Her cheeks grow fiery, and I can’t stop the smirk that lifts my lips.
“And?” She juts out her chin.
“Your body will heal itself.”
She frowns, then lowers her eyes to run her gaze over the rest of her reflection. “Hence any injuries from the fight have faded?” She raises her arms, then parts her legs, surveying every inch of her body in the mirror.
Only it also affords me a view of that secret part of her between her legs. Her lower lips are pink and glistening, waiting for me, calling out to me. My pulse races. My dick hardens with the need to be inside her.
I stifle the groan that rips up my chest. “You’re not making this easy.”
“Huh?” Her gaze swings up to mine. Her forehead furrows, then her entire face turns a fiery red. “Right.” She wraps her arms around her waist.
“Don’t.” I reach for her hands and pry them away from her body. “Look at you. Human and Fae. A perfect blend of the two worlds.”
“A freak of nature.” Her shoulders droop.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous. And all mine.”
39
Gia
His voice sinks into my skin. My blood heats. Moisture trickles down my inner thigh. I want to look away from his face, but I can’t. Everything in me insists that I obey the command in his voice.
What is it about this man that makes me want him so much? After what we’ve been through, after mating me, after sharing my essence with him. Knowing that he can rip me apart and put me back together over and over again when there’s nothing left of me, nothing but him… Knowing all that I still want him. And I shouldn’t.
I should leave, get away from him, while I can still keep some semblance of independence. While I can still hold on to that part of me that I value most, that secret part inside me where I haven’t let anyone else in.
“I can’t do this.” My voice stutters.
“Can’t do what?” The heat of his body surrounds me. Swirls over me. His shoulders shut out the sight of the world.
“This.” I fix my gaze on his throat. “Whatever this is between us.”
I sense his smile but don’t look up.
He bends down and peers into my eyes. “I’m not asking you to do anything.”
“Liar.” A chuckle sticks in my throat.
“You’re right.” His shoulders go solid. “I’m telling you.” He straightens his spine. “I want everything from you. Your body, your soul. Every breath you take. Even as we are talking right now, I want to shove you against the wall and ram into you. I want to be buried balls deep inside you.”
His words heat my blood. It’s always like this with him. All he has to do is touch me, and all my barriers crumble. All thought dribbles out of my head. “Dante,” I breathe out his name on a sigh.
I reach out and trail a finger over his throat. The tendons bunch.
It’s all I can do not to press my nose to his chest. I want to inhale the scent of his skin.
The mating cord thumps against my rib cage. My cheeks flush. Sweat trickles down my back. Never have I felt anything quite like this. It’s not just that I need him… I want to immerse myself in him. Fuse myself with him.
I want to drop into him until there is no him, no me, only us.
Every muscle in me tenses. My skin seems too tight for my body. I raise my head and meet his gaze.
“I’m scared.” I gulp.
A hoarse chuckle rumbles up his chest. “That makes two of us.”
“I have never felt anything like this before.” A shiver runs down my back. I am hot and cold at the same time.
“Welcome to my world, acushla.” His lips curl. That smirk is so hot, so bad, so filled with promise my toes curl. My nipples tighten into aching points of need. I cannot stop myself from thrusting my breasts into his chest.
A groan rips out of him. “If we start now, there is no going back.”
“Who says I want to?” I bite my lower lip.
“You shared your essence with me. You accepted the mating bond. If we make love now you will never be able to leave me.” He takes a step back from me. “If you can’t live with that…then now is the time to leave.”
I don’t reply.
I can’t.
The truth is that I am still coming to terms with what I am. No longer just human but a creature swayed by emotions. Someone driven by instinct. Someone who sees things, feels things, on a level so deep that I’m just beginning to comprehend it.
I hesitate.
Tension rolls off him. His muscles tense. But he doesn’t move. He’s waiting for my answer. And he’s afraid that I’ll turn him down. The flash of insight takes me by surprise. Never have I felt so much with anybody else. The mating cord thrums against my ribcage. Waves of restlessness flood down the connection. The emotions slam into my chest. My breath stutters. My throat closes. I want to tell him that it’s okay. That I understand what he’s feeling right now. That I want the same. But something stops me.
“Tell me what you want, Gia.” His shoulders bunch. The planes of his chest flex. “I can give you everything you need.”
And there, right there is the problem. If he touches me now, I will combust. Everything that was the old Gia, the human Gia, will fade away. Leaving what? A woman I don’t know anything about. A Fae female who will not hesitate to take pleasure from her mate, to satisfy him, draw from him, to give in to her base instincts. And would that be so bad? Why not just allow him to have his way with me?
“You were right.” My gaze drops to his lips. “Sometimes it’s best not to speak.” It’s best to take what you want. No regrets. He is my mate, and I want him. One last time I can have him. I can sink into the feelings that have me in thrall. Can open myself up to him and he can take what he wants. I don’t say this aloud. Yet it’s as if he read my mind, for he tilts his head.
A shudder grips him, or perhaps it is me. I can’t tell anymore. Those black eyes of his glow. Blue and turquoise swirl in them. His ears lengthen and when he peels back his lips, his canines drop.
My belly quivers, an answering smile curves my lips. The tips of my ears stretch and my own canines pierce through my gums.
His gaze widens.
I can see myself reflected in the depth of his eyes. His chest rises and falls. The breath rushes out of him. I sense his pulse race. Sense the blood pounding at his temples. Thud-thud-thud, the sound of his heartbeat fills my mind, sinks into my blood, pours through me. Every part of me seems to be tuned in to him. My eyesight narrows. The rest of the world fades away, then there is only him.
He bends his knees then sweeps me up in his arms. Turning, he stalks to the bed. The world tilts, I feel the mattress give, then the fabric chafes my skin.
My nerve endings tingle. I lie there watching as he looms over me.
His big body blocks out the rest of the room.
Anticipation tightens my nerves. My toes curl. The muscles of my thighs firm.
His gaze drops to the triangle between my legs. It’s as if he touched me there. Every part of me seems to be on fire. Moisture trickles down my inner thigh.
His nostrils flare.
The bed dips as he kneels between my parted legs. My pussy quivers. I try to squeeze my thighs shut. But he clicks his tongue then wraps his fingers around my thighs and shoves them apart.