Finally, she answered, “Okay.” She breathed out, and then a tear ran down her cheek.
Damn it, he hadn’tmeant to make her cry. Adam immediately laid his body back on hers, knowing she was strong enough to handle his weight. He pressed his lips to her cheek, where the tear had been. “Don’t cry, my sweet Crina,” he whispered. “I just don’t want us to go through this again. Please understand that. I’m not scolding you or shaming you. But do you see? Do you feel how wrong it is for us to be separated? We were created for one another. You are the other half of my soul. I need you in many ways.”
“Adam, please,” Crina pleaded with him. She turned her neck again, and he knew what she was saying. She needed him to mark her again, to reestablish their bond.
He kissed her lips gently and then gave her what she needed, what they both needed. Adam didn’t hesitate. He didn’t lick or kiss her neck; he simply bit down in the exact place he had many times before. And as all the times before, his teeth sunk in effortlessly. Her body tightened momentarily, and then she pushed herself closer to him. She wrapped her legs around him as if he might attempt to leave her. She needn’t have worried. Adam was right where he wanted to be, had wanted to be for over a month. Nothing could have taken him from her. If she hadn’t been receptive to begin with, he was prepared to do whatever it took to seduce her. He knew that this was what they both needed. Being mates meant many things. It meant you supported one another, you protected one another, you held each other up when one of you needed it. It meant that you talked and listened. You gave of yourself before you took. You met the other’s needs before your own. It also meant that you shared your body, your love, your desire with your mate. It meant that Adam needed to give his body to her, for her pleasure, to remind her of his commitment to her and her alone. And she needed to give him her body because it was his and his alone. When they were intimate, they became complete. It made them one, and it strengthened their bond.
He sucked her blood into his mouth, knowing her scent would be stronger on him. He loved that, being marked by her in such a tangible way. When he knew it was enough, Adam pulled his mouth away and licked his mark clean. Crina jerked her arms hard, attempting to dislodge his hold. He finally released her and whispered, “Your turn to reciprocate, my love.” He tilted his head and lowered his neck to her. Usually, he would have allowed her to be on top of him, giving her more control, but he felt a powerful urge to remain dominant, to remind her he wouldn’t allow this again. He would rather her scream, throw things, snarl, and swipe her wicked claws at him than go a month without letting him touch her. At least then they would end up in bed, because to be so angry with your lover meant you had passion for them, and Adam could work with passion. He didn’t know what to do with rejection.
He expected her to simply bite him. Instead, she kissed his jaw, then his neck. “I’m sorry,” she said through their bond as she kissed his flesh again. “I promise I will talk to you when I am hurt instead of shutting you out.”
“Thank you,” Adam responded, feeling the intimacy of using the mate bond even more than usual. He panted as she continued to lick and kiss his neck. “Crina,” he rumbled.
He felt her warm breath on his skin just before her teeth sank deep. The sharp pain lasted a split second, and then there was just the pleasure of being joined with his mate. Adam could feel her desire through their bond, could hear and see her thoughts. He could barely focus as she sucked on his neck, but he did manage to get her most urgent request. For the first time in much too long, he joined their bodies and finally the world was right again. Now that this need was met, he could face anything the world threw at him. And he wasn’t thinking only of himself. Adam knew Crina needed this closeness just as much as he did. He could feel it. He could feel all of her insecurities flee as he made love to her and reminded her that no matter what, he was hers and he wasn’t going anywhere. The deep intimacy of bearing his body and his soul in such a way was humbling and empowering at the same time.
When she released his neck, Adam turned to look at her. Crina’s eyes no longer glowed. His human mate stared up at him. The hands running up his back, however, still sported those long claws, and he hissed as she dug them in a little deeper. He knew it wasn’t to hurt him but because of how intense her emotions were. Adam used his own magic, running it over her skin, touching her everywhere at once. She smiled up at him as she moved with him. Yes, he knew what his female liked, and he was proud he could pull those responses out of her.
“Again,” she whispered. Adam gave her what she wanted. Here, alone with his female, with the one woman who was made only for him, he gave her everything she asked for. And she reciprocated in kind. With whispered words, sounds of pleasure that only they could give one another, and memories that would make it difficult for Adam to be apart from her for any amount of time, they loved one another. They gave freely of themselves.
Crina’s body was draped languidly across Adam’s stomach and chest, her skin cooling from the sheen of sweat on her flesh. Her mate’s chest rose and fell rapidly as he pressed a hand to the back of her head, holding her close to him. He needn’t have worried; she wasn’t going anywhere, ever.
“Talk to me, beautiful,” he said, several minutes later when they’d both caught their breath.
Crina didn’t hesitate. Adam had opened himself up completely to her as they’d made love, and she would give him the same respect. She explained to him the same thing she’d told Jacque, Sally, and Zara. She also told him she’d spoken to them about it because she’d been hurting so badly and just needed to talk to someone.
“I understand you needed to discuss the issue with females you trusted,” he said. “But please, don’t make me be the last to know, especially when it is because of me,” he said firmly.
“Okay.”
“I am sorry I didn’t share my own pain with you, sweet Crina. It was not because I thought you couldn’t handle it,” Adam explained. “I don’t think the decision was even a conscious one. It was simply the way I responded to the situation. All I could think about was being whatever it was you needed. I didn’t resent you in any way. I didn’t think you were weak or incapable of reciprocating.” He tilted her chin up so he could look in her eyes. “Do you understand?”
She nodded. “I do. I should have just asked you, right then.”
Adam shook his head. “You weren’t exactly thinking clearly, beautiful. But I wish that later, when your emotions had settled a bit, you would have come to me. I should have pushed harder. Instead, I gave you space when that wasn’t what you really needed. What you needed was me. You needed me to be the one who refused to allow such a chasm to grow between us, and for that I apologize.”
Crina started to say something, but he put a finger over her mouth. “I love you, Crina. More than anything, and the state of our relationship affects every area of my life. As it does yours. When things aren’t right between us, then nothing is right. I won’t let it get to this point again. Because I love you, because I want us to be a healthy mated pair, I won’t ever let us endure the pain of the past month again.”
She stared up into his beautiful face and nodded. She pressed a kiss to the finger he still held against her mouth, causing his lips to turn up into a grin. A moment later, she was on her back, and he was once again staring down at her like a man starved for his woman. He glanced at the window in their room. It was still dark out. “Should I let you sleep? Or should we continue to make up for lost time?”