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CHAPTER ELEVEN

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She dreamed of the wolf again.

They ran together through the woods in the bright moonlight, two hearts beating as one, her two legs to his four, side by side. She was laughing, and she could swear the wolf was too, eyes dancing, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth as he bounded over fallen trees, keeping his pace to her slower one, matching her perfectly.

When she grew too tired she dropped to the soft moss of the forest floor, rolling over the loamy soil and giggling when the wolf pounced, tongue finding her face, tickling her ear. She rubbed the thick fur of his neck, winding her fingers through it and pressing a kiss to the tip of his cold nose.

Everything was peaceful: crickets and frogs singing, an owl in the distance calling out. In the light of the full moon overhead, she could see so well even deep within the trees, and she relaxed happily,

knowing that with the wolf beside her, she was completely safe.

The enormous canine lay his body across hers protectively, ears turning as he listened around them, keeping her warm while protecting what was his, and Jenn ran her fingers through his fur absently, a feeling of contentment and completion the likes of which she had never known filling her, bringing a slow, satisfied smile.

She was home.

“Mmmm...make me feel so safe, Wolf...”

Jenn sighed happily, making soft murmurs of comfort as she nuzzled against Karl, wriggling closer. Her fingers against his chest stroked as if she were petting Kylie, nails scratching softly against the thin fabric of his tee, a smile on her lips as she slept.

Karl awoke to the sensation of Jenn's nails lightly scratching over his chest through his shirt. Still half-asleep, he frowned and glanced down at her, taking in her contented expression and the way her body molded to his.

It took a moment for her words to register, for the realization of what she said in her sleep to sink in.

Wolf...

The nickname sent a bolt of ice straight to his core. It was a name no one had ever dared call him, a reminder of the monster lurking just beneath his surface. And yet, she must be referring to him... right?

Karl's breathing quickened, his body tensing beneath her touch.

Did she somehow know?

The question raced through his mind, giving him pause. How else could she conjure up such a specific reference, unless...

No. He forced the word down, banishing his suspicions. Jenn was asleep, lost in her subconscious. She didn't know what he was. Couldn't know.

And yet, her murmured endearments stirred an unsettling mix of warmth and unease in his gut, forcing him to admit the kernel of truth in her sleepy declaration.

He did protect her. Fiercely and with everything he had. Just like a wolf would.

Karl swallowed hard, closing his eyes briefly in a vain attempt to block out the memories rising unbidden. Fur sprouting over scarred flesh, fangs ripping through gums. Eyes golden and glowing in the dark-

No. He wouldn't think about this here, now, with Jenn so blissfully unaware in his arms.

With her hands skimming over him, sending sparks of sensation to crackle in their wake.

Her leg draped over his hip, thigh warm and inviting. The slight pressure of her breasts cushioned against his side. Soft lips parting with each gentle exhale.

He shouldn't find it erotic. Shouldn't get aroused from something as innocent as her cuddling. Especially while she slept. It was wrong.

And yet, Karl found himself rock hard, erection throbbing against her belly. His muscles clenched tight with the effort of controlling his urges. Of not reaching down to bury his face between her thighs and drinking his fill.

'Shit.'

=+=

The dream kept changing; one moment it was Karl inflaming her with his lips, his touch, and the next the wolf was on top of her, nipping at her, growling playfully. Every time she thought Karl would claim her as his own, he pulled back, teasing her, driving her mad.

The wolf nosed the purple flesh of the bruise Karl had left on that fleshy spot where neck and shoulder meet. He licked the imprint left behind, then put his own mouth there, great and fearsome teeth closing against her delicate flesh - and somehow it was a perfect fit - and then she was jolting awake with a sobbing moan. The feel of those teeth against her lingered as she opened her eyes, staring up at Karl so close to her, feeling him hard against her belly.

“Karl,” she breathed, cheeks flushed, moist lips parted as she looked at him with dark eyes still a bit bleary with sleep. The heat within her was nearly unbearable, the dream still fresh in her mind, her wakefulness not yet chasing the memory away.

The sound of his name on her lips snapped something in Karl. Like a dam bursting under the relentless pressure of a swollen river, the last vestiges of his control crumbled to dust, scattered on the winds of his desire.

