by Emma Dean
That wasn’t the problem.
The problem was that per the witch archives the bond between the mates grew more and more demanding until it was denied or accepted. It pushed the mates together until they decided which was why it usually didn’t take long for someone to accept.
Denying the bond did happen, but it was rare.
The magic that tied them together stirred up feelings along with the desire, telling her body and mind this was the right choice. And it usually was, but Kenzie didn’t like the sense of urgency, she didn’t like the way it pushed her into this gooey mess so that she would agree to a bond just for more of the mind-blowing sex and attention.
Was Finnick the perfect boyfriend because that’s what the bond was telling him to do, or was that who he would be for the rest of their lives? It was so hard to tell. But right now, in this moment, it didn’t matter.
He wanted her and she wanted him. They wanted to be together and she wasn’t going to question it until she was forced to.
Finnick rubbed his thumbs over her nipples and let her control the pace. “Think this is gonna get you to where you need to be in time?” he teased.
“You think you can do better?” she asked, rolling her hips and gyrating slowly until the muscle in Finnick’s jaw tightened.
Before she could tease him further, he rolled them both until he was on top, pinning her hands above her head. “You mean like this?” he asked, thrusting hard.
It almost hurt – almost.
“Harder,” she practically begged.
Her words did exactly what she was hoping they would.
Finnick grabbed her leg and placed it over his shoulder so he could get a better angle. He trailed his hand up and down kissing her calf as he kept up the furious pace of his strokes, slamming against her clit hard enough Kenzie’s nails dug into him and she could smell that slight tang of blood.
Then she was falling and the orgasm ripped through her so hard Kenzie tried to scream but Finnick put a hand over her mouth, muffling the sound. “Don’t want Hunter walking in, do you? Maybe you do,” he growled. “I can call him in here.”
She whimpered against his hand and could only hold on as she fell forever through the pleasure until Finnick’s snarl as he came caused her to start shaking all over again. Kenzie bit his hand to keep from screaming again, pleased with Finnick’s bark of pain.
Then he laughed, collapsing on top of her. “I can still call Hunter, maybe wait for Ash?” he asked, nuzzling his nose against her neck, she assumed to drown in her scent like they all liked to do.
“I need to get ready,” she told him, trying to push him off, but Finnick just made himself heavier until he was almost crushing her. “Maybe we can invite someone in next time.”
Finnick didn’t say anything to that, but the cocky grin was back on his face. “You gonna wash up, or are you gonna make Ash smell us all over you all night?”
“You’re so mean.” Kenzie couldn’t help her laugh as she shoved him again.
This time Finnick let her push him away. He grinned, smacking her ass as she hopped to the bathroom. “Don’t pretend like you don’t like it!” he called after her.
Kenzie grinned as she turned on the shower for a quick rinse. She did like it. Even if it did make her feel like a crazy person. Finnick constantly teasing her about Ash made the whole thing easier on her. This date didn’t feel like cheating. Instead it felt like a team effort.
All because Finnick was an asshole.
An asshole Kenzie strongly suspected she was falling for.
Chapter Thirteen
Kenzie
Kenzie pulled the dress down, sighing as she realized this was what she was going to be doing all night. She shouldn’t have let Finnick talk her into the little black dress.
It looked good though, she couldn’t deny that. And she couldn’t deny the way Ash looked at her like he might just cancel the date so they could fuck instead. Kenzie had almost suggested it at least three times.
Because even though she had just had Finnick, the second she saw Ash it was like her body instantly reset and decided she needed more. One of them wasn’t enough when she was surrounded by all of them.
“After you,” Ash said, standing aside so she could go down the stairs to the main floor first.
Kenzie felt stupid for blushing, but hot damn he looked delicious in the black suit with the crisp black shirt. The skinny black tie somehow completed it perfectly, making everything look amazing on him.
Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor and Kenzie held onto the railing, her other hand clutching the tiny purse hard enough her knuckles were white. Why was she so nervous?
“Damn girl! You clean up nice,” Finnick yelled loud enough for the neighbors to hear. “You don’t have sex hair at all.”
Kenzie thought her cheeks were literally going to burst into flame. This was so weeeeeeeeird. She glanced at Ash nervously, but he was just grinning as he moved aside for Hunter and Finnick to admire her.
The other two foxes stood in the living room, waiting for her to come down like parents would for a school dance or something. It was so fucking bizarre, but it was also one of the most wholesome things she’d ever experienced in her life.
Hunter even had his arms crossed over his chest like a disapproving father, but the gaze that swept over her from the tips of her toes to her eyes and then back down again…it was anything but fatherly.
“The black eyeshadow makes your eyes even brighter,” Hunter finally said. “You look beautiful. I hope you two have fun.”
Even Ash froze in shock at that.
Hunter didn’t smile but he strolled over and kissed her on the cheek before going into the main office. Kenzie blushed again and readjusted her grip on the purse with the memory charm in it.
“He’s right though,” Finnick said. “That was an excellent choice. As are the heels. You should wear those next time we have sex.”
Ash smiled slightly and held out his hand. “Keys?”
