His promise settles on my skin like a warm caress, and I reach over to cup his cheek. “I want you to claim me, Logan, and I don’t want to wait a day longer.”
“Lily…” He pushes up on his elbow so he can peer down at me, dark eyes intent. “Are you sure? You’ve just been through something traumatic…”
“And you were there, ready to catch me.” I snuggle closer, my cheek on the warm curve of his chest. “You’re my soft landing, Logan, and I want everyone to know it.”
His heart thumps under my ear as he takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve wanted this for so long… But I wanted to give you the whole courting experience. Fancy restaurants and moonlit walks, you know?”
I tip my head back and have to swallow a giggle at the pout on his face. “How many meals have we had together, Logan?”
“Lots.” He pauses to think. “I mean, hundreds if we count all the times Rosie took pity on me and sent you over with an extra pie she didn’t mean to bake.”
My heart clenches a little at the too-familiar memory, but I push the sadness aside. “And what about trips to the movies? Weekend hikes? Sunsets sitting on my porch with sweet tea and a bowl of cherries between us? How many of those have we shared?”
He blows out a breath and gives me a slow, soft smile. “Too many to count.”
I can’t resist brushing my thumb over his lips, especially when I feel his body stiffen against mine. “And what about kisses, hmmm? Sweet touches? Smiles just for me?”
A soft growl vibrates against my stroking thumb. “Not nearly enough, but every single one is etched on my brain.”
“Mine too,” I whisper, leaning up eagerly as he presses a soft kiss against my lips. When we break apart, I cup his jaw, loving the scrape of stubble against my palm. “We've waited longenough, Logan. We've had plenty of dates and made a thousand memories. Now I want the rest of you.”
“My sweet Lily,” he groans, rolling his body over mine and bracing his arms on either side of my head. “How the hell did I ever get so lucky?”
“You moved into the right neighborhood,” I smirk, and he chuckles as he leans down to nuzzle my neck. It’s perfect torture, given how close he is to my scent gland, and a low growl tickles my skin as his mouth drifts to mine. “So beautiful, sweetheart.”
I whimper against his lips. They’re as hard as the rest of him, but they quickly soften as I lick my way into his warm mouth. After dancing around this for so long, my body shudders as he returns the favor, our tongues both hungry and worshiping as they tangle together.
“You taste like strawberries and cream,” he murmurs, bracing himself on an elbow so his other hand can stroke down the side of my throat. “One more kiss and I’ll be addicted forever.”
“It’s about time you catch up,” I smirk, pushing him back so I can flip him over. It’s not something I could do if he wasn’t putty in my hands, and I feel giddy with satisfaction that this big, hard alpha wants this as badly as I do.
As soon as his head hits the pillow, I crawl over him, my hands palming his impressive chest. “You’ve been under my skin for a long time, Logan.” I tease the hem of his t-shirt, drawing out the moment as I slowly drag it over the defined ridges of his stomach. “And now I want to put my mark on you, starting right here.”
He groans as my lips follow the path of the soft cotton, swirling over his ribs and trailing up his chest. Logan’s body is a product of discipline and a willingness to defy normal limits, and I’m more than happy to reap the benefits of his dedication. But it’s his tattoos that draw my gaze, my breath catching as I study the lily that’s inked over his heart. “Is this new?”
“I got it the day I was discharged,” he hums, and as my fingers connect with his skin, I marvel at the way his muscles flex beneath my touch. The ink is a silky path beneath my fingertips, the skin a warm, golden canvas for the delicate flower. I trace the lines of each petal, watching as goosebumps pebble the skin in my wake. “I wanted you to know I was serious about putting down roots,” he says, his voice catching in his throat.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, pressing a gentle kiss to my namesake. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a mariposa lily, with softly pointed petals in a striking shade of lavender. They bloom in late summer in Idaho, and I suddenly remember hiking with Logan before he went to bootcamp and discovering the wildflowers on the sagebrush slopes. He thought they were pretty, and when I told him their name, he just shrugged and gave me a slow smile.“Of course they’re lilies. Prettiest things for miles.”
“But not as beautiful as the real thing.” He cups my face now, his thumbs skimming my cheeks. “Doesn’t matter where I was in the world, LeeLee, you were the only thing I saw when I closed my eyes.”
I whimper at the admission, and he pulls me in for a long, drugging kiss. Despite the pheromones I can taste in the air, there’s still a gentle reverence to his touch and I wriggle with impatience. If I’m about to be consumed by lust, then he better be ready to burn too, and I reach between us, palming his cock through his jeans. The flared head bumps against my palm, so hard it feels like it’s about to tear through his zipper. “I need you inside me, Logan.”
He gasps as I wring another hungry kiss out of him, his cheeks flushed under his tanned skin. “Not yet, babe. I want to taste every inch of you first…”
“Later,” I insist, rolling my hand along his throbbing shaft. He groans as I squeeze him through the denim, pleasure skippingdown my spine at the thought of taking him deep inside me. “I want you to knot me and claim me, Alpha.”
“Lily,” he groans, his mouth now burning a path down my cleavage. “You’re gonna make me lose control if you keep talking like that.”
“Good,” I purr, pushing the covers back and swinging a leg over his hips. “I want you to ravish me, Alpha, and I’m not going to stop until I have your bite on my throat.”
He follows me up with another groan, his impressive abs rippling as he tries to burrow back into my cleavage. But I hold him off until I’ve stripped away my polo, my skin tingling as he takes in my bra with glittering eyes. It’s nothing special – white cotton with some yellow lace around the edges – but he makes a strangled sound as his lips start to worship my breasts.
I drop my head back, content for the moment to let him tease my aching flesh. He sucks me with deep, needy pulls, his tongue rolling my nipple until it’s a throbbing peak. I don’t realize my hips have taken up a similar motion until I feel his erection against my thigh. “Don’t stop,” I pant as I work on opening his jeans. “It feels so good, but I have to touch you too.”
He grunts as he shifts between my breasts, his fingers tweaking the nipple he just ravished. It’s enough to make me fumble, and I whimper as I fight with his zipper while my entire body melts with pleasure.
“Five second break,” he suddenly pants, brushing my hands aside and nodding at my own jeans. “Get naked, sweetheart, then come sit on my face.”
