“Am I?” He sounded dazed. Wonder-struck. He watched as his fingers traced the sparks skittering over my shoulder. “Does it hurt?”
“No.” I kissed him again, slower this time, pouring every ounce of possession I couldn’t physically enforce into it. “It’s beautiful. Like you.”
His laugh was breathless. “Gideon.”
The look on his face—shock, hunger, trust—undid me, and I dropped to my knees in front of him. I nuzzled the fly of his jeans, inhaling the scent of his arousal. Mine to taste. Mine to wreck. I undid his jeans, peeling them down his thighs, taking his boxers with them. His cock sprang free, flushed and leaking.Perfect.
I didn’t tease. I took him deep, swallowing him to the root. He cried out, fingers tangling in my hair.Yes. The vibration of his pleasure hummed through me. His magic flared brighter—soft golden light pooling around us, casting dancing shadows on the walls. Every suck, every flick of my tongue made the light pulse.
“Gideon… fuck… I can’t?—”
I pulled off, grinning up at him. I didn’t want him to come yet. I had things I wanted to do to him first.
Standing, I backed him toward the bedroom. He stumbled, eyes wide and dark with need. I pushed him onto the bed. Straddled his thighs. My own cock strained against my jeans.
“Off,” he demanded, tugging at my waistband. “Now.”
“Look at you being all bossy. I like it.”
We wrestled with denim, laughter mixing with gasps until I was finally naked. Then I reached up and took off his glasses. I folded them up and placed them on the table next to the bed. I looked down at him, and he blinked up at me with big hazel eyes.
“You good?” I asked.
“I’d be better if you would hurry up and get inside me.”
“You’re impatient.”
He bucked under me. “Stop talking. Please.”
I chuckled. “If you insist.”
I grabbed the bottle of lube off the bedside table and moved down between his legs. I poured some of it over my fingers and then pressed one finger into his body. His back arched off the bed, and magic sparked like fireworks against the ceiling.
“More,” he begged.
I added a second finger. His magic surged like a warm wave that washed over my skin, tingling.
“Declan…”
“I know. I feel it, too.”
He wrapped a leg around my waist, pulling me closer. “Need you. Now.”
I lined my cock up with his hole and sank into heat so perfect it stole my breath. He was tight, trembling, taking me so damn deep. Gold light flared where our bodies joined, casting his sweat-slicked skin in an ethereal glow.
Mate, my wolf screamed. Mark him. Claim him. Knot him.
But my body stayed frustratingly human. No swelling at the base of my cock. No bite to anchor him. Just the slick thrust of flesh into flesh, and as wonderful as it felt, the emptiness of it ached.
I buried my face in his neck. Bit down—hard—but skin didn’t break. Only a bruise. A pathetic imitation of a claiming mark. He moaned, hips rocking up to meet my thrusts.
“Yes… like that…”
I fucked him deeper.Harder. Chasing the impossible—the knot I couldn’t form, the bond I couldn’t seal. My hips snapped against his ass. The bed creaked. Magic sizzled in the air, golden sparks raining down on us like warm embers.
He came first. Screaming my name. His cock pulsed between us, cum streaking his stomach. His magic detonated—a soft, soundless burst of light that filled the room. Warmth flooded my veins.Pleasure. Belonging.
The certainty that he was mine hit me like a blow from a hammer. I followed him over the edge. Came deep inside him with a roar. Emptied everything.
