“Not right now.”
His beard rasps over my skin, his lips hot and warm where he kisses my neck. Desire pools low in the pit of my stomach.
“What’s all that?” I ask, making him pause in his worship of my neck.
“Hmm?”
There’s a shelf full of seashells mounted over the bed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many. Who’d have thought my mate was such a collector? It’s cute. I untangle myself and approach the shelf. “Wow. These are beautiful.”
They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, but each is stunning.
“I didn’t know you liked seashells.” I suppose it makes sense, considering how much he loves the water.
Behind me, Gunnar clears his throat. “I am… neutral toward them. I like the way they smell. I started collecting them after we met.”
I turn to face him and find a dusting of pink on his cheeks. “Why?”
Gunnar rubs the back of his neck. “They smell like the ocean. Like you, Lo. And I suppose, even deep in my denial, I wanted whatever piece of you I could get.”
My chest tightens. I close the distance between us and take his hands. “You’ve had all of me, Gunnar. From the moment we met, I was yours. I wish we hadn’t been so hung up on our own doubts and insecurities.”
Gunnar’s lips tremble. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so foolish. I hurt you, Lo. I don’t know how you can forgive me.”
I silence him with a kiss. “Enough of that. We’re here now. We found our way to each other. That’s all that matters.”
Goddess, I need him now. I need to claim him, mark him with my magic, bind him to me so no one can ever take him from me. Not the TTA, not the Traveler Council, not his berserker.
This man is mine. He was mine the moment I fell into his arms and felt my soul reach for his. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have him after all this time, after everything we’ve been through.
I claim his lips with mine. A low sound rumbles in his throat, and his calloused fingers cup my jaw. He parts his lips, letting me in. Big hands slide down the back of my thighs, squeezing. I gasp, equal parts surprised and delighted, as he hauls me off my feet and up against his body.
Locking my thighs around his waist, I smile against his mouth as he carries me effortlessly to the bed in the corner of the cabin. When he sets me down at the edge of the bed, my body aches at the separation between us. “Come here,” I say breathlessly, scooting back to the head of the bed, motioning for him.
He smiles, eyes dark as he drops his trousers.
I need him with a desperation that runs deeper than mere lust. Yes, I need his body against mine, his cock inside me, that hot mouth on mine. That’s nothing new. What is new is the way my magic is humming under my skin, trying to reach for him and tie us together. My skin is too tight, and the anticipation feels like it will kill me.
I’ve torn off just about all my clothes in the seconds it’s taken for Gunnar to crawl across the bed toward me. He tugs my jeans the rest of the way down my legs. I kick them off and let my legs fall open, allowing him to kneel between them.
“Gods, Lo, you’re perfect,” Gunnar murmurs. He presses a sweet, light kiss to the edge of my mouth, then to my forehead. The tenderness in every touch of his mouth makes my eyes sting. He makes me feel sacred.
“I need you to shut your perfect mouth before I start blubbering and claim me already,” I say, giving his bottom lip a playful tug.
Gunnar laughs softly, then peppers my lips with kisses. “Just come here, close to me.” I grip his biceps, urging him down on top of me as I reach between our bodies and stroke both our cocks, my heart racing when Gunnar groans above me. When he rolls his hips, rubbing us together harder and faster, I can’tcontain my moan. He feels so good against me, hard and hot everywhere.
Gunnar’s forehead rests against mine. His eyes are dark and heavy-lidded, breath hot against my mouth. “Mmph, fuck, Arlo,” Gunnar groans, leaning down to nip and suck on my lips.
We’re so close, as close as we can be. It feels too good to have him on top of me, sharing frantic breaths and kisses, his cock hard and leaking all over mine. I won’t last much longer but I wish I could. I want to drown in every kiss and never come up for air.
I surrender completely to the pleasure, head falling back against the pillow as I babble. “Oh my goddess, fuck, Gunnar. Yes. Please don’t stop. Fuck yes, just like that.” My toes curl, my balls tightening. Goddess, I’m going to come. He’s going to make me come, and I want it so badly.
Then Gunnar stops stroking us. I’m left gasping and desperate. “What the bloody fuck?” I whine.
Gunnar sits back on his knees. His big hairy chest rises hard and fast. Beads of precum dribble down his thick cock. “Turn around, Lo.”
I bite my lip so I don’t moan at the implications behind that sexy command. Once I’m on my stomach, Gunnar puts some pillows under my hips. I hear him fumbling through a drawer. A bottle is uncorked with a pop. Gunnar groans, his hand passing over his cock with a slick sound. Desperate for relief, I rock my hips against the pillows.
Something thick and heavy smacks against my buttocks, rubbing between them.
