He bent his head and took one of those perfect nipples into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the sensitive peak before gently biting down. She cried out, her back arching, her hands fisting in his hair as she held him to her.
He worshipped her breasts with hands and mouth, learning her responses—the way she gasped when he scraped her sensitive skin with his fangs, the way she moaned when he sucked hard, the way she trembled when he palmed the weight of her in one hand while tormenting the other with his tongue.
She was writhing in his lap now, a desperate, beautiful rhythm that threatened to undo him completely. He could feel the heat of her through his trousers, could smell the sweet, spicy scent of her arousal, and his hand slid lower. He cupped her heated flesh, feeling the slick evidence of her desire against his palm. He slid one finger through her folds, finding that small, swollen bundle of nerves and circling it gently.
She jerked in his arms, a choked cry escaping her lips. He did it again, applying more pressure, and her head fell back, exposing the long, vulnerable line of her throat. He couldn’t resist. He latched onto the spot where her pulse beat frantically, sucking hard enough to leave a mark but refusing to break the skin.
Mine.
The word was a silent roar in his head. A primal declaration that terrified him and felt more right than anything had in years.
“Tarek,” she gasped, and the sound of his name on her lips, thick with need, was almost enough to make him lose control.
He carefully worked a finger inside her, her body impossibly tight, and then added another, feeling her muscles clamp down around him. So tight and hot and wet. He stroked her slowly,savoring the feel of her, while his thumb continued its relentless circling of her clit.
Her hips began to move, meeting his thrusts, chasing her pleasure. He could feel it building in the tightening of her muscles, in the frantic rhythm of her breathing, in the desperate sounds she was making.
“That’s it,” he murmured against her skin. “Let go, Jessa. Let me feel it.”
He curled his fingers inside her, finding that secret spot that made her see stars, and she shattered.
Her body went rigid, her back bowing, her hands tightening almost painfully in his hair. A long, broken cry escaped her lips as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. He continued stroking her, drawing out her climax, until the tension left her body and she sagged against him, boneless and spent.
She was panting against his neck, her body trembling with aftershocks, and he held her close, rocking her gently as she came back to herself.
“You… oh…” She lifted her head, her eyes dazed and heavy-lidded. “I didn’t know…”
Despite his aching body, satisfaction filled him as he slipped her shirt back over her head and then rose with her in his arms.
“Time for bed,” he said gently, but when he started towards her bedroom she shook her head.
“No.” She gazed up at him, her expression soft despite the intensity of the moment. “I want to be close to you tonight. I want to fall asleep in your arms and wake up the same way. Can you give me that?”
Could he? Could he lie beside her all night without taking more?
Yes,his beast said.For her, we can do anything.
“Yes,” he echoed aloud. “I can give you that.”
They lay down together on the narrow bed, barely wide enough for his frame alone. He pulled her against him, her back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She fit perfectly, as if she’d been designed to nestle into exactly this space, against exactly this body.
Her hand found his and interlaced their fingers. Her breathing slowed and steadied, matching his.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For staying. For not running. For trusting me with even a little piece of yourself.”
He pressed his lips to her hair, breathing in the sweetness of her scent.
“Thank you for not giving up on me.”
She laughed softly. “Never.”
The storm continued outside, rain and thunder and wind battering the mountain. But inside his den, inside this tiny room that had been so empty for so long, there was warmth. There was peace. And there was a woman who believed in him despite everything, curled in his arms like she belonged there.
His beast purred, deep and content.Ours,it rumbled.Finally, ours.
