“Can you read me now, Ava mine?”
“No, I stopped as soon as I realized you wouldn’t appreciate the intrusion.”
“Don’t stop,” he told her softly. “I want you to know me. That’s the way it should be. A part of what I am allows me to sense you, to know what you want and need. It’s only fair that you can do the same. Read me. Tell me what you find.”
Her eyes started to shimmer with tears and he smiled, wrapping a hand around her nape. The love shifters experienced was much the same as humans, only it was magnified by the bonds of mating. Over time those ties would become stronger. While a mated male or female could, and often did, survive the loss of their mate, those who had been together longest usually followed soon after. Bloodbonding, however, was something else entirely. A whole new level of connection and closeness. Among his kind there was no stronger link, nothing more revered or respected.
Moving closer, he placed his lips in front of hers. “Come here.”
Their lips met, parted, and their tongues tenderly touched, soft and gentle. She moaned as she backed off and he followed, darting inside the warm, moist cavern of her mouth. This kiss was special, meaningful. It wasn’t the heated mating of tongues but the acknowledgement and acceptance of something far more that would encompass sweet and wild.
You taste so good.
He didn’t stop kissing her until he realized Ava’s mouth was locked on to his, making speech impossible. When he pulled away she was smiling.
“You can speak to me telepathically?”
“I wasn’t sure before now.” She leaned forward to trail her lips along his cheek, making a path to his ear. “I was always able to with my parents, although they warned me not to try with anyone else.”
Alarm caused him to force her away from his throat until she gazed at him in confusion.
“Can you read other shifters?” When she nodded he asked, “Can you communicate with them as well?”
“I’m not sure.” She appeared legitimately puzzled. “Why?”
He wasn’t sure if she was listening to his thoughts but if not, he wanted to clarify. Her ability, while amazing, had to remain hidden. No one could know that she could listen in or converse telepathically with a shifter. Humans, yes. Preternatural beings? Never.
It was too dangerous.
“I don’t want you doing this with anyone but me. If you listen in that’s one thing but never allow anyone to know what you can do. Do you understand?“
She must have read the danger in his mind because she didn’t argue. “Yes,” she exhaled breathlessly. “I understand.”
Suddenly her arousal swamped him, as if she’d unlocked a door that he wasn’t aware existed. He gained what she was thinking through feelings and could glimpse—if not necessarily spoken thoughts—something far more. She found his display sexy and thrilling. Knowing he wanted to protect her didn’t turn her off. If anything he made her hotter. She loved knowing he was possessive, wanted him to always care for her so much that he put her protection first.
“Diskant.” Her lips moved, so she was speaking, yet it was impossible to hear with the blood rushing through his veins, creating an excessive pounding in his head. “Make love to me.”
He stood and lifted her in his arms. It was as if they merged, mind and soul. She felt his desire, magnified it and fueled it with her own. She rose onto her knees before him and helped him slide free of his clothes before she removed her jeans, leaving him entirely nude and her barely clad in a skimpy bra and panties. Reaching out, he explored the delicate indention along her collarbone and she brought her small fingers up to his, mirroring the motion. Each place he touched her skin he was aware of the pleasure it brought and strangely was aware that it was the same for her.
“This is amazing.” Her tone was one of awe. “It’s like I’m under your skin but I’m still inside mine. I can’t wait to feel you inside me.”
He grinned and lowered his head to nip at her shoulder. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not going to make you wait.”
He wanted to take his time, make love to her and show her how fantastic slow and deliberate could be. Unfortunately now wasn’t the time. He had to get back downstairs and get things situated. After the shit was settled with Emory, however, he intended to do just that.
“We’ll go to the cabin,” Ava said, following his line of thinking, grinning impishly. “It’s isolated and a there’s a stream that runs along the back of the property into a lake. We can do whatever we want. You’ll love it there.”
Flashes of the two of them in the water—with her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands twined around his neck—came to mind. He could almost feel the lapping of the waves against his skin, feel the warmth of her cunt gripping him tight as the water cooled their legs and the sun heated their torsos.
“I’ll love being anywhere you are.”
After removing her bra, he pressed her into the pillows and slid her panties down her thighs, baring the sleek, glistening flesh between. Though visibly wet, her pussy was swollen, the lips slightly puffy and reddened from their last pairing. He could still scent his seed on her, the heavy tang of their mating a stark reminder of just how often he was satisfying his needs despite her human nature. Shame at his rough handling and treatment was quickly erased when Ava spread herself wider for him, meeting his eyes.
“I like it when I’m a bit sore after. It’s like you’ve left your brand on me.”
Shockingly, he felt the contentment she experienced as she focused on the dull throb between her legs, recalling how much she loved the sensation as she brought him into her head to share her thoughts. When they were at the bar, she’d relished feeling the aftereffects. There wasn’t any embarrassment. It made her feel cherished and desirable and she loved knowing that if she keyed him up he’d make her ache just like that all over again.
“You’re killing me.” He tested her with a gentle exploration of his fingers. They slid easily into her snug depths, surrounded in hot, wet softness that welcomed him as he plunged deeper.
Please, she whispered in his mind. I need you.
He fisted the meaty portion of his cock just below the crown, fed the tip inside and entered her. She was tight, her vaginal walls forced to stretch to accommodate him. She gasped and arched her back when he watched his length disappear inside her warm sheath, the lips parting as he slid deep. It was the most extraordinary sensation as he felt the slick, suctioning warmth of her cunt and was also aware of the thick, heavy fullness that his cock created inside of her. She whimpered and he had to force himself to stretch out the pleasure for as long as possible, remembering she too was aware of exactly how she felt to him.
“See, Ava. You feel like fucking heaven.”
Bending down, he sought the hard nipple in the center of her pebbled areola. The sensation sent ripples through his chest, traveling down to his balls, causing his scrotum to draw tight. He didn’t stop, biting down gently and flicking his tongue along the tiny nub as he brought his hand down to massage the tiny bead at the top of her sex. She rotated her hips and ground her clit against his fingers. The spasms in her vagina created pulsations all around him.
He was about to warn her he couldn’t hold off when she shattered, the pure and raw ecstasy of her orgasm rolling through him. A ball of fire seemed to explode from his stomach and spread through his body, extending to his limbs. It wasn’t the same as his own climax but felt amazing nonetheless. Heedless of anything else, he released her clit and started thrusting, going deeper, using his arms to create leverage. She took all of him, eyes closed and chin trembling, her hands forming fists as she clenched the pillows and moaned into the billowy material.