When her climax faded, she should have been sated, completely fulfilled. But she wasn't. She wanted him buried deep inside her, so deep he'd leave his mark on her for days.
Desperate, Darius lifted her and spun her toward him. He tumbled her over and gazed down at her. "Now?" The word emerged hoarse and eager. Frantic. He needed to be inside her.
She spread her legs wide, fitting his hard length where it belonged, almost-but not quite-at the sweet edge of penetration. "I'll always be ready for you."
"You're my woman. Say it."
"I'm yours. Now. Always."
"And I am yours." He slanted his mouth over hers at the same moment he impaled her. He cried out at the joy of it, the heady bliss, his enjoyment so intense his wings burst unbidden from his back, stroking a heated draft over their bodies. His majestic wings stayed suspended in the air for a breathless moment, two deceptively sheer extensions that at last lowered, surrounding him and Grace in an iridescent cocoon.
Shocked, he stared down at her. Her eyes were closed, and her lips pressed together. Instead of a pained cry, she murmured in surrender.
For Grace, the sharp pain of virginity left as suddenly as it appeared, leaving only the thickness of him. The hardness.
"You are… this is… I am your first lover," he said, when the realization struck him. "Only lover." A possessiveness more potent than orgasm shuddered through him.
"Don't stop," she said. "Mmm. You feel so good."
"Your only mate," he said with awe. He moved slowly at first, but that wasn't enough for her. She gripped his hips, raised her own and ground herself into him. He needed no more encouragement. He clasped her bottom and pumped into her, over and over, again and again.
He rode her hard, unable to slow. His kisses grew fervent, plunging in sync with his powerful thrusts. Exquisite tension held her in its grasp, held tighter, tighter, then suddenly exploded, gifting her with the most shattering gratification she'd ever experienced. She shuddered with it, gasped and screamed with it.
"By the gods, you are sweet," he said through clenched teeth. Anchoring her legs atop his shoulders and sending him deeper inside her, he quickened his strokes further and joined her, chanting her name.
Unexpectedly she climaxed again.
Darius carried Grace to bed and neither of them rose for several hours.
He wanted to spend the rest of his life right here in her arms, her plump backside nestled against him, but knew that wasn't meant to be.
Midnight had settled over the land.
Moonlight crept through the windows, its silvery fingers intertwining with darkness. The city pulsed with life, even at this later hour. Time to leave. Still…
He allowed himself a few more minutes of quiet luxury, of holding Grace in the protective shield of his embrace. Her intoxicating scent surrounded him, and her warmth seeped into his bones. Virgin. She had been virgin. This beautiful, sensuous creature had given him what she'd given no other man.
She was a treasure more rich and satisfying than any other. He would protect her with his life.
"Darius?" she sighed, snuggling closer.
"Hmm?"
"Are we married? I mean, we didn't sign anything or-"
"We are joined. Never think otherwise."
"I'm glad." She eased up on her elbow and offered him a satisfied smile.
"As am I," he said.
"What we did-I don't think there's even a word to describe the bliss."
He nipped the softness of her shoulder with his teeth. "I meant to go slowly, wife, meant to savor you."
Her eyelids fluttered down. "Say it again."
"I meant to go-"
"No. The part where you called me your wife."
His arms tightened around her. "We belong together, wife."
She rolled onto her side and faced him. "Just so you know, I happened to like it the way you gave it to me, husband ."
His cock should not have stirred for hours-perhaps days-but as he looked at her and basked in her words, need unfurled through him. If they did not get up, he would take her again, and he knew he wouldn't have the strength to leave afterward.
"Get dressed," he said, patting her bottom. "Time for us to visit Jason Graves."
Grace lost her dazed expression. The sensual reprieve ended as real life intruded. She lumbered to her feet and stumbled to her bathroom. Wincing at the soreness of her body, she took a quick shower and slipped on a pair of black pants and a matching black, short-sleeved shirt.
When she glanced up, Darius stood in the bathroom doorway, watching her through intense, golden eyes. Golden eyes! Her pulse fluttered in time with a single thought: he is my husband ! His pants hung low on his waist, giving him a sexy, rakish air. She found herself taking a step toward him, intent on slipping her fingers beneath the black material and-she stopped that line of thought before it was too late. Before she lost herself in him.
He didn't appear aroused in any way. He looked… pained, like that strange weakness afflicted him again. Proud as he was, he didn't say a word.
"Come with me," she said. She led him into the kitchen. There, she hurriedly fixed him a sandwich, and once he finished eating, he leaned back in his chair. He looked the same. Why hadn't that helped? She frowned and took his hand, meaning to gauge his temperature. But as she held his palm in hers, his color returned. It wasn't food that strengthened him, she realized, but her. Her touch.
"You have to tell me what's going on," she said, holding his gaze and retaining her grip on his hand. "What causes your illness?" When he remained silent, she persisted. "Tell me."
He sighed. "When the gods banished us to Atlantis, they bound us irrevocably to the land. Those that try to leave, die."
Her stomach twisted, and her body went cold. If staying here meant his death, she wanted him gone. "You have to go home. Now." She allowed all of her concern, all of her anguish at the thought of his demise, to seep into her voice.
"I will return in the morning as planned."
"I'll search Jason's home on my own, then fly to Brazil. I can be in Atlantis in two days."
"No. On both counts."
"But-"
"No, Grace."
She had to convince him to leave. But how? She released him and began cleaning away the dishes, keeping her back to him. In seconds, he was directly behind her, holding her captive between his arms.
"You are upset," he said.
She paused, saying, "I'm scared for you. I'm scared for Alex. I want this to be over."
An undercurrent of menace suffused his voice when he said, "Soon. Very soon."
CHAPTER 19
Bright neon lights glazed from nearby buildings. Grace sucked in a deep breath as her gaze darted left and right. I'm a criminal. I'm breaking and entering - or committing a B and E as the arresting officer would say . She pursed her lips together and fought a shiver. She'd never admit this aloud, but hidden beneath her nervousness surged an intense adrenaline rush.
She and Darius stood outside Jason's swanky apartment building. A slight breeze drifted past, cooling her heated skin. She pressed her back to the brownstone, and cast another glance to her right. Unfortunately Darius couldn't magically teleport them inside. He had to visualize a room first, and he'd never been inside Jason's. She wondered, though, how he planned to get them in undetected.
"What if we set off the alarms?" she asked softly. Did the people strolling the streets suspect the truth? She was wearing all black, after all. Criminal colors.
"We will not," Darius answered confidently.
"Security guards observe screens of every corridor, maybe every room."
"That does not matter. I will cast a spell to guard us before we set a single foot inside." He leveled her with an intense stare. "Are you ready?"