“Jenn...” he rasped out, his voice rough and raw, vibrating with a desperate, primal hunger that echoed the wild thunderstorm raging inside his chest.

He could practically feel her arousal in the air – scent it, taste it. The effect it had on him was profound and impossible to resist.

He saw the heat in her gaze and felt the slick dampness of her arousal soaking through the thin fabric of her sleep shorts against his thigh, branding him with her need. It called to him on a visceral level, an ancient drum beat that resonated deep within the marrow of his bones.

With a low growl rumbling up from his chest, Karl dipped his head, capturing her lips in a fierce, claiming kiss. His tongue swept inside her mouth, tangling with hers in a passionate duel that left them both panting for breath.

One large hand slid down her body, slipping beneath the hem of her shirt to span her rib cage, fingertips tracing over the raised ridges of her scar. He paused, a wordless reminder of the danger she faced.

But when she arched into his touch, pressing herself more firmly against his throbbing erection, Karl's hesitation melted away like morning mist under the first golden rays of sunlight.

His length pulsed with the urgent demand to claim her, to bury himself to the hilt in her welcoming warmth. And judging by the way she rocked her hips, grinding against him with sinful grace, Jenn was more than ready to take him.

Still, a nagging voice at the back of his mind whispered warnings of potential harm. His strength was not normal, and he could easily hurt her if he lost himself in the frenzy of their coupling. He needed to calm down a little, keep himself in check.

With a Herculean effort, Karl managed to tear his mouth from hers, breaking the kiss. He pressed their foreheads together, struggling to catch his breath as his body screamed in protest.

“Are you sure about this?”

She gave a frustrated whine when he stopped kissing her, chasing his mouth with her own, teeth nipping at his lips.

“Need you, please...” she gasped against his mouth, clutching at him with trembling fingers as she used the leg hooked over his hip to pull them closer together.

The details of the dream were starting to fade, but the memory of Karl on top of her in the moonlight remained, moving in its beauty and deeply arousing. She ached for him in a way she'd never known before him, a way she hoped she'd never know with anyone else.

The concept of the word mate ran through her, the word not quite coalescing but the feeling there all the same - a deep sense of belonging in her soul. He was meant to take her and claim her, she knew it in the very fiber of her being. She was his, and he was hers.

Karl groaned as Jenn chased his mouth, her teeth grazing the sensitive flesh. His body reacted violently, hips jerking forward as the head of his cock nudged insistently against the damp junction of her thighs.

“Jesus Christ, Jenn,” he hissed as he dragged his palms roughly over her bottom, kneading the plump mounds, fingers sinking into the yielding muscle.

Her breathy pleas were the sweetest music he'd ever heard, awakening a ferocious drive to give her everything she asked for, and more. To utterly ruin her for any other man.

Yet he hesitated still, fighting desperately to cling to the fraying edges of his rapidly disintegrating self-control.

“I need to hear you say yes,” he ground out between clenched jaws. “Tell me this is real. That I'm not just chasing a fantasy...”

Karl stared down at her with feverishly bright eyes, a caged beast poised at the edge of reason. Every inch of him trembled with barely restrained anticipation, his heartbeat a rapid tattoo pounding in his ears.

God, yes Karl, please, yes...” she sobbed out desperately, feeling his massive erection against her heat and shuddering as her innermost walls contracted on nothing, trying in vain to pull him in where he belonged.

“Please, please...” she begged, lips moving against his, tongue delving into his mouth to flick against his own, fingers in his hair, shoving up his shirt, reaching back to grab at his ass to pull him harder into her, lost in her need for him to possess her entirely.

Karl's restraint shattered beneath the weight of her desperate consent. A guttural growl tore free from his throat, wild and unrestrained, as he captured her lips in a searing kiss.

His arms locked around her like steel bands, crushing her lithe figure to the unyielding planes of his chest. Fingers biting cruelly into the tender flesh of her hip and thigh as he ground against her, rutting feverishly into the sweet oasis at the crux of her thighs.

“Hang on,” he commanded hoarsely, voice scraping over gravel as he shifted, large hands gripping her bottom and hoisting her into his lap to straddle him as he moved to his back without breaking their frantic kiss.

