His expression darkens.
"Moved on?" His voice drops dangerously low. "You think I've moved on?"
He's back across the room in two strides before gripping my hips and caging me against the wall. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs.
"You think I'm happy?" His voice is a growl against my ear. "I've been out of my fucking mind. Every second, wondering if you'd forgive me. Whether you'd come here someday if I begged you. If I'd ruined the only good thing I've ever had."
His thigh presses between mine, and I gasp.
"Bodhi…" Instantly, my core tightens, and I’m dripping wet, aching for him.
"I should have brought you." His lips brush my neck. "But now that you’re here, I should warn you. I'm going to fight like hell to convince you. And I’m not above playing dirty."
One hand slides up my side, and I arch into the touch without meaning to.
"The bond between us isn't complete." His breath is hot against my skin. "But I know you can feel it. Pulling at you the same way it pulls at me. Making you ache when we're apart. Making your skin feel too tight when we're close but not touching."
"Bodhi…" I whimper, melting into him.
"Tell me you feel it." He rocks his hips, letting me feel how hard he is. "Because if you do, you know this isn’t over."
I have felt it. Every moment.
"That's not fair."
"No." His hand fists in my hair and tilts back my head. "But I'm a man who knows what he wants.”
Oh now he does.
“Convenient.”
He kisses me then, hard and demanding, and I open for him immediately, moaning as his tongue sweeps against mine. He swallows the sound, lifting me so I can wrap my legs around his waist.
"Tell me to stop." His voice is ragged. "Last chance."
"Don't stop." I grip his shoulders. "Don't you dare stop."
He carries me to the bedroom without breaking the kiss. The room is simple. A bed with a handmade quilt and a dresser with a small lamp casting soft shadows. He lays me down and covers me with his body, stripping away our clothes with efficient hands.
When we're skin to skin, he pauses, looking down at me in the dim light.
"I want you to claim me," I breathe.
He goes still. "Emma. Once I mark you, there's no going back."
"I know."
"No." He shakes his head. "Not tonight. Not until you're sure." His hand traces down my body. "But I'm going to show you what we could have. What it'll be like when you say yes."
He kisses his way down my body, taking his time. When he settles between my thighs, I try to pull him up.
"I need?—"
"I know what you need." He pins my hips to the bed. "Let me give it to you."
His mouth finds mine, and I stop thinking. He devours me with single-minded focus, not relenting until I'm shaking apart, his name being torn from my throat. His teeth graze my sensitive skin, and his hands are everywhere, skimming over my heated skin, roughly massaging my breasts and moving me where he wants me.
When he yanks my trousers down and tugs my panties to my ankles, I’m a writhing mess. He presses one finger inside me, moaning in satisfaction, when they come away glistening. Licking my cream from his index finger, he groans in pleasure before pushing it back inside and adding another.
