She tasted as sweet as she smelled as I crushed her against me. Her fingers threaded through my hair, and she rested her cheek on my head as we clung to each other like a drowning man to a lifeline. Releasing her, I rose to stand over her as she gazed at me with an expression of awe.
With deft hands, she pushed my shirt the rest of the way off. Her hands were unhurried as they stroked my chest, and she seemed to be memorizing every inch of me. I couldn’t help doing the same as I unhooked her bra and let her breasts spill free.
She clasped my cheeks and rose onto her toes. I stiffened when I thought she might try to kiss me; instead, she did what I did to her earlier. Her lips found my cheeks, my eyelids, and my chin. When she finished, she ran her thumb over my mouth before her eyes met mine.
I was starved and half mad for her, but time slowed as she gazed at me from those wide, brown eyes. Something inside me shifted, and suddenly it was more than lust and demonic instinct fueling my need for her. She was mine to protect and cherish, and I would do so every day of our lives together.
The overwhelming impulse to kiss her gripped me, but I resisted as I undid the button on her pants. I pushed her pants down her hips and bent to tug them lower before stopping to untie her boots. I lifted one shapely calf and then the other to remove her boots and pants.
I untied my boots and kicked them off before tugging my pants the rest of the way down. When I rose over her again, she gave me a sultry smile as she draped her arms over my shoulders. I plucked her off the ground, and she wrapped her legs around my waist as she rose over me.
* * *
Aisling
Hawk’s muscles flexed when I skimmed my hand down his chest and bent my head to kiss him. I was desperate to feel his mouth against mine, but I contented myself with touching and tasting him in this way.
His fingers found my already wet core and slipped inside me. I nipped at his chest, and my hips moved faster as his hand teased me to the brink before pulling away.
I sank my fangs into his shoulder to keep from screaming in frustration and reached between our bodies to clasp his cock. The thick, heavy length of it pulsed in my hand when I guided it inside me. A feeling of rightness stole through me as he stretched and filled me.
Releasing my bite on him, I lifted my head to meet his stark, ravenous gaze. I struggled to breathe as the need in his eyes shook me. With trembling fingers, I traced the lines at the corners of his mouth before stilling on his lips. Every part of me yearned to lean forward and kiss him, but I didn’t try. He would only turn away, and I would ruin the moment.
Instead, I lifted my hips until I felt only the tip of him inside me before I sank onto him again. I moaned as tendrils of pleasure spiraled from my belly and out to my legs. I couldn’t tear my eyes from his while I rode him. I’d never forget the sensation of his firm flesh against mine or the scent of the woods and earth on him. I’d never forget the way his hands stroked me with such reverence.
I felt him feeding on me as our bodies moved faster, but instead of being frightening or unpleasant, a rush of power washed over me; I was the one nourishing him. This powerful, magnificent demon only wanted me.
I smiled when his fangs sank into my neck. Adjusting his hold on me, he kept me up as his knees dropped to the earth. When he fell back, I placed my hands on his chest and rode us both to completion.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Aisling
I leisurely stroked Hawk’s chest as I lay nestled in the crook of his arm while staring at the stars. We should get up to return to the others, but we lacked the energy to move. Lifting my head, I propped it on my hand as I gazed at him.
My brow furrowed when I realized the lines around his mouth and eyes were gone and tension no longer emanated from him. I almost smacked my forehead when I realized what changed.
“You were hungry,” I said. “And not just for wraiths but for sex.”
He frowned at me, but I had a feeling he was feigning his confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Before this, you looked exhausted and… well… older.”
“You sure can sweet talk a man,” he teased.
“It’s not funny; why didn’t you tell me you were hungry?”
“Because you asked for time to get to know each other better, and I was giving it to you.”
“And how long were you going to wait to tell me?”
“I wasn’t going to tell you; I was waiting until you were ready.”
“And what if that was another week or months? Were you going to feed on someone else?”
A vein throbbed to life in his forehead as his jaw clenched and his skin flushed. His reaction was so volatile that I leaned away from him.
“I wouldneverdo that,” he snarled. “Do youreallythink so little of me?”