Jenn sucked in a sharp gasp when his rigid length slotted perfectly against her dripping core, nudging relentlessly against her pulsing clit. Soft grunts of exertion filled the room as he rolled his hips, stroking over the swollen bundle of nerves rapidly.

'Knot. Mate. Breed.'

The damning directive pulsed over and over inside the base of Karl's skull, primitive as the dawn of time, drowning out all unpleasantness from the world beyond their little slice of heaven.

“Karl, Karl, please!” Jenn keened high in her throat, her fingernails gouging crescent-shaped marks down his flexing biceps as she shamelessly humped against his straining length.

“Jesus fuck,” he groaned gutturally, hands guiding her hips as they moved against him. “Never heard anything sweeter than my name on your lips, begging for it.”

Sitting up, Karl drew his legs under him and attacked her neck with his mouth, greedy sucking kisses decorated with stinging nibbles as he marked her flesh. Dark possession sizzled under his skin, white-hot as molten iron as he lost himself to base impulse.

They frotted desperately as she sat in his lap, lips fused as they breathed each other's air, drunk on the taste of passion.

The heat was overwhelming, and Jenn felt like she would burn alive from the inside out.

Karl's touch, the rough rasp of his facial hair against her sensitive skin, the bite of his teeth, the smell of him, different now as pheromones filled the air around them. The scent of his arousal was sweet in the air, making her mouth water, wanting to taste him, to experience him with every sense she could.

She felt drunk on him, head swimming. The heat of his hardness between her legs, pushing up against her clit making lights dance behind her tightly closed eyes.

“Karl,” she sobbed, grinding back against him as she straddled his lap, lips hovering centimeters from his. “Yours, I'm yours...” she gasped out, lost completely to the heady feel of him, the magnetism between them, and her utter devotion.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Karl's entire body froze at her words, a tremor running through his powerful frame like a seismic shift. His eyes, dark and glazed with lust, locked onto hers, searching for any hint of hesitation or doubt.

But all he saw was a raw, unbridled need. Adoration. A mirror of his own desperate hunger and esteem reflected back at him.

“Fuck,” he growled, the word ripped from somewhere deep in his chest. His hands tightened on her hips, fingers digging into the soft flesh as he pulled her even closer until there was no space left between them.

“You're mine,” he rasped in agreement, his voice low and guttural, the words more a primal declaration than a statement. “All mine.”

His lips crashed against hers in a searing kiss, claiming her mouth with a ferocity that left them both breathless. His tongue delved deep, tangling with hers in a heated dance that spoke of possession and surrender.

Karl's hips rolled up against hers, the thick length of him grinding against her slick folds, sending jolts of pleasure through both of them. He could feel her wetness soaking through the thin fabric of her shorts, the evidence of her arousal only fueling his own.

“Need to feel you,” he muttered against her lips, completely overcome with desire as his hands moved to the waistband of her shorts. “All of you.”

With a swift, practiced motion, he tugged the offending garments down her legs, both at once, tossing them aside without a second thought. His own pants followed suit, the heavy fabric pooling around his ankles as he freed his aching length.

Karl's breath hitched as he took in the sight of her, hovering above his hips. Her skin glowed in the dim light, her chest heaving with each ragged breath. Her eyes, dark and heavy with desire, locked onto his, silently pleading for him to take her.

“Jenn...” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he positioned himself at her entrance. The question was plain in his eyes.

Her answer came in the form of a desperate nod, her hands clutching at his shoulders as she arched her hips towards him, silently urging him on.

With a groan of surrender, Karl pushed forward, the thick head of his cock stretching her tight walls.

Jenn moaned, long and low as he began sliding into her, the feel of him stretching her open unbelievably erotic, walls quivering and trying to draw him deeper as her hips shifted against his grip, trying to sheath him more quickly even as the press of his advance stung slightly. She needed to feel him fully within her, to be completely connected, as close as they could get.

She remembered the punishing pace he'd set the night before, pounding into her with reckless abandon, the force of his thrusts jolting her body and she burned in anticipation, a fresh flood of moisture between her legs easing his passage as she let out a high pitched whine of frustrated need.

