“Baby, I don’t want to hurt you,” he groaned, but he was already lining his cock up at her entrance, the blunt head pushing against her.
“You won’t,” she panted. “Please, honey.”
He growled and pushed into her with one hard thrust of his hips. Despite being soaking wet, there was a brief flare of pain. Christ, he was so thick, so long… for a moment it felt like she was being split in two, and then her body relaxed around him, her walls stretching to accommodate his width, her inner muscles fluttering rapidly as they adjusted to his size.
He held himself perfectly still above her, his eyes squeezed shut, and a muscle in his jaw ticking wildly. She ran her hands over his warm, broad chest, relishing the feel of the coarse hair that covered it and how it sent a tremor through his entire body.
“My mate,” he moaned.
She cupped his face in her hands, squeezing lightly until his eyes opened. The blue was gone, his irises now a deep, rich brown that reminded her of freshly turned earth, and when he opened his mouth to suck in a breath, she could see his sharp fangs.
She pressed a kiss against his lips and whispered, “Fuck me, my mate.”
With a harsh growl, he braced his hands on the bed and fucked her. He wasn’t gentle, his hips driving forward with a reckless speed that revealed his need for her. There was another brief flare of pain and then nothing but pure heat and desire, and the incredible, addictive pulse of her magic throbbing in her veins.
She clung to him, moaning his name as the pleasure grew in her body and her magic flared in a burst of bright green that flooded her senses.
She gasped, her body arching beneath Briggs as her orgasm hit her with an unexpected intensity that took her breath away. The pleasure and magic were woven together in a bright explosion of light and heat within her. Her pussy squeezed around Briggs’s thick cock, and he roared her name, his back arching as hot warmth flooded her pussy.
He stared down at her, his body pumping furiously into hers, and she watched in fascination as his eyes turned the colour of jade, and a flash of green light surrounded him before it winked out of existence. He slowed to a stop and buried his face in her neck, his entire body trembling wildly.
“My mate,” he whispered before kissing her throat. He eased off of her, collapsing on his back in the bed, and she pulled the covers over both of them before curling into him.
He held her close, his big hand rubbing her back. She was suddenly utterly exhausted, and she cuddled closer, only vaguely aware of how deliciously warm she was for the first time in what felt like forever. Briggs was already asleep, his big body limp and his breathing slow and even.
She slung one leg over his and rested her head on his chest, the beat of his heart slow and even below her ear.
“I love you,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 33
Briggs opened his eyes, staring blankly at the vines hanging from the ceiling above him, wondering why the fuck he was sleeping in a jungle room, when the memory of last night abruptly returned.
He sat up, twisting to stare at the spot in the bed beside him, cursing when it was empty. He slid out of bed, running a hand through his hair as unfamiliar panic and indecision washed over him.
Last night, he’d been so frantic for Cece, had needed her so badly, that he had fucked her without any thought to whether she was ready for him or not. She had told him she loved him too, and then she’d touched him and he’d tasted her magic, and then…
“Fuck!” He started toward the door, his feet mashing the flower petals that littered the floor into the wood. He pivoted when he heard the sound of the tub draining, his gaze landing on the half-open bathroom door.
“Cece?” He walked to the bathroom, brushing past the hanging vines that were now hanging down to his chest, and knocked on the door. “Cece?”
“Come in.”
He opened the door, trying to control his immediate urge to pick her up and carry her to the bed. She was wrapped in a bath towel, her blonde hair in a messy bun, her skin flushed pink from the bath.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. She sat down on the side of the tub, and the wince she made sent shame spiralling through him.
He dropped to his knees in front of her, wanting to take her hands but knowing what would happen if he did. “I hurt you.”
“What?” she said. “No, you didn’t.”
“I did. Last night. I was too rough, and I didn’t prepare you enough.”
To his surprise, she giggled. “Prepare me enough? I’m not a slab of roast beef you’re seasoning for Sunday dinner, Briggs. And I’m not hurt.”
“My mate,” he said, “you winced when you sat down. I saw it.”
She nodded. “Yeah, okay, you got me on that one, but in my defence,” her gaze dropped to his crotch, “your dick is monster-sized.”
