She smiled, the slow, glorious smile that he had never thought to see again, and whispered, “I love you too.”
Her hands ran slowly up his arms to grip his shoulders, as he sank, devastatingly slowly, into the clenching heat of her body. Never once losing that scorching eye contact.
It was exquisite. Overwhelming. Ecstatic. And he lost any kind of control as he impaled her, twisting his hips and ravishing her in a relentless sensual rhythm of two bodies meeting each other in every possible way. Desperate for each other.
Sweat broke out on his back as he pumped into her, her breathless moans becoming sharp little cries and grunts that penetrated all the way down to the beast in his soul.
He shifted back to grasp her legs, pulling her closer while he thrust, his eyes still locked on hers, until she shuddered, crying out his name, and then clenched around him, convulsing.
He rode it as long as he could. Surrounded by her. Almost entirely lost in her. The base of his spine tingled, and he started to pull away, but she tightened her grip, holding him close. “Stay.” Her voice rasped breathlessly as she held him deep inside her body.
Gods. She was everything. This moment was everything. He lost his rhythm, his body shuddering as he flew right over the edge with her, climaxing together in a wave of helpless ecstasy.
He eased back, letting her legs drop, and then rolled them to the side to wrap his arms around her, holding her tight against him.
Their breaths slowed, muscles relaxing, her heated body entwined with his. He had never lost control like that before. Hadn’t imagined it would be possible.
He lowered himself down her body, reveling in the delicate smoothness of her skin, until he could lie between her legs and spread soft, adoring kisses over her belly. Gods. She had given him everything.
She propped her head on a pillow to watch him before letting her hands sink into his hair, running through the too-long strands, scratching delicately at his scalp.
Never in his life had he experienced such a powerful rush of feeling.
Both overwhelming protectiveness—the need to keep her safe drove every decision he would ever make—and also the knowledge that she forgave him, accepted him. Wanted him. Stayed with him.
Tristan lifted his head so that he could watch her face as he said it again. “I love you. Don’t ever forget.” The warmth of her smile was everything he could ever have dreamed of hoping for.
He nuzzled her belly again and then rested his cheek against her softness. “I didn’t take any precautions.”
“I know.” He could hear the pleasure in her voice.
“If there is a child, you know that every single one of the Hawks would treat him like their own family.”
“Or her.” She chuckled, and he felt the vibrations through her body like the physical manifestation of joy.
He grunted. Or her. Gods. A little girl with dark hair and blue eyes. He wrapped his arms around Nim’s thighs and held her tighter.
Nim curled her slim fingers around his chin and turned him to face her. “And the best daddy in the world.”
He couldn’t reply. And he didn’t want her to see the hot moisture in his eyes. Instead, he crawled back up her body and kissed her again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nim tookanother bite of the sandwich Jos had brought and nudged Tristan with her knee. She had cleaned and bandaged his shoulder before they got dressed, and now they were sitting together beside Val’s bed, Tristan’s long legs stretched out next to hers as they ate.
Her brother twitched restlessly, sometimes speaking in garbled, panicked tones, and she wished there were something, anything, that she could do. But even though her heart hurt for him, she still felt better than she had for weeks. Tristan loved her, and she had Val back.
The only shadow still hanging over them was having had to leave the queen behind, but Tristan had agreed that they would sit down with the squad that evening and decide what to do.
A sharp series of whistles cut through the air, and she felt Tristan go instantly from peaceful and relaxed to ominously stiff, his scales rippling up his arms in a dark wave.
She tried to keep the worry out her voice as her heart rate picked up. “What’s happening?”
He turned to look at her, his face a mask of shocked torment. “They found us.”
“Already?” How was that even possible?
Tristan stood. “I thought we had longer. Hoped for enough time….” He glanced down at the bed, and she knew what he didn’t want to say. They would have moved already if Val had been in any fit state to travel.
