“You’re not really tired,” Tenzin said. “You just wanted to have sex.”
“You’re very perceptive.” His fingers found the edge of her shirt.
“Well, you are very transparent.”
Tenzin lifted her arms, and Ben pulled the shirt up and over her head, his eyes already fixed on the gentle rise of her breasts and the tattoos rising to frame her hips.
“You are so beautiful.” His voice was barely over a whisper, but she heard it.
“Benjamin—”
“Take off my pants.”
Her hand was already in them. “I don’t know. My hands are nice and warm in here.”
“I’ll make you warmer.” He kissed along her temple and down her jaw, teasing kisses under her jaw until she was squirming and her grip on his erection tightened.
“Careful.” His voice was tight. “You’re going to want to play with that later.”
Tenzin’s hand slid out of his pants and around to the small of his back as she used her feet to hook around his waistband and push his sweatpants down.
“So fucking flexible.” He kicked off his pants and rid her of the panties that were interfering with his view. “Tenzin—”
“Ben.” Tenzin lay on her side, their bodies aligned as she placed a long, soft kiss over his heart. “I realized something when we were in Lalibela.”
“That I’m your mate?”
She looked up. “What? How did you—?”
“I can feel you, Tenzin. Even though we haven’t been sharing much blood, it’s there. I feel everything about you.” He slid his hands down to cup her bottom. “I can feel when you’re happy. When you’re irritated. When you’re kind of wary, like you are right now.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “If that’s not mating, I don’t know what is.”
She was frozen in his arms.
“Your secrets are safe with me, Tiny. They always have been. Always.”
Her mouth dropped open, as if she was going to say something, but after a moment her mouth spread into a broad smile, her curving fangs glinting in the low light of the cabin.
“Ben?”
“Yes?”
She nuzzled along his throat, licking the warm skin over his heartbeat. “I think we finally figured out what to call you.”
Mate. He pressed her face into his neck and smiled. She would call him her mate. “Yes.”
She pulled away from his neck and looked into his eyes. “Yes?”
“Yeah.” He smiled, and every part of him felt alive. More alive than he could ever remember feeling. “I want your teeth.”
“Good. I definitely want that too.” She didn’t make him wait. She rolled on top of him, her legs straddling his hips as he surged up, grinding into her heat.
Tenzin bent down and bit.
Her fangs slid into his neck and her lips pulled against his skin. He could feel it again, the twisting amnis that spread through his bloodstream, curling around his own elemental energy until the air in their small cabin whirled and whipped them into a frenzy, knocking bottles from the shelves and tossing books and papers around the room.
Tenzin pulled her mouth from his neck, licking the blood from her lips and pulling him up until his mouth was just over the rise of her breasts. Tenzin pushed his face toward the soft flesh and held him there. Ben cupped her in his hand, pushing her flesh up and teasing the nipple until she was twisting in his arms. Then he bent down and sank his fangs into the delicate skin.
She gasped, and he pushed his hand against her mouth to quiet her. She gripped it and bit down on his wrist. Hard. Ben had to stifle a groan when he entered her.
Their joining was fast, desperate, and as silent as they could make it. Ben sincerely hoped that the ambient noise in the aircraft masked the muttered curses he made as he came. Tenzin had turned his arm bloody, trying to mask her cries.
She collapsed on his chest, and her fangs grazed his nipple.
He flinched, his body overly sensitized by the violent crash of their elemental energy and blood sharing.
Tenzin’s face was glowing. “How much time before we land in New York?”
“Over twelve hours.” Ben glanced at the clock. “But I’m going to be passing out pretty quickly here. We’re headed into the sun.”
She pouted. “Oh, I forgot that was real and not just an excuse to be alone.”
“Right.” He was already feeling the afterglow turning into languor. He settled Tenzin against his side, stroking the nape of her neck and the fine hairs on her skin. He could feel everything.
Everything.
“Hey, Tenzin?”
“We need a humidifier,” she muttered. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a water vampire, but air this dry isn’t natural.”
“Isn’t the air dry in Tibet? We should go to Tibet.”
“It’s dry, but it’s a natural dry. And we should definitely go to Tibet.”
“Right.” He kept stroking her skin. “Tenzin?”
“Yes?”
“There’s something on the floor in my… pants. In the pocket of my pants,” he said. “I have something shiny for you.”
He could feel her excitement when she reached down to find it, then her confusion.
“Ben?”
He smiled, just waiting for her to start protesting.
“What is this?”
He glanced down; her eyebrows were furrowed, and she was glaring at the beautiful gold piece he’d found in an old jewelry store in Addis.
“Don’t you like it?”
She scowled. “It’s a ring.”
“Yep.” He smacked a kiss on her forehead. “It’s a ring.”
“I don’t believe in marriage, Benjamin. We’ve spoken about this before, and I thought you understood—”
“Did I ask you to marry me?”
Her eyes were still suspicious. “No.”
“No.” He closed his eyes. “Do you like it?” It was a gold ring and it was far simpler than most of the jewelry she collected, but he liked it because he thought it was something she’d actually wear. The crown of the ring mimicked a small circular shield, and the center was dominated by a deep red ruby. “It’s a shield,” he said. “With a ruby.”
“I know what it is.” She was still frowning. “And I like it.”
Of course she liked it. She had a fondness for rubies, though she claimed to love all gemstones equally. But Ben could tell she loved her rubies the best. “So if you like it, wear it. It should fit on your left hand.”
“I thought this wasn’t a marriage ring.” Her tone said gotcha! “Why the left hand?”
“Do you usually carry a weapon in your left hand?” He yawned a little. “If you do, then put it on your right.”
“Oh. I suppose you’re correct.”
You suppose? Ben opened his eyes a crack and watched her slide her new ring onto the third finger of her left hand.
Exactly as he’d planned.
He closed his eyes, feeling the pull of the sunrise. “Does it fit?”
Of course it fit.
“Yes.” She sounded surprised. “It does.”
“Oh good.” He kept his voice casual. “I found it at an antique store, you know? But I figured we could always get it sized to fit you if you liked it.” Ha! Yes, he put a ring on her. Ben knew she didn’t want marriage, but at least this way he could stake a small claim.