Over the years, I had tried to imagine someone saying those words to me, but just like sitting in the fancy car, I had to experience it myself to truly understand.
“We share a heart and soul,” Daniel said, pressing kisses to my lips as he spoke. “I promise, you will never be alone.”
We kissed again, deeper, and I could no longer fight my need to be closer to him. My arms went around his neck and I pressed my body firmly to his. His hands dropped from my face, sliding underneath me to bring my body flush against his. I was on fire, liquid heat licking across my insides. Everything inside of me craved him.
“Not close enough,” I muttered, leaning back to try to rip his shirt off. My legs were wrapped around his waist though, holding it down.
Daniel’s eyes shifted to a burning gold and I had to shut mine to try and find some composure. He was literally the only one who could destroy me with one look. If someone could bottle the emotion and energy of love, they would make a fortune. When I lifted my lashes again, we were moving. He placed me back on the bed, crawling up to hover over me on hands and knees.
“I need to feel you,” I told him, ready to combust. Before he could answer, I had his shirt up and over his head.
Greedily, I drank in the sight of his broad, tanned shoulders, following the lines down over defined pectorals, and those abs … if someone carved a statue of the perfect male physique, they could use Daniel for inspiration. The deep maroon marks, which matched those on his head, filled the skin of his chest and arm. I wanted to trace each and every one. It would take me days. And I would love every single second of it.
“I’m a fan,” I said with a grin, running my hands across his abs. They tightened under my touch. I liked to see the way I affected him.
He caught my hand before it went lower. “Callie, love, it kills me to say this, but there’s no rush. The last few days have been crazy. A lot has happened. I can wait as long as you want.”
I wiggled further under him, my hands back to exploring his delicious body. “Are you even listening to me?” He sounded amused, before he leaned down, his lips pressing to my neck.
I gasped, choking out, “What if I don’t want you to wait at all?”
My hands moved toward his belt and he caught them. I paused to try to get my hormones under control.
“You’ve been through a lot,” he repeated, holding himself above me, our gazes locked. “If you need time to adjust to everything, including the fact that we are soul-bonded and soulmates, then you should take the time. There’s no rush. If I get my way – and I usually do – you will be here forever. Home. With me.”
Home.It was my dream. Daniel was my dream. I reached out for him, wrapping my hand around his jaw, and pulled him down to me. I took control of the kiss, letting him know exactly how I felt about waiting.
I was no virgin, and I was keeping my promise of being with someone I loved. I was done waiting. Pulling myself up, I pushed Daniel back, straddling his body and settling against him. I was pretty bold in the bedroom, always had been. I liked to take control and right now Daniel was trying too hard to be a good guy. He didn’t have to try, though. I already knew he was.
“This has nothing to do with grief,” I said, pressing my lips to his, over and over. Then moving lower, I kissed across his jaw and down his neck. “This is about our love, this is about life being short … able to be taken from us at any moment. This is about me wanting you right now more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”
“This is about our forever,” Daniel finished, and I nodded.
“You’re my forever,” I confirmed. I’d never been one for random fleeting loves, so I knew this was it for me. Soul mate and soul bound, I was okay with that.
He took control back then, his kiss hot and deep, our lips moving with desperation and emotion like nothing I’d ever experienced. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and I rocked against him, needing relief. I managed to get his pants off, leaving him in just a pair of boxer briefs. They were black, fitted to the hard lines of his impressive body. The tatted marks extended down past the waistband, following his perfect vee.
Holy fuck … someone give me a freaking fan.
I needed to cool down. Looking at Daniel had me burning up. The fire inside of him was igniting the fire inside of me. He removed my shirt in one smooth movement. I was wearing nothing below, because I’d still been in the clothes from Leights.
He touched my bare skin gently, fingertips rubbing across the sensitive peaks until I was a writhing, groaning mess.
“You’re beyond beautiful,” he said.
I wanted to say the same thing back, but his lips were on me again and I couldn’t speak. My shorts were gone soon after, and there were no more words as we loved each other. In that moment with Daniel, it was abundantly clear that while I was not a virgin, I had truly never understood the actual beauty in lovemaking. Sex I’d had, but this was so much more. Every caress brushed more than just my skin. I felt it all the way through my body.
To be this close with a person you cared so deeply for … it was everything.
For the firsttime in my life, I didn’t wake alone. Warmth surrounded me, and I was so comfortable that it felt like I could doze here for the rest of my life. I wiggled myself back on Daniel, needing more of his touch. A low growl in my ear had a grin stretching across my face. I liked this little power I had over him. A large hand snaked over my stomach and pulled me back into his hardness. I wiggled again, tormenting him the way he was tormenting me.
“Waking with you in my arms,” he murmured. “Sign me up for a lifetime?”
A low moan slipped out from between my lips and I pretty much jumped him. A girl only had so much control. If the last few days had taught me anything, it was that every second was precious, and I was not wasting another moment not loving Daniel.
Much later,I got to experience my second new intimacy. Naked, we sat on the floor of his huge shower and we talked. About everything and nothing. After some time, it grew more serious.
“The lead you had on Laous was completely dead?” I asked, sadness creeping into my heart again. I was hurting for Lexen and Jero and Emma. Also, Marsil’s parents, who would have to bury –farewell– their son. Life really wasn’t fair.
