Like a water nymph freshly risen from her abode, all pink and feminine, soft and pretty, Maya was the sweetest thing he’d ever seen. He could just picture her in a forest somewhere with the sun shining down on her pale skin, its rays singing her praises.
Frustration rose inside of him as his view became obscured by the towel hiding her precious curves. Tonic wanted it all. He needed to see all of her, every delectable inch, but she was hidden from him under the enormous bath sheet she had wrapped around her tiny frame.
Frozen to the spot, he would simply have to make do studying her arms and legs. Those supple limbs were bare to his gaze and he had to admit, they were making him ache.
All that creamy, smooth skin glistened under the soft lights of his bedroom, his den. He gave himself a mental high-five for putting them on the lowest setting beforehand.
He’d wanted to dispel some of his anxiety about this, their mating, so he’d kept his own shower brief and ice cold. Not that it mattered. Tonic was on fire for her.
Like a kid on Christmas Eve. The thought made his lip twitch in a near grin since Maya did kind of look like a present in that towel. One he couldn’t wait to unwrap.
“You showered too,” she said.
Tonic nodded like a dope and he could’ve sworn a hint of a smile was dancing along the corners of her mouth. He liked that little revealing movement and the teasing glint in her eyes as they sparkled up at his.
“I didn’t want to come to you smelling like an animal,” he grunted and shrugged, fascinated by the way her eyes dropped to his chest.
She followed the ripple of muscles across his torso and for the first time he was glad for his Shifter genes and musculature, happy that he pleased her with his physical appearance.
“That was thoughtful,” she licked her lips, eyes riveted to his abs as he took one, then two steps towards her.
“Maya,” he said moving in even closer.
The overwhelming need to be near her, to be closer to that incredible scent that was drifting off her in waves, was his driving force. He didn’t stop moving until he was almost touching her.
“I need you to understand that I won’t be able to stop once we start this. My Bear is half wild for you already. I can give you this one chance, right now to say no, to walk out of here and never look back.”
“Tonic, we made a deal-”
“Forget the deal. I’ll still help you, even if you don’t want to mate me,” he stated plainly.
Fucking hell. It nearly killed him, but he had to give her an out. Tonic needed her to know this was her choice. He wasn’t such a beast that he would deny his aid to her unless she submitted to him in return. That was despicable and neither man nor Bear would hear of it.
He waited, certain now that all his future hopes were done for. His Polar Bear whined and chuffed nervously. Tonic would have to make plans for a quick exit. He would need to run, to work out his bear’s despair outdoors. Away from her.
But suddenly, the look on Maya’s face changed from anxious to heated and Tonic’s inner beast stopped pacing. He waited, hardly breathing until she stopped moving forward. Maya stood all lovely and warm, so close he could feel the heat from her skin brush against his own.
His pulse raced as her floral fragrance breached his senses and his cock hardened beneath the towel that stood as the only barrier between them.
Oh shit. What was she doing? Didn’t she understand? If she didn’t move away now, he wasn’t going to be able to help himself.
His chest rumbled with his Bear as he breathed in her scent, picking up hints of her arousal and blatant curiosity. That was interesting, but not nearly as interesting as when her small hands reached the bunched up material where her towel was being held together.
Maya inhaled, eyes locked on his, then she pulled on the fabric, unknotting the bath sheet. She did not move to cover herself. Oh no, not her. She just let it drop to the wood floor with a resounding thud.
And Tonic nearly came where he stood.
“I don’t want to go,” she said clearly and placed her hands on his wide shoulders.
“I, Maya Osborn, take you, Tonic Nanouk, as my mate. Today, tomorrow, forever. The only real question here is do you want me?”
Thunder roared in his ears and he was blind, deaf and dumb to everything except her. No, maybe it wasn’t thunder, maybe it was his heartbeat, he realized.
Tonic’s blood raced through his veins and his heart hammered inside his chest. The thing nearly beat a hole straight through the bone, muscle, and skin. Mouth dry, cock leaking precum, and balls tight, he couldn’t believe this tiny female had nearly finished him with mere words.
Fucking incredible. The description was apt, but still, it fell short of her sultry perfection.
Maya was outrageously gorgeous and Tonic was completely taken with her. Her baby blues were lowered to half-mast, full lips parted, heavy breasts rising and falling with every breath she took, and fuck, Tonic could only growl in satisfaction as he committed every womanly curve and dip to memory.
She was like a vision of erotic perfection, his sweet mate. the luscious Maya was a walking wet dream with her tiny waist and big breasts, long legs, and rounded hips, and the close-cropped blonde curls that barely hid her glistening sex from his hungry eyes.
Grrr.
His Bear rose up inside of him, the animal wanted to stake his claim, to take his mate now, but fuck, he would not rush this. No way. He was going to savor every inch of her. Maya’s pleasure was the most important thing to him tonight.
He was going to see her tremble with it if it took all night long. Tonic saw her excitement, her need, and her uncertainty in her gaze. No, that would not do, he realized with a start that he had yet to say or do anything to give her the impression that he did in fact want her. Time to remedy that.
“Mine,” he growled.
The singular word that spoke volumes for his kind. Shifters were possessive of their mates and he was no different. His hands clutched her naked hips and pulled her close.
Then Tonic dipped his head, claiming her lips in a kiss that was deeper and rougher than he’d intended. He couldn’t help it. One touch and he was almost out of control.
It was like everything he’d ever worked for in his entire life had culminated to this one point where he could finally lay claim to his soul mate.
Desire buzzed along his skin, passion flared in his blood, and the knowledge that he had her consent, that she had stood up to him, stripped herself bare, and laid claim to him as her mate, made him drunk and dizzy with happiness.
Kissing Maya was better than anything he could’ve imagined and, yes, he’d imagined a whole fucking lot. She was sweeter than honey and softer than flower petals, warmer than he could ever have guessed. He used his tongue, his lips, and teeth, leaving no inch of her mouth unloved, stamping himself all over her. All the while, his Polar Bear growled possessively inside of him.
Mine.
Maya gasped as his hands moved down her body. He explored the soft skin of her back, and belly, her cheeks, and thighs, then he returned to her breasts, teasing her nipples until they hardened against his searching fingers.
Mine.
His growl grew louder and he nipped at her lips, pleading entry like the beggar he was. Fuck, he loved the way she met him kiss for kiss, stroke for stroke. He knew then that this woman could be the life or death of him for sure. But he didn’t care one fig for himself, he only knew he wanted her.