Enough with theories you’ve never verified for yourself. This is the only truth. Claim your mate.
Heat, pure and savage, coursed through his veins, drowning the last shreds of logic in a torrent of need. With a guttural sound torn from his chest, he broke the kiss, his breath coming in ragged pulls. He couldn’t do this here, where anyone could see. He fumbled for the door handle behind her, his eyes never leaving hers. The latch gave way, and he shouldered the door open, pulling her inside with him before kicking it shut with his heel.
The solidthudof the door closing was the sound of the outside world being locked out. They were in a cocoon now. Fora suspended moment, he waited for her to come to her senses. For her to push him back, to remind him of her purpose here.
Instead, her fingers went to the buttons of his shirt.
The first button slipped free. Then the second. Her movements were deliberate, her gaze fixed on the skin being revealed. The hunger in her eyes wasn’t just desire; it was recognition, a mirror of his own consuming need.
Every warning and every fear evaporated. There was no turning back from this. This moment had been barreling toward them since the electric shock of their first touch, a gravitational pull too fundamental to resist.
“Tess,” he rasped, her name a half-formed question, half a plea.
She didn’t answer with words. She answered by pushing the shirt from his shoulders, her palms smoothing over the hard planes of his chest. The cool air of the room hit his skin, but it was nothing compared to the fire of her touch.
His bear surged, impatient and dominant.
Take her now.
The last of his control frayed. With a low growl, he helped her, tearing the shirt the rest of the way off and letting it fall to the floor. He made quick work of the rest of his clothes, kicking them aside until he stood before her completely bare.
Her eyes swept down his body—over the miles of muscle earned through combat training and survival in the harsh north, down to the hard, throbbing evidence of his want for her. Her sharp inhale was the most potent praise he’d ever received. The appreciation darkening her gaze, the way her lips parted, it fueled the fire in his blood until he thought he might combust.
He couldn’t wait another second. His hands went to her blouse, his fingers making quick work of the buttons. The blue fabric soon joined his on the floor. Her bra was next, a flimsy barrier he dispensed with, and a raw sound tore from him atthe sight of her breasts, full and perfect, her nipples peaked and begging for his mouth.
He dropped to his knees, his hands on the fastening of her slacks. He looked up at her as he pushed them down her legs, along with the delicate black panties she wore. Her hands came to rest in his hair, not pushing him away but holding on as if she needed the anchor.
When she stepped free of the last of her clothing, Korran rose slowly, drinking in the sight of her. She was flawless. Lean strength and enticing curves, with skin like moonlight.
Mine.
Then his bear took the reins completely. He scooped her up in one swift motion, her surprised gasp swallowed by the heat of his skin. He carried her through the archway into the bedroom, to the massive four-poster bed draped in furs and silks. He laid her down gently, a stark contrast to the storm raging inside him, and followed her down, covering her body with his.
His mouth found hers again, this kiss deeper, more consuming. His hand mapped her body as their tongues tangled, claiming every inch of her skin. He cupped the weight of her breast, his thumb brushing over her nipple, feeling it pebble tighter under his touch. Then he trailed lower, over the soft skin of her abdomen, until his fingers finally found the heat between her thighs. Her low moan vibrated against his lips.
She was already wet for him. His bear rumbled its fierce approval deep in his chest. Then he stroked her, learning her folds, circling the sensitive nub that made her gasp, sliding one thick finger inside her tight, welcoming heat.
“Korran,” she breathed against his mouth, her hips lifting to meet his hand.
He added a second finger, stretching her, preparing her, his kiss swallowing her escalating moans. Her inner muscles fluttered around his fingers, and the scent of her arousal,mingled with her rose-and-rain essence, was an intoxicating drug.
She finally broke the kiss, her green eyes hazy with pleasure. “I need you,” she panted, her voice husky and raw. “I need you inside me.”
Korran moved to hover over her, every muscle in his body corded tight. Her hand slid down the planes of his chest, over the ridges of his abdomen, and then wrapped around the hard length of his cock. She guided him slowly to her entrance, her gaze locked on his, her eyes dark with a need that mirrored the storm inside him.
Soon, the broad head of his cock pressed against her warmth, a tantalizing promise of oblivion. A last thread of his princely control made him pause, his body trembling with the effort.
“Tess.” Her name was a raw scrape in his throat. “Is this?—“
“Yes.” The word was a breathless command. “Please.”
Then he surrendered.
He pushed forward, a slow, devastating invasion. Her tight, wet heat enveloped him, inch by exquisite inch, until he was buried to the hilt, fully sheathed inside her. A loud moan tore from her lips, her head tipping back into the furs. The sound went straight to his core. But he held himself motionless, letting her body adjust to his size.
Her nails bit into the muscles of his shoulders. “Korran, move.”
He obeyed. He withdrew almost completely before driving back in, a slow, deliberate thrust that made her cry out.