“Karl, don't stop...” she gasped, one hand grasping his thigh, the other unconsciously going to the bite mark he'd left, fingers pressing into the bruised flesh, the dull ache only fueling her desire further as she remembered the way she'd felt as he'd bit her.

The sensation of Jenn wrapped around him was pure bliss. Her velvety walls gripped him like a vice, fluttering and squeezing, pulling him impossibly deeper with each roll of her hips.

Karl's eyes crossed briefly as she clenched around him, an exquisite torture he knew only led to greater heights of pleasure. But still, he held back, refusing to simply fuck her as his body demanded, needing her absolute permission first.

“Jenn,” he gritted out, muscles straining and tendons popping as he gripped the sheets to hold himself in place, balls drawn tight against him, begging to empty inside her warmth. “I'll be damned if I do anything to hurt you.”

Even the slight touch of his fingers against her skin was enough to set his teeth on edge, his control hanging by a single thread. “If you want me to stop, tell me now. Please...”

The plea was genuine, desperate, coming from the core of his being. Because even as every fiber of his being cried out to plunge into her again and again, claiming her, marking her, filling her...he would deny his own needs rather than cause her discomfort.

Because she owned him, mind, body, and soul.

“Don't stop!” she cried, alarmed that he'd leave her now when she was completely ablaze for him, feeling like she'd burn alive if he didn't quench the flames, didn't fill her and soothe the aching need she felt deep in her core.

“Don't you dare stop,” she gasped out, leaning down to try to capture his lips with her own, eyes dark with desire and emotion both as she met his gaze. “Don't ever stop, please Karl, I need you.”

“Thank God,” Karl breathed in relief, her words the sweetest music to his ears. He pressed up to capture her lips in a searing kiss, tongues tangling as he angled their hips and finally, gloriously, thrust home.

He slid the rest of the way inside her slick channel with a ragged groan. Incredibly tight heat clamped around him like a vice, fluttering and clenching as Jenn shuddered above him.

His prominent Adam's apple dipped sharply as Karl swallowed hard, nostrils flared wide as he panted for breath.

“So good...” she keened, head thrown back and eyes squeezed shut against the rush of sensation. “You feel so good, so right...” she babbled, clinging to him as she lifted her hips carefully, whimpering as she felt him shift inside of her, the feelings so intense, so pure and good and-

Another shift of her hips brought the head of his cock to rub against a spot deep inside that made her see stars, a strangled gasp escaping her lips as she stared up at him wide-eyed and motionless, feeling her walls clench powerfully against him in response to the stimulation, clit pulsing with intense arousal.

“Oh God, Karl...” she groaned up at him, panting, her tongue snaking out to wet her lips.

Karl's entire body tensed as he felt Jenn's inner walls ripple around him, the sensation so intense it nearly drove him over the edge right then and there. A guttural groan tore from his throat, his hips jerking involuntarily as he fought to maintain control.

“Fuck, Jenn,” he rasped, his voice rough and strained. “You're going to be the death of me.”

His hands gripped her hips tightly, fingers digging into her soft flesh as he pulled her closer, angling her body to hit that sweet spot again. He watched her face intently, captivated by the way her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted in a silent moan.

“That's it, baby,” he murmured, his voice low and husky. “Let me make you feel good.”

With a slow, deliberate thrust, he pressed against that sensitive bundle of nerves once more, savoring the way her body responded to his touch. Her walls clenched around him, drawing him deeper, and he couldn't help but groan in pleasure.

“You're so fucking tight,” he growled, his hips moving in a steady rhythm, each thrust hitting that spot with unerring precision. “So perfect for me.”

Karl's breath came in short, ragged gasps as he fought to hold on, to prolong the pleasure for both of them. But the way Jenn's body gripped him, the way she moaned and writhed above him, was driving him closer and closer to the edge.

“Jenn,” he panted, his voice thick with need. “I'm not going to last much longer.”

He reached between her legs, his fingers finding her clit and rubbing in tight, quick circles, determined to bring her over the edge with him. “Come for me, baby. Let me feel you fall apart.”

