His entire hand is between my legs, but it’s like I can feel him everywhere. Every nerve ending in my body is alive and centered where he’s touching me. My hips start to roll in sync with his movements until I’m grinding down on his palm, looking for a little more of that amazing friction so the pleasure will crowd out all the other thoughts in my head. I’ve been terrified of sex for as long as I understood what it was, but that had everything to do with who wanted it from me, not the act itself. That’s not a concern now, but apparently, it isn’t easy to just decide sex isn’t something to be afraid of anymore, so there’s still an edge of panic invading my thoughts.
As if sensing my whirling feelings, Ziv reaches up and grasps the back of my neck, pulling me down so his lips are against my throat. “You’re so warm, little flower, burning up from the inside out. I’ll make it better.” His voice is a deep rasp, sending a thrill of excitement all the way down my spine. I turn my nose into his neck, taking in his sweet scent until I’m almost dizzy with desire. My mouth waters. It would be so damn easy to bite him again. Would he even stop me? He didn’t seem to mind last time, but that was before I knew he was my mate.
My hips start to move faster. I’m so close to coming on his hand. My eyes close, increasing my other senses, just as he licksa trail up my neck. My inner muscles clench, and it sets off a cascade of tremors as I climax. To stop myself from sinking my teeth into his neck, I bite my lip, tasting blood as a soft moan escapes my lips.
Ziv stills abruptly, even his hand ceases movement. The only sound is the soft pants I can’t seem to keep within my chest. I begin to pull back so I can see his face, but he sits forward at the same moment. I slide down his chest as the backs of my thighs land on his. His chin tips down as he follows me with his eyes.
He reaches up and swipes his thumb under my lip. It’s the same hand he had between my legs, so he smells like me. He examines the smear of red on his thumb before slipping it into his mouth. Something deep within me relishes the idea of him having some part of me inside him. My lips part, and my breathing picks up again.
“You taste like home,” he rumbles with his eyes locked on mine. That sentiment melts something inside me, washing away my lingering reservations. I wish I knew what to say in return, something sweet and thoughtful, but I can’t get a word past the lump in my throat, and I wouldn’t know what to say even if I could.
Ziv doesn’t seem to need any response as he slants his mouth over mine and begins kissing me again. It’s slow, seductive, and so damn sexy, I find myself longing for his hand between my legs again…or something more. I circle my arms around his neck and pull myself up using his shoulders so our mouths are even. At first, I can taste myself on his tongue, dark and musky, but he overwhelms my senses, and then all I can taste and feel is him.
I feel him between my legs again, but this time, he’s unlacing his pants, and I’m the lucky recipient of the tender, accidental brushes of his knuckles, or at least that’s what I think until he slips two fingers between my folds, running them from back to front. I jerk a little when he grazes my clit, since I’m so sensitive,but when he takes those same two fingers and teases me deeper, I tense for a different reason. The slight pressure ends when he removes his hand from between my legs.
My body instantly relaxes against his, and I sink back into the kiss I’ve managed to keep up with. His hands glide up my sides, his thumbs running up my stomach and his fingers curled around my back, making me feel tiny and delicate. That’s not new, but feeling safe is. I’m not worried he’s going to crush my ribs or throw me against the wall. I relax into his embrace, and when I lower, I feel his skin against the backs of my thighs.
The thread of worry tries to invade my mind again, but I shove it down, instead focusing on how he makes me feel and what my future could be if I make it out of Ivy alive.
When Ziv’s thumbs brush over my nipples, my mind goes completely blank for a millisecond, and then I kiss him deeper and pull him closer. He allows me to set the pace for the kiss. The urge to bite him is getting so strong, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to resist.
While I’m distracted by him toying with my nipple, he slips his other hand between my legs again, and I feel his tip skim against me. He’s hard, but his skin is so soft against mine.
