“Yes,” she moaned into the kiss, her hips rocking against his hand. She was so responsive, so eager for him. It drove him wild, made him want to do things to her that he’d never done before.

He wanted to taste her, to devour her, to feel her clench around his tongue, to hear her scream his name as she shattered. But not here, not like this. That would be for later, when he had her spread beneath him on his bed. He’d lick her until she begged him to stop, until she was shaking and spent, and then he’d do it all over again.

But right now, he needed to be inside her, to feel her heat wrapped around him. His cock was so painfully hard that he could barely think straight. All he knew was that he had to have her, had to make her his.

His cock sprang free from his sheath, thick and glistening. He didn’t have time to worry about the strangeness of his anatomy, all that mattered was the way she felt against him, the way her body welcomed him.

He positioned himself at her entrance, his eyes locked on hers. She stared back at him, her pupils huge and dark, her lips swollen and red. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and he was about to make her his.

My mate.

“Tell me you want this,” he growled and she smiled—fierce, breathless, trusting.

“Yes.”

His hips jerked forwards but he did his best to enter her slowly, to give her time to adjust, shuddering with pleasure as her tight heat began to envelop him. The pointed tip of his cock slid in easily enough and she gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she arched to meet him. He could barely breathe, barely think, as he slowly pushed deeper, her body straining to accept the increasing thickness of his shaft.

He was lost, completely and utterly lost in her. All that mattered was the way she felt around him, the way her body fit him like a glove. The way she whimpered his name as the thick ring at the base of his shaft strained against her body’s resistance. His tail slipped between them, flicking across her swollen clit and she shuddered, her body convulsing helplessly as she finally eased enough to take the rest of him.

They both groaned, and he forced himself to still, his forehead dropping to hers as he let her adjust to the size of him, her narrow channel still fluttering helplessly around his shaft.

Fuck. Had anything ever felt so perfect? So tight and hot and wet that he shuddered again. He never wanted to leave her body. He wanted to stay buried inside her forever, to feel her squeeze him as her pleasure took her. She was already quivering on the verge of another climax.

“Thorn,” she whispered, her voice breathless and needy.

He couldn’t deny her, couldn’t deny himself. He pulled out slowly, feeling every inch of her as he did. Then he thrust backin, hard and deep, filling her completely. She cried out, her head falling back against the tree trunk, her eyes closed in pleasure.

He set a hard, fast rhythm, driving into her with long, deep strokes, his hips slamming against hers with each thrust. His hand tightened on her ass, pulling her into him with each stroke. His tail flicked with each thrust, brushing across her clit as he fucked her.

Her nails dug into his back, scoring his skin as he pounded into her. She was close, he could feel it in the way her body clenched around him, in the way her cries grew louder and more frantic. He wanted to feel her convulse around him, wanted to feel her shatter in his arms. He angled his hips, hitting that spot inside her that made her gasp and moan.

“Come for me, Sylvie,” he growled, his voice low and rough with desire. “Let go.”

Her eyes flew open, locking onto his as she came apart around him. Her body shook, her walls clenching and releasing him in waves, milking his cock with every pulse of her pleasure. He didn’t stop, didn’t let up, fucking her through her climax and straight into another. He was relentless, driven by a primal need to make her his, to brand her as his mate in the most basic way possible.

“Thorn!” she cried out, her voice raw and desperate, her body trembling in his arms.

It was too much, the feel of her coming around him, the sound of his name on her lips, the way her eyes locked onto his. His knot expanded, locking them together as his release slammed into him, his cock pulsing as he spilled himself deep into her body. His hips jerked, his fingers digging into her skin, his tailwrapping around her thigh as he rode out his climax. It seemed to go on forever, his body shuddering and twitching as he filled her.

When it was finally over, he rested his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged and uneven. He could feel her heartbeat pounding against his chest, her body limp and sated in his arms.

“That was…” she whispered, trailing off as though she couldn’t find the words to describe what they’d just experienced.

“Yes,” he agreed, kissing her softly. “It was.”

They stayed there for a moment, just holding each other and catching their breath. Then he heard the sound of a twig snapping in the distance. Only a small creature but it served as a reminder that the poachers were still out there, and he’d been careless, putting them both in danger. His knot was still swollen, locking them together.

“Don’t move,” he warned as concentrated on slow, deep breaths, willing his knot to subside. Despite his best efforts, he was still somewhat swollen when he pulled out of her and she shuddered, her body clinging to him and urging him to drive back into her. He gritted his teeth and set her back on her feet. Her bra and panties were a lost cause, but he pulled her shorts back up her legs and tugged her t-shirt back into place. She wobbled but he steadied her, his hands lingering on her hips.

His gaze traveled down over her, lingering on the red mark on her neck, not quite a claiming bite, but close enough. For now.

My mate.

The words echoed in his head but he couldn’t quite bring himself to say them out loud. What if she rejected his claim?

“We should get moving,” he said gruffly. “We need to get to the cabin before they stumble across us.”

She nodded, her eyes still glazed with pleasure. “Okay.”