.” She pressed her nose into the center of his chest and did a sniff and a slight sigh. “So, what are your demands, Feathers?” She liked their names for each other.
“Darlin, I’m not wearing cologne. Welcome to matehood.” He chuckled and kissed her head again. Damn, this was gonna be good. He might have to ask Brie to put him off of duty with the guard for a while and take her to the tropical area of Imperium for a bit of a honeymoon, a naked one. Â
“I saw that sports bra and panties combo,” he felt her shift a little uncomfortable and he grinned knowing she wasn’t anticipating what was coming, “get more of those.” She froze. “Like lots. When we’re gaming together, I want ya in that. God, that would be so fuckin hot. No lace, no strappy shit I gotta figure out. Just that. K?”
“Are you serious?” She sounded like she didn’t believe him. She probably didn’t.
“Dead. Get sets in every fucking color. And do you mind just either sleeping in that or naked? I want to feel your skin on mine when you’re with me. Like right now is heaven.” Another kiss to her head. Â
“You’re being serious? No sexy lacey stuff with heels?” Del asked again, still sure he was joking with her till he tipped her head back using his fingers under her chin and she saw his eyes. No, he was serious. “Okay, cotton panties and sports bras it is. Every color of the rainbow and then some. And I’ll steal your hoodies and shirts.”
“Now you’re talkin, Red Hot.” Talon grinned and she swore she felt herself start falling for him.
“If you hold me like this, I have no problem sleeping naked with you.” Her hand again skimmed lightly over his chest. Him being naked next to her was a pretty nice thing all on its own. “In fact, I’m pretty happy to stay just like this until it’s time to get ready for the ball. Unless you have other plans?”
“Fuck no. Darlin, I am all yours in every way. You and me are going to make plans for things for any time I’m not on duty with the legion. Even if it’s just sittin on the couch and watchin a movie with the door locked and a privacy ward so everyone else can fuck off.” His arm tightened around her. “And tonight I’m talking to the boss and getting some time off. You and me are gonna go to a private place I have here in Imperium on a honeymoon. I’m going to take care of ya. I told ya, I wanted ya before the mating thing. I’m not changin a thing, cept I might be a bit more possessive. Can’t help it, it kinda comes with the territory.” Talon kissed her head, his own still reeling a bit from being mated. “I like the sound of that, Feathers. We have a lot to learn about each other, but we have all the time in the world to do it.”Â
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