“I am not riding a motorcycle in this,” Kenzie protested.
Both of them ignored her as Finnick tossed Ash the keys. “Dude said we have it until tomorrow, but please for the love of our deposit, don’t let Kenzie drive it.”
“My driving is not that bad. Come on.”
“You drive like you’ve got nine lives, babe,” Finnick said, giving her a sweet kiss on the cheek. “We’re foxes not felines.”
“Ready to go?” Ash asked, offering her his arm.
Kenzie rolled her eyes and linked her arm in his. Despite how annoyed she was that they all acted like she was going to crash every time she got behind the wheel, she was excited. Ash was fucking adorable and a complete gentleman as he helped her down the stairs to the front door. Stupid split level houses.
So many stairs. Good thing she had great legs. Don’t ever skip leg day.
“What’s the plan then?” she asked lightly. Why were they all so secretive about these activities for their dates?
Well, except Hunter she supposed.
“It’s um…well, I just hope you don’t hate me,” Ash said with a little chuckle, holding the front door open for her.
When she stepped out into the night, Kenzie took a moment to bask in the full moon. There was still a tiny bit of orange on the horizon. It took forever for the sun to set during the summer, but when it finally did – it was like strokes of paint creating a purple and black sky, and with the moon against the backdrop of it all…
It was gorgeous.
“Kenzie?” Ash asked.
She realized he’d already gone down the stairs to a car she didn’t recognize. It was sleek and black and sporty and sexy. “Where did this come from?”
“We rented it for a special occasion,” he said. “You’re the special occasion. Come on already or we’ll be late.”
“Why don’t I get to drive?” she asked, carefully going down the front steps. So. Many. Fucking. Stairs.
“It’s a rental. I don’t feel li
ke explaining to the insurance company why it’s no longer in one piece. Plus then I’d have to tell you where we’re going.” Ash smiled a little, like he was the one who was nervous.
Maybe he was.
Kenzie decided that she would just put aside her own nerves. Because no matter how jittery she was feeling, Ash had had a girlfriend once and it had ended badly. She didn’t want to make this harder for him. “All right, anything I should know beforehand?”
Ash opened the door for her, holding out his hand to help her inside the super low car. “Just be open-minded and remember, you can say no and we’ll turn around and go right back home.”
Fates, that ominous promise wasn’t making things easier. Kenzie would have to decide…how much did she trust him?
Had Ash ever done anything to make her feel uncomfortable, had he ever done anything to make her feel like he wouldn’t protect her? Kenzie stared at the hand he offered, patiently waiting for her to take it.
Kenzie placed her hand in his and then looked up into his dark blue eyes. “I say no and we can leave?”
He nodded, watching her closely. “It’s completely up to you.”
Why did this feel like such a bigger step than sex?
“All right, let’s do this.” Kenzie eased down into the low seat, ignoring how her dress rode up until she was settled.
It would be great. Besides, what could Ash possibly come up with for a date that she wouldn’t agree to?
“Absolutely not. There’s no way I’m doing this,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the arena.
Every single person was dressed up just like she was. Kenzie didn’t know any of them and they were in some weird stadium that had an obstacle course set up. At first she’d thought it was a gym, but inside it was set up similar to a monster truck rally, or maybe one of those ninja warrior events. People were even in the stands and there were too many cameras to count between a few news reporters and what looked like teenagers with fancy cameras on sticks.
Why were there so many people here for this stupidity?
“Why not?” Ash asked, visibly trying to hide his laughter.
Kenzie glared at him. “First of all I’m not your wife, and second of all, this is a terrible idea! My ass is going to hang out of my dress and everyone will see!”
Ash couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore. “I know, I’m sorry, but that’s the point. Everyone else will be in the same position as you, and you have the best ass Kenzie. I didn’t want to ask anyone else. Plus, you may not be my wife, but you are my mate.”
She huffed and eyed the others who were already warming up. The women even wore heels. This whole thing was stupid. “Is this part of your weird viral challenge obsession?”
“Yes,” he admitted, studying the other couples with a competitive eye. “The ones who have managed to get over a certain amount of followers were sent the wife challenge. We do this obstacle course with our partner. You have to dress up in your very best and get through the course with your wife…or significant other. That guy over there brought his husband, but he still has to wear the dress and heels to make it fair.”
Ash turned back to her and took her hand in his. “You’re the only one I want to do this with, Kenzie.”
Eyeing him Kenzie didn’t understand how Ash could be so stupidly romantic even when he was annoying her. This was the last thing she’d expected for their date. “So you carry me through this shit and then what? What’s the prize?”
“Well, for one it’ll keep other chicks from asking me out from now on since I will obviously already have someone,” he teased, pulling her in closer so he could wrap an arm around her. “It didn’t matter before, but now…let’s just say I’d rather not have to shut down my channel.”
Kenzie snorted and laced her fingers through Ash’s. That was a pretty decent reason.
“And it’ll get me more followers,” he said with a shrug. “But I think the biggest thing is that it’ll be really fun.”
