With each tug of his mouth, another wave of intense pleasure would crash over her, so exquisite that it was nearly pain. Brilliant spots of light danced behind her eyelids as her body shuddered beneath his.
Finally, his mouth released her throat, and her body grew limp. He slid the tip of his tongue over the bite, drawing one last shiver from her. Then, he pressed his lips to the spot in a gentle kiss.
“Mine,” he whispered.
She turned her head, opening her eyes to stare at his face, just inches from hers on the mattress. “And are you mine?”
“Completely.”
She smiled.
ChapterFifteen
Somehow, they managed to get themselves turned the right way in the bed and beneath the blankets. Rune felt more relaxed than he had in years. The predatory urges that usually plagued him were silent and satisfied.
He hadn’t realized the tightrope that he’d been walking until Astra shoved him off it. It had been for the best because if she hadn’t, he likely would have bitten her whether she wanted him to or not. Maybe not tonight or even the next week. But it would have happened eventually, and it would have destroyed any trust she had in him.
Astra’s head rested against his shoulder and her finger trailed over his chest in random patterns. Her breathing was slow and even and her heart thudded against his ribs in a steady beat. She was completely calm and relaxed.
“What changed your mind?” he asked her.
She lifted her head at his sudden question, resting her chin on his pectoral. Her beautiful eyes were both gold and green, his favorite. When her eyes were like this, she wasn’t hiding her thoughts or feelings. She’d lowered her guard.
“About the biting?” she replied.
He nodded, his fingers running down the soft skin over her spine.
“I realized that I wasn’t letting you be…you. That loving you meant accepting all the parts of you. Even the ones that were different or even dangerous.”
His hand froze against her back. “Loving me?” he repeated.
She didn’t shy away from the words or try to pretend she hadn’t said them. No, his Astra would always tell him how she felt.
“Yes, I love you.” Her hand touched his cheek. “I don’t expect you to say the words back if you don’t feel them, too. But I wanted you to know where I am.”
He mirrored her movement, cupping her cheek with his palm, his fingers tangled in the silken strands of hair at the nape of her neck.
“Wherever you are, I’m there, too.”
Astra smiled down at him. “Are you?”
“Yes. I think I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you.”
She shook her head in a slow, gentle movement. “I don’t believe in love at first sight.”
“You don’t have to believe in it for it to happen.”
She laughed. “Are we going to argue about it?”
“No,” he answered, pulling her down for a kiss. “Vampires have highly developed instincts. Not just for prey and hunting, but for our makers, our mates, and our friends. If we listen to our senses, they will always tell us the truth.”
Astra’s eyes were oddly intent as she studied him. “And your enemies?”
“Those as well.”
She kissed him once more before rolling onto her back next to him. Her hand slid down his arm to grasp his fingers beneath the blanket.
“And what truths are your instincts telling you about me?”
