Gambling Interference

When Kouga woke up the next morning, he found his bed empty. The spot she’d spent the night in his arms was still warm, and her bikini top was still haphazardly hanging off his nightstand where he had tossed it, so he knew she hadn’t left. He turned his nose into the pillow and took in a long, deep breath, then grinned. Just as he promised the night before, his bed was covered in her scent, but he also knew where she was.

Quickly, he jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. Making a quick stop in the bathroom, he washed the morning breath out of his mouth, then followed his nose to the kitchen.

He found his miko, as he’d started referring to her, standing in front of the stove, wearing one of his tank tops and a band of lacy blue underwear that only covered the top half of her ass. She was a sight to behold. Quietly, he stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist while burying his nose into the crook of her neck.

“Good morning,” he rumbled, breathing her in. Much like his bed, she was wearing his scent all over, and he almost purred at the thought.

Kagome giggled at the ookami behind her. “Good morning,” she answered.

He pressed a kiss to her skin and she tilted her neck to give him more access. Slowly, he trailed open-mouthed kisses from her shoulder up her neck until he reached her ear. “First, absolutely amazing sex, then you cuddled all night, and now you’re making me breakfast? Keep this up and I won’t be held responsible for any marks that appear on your neck.”

She laughed at that, enjoying the light-hearted teasing. “Who says this is for you?” she replied while turning in his hold. Her arms made their way around his neck as his lips met hers in a long, slow kiss.

“You seriously going to make bacon and eggs in my own kitchen and then-”

Kouga’s eyes shot completely open as he stopped mid sentence and dropped to his knees. Before she had any idea what he was doing, his nose was at her navel, breathing in deeply. “Kouga, what-”

“We didn’t use a condom,” he rushed out, pulling in another breath. “Holy fuck, Kagome, I forgot to put on a condom.”

“And you didn’t realize this last night?”

Panicked blue eyes shot up to glare at her in response to her amusement. “It’s not like I could manage to think after you put your mouth on me.” One more breath. “Shit, I have no idea if you’re-”

Taking pity, she let out the laughter that had been building. “Kouga, relax.”

“It’ll take a couple days to tell if you’re pregnant and I can’t even tell if you’re fertile right now. Forgive me for wanting some time with you before the subject of cubs was even brought up!”

There was no stopping the laughter bubbling out of her now. The normally laid-back, self-assured ookami was downright panicking, something she had never seen him even come close to doing. At her reaction the panic in his eyes grew, so she swallowed down her laughter and met his gaze. “Kouga, I’m on birth control.”

She could see the words take affect. His eyes widened slightly before closing as a large breath left him in relief. The stiffness in his shoulders left and he laid his forehead against her stomach. Slowly, she ran her fingers through his hair, hoping to help him calm down.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” she murmured. “I don’t make a habit of not using a condom, but I don’t think either one of us were thinking of anything else last night. I didn’t mean to make you worry. It’s also why I’m up so early.”

His head turned so he could peek one eye up at her in question.

“I take my pill in the morning, and I carry them in my purse so I don’t forget. I figured since I was already up, I’d make some breakfast. Else, we’d still be cuddled in bed.”

“I was wondering. I didn’t think you were a morning person.” He slowly released the hold he had on her and stood. His arms wrapped back around her as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I didn’t mean to forget. This isn’t a conversation I wanted to have just yet. Sorry I freaked out.”

She flashed him a smile before turning back to the stove, loving the feel of his arms tightening around her once she finished moving. She flipped the strips of bacon and stirred around the eggs, just in time to keep anything from burning. Even though she understood his concern, she couldn’t help but be amused. She never would have thought she would have seen that outburst from him.

A groan pulled her from her musings. “You made coffee, too?” She only had time to glance at the coffee pot in question when she felt sharp fangs lightly fasten over the tendon at the base of her neck, careful not to break the skin. “Right there,” he murmured, the humor back in his voice, “and it’ll be all your fault.” He scraped his fangs over her shoulder, sending a shudder down her spine.

Ignoring the reaction the rest of her body had at the feel of his fangs, she turned to look at him over her shoulder. “What do you mean, it’ll be my fault?”

A cocky grin graced his lips. “If you’d stop being so damn irresistible, I wouldn’t be so tempted to snatch you up before anyone else can.” He stopped any reply from her with a searing kiss before nipping at her bottom lip. Turning an eye to the stove, he grinned again. “Looks just about done. I’ll grab the plates.”

His body warmth was gone before she even processed his words. The man was too good of a kisser. Every time he got his mouth on her, she forgot what she was doing. Two plates appeared next to the stove, and she didn’t waste any time filling them with food.

“How do you take your coffee?”

“Three spoons of sugar, no milk,” she answered while turning the burners off. Grabbing two forks out of the silverware drawer – which she found on her second guess – she turned toward him to ask where they were eating, then stopped, the forks thunking onto the counter.

It didn’t take long for Kouga to look over at her, wondering what had her so still. Those blue eyes were locked at the base of his spine, and he felt his lips split into a grin, baring a fang.

“You have a tail?!”

He had been waiting for this. Ever since Inuyasha told him about her first meeting him and his ears, he knew this would be an event.

Her wide gaze finally left the furry appendage and met his. “Have you always had one?”

A chuckle left him before he could catch it. Turning back to the cups in front of him, he finished adding sugar to her coffee. “I normally hide it. Certain seats can be uncomfortable and strangers have a habit of grabbing first, asking later.”

He glanced back up and could see the thin control she had over herself. Oh yeah. This had been totally worth it. Grabbing the two mugs, he stalked out of the kitchen, turning to see she was still watching. “It feels just as soft as it looks,” he called out as he rounded the corner, heading toward his living room.

A muffled curse and the clanging of silverware onto dishes had him barking out a laugh.