This. Kissing you in front of your family and friends.
She sounded very decisive. Her eyes continued to look straight into his. Seeing into him.
His heart nearly stopped beating. His lungs couldn’t find air. His world narrowed until there was only Maya.Is that even a possibility?
I have no idea, but we’re about to find out.
While being careful of her wound, he slid his hands down her sides to her hips and dug his fingers possessively into the curves to pull her between his thighs. She didn’t even stiffen. She fit there smoothly, as if she was already used to that spot. Close to him. Close to the heat of him.
He nearly forgot there were others in the room. Nearly forgot she was injured. The fragrance of her enveloped him. Seeped in through his pores and wrapped around his soul.
You’re sure about this?He kept his tone light. Teasing. Stroking the inside of her mind intimately. She might be certain, but he wasn’t. This was a bad, bad idea for so many reasons.
She traced his lower lip with the pad of her finger.Very sure.
Timur cleared his throat. “It’s getting hot in here.” There was a trace of amusement in his voice.
Gorya ignored his cousin. The sound registered from a distance, but as if he were underwater, and the words were muffled and distorted. Sweat trickled down his chest. What had gotten into her? She was so skittish in public. They were surrounded by shifters. The doors to the room were closed.
Baby, just wait. I’ll kiss you when we get back to the room.He was beginning to panic. He never panicked. He was the smooth one. The charming one. Always in control. Why the hell was he on the verge of picking her up in his arms and making a run for it?
What’s wrong, honey? Tell me? It’s just us. No one else.
Her lips moved against his, feather light. A breath. His entire body reacted. He was so lost. What would he do without her? He hadn’t known he could fall so hard so fast. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. He couldn’t lose her. Hecouldn’t. Maya believed she was fully committed—and she was. But she was always on the verge of flight. She was terrified she couldn’t measure up. She couldn’t meet his needs. He had to control the pace. He couldn’t make a single mistake. This could turn into a disaster very quickly, and he wasn’t about to lose her because he hadn’t controlled the situation.
I’m not taking the chance that you’re not ready, Maya. I can’t lose you.Her fingers stroking his jaws were sending little flairs of heat rolling through his body.
You aren’t going to lose me. These are steps, remember. We might not be perfect each time. We might not even make it through this the first time. If it doesn’t work, you can just carry me out of here, and we’ll end up laughing about it. That’s how we roll together, right?
In love. That sucked. He hadn’t thought he would ever feel that for anyone.I didn’t know I was capable, Maya.
The briefest of hesitations.I didn’t know either.
Her lips skimmed his. Burned like the hottest flame. Her entire body trembled so badly he was afraid she would fall. He slid his arm around her back and locked the other behind her knees.
Already?Just like that, all panic was gone and he was once more fully in control. There was amusement in his voice. Teasing her.You can’t panic when we haven’t even kissed, and it was your idea.He swung her into his arms and stood, cradling her against his chest.
I don’t care about them. It isn’t the kissing. Kissing in front of them is step three. Declarations are like step fifty or something. Definitely fifty.She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her head back to look directly into his eyes, a silvery circle around the blue accusing him.You took uswaybeyond step three.
“I’m taking my woman back to our room and giving her more antibiotics. The doc wants her resting. As soon as I have her settled, I’ll be back. Gedeon will get you whatever you need, and you can finish reading the report.”
Gorya didn’t look away from Maya as he opened the door and took her inside. “You didn’t have to tell me how you felt back there. I made the declaration, but you could have waited.”
She scowled at him. “I’m no coward. We promised each other we’d tell the truth. If you’re going to putyourself out there, then I have to do the same. And you were all wimpy and whiny, so I had to show you how to be courageous.”
“Wimpy? Whiny? If you weren’t injured, I’d toss you onto the bed and show you who’s wimpy.”
For the first time ever, a true giggle escaped. The sound of it lit up his soul. She was changing him. Shehadchanged him already. He thought of her from the moment he woke in the morning. He viewed life differently. He could look at the landscapes around him and actually see the beauty. More importantly, he recognized that he was beginning to care for those around him. She had done that. Maya.
Whether it was because Rogue no longer wanted to kill everything and everyone or because the rage in the leopard had subsided thanks to finding his mate, Gorya didn’t know, but the animal no longer raked and clawed at him night and day with vicious cruelty. The cat didn’t suffer anymore like he had before. He was calm and patient, waiting for his mate to rise.
Both leopards were aware of Maya’s fears and her injury, and Wraith was doing her best to suppress her heat to give her partner time to heal and get used to Gorya. He admired the female leopard for her enduring strength. He found that same strength in Maya.
He carried Maya into the primary bath. “Get ready for bed, woman. You must be hurting like hell. And stop hiding that from me.”
“You sound so commanding. I might swoon like all the women Ashe was telling me about if you keep it up.” She fanned herself as she batted her eyelashes at him.
Her little laugh played over his skin in a sensuous melody. Unable to resist, he bent his head and took her mouth. There was nothing playful about his kiss. It might have started out gentle, but suddenly everything changed. The dominance in him welled up and took over. He pouredhimself into her, claiming her. Branding her. Loving her. Possessing her. Giving himself to her. He wasn’t gentle in the way he knew he should be, but he couldn’t hold back no matter what his brain told him. The roaring overcame all good sense, and instinct took over.