Jenn gasped, his fingers driving her crazy, hips jerking against his as the pleasure climbed higher and higher.

“Karl...!” she gasped, pulling him deeper as she tightened even more, her release approaching rapidly. The thought of feeling him filling her again was so arousing, her wetness overflowing and running down his shaft, pooling beneath them on the bed. She'd never been so turned on in her life, the pressure building, eyes wide.

Every pass over that sensitive spot deep inside was building an explosion that was threatening to overtake her entirely, she could barely breathe from the intensity. The pleasure was so much more this time, so powerful and commanding, she felt like a slave to it, chasing her completion without hesitation as she met each of his thrusts, heat coiling low in her belly.

With a sobbing shriek, her head fell back, back bowing as her walls clamped so hard he was pushed all the way out, and her orgasm washed over her, pulsing through her center, stars dancing behind her tightly closed eyes. She felt a rush of heat and then moisture squirted from deep within her, shooting out to splash against his cock, bathing him in her release as she sobbed out and grasped for him, needing him back inside, clenching on nothing with each pulse of her pleasure.

Karl froze the instant he was pushed out of her tight, spasming heat, his eyes widening in surprise at the rush of wetness pouring from her, coating him beneath her.

“Fuck, sweetheart...” he hissed, feeling himself pulse and throb in arousal – the sight of her so overcome with pleasure nearly finishing him.

Something snapped, the part of himself he kept buried deep inside rearing his head – he scented his mate, and he knew what he needed. Karl was powerless to resist, he couldn't hold back this time.

With a low groan, he surged forward, burying himself to the hilt inside of her once again. She was so wet now, and her tight walls milked him with every clench and ripple.

"That's it, Jenn," he encouraged, voice a low rumble as his hips moved shallowly, guiding her through her orgasm and enhancing the sensations. "Ride it out on me."

Karl's own release was fast approaching, his balls drawing up tight against his body, signaling his impending climax. But still, he held back, determined to prolong their pleasure for as long as possible.

"Look at me," he commanded, his voice low and rough with desire. "I want to watch you fall apart."

He met her eyes, his gaze hot and hungry as he continued to thrust, the sounds of their coupling filling the air - skin slapping against skin, wet squelches, and their ragged breathing. It was primal, animalistic, and utterly intoxicating.

"I'm gonna fill you up," he growled, his hips starting to stutter as his climax approached. "Gonna pump you full of my come until it's leaking out of you," he nearly snarled, so delirious with pleasure, so drunk on her scent, on the feel of her that he was hardly aware of what he was even saying.

He reached for her again, his fingers circling her clit with maddening precision. "That's it, Jenn. Come for me again. I want to feel you squeeze my cock as I give you my seed."

Karl could feel the impending climax building in his loins. With every thrust, every squeeze of Jenn's walls around his throbbing shaft, the pressure grew, threatening to burst forth in a tidal wave of pleasure.

"Shit, baby," he growled, his hips snapping faster, harder, the sound of flesh smacking flesh filling the room. "Gonna... fuck, I'm gonna-"

A particularly deep thrust had him hitting that sweet spot inside her, and Jenn let out a choked cry, her nails digging hard into his chest through his shirt. It was enough to send him over the edge.

With a hoarse shout, Karl slammed into her one final time, burying himself to the hilt as he erupted.

She milked his length, walls spasming around him, pulling him as deep as he could go and wringing every drop of his seed out deep within her womb. The pleasure was mind-blowing, she felt like she could come a thousand times with him inside of her, never satisfied, always wanting more. She wanted him to fill her until there was no more room for any more of his release, the thought of him claiming her in such a primal way so unbelievably arousing, head swimming.

"Mmm, Karl..." she gasped, hips twitching against him in minute thrusts as the last aftershocks of her orgasm rippled through her. She was dimly aware of the intense amount of moisture between her legs, running down her inner thighs, coating Karl beneath her, but she was too completely sated to bring herself to feel embarrassed at how wet she had become. He made her feel nearly feral with desire, she knew at this moment if he wanted to go again she was ready, she'd always be ready for him.

She carefully leaned down, holding herself up on one arm and raking her fingers through his hair, still breathing heavily. She looked down at him with eyes shining with adoration, and maybe something more.

