She started to pull off the remains of herruined sweater, but he seized her hips and lifted her again.
Maggie slid her legs around his waist andwent to rest her hands on his shoulders. Before she could touchhim, he snatched her wrists and pinned them against the wall overher head. When she jerked against his hold, his hand only tightenedon her.
She recalled him saying he hadn’t allowedthe women he’d had sex with to touch him. Was he too far gone toaccept her touch now? Would he treat her the same way as all thosewomen before her? Could they ever repair the damage wrought betweenthem?
Her throat clogged at the possibility evenas he sank his shaft inside her. Maggie’s head fell back as theexquisite sensation of him filling her again took control andpushed her worries away. She’d almost forgotten howrightitfelt when they joined together.
She would give anything to touch him, but hekept her restrained as he pulled his hips back before impaling heragain. Aiden’s forehead fell to her chest as his body took controlof hers. His fangs grazed the swell of her breast, above herbra.
The ravenous fire licking over his veinsscorched his body. Maggie could put those flames out, yet still, hehesitated to drink from her. He’d been denied her too long, and shewashismate. She was also his to protect, and right now, hewas the biggest threat to her. He was barely maintaining hiscontrol as he listened to the blood racing through her veins.
“It’s okay, Aiden,” she whispered when hisfangs scored her skin again. Power emanated from him, thereddish-black hue of his skin lessened but remained present. Whilethat color stayed, she sensed he wouldn’t be in complete control.“Take my blood.”
He switched her wrists into one hand. Hisother hand fell to her waist and snaked around it to drive her downonto his shaft, taking her harder than he ever had before. The feelof his body against her, the heat of him, the friction of his bodyinside of hers pushed her closer and closer to the brink. When hisnext thrust rubbed her clit, Maggie cried out. Then, his fangs sankinto her breast, and she nearly screamed as he drew her blood fromher. Her back bowed at the same time her body came apart and wavesof pleasure crashed through her.
Aiden growled against her breast when herorgasm caused the muscles of her sheath to clench around his cock,pushing him closer to spilling his seed. Her blood sliding down histhroat extinguished the flames torching his veins as he greedilyconsumed it.
Small tremors still racked her when Maggiejerked her wrists against his hold again. “Let me go.”
No matter what their relationship becamenow, she refused to be like the other women he’d been with beforeher. Aiden hesitated long enough she feared they wouldn’t be ableto get back what they’d had. Then his grip eased, and he let hergo. Maggie’s hands fell to his shoulders before cradling his headto her breast.
She nuzzled his temple and forehead as hisbody enveloped hers. His fangs retracted from her chest, and hishand entangled in her hair as he pulled her head back to gaze ather. More of the color had faded from his flesh, but she’d hoped tosee his beautiful leaf-green eyes again; they remained red.
Aiden held her gaze as he continued tothrust into her. When he drove into her again, his body tensed andhe came with a low groan. His head fell into the hollow of hershoulder, and he inhaled his scent on her skin as he ran his tongueover her collarbone. He felt more in control, but being inside herand feeding on her hadn’t been enough to calm him completely.
“Maggie,” he whispered hoarsely.
She ran her hands over his body, hoping tosoothe him further, but the color was creeping back into areaswhere it had already faded. She’d expected him to be more relaxednow, or at least be able to talk with her. Instead, he seemed to bespiraling away again. “Aiden, what is it?”
“It’s been too long. I can’t control myself;it’s too late.”
“No.” She clasped his cheeks and pulled hishead out of her shoulder so she could look at him. “No, it isnot.”
“I need the bond to be completed, Maggie. Ihave to change you.”
“Then do it. I didn’t come here thinking Iwould walk away still human. I didn’t go to the hotel that daythinking I wouldn’t one day become a vampire.”
“You went to the hotel?”
“Yes. So many things went wrong that day. Wecan discuss it later. Right now, all that matters is we’re togetheragain, and I want to be with you.”
He drew her close to kiss her forehead.Tenuous at best, his control was good enough for him to know hecouldn’t change her here. It was bad enough he’d taken her in thisfoul place; he wouldn’t change her here too.
“I will not allow it to happen here.”Lifting her off him, he set her on the ground and brushed her hairback from her face. Clasping her cheeks, he kissed hertenderly.
“Are you stable enough for it to happensomewhere else?”
“Yes. Get dressed.”
Normally, she would have bristled over hisclipped command, but she knew it was because he was having adifficult time restraining himself.
Aiden watched Maggie reclaim her jeans andsneakers. The torn sweater flapped around her as she worked. Hecouldn’t tear his gaze away from her. After so much time withouther, it was difficult for him to believe she was real. He wasterrified she’d vanish if he looked away and he would wake to findthis had all been a dream.
When she finished dressing and stepped closeto him, he pulled her tattered sweater together to shield her fromthe others. He didn’t care about his nudity, but he didn’t want herexposed to those beyond this door. She clasped the pieces togetheras he swung her into his arms and held her against his chest.Resting her head on his shoulder, she kissed his neck.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said.
“Believe it.”
