“Oh, yes,” she moaned, arching upward as his lips traced the curve between the mounds of her breasts before moving to the other aching nipple.
Her fingers impatiently threaded through his hair. The satin strands brushed her skin, only heightening her pleasure.
“Do you like that, ma chère?” he breathed, his hands skimming over her hips and down her thighs. His touch was searing hot, matching the molten heat flowing through her veins.
Tugging at her nipple with the edge of his teeth, Raphael eased his hand between her legs and sought the moist heat.
She grasped the strong column of his neck, hanging on for dear life as he stroked his fingers over her clit, finding the sweet spot of her pleasure.
She was falling into a whirlpool of sensation that bordered on pain, it was so intense.
“Raphael.”
Easily sensing the raw edge of need in her voice, Raphael lifted his head to nuzzle his lips just below her jaw.
“I have you…ma chère,” he softly soothed. “I will always have you.”
She shivered as her hips instinctively lifted to press more firmly to his caressing finger.
“I know.”
He lifted onto his elbow and peered deep into her wide eyes. “Are you ready for me?”
For a long moment she merely gazed into his beautiful face. With his golden hair tumbled over his shoulders and the muted light playing over his stark features he looked barely civilized.
Feral.
Her lips parted, her breath coming in short pants.
“Yes.”
His mouth covered hers as he rolled to settle between her parted legs and impale her with one smooth thrust. He swallowed her cry of pleasure as her hips left the mattress and her nails scored down his back.
Yes. God, yes.
She grasped the headboard as he plunged in and out of her, always careful to keep his weight off her stomach.
It was swift and raw and exactly what she needed.
She was being consumed by Raphael and she couldn’t make herself care. For this one priceless moment she wanted to be overwhelmed. She wanted to belong to this man on the most basic level.
Thrusting his tongue between her willing lips, Raphael fucked her with an increasing intensity. Ashe clutched at him as the pressure built to a looming crescendo.
She was perilously close.
“Raphael.”
“I know, ma chère,” he muttered against her mouth, his body pressing deeper.
Her breath came in jagged gasps as the pleasure tightened and spiraled toward a shimmering point. His strokes quickened, sinking him deep in her. At the same time, he angled his head to bite the vulnerable curve of her neck.
The pleasure/pain hit a critical point and her entire body tightened. For a breathless moment she hovered on the edge, then with explosive force the bliss shattered through her and she was soaring through paradise.
They lay in dazed astonishment for a long moment, Raphael groaning as he emptied his seed. Ashe held him tight, savoring the rare moment of absolute peace.
At last Raphael gently pulled out, cradling her face as he spread delicate kisses over her flushed cheeks.
Boneless, Ashe watched in silence as he reached into a side table to grab the key to the handcuffs. Removing the steel bracelet, he gently kissed the red mark that circled her wrist before covering both of them with the quilt.
“That was…” She released a shaky breath. “Amazing.”
He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips before pulling back to regard her with a searching gaze.
“Why did you leave the bar after I told you to stay?”
“Why?” She met his accusing gaze with a frown, her sense of contentment swiftly fading. She might be slowly accepting that her life was now tied with this male, but that didn’t mean she was ever going to follow orders. “Because I don’t appreciate being held captive.”
“I was trying to protect you,” he growled.
The rasp of male possession made her frown deepen. Okay, this was something that needed to be nipped in the bud.
Raphael had the sort of alpha personality that would ride roughshod over her if she didn’t take a stand.
“A protection that wouldn’t have been necessary if you hadn’t gotten me caught in the middle of your gang war.”
He stiffened, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Gang war?”
“That man obviously thought I was with you and wanted to make a point.”
“We are Pantera, not a gang,” he said. “And we certainly aren’t at war.”
“Then why was that lunatic shooting arrows at me?”
He held her gaze. “I don’t know, but it’s you they’re after.”
A chill inched down her spine. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve lived here all my life without having people trying to kill me.”
His hand moved to lie gently against her lower stomach. “You weren’t carrying this.”
She studied his grim expression, the chill spreading through her body.
“My baby?”
“Our baby.”
“But…” She licked her dry lips. “No one knows I’m pregnant.”
He arched a brow. “No one?”
She shrugged. “My mother, but she wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Not even if she was drinking?”
She flinched as his words hit a nerve. Her mother was notoriously chatty when she was sitting on a barstool. There wasn’t a person in town who hadn’t heard when Ashe had her first period or when she’d been stood up on prom night.
Thankfully, people had long ago started ignoring the increasingly incoherent woman.
“Who listens to a drunk?” she muttered.
“You might be surprised.” The edge in his voice suggested he’d spent more than a few nights cross-examining an unsuspecting, inebriated fool. “Anyone else?”
She chewed her bottom lip, knowing the question was important. “My doctor.”
“Local?”
“Yes.”
“When did you see him?”
“Two days ago.” Her lips twisted in a rueful smile. It seemed a lifetime since she’d walked into the small clinic believing she was suffering from a bout of the stomach flu. “He called earlier today with the results.”
“Time enough to share the information.”
She frowned. “With who?”
He caught her chin in his fingers, forcing her to meet his determined gaze.
“Until we can find out, I need to get you to the Wildlands.”
“The Wildlands?” She shook her head in disbelief. Until a few hours ago the name had been nothing more than a place in legend and myth. Now he wanted her to leave her home and travel there? “I can’t.”
“Ashe, it’s the only place you and our baby will be safe.”
“But—”
Her protest was drowned out by a sudden thump on the door.
CHAPTER 6
SENSING Bayon standing in the hall, Raphael muttered a curse as he leapt off the bed and headed toward the dresser.
Yanking open a drawer, he removed a pair of gray sweats, pulling on the bottoms before tossing the matching top to Ashe.
It was three sizes too large for her, but it did fall to her knees, providing a small amount of modesty.
It would have to do until he could send someone back to the hotel to pick up her suitcase.
Pulling open the door, Raphael stepped aside to allow his fellow Pantera to enter the room, his cat keeping a watchful eye on the male to make certain Bayon didn’t stray too close to his mate.
No doubt sensing Raphael’s unease, Bayon remained close to the door, his pale green gaze never straying from Raphael.
“Glad to see you back, mon ami.”