Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Beast watched him for several seconds, his kind eyes soft, lips curved only slightly. “You’re very efficient at using your key.”
Laurent gave him another kiss but then got up even though that meant pushing Beast aside. “And I would never share it. Now you wear my ring, and everyone knows.”
Beast smirked absent-mindedly. “And where do you think you’re going?”
“Sleep. Shower, maybe, after that dreadful trip in the snow.” Laurent looked down at Beast’s damp dress pants tucked into heavy boots. “Wedding’s over.” He pulled off his tie and threw it at the sofa. Hound pounced behind it, but once he sniffed the piece of silk and decided it wasn’t a treat for him, he walked off with a disappointed-sounding grunt.
Beast hummed and grabbed Laurent’s hand, spinning him right back into his arms. “Is it? Who said that?”
Laurent snorted and took his time rubbing his hand up Beast’s wide chest. “The sun. Our wedding night is long gone. It’s not like I’m much of a virgin either, Mr. Groom. Sorry to disappoint.”
Beast shrugged, and his hand glided down the curve of Laurent’s ass. “Are you absolutely certain? Maybe I should make sure no innocence is left under those perfectly tailored pants...”
Laurent snorted and shoved at Beast’s chest. “You took it all long ago.”
“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Beast said. He ducked, and suddenly Laurent was in the air, hands helplessly grabbing Beast’s shoulders for balance. His husband was grinning back at him.
He gave in and hugged him tight. One of the perks of being so much smaller was getting to feel all of Beast’s strength in moments like these. “I guess it wasn’t so bad,” he teased.
“There’s my blushing groom. You’re gonna need a lot of coffee later today, because neither of us is going to sleep,” Beast said, pushing into the corridor and making his way to their bedroom. Paws tapped against bare floor as Hound followed, but Beast turned around and looked back at him.
“Stay. Private time.”
Laurent giggled and kissed Beast’s half-burned ear. “Is it? You really want to do this after that mess downstairs?”
“You don’t?” Beast flashed him his best smile and pushed his way into the bedroomthat thankfully still had its curtains shut, leaving them in a pleasantly dim interior as soon as Beast pushed the door closed, locking Hound out.
“I guess… I did have something in mind for tonight. But only if you’re still in the mood.” He hugged Beast tighter, all of a sudden feeling nervous, as he never knew in 2018 if he was making a blunder or not. He was fortunate to have found such an understanding man.
Beast rolled Laurent onto the bed and immediately climbed in after him, caging him with his firm body still clad in the immaculate suit. “Are you really asking if I want to fuck the most handsome man I’ve ever met? After a few hours from hell that have left me nervous about the future?”
Laurent took a deep breath and ran his hands up Beast’s neck. “So the answer is ‘no’?” He knew it wasn’t, but the more relaxed he was getting, the more playful he wanted to be.
Beast gave a low grunt that somehow felt like a touch trailing down Laurent’s stomach, all the way between his legs. “I think I need some comfort from my new husband.”
Arching up for a kiss, Laurent whispered into Beast’s lips. “What if I said I even had something special planned for this part of the night?” Saying it out loud made him nervous for a moment, but he had no doubt Beast would love getting a gift. He was more worried that Beast would laugh once he opened the package.
Beast stilled, meeting Laurent’s gaze with an inquisitive look. “You really have thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“I tried.” Touching Beast brought Laurent so much comfort he wished he’d done more of it in the past few hours, but he’d been too afraid to fall apart in public. He shouldn’t have even considered parting from Beast after the horror they’d been through.
Beast pressed his mouth, slightly thicker and crooked on one side, to Laurent’s. “Okay. What did you have in mind?”
Laurent slid out of Beast’s arms just enough to reach for the box he’d left under the bed. He’d wrapped it in white paper with a golden motif and now he worried if it was an appropriate choice for the bedroom, but there was nothing to be done about last night’s choices now. He handed it to Beast with a nervous smile.
Beast turned the flat little box in his hands, jiggled it next to his ear, and poked Laurent with his elbow. “Any clues what it might be?”
“It’s not funny, Beast. You have to promise you won’t laugh even if I have in fact made a fool of myself.” Laurent sat cross-legged in front of Beast, watching his husband’s face for any signs of displeasure.