Her gaze flew to his.
With a smile he tried to gentle, he ripped his jeans off. From the wariness crossing her high cheekbones, he missed his mark with gentle. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not.” She blinked twice. “You just look like you want to consume me.”
“I plan to.” He wanted to joke, but his voice emerged guttural and full of truth. He fully intended to taste every inch of her.
She murmured low, and sparks lit her eyes. “Prove it.”
Ah. There she was. The real woman behind the proper prophet. He’d give his life to see the real Lily Sotheby. To have her. So he slid up her body, pressing his skin against hers.
Electricity sparked his nerve endings, careening straight for his balls. His groan mixed with her sigh.
She reached around him, skimming her hands down his back. “I love how strong you are, Caleb.”
It was like she wanted to take his heart forever. He silenced her with his mouth covering hers, careful to keep his weight balanced on his elbows. The need to plant himself inside her roared through him, and he settled for the moment with sweeping inside her mouth.
Strawberries.
She returned his kiss, her tongue playing with his, her sharp little nails digging into his back. Her legs widened, and the warmth of her cleft slid along his cock. Fire roared between his ears.
He reared back, trying not to pant.
“I’m ready, Caleb,” she said softly, her thighs pressing on his hips.
“No, you’re not.” Heat. Liquid heat was spilling from her, and he shoved back the primal beast inside him who wanted to take.
She frowned, her expression disgruntled. “Yes, I am. Do you want me to beg?”
The image of Lily begging nearly made him come right then. “Not this time, but someday, you will.” Yeah. He loved the fire that shot into her eyes at that statement. But her body wasn’t ready for his, and he wished he could go back and punch Sotheby in the face for not teaching her about foreplay. But then again . . . it’d be Caleb’s pleasure.
So he ducked his head and sucked a pink nipple into his mouth.
She gasped and arched against him.
Grinning around her diamond-hard point, he flicked his tongue against her. Her surprise made him enjoy the moment even more. The idea of the things he could show her flared through him.
“Ahhh,” she moaned, her nails piercing deeper into his flesh. More wetness spilled from her and coated his balls.
He played with her breasts, his mouth working her nipples, giving each one equal attention until she writhed beneath him, incoherent murmurs emerging on her sighs. Then he kissed a path down her stomach, impressed by the small but tight muscles shifting beneath his lips. Lily worked out.
Then he reached his goal.
She released him to dig her fingers through his hair, and he groaned at the contact. Then she tried to tug his head back up. “Caleb, no—”
Oh yeah. He licked her slit, tasting strawberries and woman.
Her entire body stilled. “Ah, I think, um—”
Amusement warred with the hunger ripping through him, and he raised his head, making sure his heated breath warmed her clit when he spoke. “What do you think?”
Her eyes crossed, and he bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. How could sex be fun and hard-edged at the same time? “Stop talking.” He went back to playing before she could protest, paying close attention to the way her body moved and her breath hitched.
The beast inside him shoved harder against the chains. He wanted to savor her, to enjoy her sexual awakening. But the beast was about to take control. Enough playing.
He slid a finger inside her. Damn. Hot, wet, and tight. Too tight. He slipped another finger inside, crisscrossing them, brushing her G-spot. Then, with a growl, he sucked her entire clit into his mouth.
She cried out, arching against him, waves rippling through her abdomen. The orgasm shook her entire body, her internal walls gripping his fingers and then finally softening.
There. Now she was ready. With one last soft kiss to her sex, he wandered up her body, pressing against her entrance.
Wide eyes met his.
He blinked. “What?”
She swallowed. “Nothing.” Yet she appeared both flushed and bewildered.
He nipped her jaw. “You’ve had an orgasm before.” Right?
“Yes. But not quite so powerful,” she breathed out.
He levered himself up and grinned. “Then hold on, baby.” Using every ounce of control he owned, he pressed inside her inch by inch, giving her body time to accommodate his size.
Even so, he couldn’t keep himself from shoving the last couple of inches in hard.
She stilled and slowly exhaled. “You’re so big.”
Male ego swelled within him, and he laughed. “Stop being fun.”
She tilted her head on the pillow to study him. “Why not?”
Because fun and sweet would rip out his heart and keep it forever. This was a quick release, a way to burn off tension and deal with a curiosity he’d had for centuries. He had to explain that to her, even while his body bellowed with the need to pound. “I can’t love you and be who I need to be,” he said softly, his heart giving her the truth even while his brain yelled for him to shut up.
Her sweet smile shocked the hell out of him. “You’re not expendable, Caleb. No matter how badly you think you’re the final shield.”
Only Lily Sotheby would see that far into his soul. He had no answer for her, so he wrapped a hand around her hip, and slid out and then back in.
Her mouth opened in a silent O.
Yeah. Keeping her gaze, not allowing her to look away, he did it again, slowly increasing the strength of his thrusts. Desire burned bright across her face, a female demand in every breath she exhaled.
Lava slid through his veins, burning down his spine. His balls pulled tight. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he thrust harder, the fire burning him from within.
Reaching between them, he plucked her clit.
She cried out, the orgasm taking her, those glorious eyes shutting. She rippled around his cock, holding with such force he was almost shoved out of her heavenly body. So he thrust harder to stay inside, the one place made only for him.
Without any thought, his fangs dropped low, and he sank them into her neck. Strawberries exploded on his tongue, and he pressed inside her, staying deep, as the orgasm ripped through him, stronger than any force found in nature.
Energy rippled through him and into her. She took everything he had and then some, leaving him panting and shocked. Even so, as his fangs retracted, he licked her wound to seal her skin.
He lifted his head to meet her bemused gaze.
His knees were actually weak, and his heart pounded. He’d had no idea. A fierceness he’d never expected rose in him—a primal demand to protect and keep her safe. Forever.
She smiled, her soothing hands sliding along his shoulders. “That was wonderful. Stop worrying. I’m not asking anything of you.” Her tone remained breathless and reassuring.
Oh, she so did not get it. He finally allowed his baser nature to rise and shine bright in his gaze. “Then start asking, Lily. After this, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go. Ever.”
Chapter Seven
Lily finished her yoga pose in her peaceful suite, finally giving up on breathing evenly. The night with Caleb had been more than a physical awakening; it had been an emotional beginning. A realization that she was more than a prophet, more than duty-bound. She was alive. Yet peace through yoga wouldn’t come, so she focused on the moment. The fire crackled in the spacious living room, while the tumultuous Pacific churned gray and dangerous outside.