Bel arched, her eyes closing. Her thighs clamped down on his hand. Her head tipped back. Her mouth opened. “Oh gods! Ohgods!” Her breath hitched. Her whole body tensed, and her nails dug into his shoulders.
“Yes.” He skimmed his fingers over the spot that made her spark the most. “Come for me.”
Her core muscles suddenly pulsed under his hand. He stopped stroking and simply pressed, letting her ride out the wave as satisfaction surged inside him. Heat washed through hisgroin. His rock-hard shaft throbbed, and he harshly told it to wait its turn.
Panting, Bel slowly relaxed. The tension left her body, and she melted into the ground. Her eyes opened, soft, sated, and firelight warm.
Carver waited a few thudding heartbeats before he moved. He settled more firmly on top of her, lowered his head, and kissed her, deep and hard. He’d be deep inside her just moments from now. As for hard lovemaking, maybe not tonight, but soon.
Their gazes met as he drew back. She pulled her knees up around him again.
“That was something,” she murmured, her voice as smoky as her eyes.
He nodded. She was hot to the touch but not burning, and he could see her perfectly even in the dark forest thanks to her natural luminosity and the gently glowing shard. The scent of her magic surrounded them.
“I’m going to claim you now.” His heart contracted violently, and he took a steadying breath. “Last chance to back out.”
Her brows drew together. She touched his cheek. “Stop thinking I want to. I don’t.”
His chest squeezed painfully again, but something so deep inside him he couldn’t name it or see it finally unclenched. Relief hit him, different.Real?Starting to move against her, he used his body to excite her while trying to hold his own excitement at bay. All the slackness gradually left her, and she strained against him, her breath coming fast again.
“Carver.” She lifted her hips, her eyes locking on his. “Claim me. Do it. Please.”
“That’s right,” he praised. Fisting his cock, he positioned himself at her entrance. His pulse thundered through his veins. “Nowyou’re ready.”
Chapter 29
Bellanca tilted her hips up to meet Carver’s gentle thrust. “I feel you,” she whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back. He barely probed her entrance, but she already felt a stretch. He pressed forward, and she tensed.
Stopping, he looked down at her, still cushioning her head in one hand. “Deep breath.”
His gray eyes were the gentlest she’d ever seen them, tender, reassuring, and she inhaled a long, calming breath. He only moved again when she exhaled, her body softening under his.
“That’s not so bad.” She shook herself out a little, trying to relax.
He let out a strained chuckle. “Good to know.”
She breathed deeply again. He pushed forward on her exhalation, looking like he was in a lot more pain than she was. Slowly, he worked himself inside her with small, measured thrusts. He kissed her, distracting her and leaving her time to adjust to the fullness and the stretch. Gradually, her body welcomed him, and the slight, rocking friction suddenly sent pleasure swirling through her instead of discomfort.
“Oh, that’s good.” Arousal uncoiled her muscles, allowing him to sink deeper inside.
Carver’s breath trembled against her mouth. He moved a hand down her body and fondled her breast. He found her nipple, squeezing, and a tight little snap of sensation burstbetween her legs. She gasped, and he pressed forward again, his jaw tight and his nostrils flaring.
Her eyes widened. “There was more?”
Low and gruff, he said, “More’s usually a good thing.” Drawing his hips back, he gave a long, slow thrust.
Pleasure licked through her, and her lips parted on a moan. Her head fell back into his waiting hand. He pushed forward again, filling her completely, and she felt a surprisingly hedonistic smile spread across her face. “You’re good at this.”
His gaze instantly shuttered. As usual, he couldn’t take a compliment, and instead of answering, he lowered his head and kissed her, rocking into her with steady thrusts. She moved with him, each stroke gliding more easily, touching her deeper and building something unbreakable inside her. Maybe it was the link between their souls, anchoring them to each other. She could almost feel their heartbeats join, their destinies align. No matter how close they’d grown and how much she’d changed, she still thought this moment between them would be awkward and intimidating, but it wasn’t. She was his, he was hers, and nothing in any world could change that now.
Carver’s kisses stayed languid and arousing, his tongue mimicking his leisurely thrusts. He still touched her breast, pressing and rubbing, and an orange haze spread behind her closed lids. She pulled her fire in deeper as he filled her. Their kisses turned harder, hungrier, driving her to lift her body into his. She met his pumping hips more boldly, and heat spiraled through her. He moved faster, the friction sparking new sensations all over. Pressure built in her core. Delicious tension gripped her, but she held back, forcing them both to slow. There was something she wanted more than climax, something that would last lifetimes rather than moments.
“Do it.” She opened her eyes, meeting his storm-gray gaze head on. “Claim me.”
A low groan spilled from his throat. Lodged deep inside her, he stopped moving and cradled her head in both hands. “Bel.” His eyes swept over her face as he chose his words. He swallowed, his breathing rapid and his steady gaze so grave that her heart turned over hard. His voice a thousand times rougher than his words, he said, “My body knew you before my mind did. You healed my heart. You mended my soul.” Her throat thickened. Her eyes pricked, but she didn’t blink. She didn’t want to miss a single second of the way Carver looked at her, the intensity, the passion, so she burned away her tears. “I didn’t know what to do with you, but I knew I didn’t want to be without you. The Fates thrust us together, but they didn’t make me adore you, crave you, need you.Youdid that. You’re fiery, brilliant, brave. Sofuckingentertaining. I would cross any world for you. I would slay any monster. When we’re together, your fire is in my blood. When we’re apart, I want only to get back to your light and warmth.”
