Mikhail let her hips touch the mattress again.“Do I need to use a condom?”
“No, I visited the clinic yesterday.”She stilled.“Do you mind?”
“We have plenty of time.”
Their lips met in a tender kiss.He notched his cock to her and pushed inside.Their unified groan had her grin widening.
“Does that feel better, sweetheart?”
“Deeper,” she ordered.“Yes, that is perfect.”
Mikhail withdrew, then surged back into her until he could go no deeper.She felt the pulse of his cock.He rocked gently against her while his hands glided down her back, and fingertips explored her curves.Every inch of her skin he stroked tingled.
The delight intensified when the shivers collided with the sensations inside her.Edwina gasped, her mind turning a weird corner.
“I thought heroines in romantic novels who shout or gasp in ecstasy were silly and a figment of the author’s fertile imagination.”
Mikhail halted, buried deep within her, his eyes wide and startled.She wriggled against him, kissed his tanned throat, the intensity of her pleasure growing when her stirring massaged a tender spot deep inside her.
“Please move.”
He shook his head, a grin flirting with his lips.“We will discuss romantic heroines as soon as we finish.”
“Mikhail.”
Thankfully, he responded by moving faster, thrusting harder into her as they strove for a shared climax.
A shared climax.Edwina choked back a laugh that tried to emerge as a scream because she was certain most women didn’t screech in pleasure either.Noise might wake the kids or neighbors, but each stroke had her inching closer to satisfaction.Ripples of intense bliss coursed through her body, bright color streaming behind her closed eyes.Mikhail held her tight, his release echoing hers as they reached their peak.
When their heartbeats quieted, they cuddled, their breath mingling as they lazily kissed.His powerful arms enveloped her, and she felt warm, safe, and loved in his embrace.She ran her fingers through his hair and neck before deepening the kiss.He pulled away, only to rest his forehead against hers with a contented sigh.Edwina felt connected more than ever, but one tiny thing bothered her.He hadn’t marked her yet.She gave the thought a violent nudge until it dislodged and floated away.Mikhail cared for her.He’d traveled from Russia to collect her when she was certain he had important business.A man didn’t sacrifice for a woman he didn’t care for.
She hid her insecurities and rushed into speech.“I missed you and worried Bridget would go against her word.That she’d knife you in the back or her father would linger for months.Selfish, I know, but I hated the idea of losing you before our marriage started.And just so you know, Bridget wouldn’t have survived if she’d hurt you.”Edwina meant every word because Isabella would’ve helped her.
Mikhail brushed the hair from her face.“From the moment you marked me, I looked at you as mine rather than a means to an end.Once we learned how far Smirnoff would go, I waited to tie our lives together because of the danger.To you and to me.You remained unmarked for that reason, not because I didn’t care.”
“I’m not in danger now.”
“No, we’re all safer with Konstantine and Pavel gone,” he agreed.“Bridget will do her best to avoid us and will cease demanding protection money from our people.”
“Then why am I still waiting for you to mark me?”Her voice was plaintive, and hearing her tone, she bit her lip.She was no longer a child, and this was juvenile behavior.
“We hardly know each other.”Mikhail stroked his hand over her head, and her feline released a contented purr.She felt rather than saw him smile.“I want you one hundred percent confident in our relationship.We should spend time together.No,” he said when she opened her mouth to protest.“I want to go on our honeymoon and learn everything about you—the good and the bad—and for you to do the same.I missed you desperately.It was bloody hard not contacting you.Brief communication via Ivan wasn’t enough.You’re so much younger than me.I—I—”
Edwina lifted her head.“What?”
“I worry the age difference will cause problems.”
Edwina couldn’t help it.She snorted.“You’re a tiger shifter, and shifters typically age slowly.You’re fit and in your prime.It should be me worrying about holding your interest.”
His frown softened to tenderness, and her heart beat faster.
His blue eyes glowed as his gaze crawled over her, the sensual gleam deepening to heat.“Oh, you interest me and keep me on my toes, never standing for any BS.But really, you’re reinforcing my point.We need time to become used to each other, to understand how the other thinks.Grow together as a couple.”
Edwina nodded, understanding what he was trying to say.Neither of them had wanted a marriage, but she was clear about her future.Still her music, but she also wanted a life with Mikhail and everything that encompassed.“How long were you thinking?”
“Depends.We need time for our honeymoon and to settle into a life together.You want to work for Roscoe.”He stated this last, rather than asking the question.
“I’ve been training with Isabella.Isabella told me security work is waiting around with not much happening and that most companies have dozens of procedures to mitigate the danger.”