It was hard to pull her gaze from the guys testing out the best carry positions with their significant others, but she wanted to see Ash’s face. Because Kenzie wasn’t sure she’d ever heard him use the word ‘fun’ before, and if he had it was so rare she couldn’t remember.
Doing something like this wasn’t really her thing, but it would make him happy and cost her nothing except showing off her ass which honestly she didn’t care about. She did have a nice ass. All that working out certainly paid off.
“Is there like, a prize though?” she asked, because if they were going to do this it better be for something good.
“Winners get a gift card of five hundred dollars to the restaurant of their choice.” Ash pulled her in even closer, wrapping both arms around her in a gentle hug. “I’d like to win that because I’m competitive, but I also thought it would be fun to take everyone out. We could even invite Selene.”
“And Gram-Gram?” Kenzie asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
He kissed her forehead. “And Gram-Gram. After this I promise I have something a little more traditional planned.”
She glanced back at the mud on the ground and considered his shifter strength. “If you mess up my hair or my makeup we’re going to have a problem.”
Ash didn’t say anything but his grip tightened and he smiled – really smiled at her. “You’ve got a deal. Now come here mate, and you can pick the most comfortable carry position for you.”
Kenzie still couldn’t believe she was doing this, but glancing at the other couples and then back at the obstacle course…she really wanted to see Ash win. It felt like something they all needed at the moment – something small to give them a boost of energy.
Between the two of them they had the best chance of winning as long as no one else had super strength. Ash was a shifter, with shifter strength and speed. And she had trained her whole life. Kenzie was strong. She could hold on long enough for him to make it through the course without losing her grip or strangling him.
“That one,” she said, pointing to a man who had his wife, or partner, slung over his back. She was face down with her face practically in his ass, and legs wrapped around his neck. Her arms went around his middle and she even wore a helmet, Kenzie assumed in case she fell. “But you fart and I’m letting go on purpose.”
Ash busted up laughing. “Not that one?” he asked, pointing to another couple.
She shook her head. “The fireman’s carry is really effective for weight distribution but it doesn’t free up your hands. The other one you don’t have to hold me the whole time.” Kenzie grinned up at Ash. “I’ll try not to choke you to death with my thighs.”
Now that she was an active participant in this ridiculous game, Kenzie couldn’t help but get into it. The more she thought about it, the funnier it was. Her ass would be up in the air, barely covered by her dress with her heels causing possible injuries.
It was dumb as hell, but for someone reason it made total sense to her that a fox would be into this shit.
Ash bent down to pick her up and Kenzie laughed, placing a hand on his chest to stop him. “I have one condition before we do this.”
“Anything.”
She considered him. Ash really did mean anything. “If you ever have to do challenges with a partner, I want in. But you have to give me fair warning from now on. No more surprises.”
The smile that spread across his face in response was breathtaking. “You want to be my permanent partner?”
The question sounded innocent enough. A permanent challenge partner, but Kenzie could hear the other questions. Would she be there for him whenever he needed someone? Would she be there to do every stupid challenge he decided he wanted to do? Would she help him with other videos, and maybe be someone to watch movies with and fall asleep next to?
All the shit neither of them have ever had.
Kenzie considered the charm in her purse. She would be there for him to get through that too and deal with the aftermath if he was u
p to it.
“I want to be your permanent partner,” she confirmed. Kenzie couldn’t help her smile as she wrapped her arms around Ash and kissed him.
They both needed this.
Ash held her softly and kept the kiss gentle and sweet. When he pulled back he studied her. “There’s this other challenge, it’s called the Matilda challenge where it’s supposed to look like you’re moving things with your mind. Got any charms for that? Oh, and there are a few dances—”
Kenzie laughed and covered his mouth with her hand. “Let’s see how this one works out first and then we can talk about your wish list later.”
He kissed her fingers and then picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Kenzie shrieked and automatically clutched his middle. Ash adjusted her legs so one was on each side of his head. She crossed them at the knee to get a better grip and tried not to think about her dress. Everyone else’s ass was already out. This was just one of those stupid games to remind everyone that life didn’t have to suck. It could be fun too.
She tightened her grip around his middle and Ash held her thighs, taking some of her weight. The other couples came up to the line as some announcer explained the rules. There weren’t any except cross the finish line while carrying your partner without having dropped them.
Pretty much anything else was fine, including sabotage.
Okay, this was more interesting than she’d thought it would be. Kenzie eyed the couple next to them. The husband in the dress winked at her. She offered him her fist. “Allies?”
Dude rocked the dress. He grinned and pounded her fist. “Allies. Hold on tight gorgeous. This will be fun. And if your man goes too slow just bite his ass. I’ve found it to be very effective.”
Her laughter was drowned out by the sound of a horn that filled the small stadium.
Ash was off, running faster than any normal human could, but not too fast. He didn’t blur and Kenzie just barely managed to hold on. Thank goodness for those hands of his.
And then the first obstacle.
He jumped and climbed over it so smoothly she barely noticed. They were ahead of course, unless another shifter was dumb enough to do games like this. She gave the gay couple behind them a thumb’s up before they disappeared from view, so many glorious globes showing with such cute underwear.
