And then her back was against the wall, his heat closing in on every inch of her body. His hands slid down to her waist, but she grabbed one and guided it to the gap between her legs. He gripped her thigh, the pain of his grasp tantalizing. His kisses stole her breath as they drifted from her mouth to her neck, down to the opening of her shirt.
“We have to stop.” He tore his mouth away from her just long enough to get the words out.
“Then stop,” she said, though her eyes pleaded otherwise. He released a low growl as he gently sucked sections of her skin, a feral sound, almost inhuman. His muscles quaked against her as he tore down her sleeve to access her shoulder and collarbone. She shifted so that it fell even further.
Calloused hands scraped across the smooth skin of her breasts, giving gentle squeezes and teasing brushes. She groaned at the sensation, closing her eyes as she imagined what those hands—about what the rest of him—might feel like against the heat between her legs she could no longer ignore.
She reached for him in return, slipping her fingers beneath his shirt, tracing the map of old scars there, drifting lower with quiet intent. He recoiled as if struck, a sharp breath tearing from him. “I’m…I’m afraid. Afraid of what I could do to you,” he said, silver eyes burning.
She stared at him for a breath or two, the absence of him already aching as her skin tingled in each place where his mouth had been. Gently, she took his face in her hands. “Don’t feed the fear. Remember in the Spires? After you saved me—when you looked into my eyes, you changed back. The beast yielded. You were stronger than it. So, keep looking into my eyes now. Find what it was that you found then.”
He hesitated, but then kissed her, and when he pulled away, his eyes locked with hers, slowing time itself. She could almost sense his every emotion, channeling through whatever unseen force was tethering them. She could even sense his heartbeat. It steadied. He breathed out the taut breath he’d drawn. His muscles relaxed, and she embraced him again, never taking her eyes off his.
Another hoarse and desperate rumble rose from Asterious’ throat. “Are you sure you want this? If I cross the point of noreturn, you must promise me you’ll run. Leave me here at the mercy of the Shadows.”
“Yes.” She nodded hungrily, brushing her lips against his. “I know it doesn’t make any sense. But I want this. Because...because I want you, Asterious. And I’m tired of having to pretend that I don’t.” She pulled his face to hers, her fingertips raking across his thick midnight locks.
“Then have me. Before I break from the pain of needing you.” He was burning hot. She could feel him aching with desire as he leaned his body into hers. She pulled apart the collar of his shirt so she could plant kisses on that muscular chest, covering each scar with the warmth of her lips.
She hadn’t gotten far before he caught what clothing on her remained and tore it open, the fabric giving way beneath his hands as if he could no longer wait. His mouth found her neck again, lingering there before drifting downward in a slow trail of kisses, his hands firm at her hips as he guided her down onto the bed.
She fumbled at the buttons of his pants, undoing them with hurried fingers. When the barrier fell away, she paused, taken aback by every inch of him, before reaching out to trace him with tentative, reverent touches. He swore under his breath, his head tipping back on a strained groan, silver eyes flashing with a sharp, predatory gleam.
In a single, fluid motion he swept an arm around her, lifting her just enough to steal her balance before pinning her back against the wall. His other hand trapped her wrist above her head, firm and unyielding. The heat of his palm burned for a heartbeat—then roughened, his hold turning abrasive as claws unfurled in place of fingers, biting into the wood beside her wrist and locking her there.
Fear flickered through her, just for a heartbeat.
Until she met his gaze and held it. He growled through clenched teeth, as if wrestling something unseen, something vicious, inside his own mind. But then he steadied.
He Focused. On her.
On her eyes.
Those eyes that had so long been a mark of fear and hatred had now become a source of peace, the one thing that could pull him back from the edge, the only light capable of stopping his darkness before it swallowed him completely.
He released her wrist, only to send his hands exploring the rest of her. She shifted lower, and Asterious moved with her, following each breath like a loyal dog. He pulled his shirt over his head and leaned over her, his focused gaze never moving from her eyes. “I have to break this damn curse, because one day I want to be able to look at you—all of you.”
Her chest heaved beneath him as she sank into the bed, letting herself melt into the weight of him. His hands explored her in deliberate, teasing movements, tracing the curves of her body, fingers lingering where her pulse quickened. He slid them down to her center, circling her nerves with lazy strokes before finding the depths of her. He lingered there with steady motions, and a low, sharp sound escaped her as shivers raced down her spine, the feeling of it all awakening new and beautiful sensations.
Her arms enveloped him, nails grazing his muscles as the gentle movements of his fingers continued to set her alight, while his other hand threaded through her hair, anchoring her against him.
He leaned close, forehead to forehead, lips hovering near hers, breathing mingling, silver eyes locked on hers. He withdrew, leaving her feeling empty, and then as his hands wandered along her body, a slick hardness pressed against her drenched center.
He groaned soft and low, hints of something feral in his voice. “Tell me if this is too much. Tell me before I can’t stop.”
“I don’t want you to stop. Please,” she whispered, the desire to feel him now becoming a need.
She pressed against him, back arching as he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. There was a sharp sting for a moment, a stretch that made her gasp, before a rush of warmth and pleasure spread through her, igniting every nerve.
He growled low, a mixture of frustration and desire, and she felt the tremor of his body beneath her. Each movement was stronger than the last, flashes of something wild lurking just beneath the surface. She shivered as the pressure building inside her released in waves, her hands clutching him as sensation pulsed through her.
With a sudden shift, he rolled onto his back, drawing her with him so she hovered above him, still pressed close. “I want you above me,” he said between breaths. “In case something goes wrong…in case I’m not strong enough…you’ll at least have a chance to run.”
She nodded, pressing down into him, chasing the ache that had returned, letting it surge again. “I won’t have to. You are strong enough,” she whispered. “Because love does not make us weak.”
Love.
She’d finally said it out loud.
