Page 47 of Furry Equations
He cupped her face, thumb brushing her cheekbone. “I’ll always protect you, Natalie. Whether you want me to or not.”
“My stubborn wolf.” She turned to kiss his palm. “Just remember that I protect what’s mine too.”
The possessive note in her voice made his wolf stand at attention. “Yours?”
“Mine.” She moved to straddle him again, her smile turning wicked. “Want me to prove it?”
Marcus growled playfully, flipping them so she was pinned beneath him. “Prove it.”
As Natalie pulled him down for another kiss, Marcus knew with absolute certainty that he would never let her go. She was brilliant and beautiful, stubborn and sweet, and completely, perfectly his. Whatever threats came their way, whatever challenges they faced, they would face them together.
Because somewhere between heated arguments and passionate encounters, between danger and laughter, he hadfallen completely, irrevocably in love with Natalie Grant. And Marcus Vale protected what he loved with everything he had.
“Stop thinking so loud,” Natalie murmured against his lips.
“Yes, dear.”
She pinched his side. “And stop being condescending.”
“Yes, dear.”
“You’re impossible.”
“You love it.”
Her smile softened. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Morning would come soon enough, bringing new dangers and complications. But for now, Marcus was content to lose himself in Natalie’s touch, in her laugh, in the way she made his world brighter just by existing in it.
Let their enemies come. They would learn the hard way what happened to those who threatened an alpha’s mate.
For now, though, Marcus had more pleasant matters to attend to. Starting with making his brilliant scientist forget every word in her extensive vocabulary except his name.
Tomorrow could wait. Tonight belonged to them.
TWENTY-EIGHT
The centrifuge whirred in the corner of Marcus’s private lab in his penthouse as Natalie peered through her microscope, studying the latest test sample of her mutated formula. Early morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting rainbow prisms across her pristine white lab coat. The space smelled of antiseptic and coffee - her third cup sat cooling beside a stack of data printouts.
“What are you hiding?” she murmured to the sample. Under magnification, the molecular structure displayed unusual patterns, nothing like her original matchmaking serum. The accident had created something entirely new.
The thought sent a chill down her spine. She’d entered this field to help people find love, not create a potential weapon. The ethical implications weighed heavy on her conscience.
A knock at the lab door made her jump. Marcus stood in the doorway, filling the frame with his impressive height. He’d shed his usual suit jacket, and his crisp white shirt stretched enticingly across his broad shoulders. The sight of him sparked an immediate rush of heat through her body.
“You’ve been up for hours,” he said, crossing to her workstation. His cologne - something woodsy and expensive - teased her senses. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Sleep is for people who don’t have breakthrough formulas to analyze.” She straightened, wincing as her stiff muscles protested. “Though I’m not sure ‘breakthrough’ is the right word when I still don’t know exactly what I created.”
Marcus’s hands landed on her shoulders, his thumbs working the knots at the base of her neck. Natalie bit back a moan as pleasure radiated from his touch.
“Any progress?” His voice rumbled close to her ear.
“Some.” She gestured to her laptop screen, trying to focus despite his distracting proximity. “The molecular structure is fascinating - it seems to enhance certain natural abilities, almost like a catalyst for latent genetic potential. In theory, it could-“ She broke off as his fingers hit a particularly sensitive spot. “God, that feels good.”
“You’re too tense.” His hands slid lower, working her shoulder blades. “When’s the last time you took a break?”
“I don’t need a break. I need answers.” But she melted back against him, her body betraying her words. “Someone tried to kill me for this formula, Marcus. I have to understand why.”