Ziv makes that rumbly sound in his chest and pinches my nipple roughly. The bud is still throbbing when he removes his hand from my breast and grabs my hip. I know what he’s going to do, and my heart skips a beat.
I pull back from the kiss and stare directly into his silver eyes. “Ziv.” His name is just a whisper on my lips, but it’s laced with so much.
“Ziveet, little mate,” he corrects as he flexes his fingers, tightening his grip on my hip. That’s the name he told the headmistress not to invoke.
“Ziveet,” I repeat, very much liking the fact that I can use it while she can’t. His lids lower another fraction, making him looksleepy and sexy. “What if…” I murmur, unable to voice the rest of my question.
He leans his forehead against mine, his eyes falling shut. “It will hurt, little flower, but just for a moment.”
“No, not that.” I shake my head. That is a concern, but not one big enough to stop me. “What if…I’m not worthy?”
His eyes snap open, and his fingers tighten before he shoves me down, impaling me on his dick. The pain is real and sharp. I gasp, but it almost sounds like a reverse yell. In the next heartbeat, he kisses the side of my neck tenderly, then he sinks his teeth in.
White-hot agony steals my sight, leaving me blind to everything. As soon as the pain registers, I open my mouth to scream, and then it disappears, making me wonder if that really was pain or something else altogether.
My vision is slow to return, much slower than my other senses. The first thing I register is Ziv’s breathing, which matches my own heavy pants. I can feel each huff against my skin while his teeth are still embedded in my neck. The slow, steady beat of my heart is next. I know instinctively it, too, is synced with Ziv’s. He’s probably the only reason I’m not hyperventilating.
The sweet smell of cherries surrounds us, relaxing my limbs like some sort of spell, but I know it’s not. This is a different kind of magic, one I never imagined I was capable of experiencing.
Ziv shifts beneath me, and the fuzzy feeling of detachment snaps like a rubber band, leaving me with the monumental task of processing every overloaded sensation I’m experiencing. A wail flies from my lips as absolute pleasure assaults my senses. It’s more than an orgasm—it’s euphoric, but not just for my body. The pleasure touches my mind, body, and soul.
I feel him then, between my legs. I’m full, but there’s no pain. We fit together perfectly.
His lips move as he opens his mouth, releasing me from his bite. A thin trail of blood weeps from the wound, only making it an inch or two before I feel the tip of his tongue dart out and lave over my neck.
“There are no what-ifs,” he murmurs, his lips still brushing my skin. It shouldn’t be possible for something so simple to feel so good, but it does. My skin comes alive everywhere he touches me. I’m too far gone to agree he was right, to acknowledge there are no what-ifs between us. He is mine, and I am his.
I feel his palm on the back of my head, pushing me toward his neck. “Your turn. Take your fill, little flower. I want to know my blood and my cock are deep inside you.”
My lips brush the side of his neck, and he shudders before his fingers tighten into a fist around my hair. An ache hits my stomach, as if trying to urge me to bite him faster, but I hold off, savoring the moment and his reactions to my soft kisses and caresses. His skin tastes even better than he smells—sweet and warm. My mouth is watering by the time I actually part my lips. Ziv tightens his grip in my hair and around my back, effectively locking me in place as I prepare to return his bond mark. This moment will tie us together indefinitely. That knowledge spurs me to action, and I strike just as quickly as I did in the arena.
Ziv groans as I take my first pull from his neck. His essence explodes on my tongue, and the circuit that was already inching toward connection fuses completely. His hips begin to move in earnest as he crushes me against his body. Fire fills my veins, warming me from the inside and sating the endless hunger.
Another wave of pleasure, this time centered in my core, assaults me, forcing me to jerk my head back and cry out. I feel Ziv’s blood dripping down my chin and see a trail racing down his chest. Even while in the throes of ecstasy, I can’t take my eyes off the tiny red stream racing to where we are connected.There is something perfectly fitting about knowing our blood is mingling inside and out.
