Chapter Eleven
He pulled her against him, pressing her into his body, and she let out a gasp, desperately sucking in oxygen.
The fire in those tawny eyes stirred a heat in her belly that she didn’t want to put out.
She wanted this. Sheneededthis. Every part of her cried out in hunger.
She moaned against his mouth, not fighting it anymore. Surrendering to the sensation. She was utterly on fire. Her skin craved him; her hands yearned to touch. She pulled his shirt over his head, exulting in the feel of flesh under fingertips.
She nuzzled her face into the hollow between his shoulder and throat, inhaling his scent. She couldsmellhis need, his carnal cravings—and he did crave her, just as much as she craved him. That much hadn’t been a lie.
She should have felt vulnerable. She’d never thought she was beautiful, never felt at home in her own skin. But the way he devoured her with those eyes made her feel like she was the most desirable woman in the world.
Somehow, they tumbled to the ground; she barely noticed the fall, and he cushioned it for her so she landed on top of him. He quickly rolled and flipped her so she was underneath him again, pressed into the soft, damp, mossy ground.
“Mine,” he repeated with a growl, and then kissed her neck, gently nipping at the soft skin. Warmth flowed through her body, and a pulsing need throbbed between her legs.
His hands tore at her shirt as he kissed his way down her neck, searing her with his kisses. He nipped at the sensitive juncture of her neck and shoulder, wrenching a whimper of arousal from deep inside her.
“Say it,” he urged her in a throaty rumble. “Whose are you?”
“Yours?” she gasped.
He nipped harder, making her yelp. “Not a question.”
“But I…” she protested faintly.
He ripped her shirt open from top to bottom, still hungrily kissing and suckling, moving along her shoulder now.
“Belong to me.” He finished her sentence for her, as he quickly unhooked her bra in the front, freeing her breasts.
“We…” she tried to protest. He bent down and suckled on a ruby tip, the heat of his mouth searing her sensitive flesh, and she moaned aloud. “We barely know… oh, God… know each other…”
He released her breast and slid into place so his hard cock pressed against the ‘V' between her legs. She eagerly reached down to unbutton her pants, but he grabbed her wrists in one swift motion and held them in place over her head.
“This. This thing we feel. We’ve felt it for weeks, ever since the first night I laid eyes on you. Before then, even, because I felt something pulling me towards you. I dream about you at night. Do you dream about me?”
“Clothes,” she groaned, struggling to pull her hands free. “Too many of them.” But he didn’t budge, just stared down into her eyes, his amber gaze burning into her.
“Yes, I dream about you!” She yelled the words out, then winced at the loudness. He was driving her crazy. She needed him inside her now.
“Fated mates are real. It’s a thing. You’re my thing. Not my thing! My mate. Jesus, I can’t really… really can’t think straight when I’m with you.”
“What does that mean to you? Me being your fated mate? Let me go!” she added, writhing underneath him. The friction of his cock rubbing against her when she moved made her want to yip with frustration.
The intensity in his eyes was so bright now that they were like burning amber flames.“It means that I am with you and only you for the rest of our lives. It means if anyone tries to lay a paw on you I chew it off. It means that your happiness is my happiness and my job is to make you fall asleep in my arms with a smile each night.”
“Wow.” Her heart swelled in her chest and she stared up at him in wonder.
“What?” he looked worried. “I tried to say it right.”
“It was better than right.” Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked hard. “It was… it was like those words filled a part of me I didn’t even realize was empty. Like an ache I’ve learned to live with just stopped hurting.”
“Really? I did good?” A smile curled his beautiful lips as he reached down and stroked her face with a feather-light touch, and it stoked the flames of her desires so high she thought she’d combust.
“Now, let me go so I can tear your pants off,” she added, with a blush. Not very lady-like, but definitely happening.
“Not until you say that you’re mine.” His hand tightened on her wrists.
