I kiss her deeply, hands going to the back of her head while I keep her as close to me as I can get her.
Even if I shouldn’t push her and I should respect her need for boundaries, I need this more than I want to admit. I have ever since we initiated the bond.
Naia stiffens for half a second, then she relaxes into it and kisses me back.
The intoxicating scent of hers fills my senses and forces everything else to disappear as our lips meld with the kind of eagerness and passion you can’t fake. She grabs me and doesn’t let go, causing the invisible thread between us to pull so tightly that it nearly consumes us both.
The fact that she’s a Voss means nothing compared to what really matters, especially when I have her pressed up against me and chasing after my mouth with the same need.
She’s my mate, and I’ll be damned if anyone tries to get in the way.
Chapter 22 - Naia
Zane’s mouth is on mine, hot and urgent as he backs me up toward the living room. His one hand is in my hair while the other slips to my hip, and he kisses me like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he stops.
My skin is already flushed from the high intensity, and from how wrecked he looked the moment he stepped into the house.
I don’t know what came over him, but I don’t want it to stop, even if I should.
He’s everywhere, eagerly deepening the kiss as I hit the back of the nearest sofa and grip him tighter.
“I can’t pretend anymore,” Zane murmurs against my mouth, barely breaking the kiss. “I can’t pretend I don’t want this.”
My heart stutters at the confession, feeling as if every wall of mine starts to crumble.
“I hate that I want this.”
“I know,” he says, eyes glazed with need. His fingers slip into my hair, gently holding the back of my head. “You can hate this and hate me…just don’t deny us both. Please.”
Before I can stop it, my eyes soften as I look up at him, not used to hearing that near-desperate tone from him. “I don’t hate you.”
Something close to hope gleams in his eyes, and a soft breath escapes him before he kisses me again.
I hum into it as I slip deeper and deeper, unable to deny how badly I need this too.
With no protests left in me, I don’t fight as Zane scoops me up effortlessly and carries me around the sofa before sitting down with me in his lap.
The position sends a thrill up my spine, and I already know it would take great strength to pull away from him now.
His hands settle on my hips as he drags me as close as possible, his mouth only leaving mine to kiss down my neck. He pauses at my pulse and inhales deeply, not hiding how it makes him shiver and react viscerally before his teeth scrape at the spot while he barely represses a strained growl.
The need emanating from him weakens me, and I can’t bring myself to deny it either. Not with the almost reverent way he’s taking me in.
“I need all of you, even if it’s selfish,” Zane murmurs, fingers finding the buttons on my shirt already. His eyes are softer than usual despite the determination in them.
His words alone are enough to make me feel hotter, but when he pushes the material off my shoulders and starts to kiss my skin, I can’t find the right words to say.
Mapping out every inch of my skin, his hands are everywhere, claiming and urgent. The more he uncovers about me, the less I can stop myself from doing the same in return.
In a quiet rustle of fabric and heavier breaths, we remove piece by piece from each other, kissing in between until we’re down to nothing and chasing each other’s mouths.
When the last of our clothes disappears, Zane settles me back in his lap like he can’t stand the thought of me being anywhere else, and he leaves open-mouthed kisses up my neck.
Skin to skin now, bodies pressed together, the arousal between us is no secret, and without needing to speak it, we both know it requires no lead-up.
Instead, Zane’s mouth seeks mine out again, gentler now but still just as hungry, and he guides me closer.
Settled above him, I grip him and the back of the couch for support before slowly easing myself onto him.
