She’d never wanted anything the way she wanted this Devil.
The look that came over his face suggested just how badly he’d wanted her to touch him, how impatiently he’d waited for this moment. It made her even wetter than she had been before, made her hands tremble less as she undid his belt buckle. But Darien took note of her shaking, no matter how subtle it was, and the way her fingers fumbled on the metal, so he helped her through the rest of the movement, kicking off his jeans and boxers.
When there was nothing left to conceal him, she found herself not only gulping, but in awe of him. Not just because of the way he looked, the curves and hollows of every muscle in his impressive body gilded with gold from the lamplight, but because of how special she felt to be sharing her first time with someone she loved so deeply. Someone who had sacrificed so much, not just for her but for this city. The city they both loved.
Slipping a hand under her back, he slid her up farther on the bed, until her head was resting on the pillows. When he looked down at her, she nodded once, signalling that she was ready. She was nervous, it was true, but she’d never been more ready for anything.
He gripped the wrought-iron headboard with one hand, the other clenching her waist firmly yet gently, and pushed himself inside of her in one long, slow movement. In, and in, and in. She bit her lip, clenching her eyes shut. There was a sharp pinch, followed by a dull, tight ache that arrowed deep.
He paused, allowing her to adjust to the feel of him.
“Look at me,” Darien said. She peeked up at him to find that he was looking down at her, his eyes as intense as they were soft. “If you need me to slow down or stop, you tell me. I’ll do whatever you need me to. Okay?”
He rocked into her again. And despite how slow and heartbreakingly careful the movement, she almost cried out from the sting. But she swallowed the sound, focusing only on him. Her hands fisted the sheets, her thighs tightening around his hips with every stroke.
“Okay?” he repeated. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a nod.
As he continued to move inside her, she began to relax, to get used to the feeling. The motion of his body against hers became more rhythmic as he sensed her comfort increasing. One hand on the iron and the other gripping her waist, he rocked into her again and again and again.
Loren began to dissolve, every part of her body tingling with desire, at the realization that they were finally doing this—that he was hers, and she was his, and they were together at last.
She arched beneath him, the movement slipping the brutal length of him in deeper, making her gasp aloud. The feeling set her whole body on fire. He gently caught her wrists, pinning them above her head as he leaned down to brush a kiss across her collarbone.
And she couldn’t get enough of him—of the scent and feel and taste of him.
There was nothing in the world but this—nothing in the world but him. Them. Their bodies moving as one, yearning crackling between them like a firework.
“You are mine,” Darien said as he pumped inside her, both hands now braced on the wrought iron above her head. Every stroke verged on the point of pain, but she wanted it, wanted more, wantedallof him. She loved how his tattooed arms flexed with every deep thrust, loved the way he looked at her, as if he was seeing her for the very first time.“Mine.”
Her legs quivered with every movement, the headboard banging into the wall. His name floated from her lips as he hit that golden spot. Release barrelled down her spine, the feeling so intense it felt like she was floating.
“Look at you,” Darien breathed, pumping harder. Faster. Drawing out her pleasure until she couldn’t remember her own name. “Look how beautiful you are.”
The way he was devouring her with his eyes undid her again, and her stomach fluttered, the soles of her feet tingling, toes curling tightly, as another wave of pleasure cascaded over her, so soon after the first that the two blended together. A groan floated from her lips.
“Say it again, baby.” He was as breathless as she was. “I want to hear you say it again.” She immediately knew what he meant, for she was thinking the words just then, as he looked her over with admiration, the hard muscles in his arms flexing as he thrust into her. Again, and again.
“I love you, Darien,” she said. “I’ll love you forever.”
His movements grew more urgent. He bent down to kiss her deeply, swallowing the sound of her cry as he thrust into her one last time, and he trembled as he found his own release, the warmth of his pleasure filling her as he cried out her name.
Their heavy breathing filled the silence. Loren’s legs were quivering on either side of his waist, her body aching deliciously.
Darien bent to brush a kiss to her forehead. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
She ducked her chin. “You remembered.”
“Of course.” His voice was rough, and his throat bobbed with emotion. “I love you, Lola.”
They lay there for a long time afterward, tangled together with nothing but their own beating hearts and the sound of their gradually slowing breaths filling the silence.
Darien fell asleep before she did. And although she’d never felt happier in her life, a part of her didn’t want to slip away just yet.
She’d almost lost him today. The memory brought fresh tears to her eyes.
But he was here. Beside her. He was hers, and she had saved him.They’d saved each other.
“I love you,” Loren whispered, nestling into the crook of his shoulder. Darien was so tired, he didn’t so much as stir at the sound. “I’ll love you forever.”
