Page 104 of Immortal Unveiled

~ ~ ~

Manus felt his heart pound as if it wanted to leap out of his chest. “If you need more time, if you’re not there yet, I’ll wait for however long it takes.”

A tear loosened from her eye and rolled down her cheek. “There’s no need to wait.” She sniffled. “I know what I feel, what I’ve felt for a while now. I never thought it would happen so quickly. But when you showed me who you really are, what’s really inside you… I fell in love with you in that moment. And every day, I love you more.”

Manus let out the breath he’d been holding, allowing his heartbeat to normalize. “You make me the happiest man in the world by saying that.” He brought his face close to hers, ready to kiss her, but Kim hadn’t said yet what he needed her to. “Does that mean you’ll have me? As your immortal mate? Forever and ever?”

“I can’t think of anything I want more,” Kim murmured and slid her arms under his robe, wrapping them around his back.

Feeling her hands on his bare skin ignited his passion for her in an instant. He pulled her against his chest and slanted his lips over her mouth, capturing it. Kim met him eagerly, responding to his kiss like she’d done the nights before though this time everything was different. This time, he knew that her kiss meant total acceptance of everything he was. Total acceptance of his scars, those outside and those inside.

Kim tasted of everything that was good in this world, everything that was right. Her scent and her taste seeped into every cell of his body, marking him, branding him so he would never want any other woman. He understood now what his brethren had experienced when they’d found their mates, when they’d secured their mates’ affections. He’d finally found the one person who understood him and loved him despite everything.

He drew Kim closer to him, placing one hand on her backside to press her against his rampant cock, letting her know what he needed from her now. A moan was her response, and he gobbled it up like the greedy bastard he was. He rubbed his cock against her stomach, eliciting another moan from her, while he felt her heartbeat accelerate and drum against his chest to rival his own. Two hearts beating for one another. Soon they would be one.

Kim seemed as impatient as he because she now tugged on his robe and pushed it off his shoulders, forcing him to remove his hands from her. But not for long. As soon as his robe dropped to the floor, he pulled her back against his body. He reached for her ass again and hiked up her short nightgown. She wore no panties. Bare skin greeted his palms, and he ripped his mouth from hers and let out a breath.

“Babe,” he murmured, “I can’t promise you that I’ll last long the first time tonight, but I can promise you that you’ll never experience anything more amazing.”

Kim chuckled softly, and the sound felt like warm water trickling down his spine. “Then get to work, warrior.”

He didn’t need another invitation. He gripped the seams of her nightgown and pulled it over her head, then tossed it to where his robe had landed. For a moment, he just feasted his eyes on Kim’s naked beauty. She was perfect in every way. The perfect contrast to him.

When he suddenly felt her thumbs hook into the waistband of his boxer briefs, he realized he’d been staring more than just a few seconds. Long enough for Kim to take matters into her own hands. She pushed his boxer briefs down, and he helped her and stepped out of them.

Cool air blew against his hard cock, but only for a moment. Kim was already wrapping her palm around him, making him hiss in a breath.

“Fuck!”

He was more than just sensitive tonight. Anticipation of what was going to happen tonight had made him hyper-receptive to Kim’s touch.

“You’re like a Roman candle,” she murmured, giving his cock a slow tug while she brought her lips to his. “Am I doing that to you?”

He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her against him. “You little minx, you know full well what you’re doing to me.” He kissed her hard and deep, then lifted her up into his arms and walked to the bed, where he slowly lowered her onto the mattress and caged her beneath him.

Her legs fell open, providing a space for him. And like he’d done the nights before, he accepted the offer and slid between her thighs while he braced himself on his elbows and knees.

When he looked into her face, Kim was looking right at him.

“How does the bonding ritual work?”

Manus brushed a few strands of hair from her face. “Remember the night we made love in the dry cleaners shop?”

“Yes.”

“I poured my virta into you and made you shimmer golden. It’s like that.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you saying we already bonded that night?”

He laughed softly. “No, we didn’t. There was one thing missing that night. One thing you’ll have to do to make us one forever.”

She lifted her hand to his cheek and caressed it. “And what is that?”

“When I give you my virta, you’ll place your hand over my heart and send it back to me. It’ll complete the cycle.”

“But how do I do that?”

“Don’t worry. You’ll feel it.” It was an instinct, even though she was human. His virta would guide her. “You’ll feel me. My soul, my heart, my love for you.”