His kiss demanded that I move, riding him fast and hard like a wild mustang. Unable to stop, I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed myself up.
“That’s it,” he said. “Let your wolf show you what you need.”
A primal urge overtook me, and it felt as though my wolf was about to break free. Heat flooded my veins, my hips rocking so fast that Tak sat up and clutched me. When he pulled my hair, I shattered.
Pleasure hit me in erratic waves.
Before it ended, Tak looked me in the eye. “Do you trust me?”
I nodded.
He lifted me off him and set me down on all fours. My legs parted as he positioned himself behind me. At first he teased me with shallow pumps. My wolf raced beneath my skin as if she were running through the woods on a moonlit night. I felt the heat of her blood pulsing in my veins and the animalistic desires rekindling the inferno within.
Tak grabbed my hips, and the sound of skin slapping together filled the quiet room. When I released a moan, pulsing waves of pleasure filling me up, Tak roared. Each time I cried out, he rewarded me with harder thrusts.
I peered over my shoulder at him, and his eyes went wild. Tak fell across my back, his long hair spilling forward as he found his release. I rocked backward, drawing out more guttural moans until he finally pulled out.
I fell onto my right side, muscles trembling. All the troubles of my past melted away, and I wanted to live in this moment forever. Tak had freed something inside me, and for the first time, there was no guilt. No shame. No insecurities or worries about public opinion. Tenderness and trust had made me a woman, not sex.
Tak made the entire bed bounce when he collapsed beside me.
I stirred with laughter at the serious look on his face.
“Sothat’swhat it takes to make you laugh?” he asked. “Making love to me? Nothing about that crushes my pride. Nothing at all.”
Tak held my hand, and we gazed into each other’s eyes. How could I feel so at ease with someone I barely knew? It was as if we’d experienced a lifetime together in the short time that we’d known each other.
“I’m just glad I could make you laugh,” he finally said, out of breath. “When I saw you sitting with that man at the bar, I was jealous that he could make you laugh like that.”
I thought about Dutch but drew a blank on what he’d said that had me chuckling. “Why should something like that matter?”
Tak wiped his glowing face. “Men are born with a natural ability to make women cry, so every smile is a gift. When you laugh, I can see the very best part of your soul.”
My heart clenched, and I squeezed his hand. “Do you talk so sweetly to other women?”
“I speak the truth. Is that sweet talk?”
I tucked his hair behind his ear so I could see his ruggedly handsome face. Behind the strong lines, the ink, his warm gaze, and even the humor he used as a shield, I saw a glimmer of a broken soul. How any woman in his tribe could have not seen his flawed beauty was beyond my understanding. If he were a gemstone, I would have priced him high.
“Do you think you’ll travel more, now that you’ve had a taste of it?” I asked.
“I live in a paradise. What purpose would it serve to look elsewhere?”
I clasped his hand, my thumb brushing over his hard knuckles. “People like seeing the world. There’s so much beauty out there.”
“You’ll never have a content heart until you can see the beauty right in front of you.”
Tak had a way of looking into my soul. He possessed so many layers that I couldn’t quite figure him out, only that each side of him was honest and true to his character. His words and touch were absent of ambiguity, and perhaps that was what bridged the gap between two strangers.
I wanted to ask about his tribe, his family, his memories, but I was afraid it would remind him of his dark past and conflicts with packmates. This moment between us was too fine to spoil with the wrong words.
“Can I braid your hair?”
When I realized he wasn’t joking, I giggled. “Is it blocking your view?”
“No. I… I just want to see what it looks like.” He patted my behind. “Come on.”
I rolled over and sat up, leaning on my left arm. “I never thought I would be in bed with a man while doing each other’s hair. Do you want to have a tea party when we’re done?”
