"Take me up to bed, mate," I pleaded with a hint of intentional whine, leaning in and rubbing my cheek against Khell's hip.

I'd been using the title to torture Khell the whole drive home. And also maybe a little bit of over the jeans fondling.

Khell growled and moved his hands from my hair to my armpits, hauling me up from my knees and then throwing me over his shoulder. But he didn't head for the bedroom.

"Beast!"

"It's time for your surprise," Khell said, carrying me through the living room and over to the basement door.

"Did you build a dungeon down there?" I asked, twisting as Khell entered the stairwell. But he kept me over his shoulder, so all I could see was the dim light of the living room growing fainter as we traveled down.

"Why now, petal?"

"You're the one doing your big reveal in the dark—Ow!" I jerked in Khell's hold, his firm slap against my ass sharp but brief.

"Why call me ‘mate’ now?"

"Oh." We stopped at the bottom of the stairs, but it was too dark down here to see. Still, there were clues. It smelled earthy and herbal, and also like freshly cut wood. It smelled like Khell, really. I softened in his hold and he shifted me, cradled to his front. I found his jaw in the dark and kissed along the strong edge. "It's been time. I thought I was being sensible by not rushing. But pretending that we're going slowly doesn't change the truth. You're mine."

Khell grunted in agreement. "And you're mine."

I nodded against his throat so he could feel me, and kissed his pulse.

He hummed and then we were moving again, a short trip down into a soft, cushioned mattress and lots of thick blankets. Khell was crawling on top of me, fabric shifting, and I found my hands on his bare chest, my fingers digging into his muscles greedily. A moment later, my dress was being peeled off over my head. We undressed in quiet, lips occasionally finding a place to land before we had to shift and remove another layer.

Khell hadn't fastened his pants after I'd finished him off, and I heard them hit the floor a moment before his hands were around my hips, drawing me to him. His cock sank in easily, a few thrusts to tease me, and then our bodies were joined, hot skin kissing.

I'd already started to guess what Khell had done to my basement, when finally, there was light.

I gasped at the sight above me, Khell's face surrounded by green vines weaving over the ceiling. There were little strands of lights, flowers and dragonflies and mushrooms and plain bulbs, all twinkling faintly from above. Khell rolled us, and then I was sitting atop him, able to look around properly.