A low laugh followed her. He appeared in the doorway just as she circled the bed and faced him.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he said, tossing her shirt on the chair in the corner. His voice was low. Raspy.
Astra shivered and she knew that he saw it. His attention was focused entirely on her. He stalked into the room, his steps slow and measured. She shifted her weight to the side and saw the muscles in his arms and legs tense.
He was about to leap.
When he did, she glided to the side, evading him the way she did her sister, Sirena, when she tried the same maneuver.
Again, he let loose that low laugh.
Astra knew that he was toying with her then. When they’d sparred before, he’d held back. And he was holding back now.
This time, instead of moving away when he came toward her, she stepped into his body and shoved him back on the bed.
He bounced back to his feet too quickly, making a grab for her. It was Astra’s turn to laugh as she twisted her wrist and brought her elbow toward his, slipping her wrist free from his grasp.
Rune growled and blurred. She saw him coming but there was nowhere to go. The nightstand was to her right and slightly behind her, the corner was directly behind her, and Rune stood between her and the doorway.
His arms wrapped around her, lifting her off her feet, and they crashed down onto the mattress together, Rune on top of her.
He buried his face in her throat, growling. “Mine.”
Astra laughed again but it was a breathless sound. His lips were scorching as they trailed over the side of her neck, down to her clavicle. He lifted off her body long enough for her skirt to fall away. She hadn’t even felt the zipper release. His shirt flew in the same direction as her shirt had earlier.
Before she could move, Rune pinned her down to the mattress again, his hands on her wrists. The lean muscles of his arms and shoulders bulged. He wasn’t hurting her, but even with her supernatural strength, she wasn’t getting out of his hold.
His chest heaved as he panted. Rune stared down at her, his eyes wild and gleaming. His upper lip curled slightly, and she saw the flash of fangs.
“Is this what you wanted?” he asked. His voice rumbled in his chest.
“Yes and no.” She shifted beneath him, and his thighs tightened over her hips to keep her still. “Kiss me.”
He leaned down, his gaze fierce and hot, and laid his lips on hers. Neither of them shut their eyes until he parted her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth.
His kiss was rougher than usual and hotter. She hadn’t realized how much of himself he’d been holding back for weeks, and it made her heart hurt. Well, that was going to change tonight if she had anything to say about it.
Astra nipped at his bottom lip, and he growled. The sound caused goosebumps to erupt on her arms and her nipples peaked beneath the lace of her bra. She’d wanted him to lose that veneer of civility and he was well on his way.
Rune pulled back and flipped her onto her belly before putting his weight on the backs of her thighs. He shifted, pushing her legs apart and slid his fingers down the strip of lace that covered her pussy. Astra arched her back as he tugged the lace aside. She heard a soft pop and realized he’d ripped the fabric just before his fingers thrust inside her, rubbing the front wall of her pussy hard. She gasped and squirmed, unused to the sensation. Rune’s hand landed on her ass in a firm smack, and she stiffened, turning to glare at him over her shoulder.
“Keep still,” he said.
“And if I won’t?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. He wanted to be in charge, but she wasn’t going to give up control too easily.
He withdrew his fingers from her body, barely touching her, and stared back.
Astra snarled at him, and the ghost of a smile touched his lips. It wasn’t until she relaxed back onto the bed that he began to touch her again, stroking her body inside and out. Her muscles tightened and a light sweat broke out on her skin. Still, she managed to remain motionless even as her body yearned to move, to spread her legs wider.
She moaned when he stopped, taking his hand from between her legs. His zipper rasped and he shoved one of her legs up and to the side. Then, he was inside her, hard and deep. And hot. They’d dispensed with the condoms after a few weeks because she was on birth control.
Astra’s back arched as he moved within her. One of his hands slid between her hip and the bed until his fingers rested against her clit. With each thrust, the pad of his finger pressed against her.
The tension that had been building inside her wound tighter and tighter, like a thin spring. She knew it would snap at any moment. Her breath came out as a sob, and she tilted her hips up to take more of his cock.
Astra turned her head, her hair fanning over her shoulders, and his lips were against her throat. She felt the tips of his fangs trace her skin only a moment before he bit her.
It was her undoing. She cried out as the incredible tension inside her burst. Suddenly, the hand beneath her body was gone as Rune braced an elbow on the bed and his other hand cupped her face, holding her still.