"Stay inside a little longer?" she asked, voice soft and breathless. She didn't want to lose the feel of him so deep there.

With a long sigh of contentment, Karl nestled his face into the crook of Jenn's neck, inhaling deeply. "Nothing could make me pull out," he rumbled, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll stay buried inside you forever if you let me."

He leaned up and peppered her damp skin with soft kisses, tracing his tongue along the pounding pulse point, teeth grazing against her collarbone. "I want you dripping with my come," he growled against her throat, feeling the shiver that ran down her spine at his words. "Going nowhere until I'm leaking out of you."

Jenn felt her inner walls clench at his words, sucking him deeper as a powerful aftershock of pleasure rippled through her.

"Fuck, Karl-" she gasped, hips jerking in surprise. She didn't expect to be so affected by his voice, but she was, and the thought of him pounding into her again, filling her over and over...

She whimpered, stunned she could still feel so needy for him after two amazing orgasms back to back, but here she was. The thought of him filling her with his seed, fucking it up inside of her even as it tried to leak back out... her eyes rolled up before she squeezed them shut, grinding her hips down into him again as she fluttered inside.

Karl groaned, meeting the grinding roll of her hips with his own. He could feel his length twitching inside her, still semi-hard despite his recent release.

"Fuck, Jenn," he growled, his hips rocking against hers, pressing himself even deeper. "You're insatiable."

Grabbing her hip in one hand and wrapping his other arm around her shoulders, Karl twisted and rolled them over, settling on top of her and pulling her thighs up high around his waist with a grunt.

He reached between them, his fingers finding her clit once more, rubbing in tight, quick circles. "You want more, baby? Want me to fill you up again?"

Karl's breath came in short, ragged gasps as he fought to hold on, to prolong the pleasure for both of them. But the way Jenn's body gripped him, the way she moaned and writhed beneath him, was driving him closer and closer to the edge already.

"Tell me," he demanded, his voice thick with need. "Tell me you want me to fuck another load into you."

"Yes!" she wailed, slamming her hips up at him as hard as she could from her position, clutching at him with her hands wherever she could reach. "Yes, please, I-I want more," she begged, lost to the pleasure he gave her, the desperation to feel him moving inside, filling her, needing her as badly as she needed him.

She already felt impossibly full, the large volume of his release in her womb creating a pleasant, hot weight deep inside. The thought of more... her eyes snapped open, meeting his gaze.

"I want everything you have to give," she gasped out, squeezing her legs tightly around his waist, his fingers on her clit making her head spin. "I want all of you Karl, please, please...!"

Karl's eyes darkened with desire at Jenn's words, his cock twitching inside her as he felt her walls clench around him. With a growl, he surged forward, pinning her beneath him as he began to move, his hips snapping against hers with a primal urgency.

"That's it, Jenn," he growled, his voice rough with need. "Take it all, then."

His thrusts were deep and powerful, each one hitting that sweet spot inside her with unerring precision. He could feel his release building once more, his balls drawing up tight as he pounded into her.

"Fuck, Jenn," he panted, one hand moving down to grip her hip tightly as he drove into her. "You feel so fucking good."

Karl's pace quickened, his hips slamming against hers with a force that had the bed creaking beneath them. He could feel Jenn's walls fluttering around him, her body tightening as she neared the edge once more.

"Come for me," he growled, his voice low and husky. "Let me feel you fall apart around my cock."

With a final, powerful thrust, Karl buried himself to the hilt, pulsing as he released another load of come deep inside her. His hips jerked involuntarily as he filled her, his seed mixing with the first as he claimed her once more.

She sobbed out her release, the feel of him so hard inside of her, the way he jerked and throbbed as he found completion driving her over the edge. Powerful waves of pleasure that bordered on overstimulated pain crashed through her, and she cried out over and over, head thrashing against the pillow.

"That's it, Jenn," he murmured, his voice thick with satisfaction. "Take it all. Every last drop."

He collapsed on top of her, his body trembling with the force of his release. For a long moment, they lay there, their bodies still joined, their breathing ragged as they came down from the high of their passion.

