Every instinct screamed at me to stop, to be the honorable male and pull away. She was vulnerable, grieving, not thinking clearly. But the desperate need in her eyes, the way her fingers clutched at me like I was the only solid thing in a collapsing world—
"Are you sure?" I asked, voice rough with barely restrained desire.
"I've never been more sure of anything." She pulled me down to her. "I've wanted this for years. Wanted you. Please, Cristox."
I kissed her again, deeper this time, pouring years of longing into it. She responded with a hunger that matched my own, hands sliding up my chest, around my neck, pullingme closer with surprising strength. The robe slipped from her shoulders, and I felt the warmth of her skin against mine.
This time, I didn't pull away.
I laid her back against the cushions, my body covering hers as our kisses grew more desperate, more consuming. When her palms pressed against my bare chest, fingers curling in my pelt, I groaned into her mouth.
"Ruby," I breathed against her lips. "Tell me to stop and I will. Just say the word."
"Don't stop," she whispered fiercely. "Don't you dare stop."
Her hands slid down my torso, fingers tracing the contours of my muscles before hooking into the waistband of my sweatpants. She tugged insistently, her touch both demanding and gentle, and I lifted my hips to help her push them down over my thighs. The soft fabric pooled at my knees, bunching there for just a moment before I kicked them off completely, sending them tumbling to the floor in a careless heap.
I reached for the belt of her robe, my movements deliberate and unhurried. My claws were careful as I untied the knot I'd secured just moments before, my fingertips brushing against the smooth silk. The fabric parted easily under my touch, falling open to reveal the warm skin beneath. I pushed the material off her shoulders, sliding it down her arms slowly, savoring the way it slipped against her body until it fell away entirely. The robe joined my sweatpants in a heap on the floor, forgotten and irrelevant.
Now there was nothing between us now but heat and want and years of denied longing.
I kissed down her neck, tasting salt and the faint scent of soap. She arched beneath me, fingers threading through my hair, tugging hard enough to sting. Years of dreams, ofwondering, of wanting—all of it came crashing together in this moment.
My mouth found the soft swell of her breast, and I traced my tongue around the sensitive flesh, teasing closer to the peak. Ruby's breath hitched, her fingers tightening in my hair. When I finally drew her nipple into my mouth, she gasped, her entire body tensing beneath me.
I suckled gently at first, my tongue swirling around the hardened bud. Her taste was intoxicating—sweet and uniquely her. I increased the pressure, drawing more of her breast into my mouth, and she moaned, her back arching to offer herself more fully to me.
"Cristox," she breathed, her voice trembling with need.
I lavished attention on one breast before moving to the other, determined to give them equal devotion. My hand cupped the breast my mouth had just left, thumb brushing over the wet, sensitized nipple while I suckled the other. Ruby writhed beneath me, her hips rolling against mine in an unconscious rhythm that made my cock throb with need.
I alternated between gentle suckling and firmer pulls, paying attention to every gasp and moan, learning what made her cry out, what made her fingers dig into my shoulders. When I grazed my teeth lightly across one peak, she nearly came off the sofa, a sharp cry escaping her lips.
I took my time, worshipping every inch of her silken skin, relearning the body I'd memorized years ago. She was curvier, not carrying the suffering like she had years ago. But she was still Ruby. Still the woman who'd consumed my thoughts and my heart for so long.
My tail wrapped around her thigh possessively, pulling her closer, and she gasped at the sensation. "Cristox," she moaned, and hearing my name on her lips like that—breathy and desperate—sent fire racing through my veins.
I continued my exploration, mapping every curve, every sensitive spot that made her gasp or whimper. When I finally settled between her thighs, she was trembling, hands fisted in my mane.
"Please," she whispered. "I need you."
I kissed my way back up her body, my cock hard and aching as I positioned myself at her entrance. The heat of her was intoxicating, her slick arousal coating my tip as I pressed against her. Our eyes met, and in that moment, everything else fell away—the grief, the fear, the years of separation. There was only us, only this burning need.
When I finally pushed inside her, inch by torturous inch, she cried out—not in pain, but in relief and pleasure. Her tight heat enveloped me, squeezing around my length as her body stretched to accommodate me. Like she'd been holding her breath for years and could finally exhale. I moved slowly at first, savoring every sensation, watching her face contort with pleasure as I filled her completely. Her inner walls fluttered around me, gripping me like a velvet fist, and I had to grit my teeth to maintain control.
"More," she gasped, nails digging into my shoulders hard enough to leave marks. "Cristox, please."
I gave her what she needed, what we both needed. My hips snapped forward, driving deeper, harder, until she was gasping my name with every thrust. The grief, the fear, the years of separation—all of it poured out in desperate movements and breathless moans that echoed through the room. She clung to me like I was her anchor in a storm, her nails raking down my back, leaving burning trails in their wake.
Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me deeper, heels digging into my ass as she urged me on. I groaned at the exquisite sensation of her slick heat gripping me, the way her body yielded and tightened with each stroke. She felt perfect,like we'd been made to fit together—every ridge of my cock dragging against her sensitive walls, every angle hitting that spot that made her cry out. Like all those years ago, it hadn't been just survival, but destiny.
"I've got you," I murmured against her ear, hips driving forward with increasing urgency, feeling her tighten around me. "I've got you, Ruby."
When she came apart beneath me, calling my name, it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen or heard. Her face flushed with passion, eyes squeezed shut, lips parted in ecstasy. I followed her over the edge moments later, burying my face in the curve of her neck as waves of pleasure crashed through me, marking her with my scent, claiming her as mine in every way that mattered.
Afterward, we lay tangled together, both of us breathing hard. I pulled the throw blanket from the back of the sofa over us and held her close, feeling her tears start again and soak into my chest.
"I've got you," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple, tasting the sweetness of her hair. "I've got you, Ruby. You're not alone."