Finally, Karl rolled onto his side, pulling Jenn with him so that she was nestled against his chest, shirt damp with sweat. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his hand stroking her hair gently.

"You're mine, Jenn," he murmured, his voice low and possessive. "All mine."

Feeling him holding her so close, still connected in the most intimate of ways, Jenn moaned softly at his words, clenching on him in response.

"Mmmm yes, just yours," she agreed, voice faint with exhaustion. "Only yours, Karl..."

The mess they'd made was substantial, she could feel the bedding wet beneath her and she blushed, aware that the majority of that wetness came from her alone. She'd been completely wild with her need for him, she'd never needed anything as badly as she'd needed him to take her, and she felt so fulfilled, so happy and safe and-

And loved.

Burrowing a little closer, she peppered kisses across the damp fabric on his chest, carefully holding him inside of her, not willing to let him go yet, not wanting this moment of complete connection to ever be over. Of course, the knowledge that once he slipped out there would be a much, much bigger mess was also influencing her desire to keep him seated deep within her. The knowledge of how much of his release she was keeping inside of her was a heady thought, threatening to arouse her all over again, and she took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

Karl chuckled softly and tightened his arms around her, holding her close as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Easy, baby," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "We've got all the time in the world."

He could feel the mess they'd made, but he didn't care. All that mattered was the woman in his arms, the way she fit so perfectly against him, the way she made him feel alive in a way he hadn't in years.

"You're incredible, Jenn," he said, his voice filled with awe. "The way you take everything I have to give, the way you make me feel... it's like nothing I've ever experienced before."

Karl shifted slightly, still buried deep inside her, and he couldn't help but groan at the sensation. "Fuck, you feel so good," he murmured, his hips rocking against hers almost involuntarily. "I could stay like this forever."

He pressed another kiss to her forehead, his hand stroking her hair gently. "But we should probably clean up," he said reluctantly. "As much as I'd love to stay buried inside you all night, we both need to rest."

He shifted a little, grasping her thigh at his hip. “Gonna pick you up, take us to the bathroom,” he murmured, and she nodded, helping as they both sat up carefully, still connected.

Jenn in his lap, Karl scooted to the edge of the bed and stood, carrying her easily out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. She reached towards the shelf on the wall with the towels and Karl moved closer so she could grab one, and then he shifted her in his grip a little in preparation to let her down.

“Ready?” he murmured, eyes twinkling down at her in amusement.

“Mmmhmm,” she intoned in response, towel at the ready and focused.

With a chuckle, Karl slid his hands from her thighs to her hips and guided her to the floor as she pressed the towel between her legs, eyes going wide.

Her legs wobbled a little, and Karl guided her to lean against the wall as he got a washcloth wet with warm water and cleaned himself off, then prepared another for Jenn.

“Doin' okay over there?” he teased, looking at Jenn's fatigued form propped against the wall, still clutching the towel between her legs. Her cheeks were flushed, and she opened her eyes to give him a withering look.

“This is so undignified, don't look at me,” she grumbled, and Karl laughed out loud, striding over to bend low and press his lips to hers.

“Nah, you look...” his eyes flashed, and his hand took her hip, squeezing softly. “Satisfied. I like it.”

She snorted, pretty sure she looked like a sweaty, frizzy mess, but she humored him.

Taking the cloth from Karl, she quickly wiped herself up, blushing as Karl hovered over her, steadying her when she wobbled or swayed, and when she was finished he scooped her up and carried her back to the bedroom, tossing a fresh towel over the wet spot on the bed.

“Laundry day tomorrow I guess,” Jenn said sleepily as Karl gently laid her on the bed and climbed in behind her, spooning up to her back with a low rumble of contentment.

“I'll do laundry with you any day, as long as we keep getting to make messes like that,” he teased, and Jenn gave a sleepy giggle.

"Rest, now," he murmured, his voice soft and soothing. "I've got you. I'll be here when you wake up."

As Jenn drifted off to sleep in his arms, Karl couldn't help but smile. For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace, content, even. And he knew, without a doubt, that he would do whatever it took to keep this woman safe, to keep her by his side. She was his, and he was hers. And nothing would ever change that.