Page 51 of Into the Dawn

"You're the one for me. And if you still want me, I'm all yours."

Ben blinks, his beast flashing in his eyes, and my chest seizes momentarily in panic as he takes in what I'm saying. His arms tighten around me protectively.

"You better mean it," he says softly but firmly. "Because if you say you're mine again, Nessie, I'm never letting you go. We'll be together forever. Starting now."

His claws have extended slightly—his control is impressive—and I watch, amazed, as one black claw slides into the belt of my gown and slices straight through it, allowing the sides to fall open. The tip of the other flicks against my hardened nipple, and I arch into his touch, scared of his sharp claws but craving his affection.

When I rest my hands on his thighs to keep myself steady, he rumbles, loud and clear, the vibration travelling through the tiny room.

From down the hall, Evan shouts, “If you guys aren’t… eh… tired, we’re going to see John for a while. Give you some privacy.”

And then they’re gone. A door closes. An engine starts. Tyres crunch over gravel.

“All alone,” Ben says, voice deep and husky, as he slowly pushes my gown off my shoulders till it falls around me. With one claw, he tips my chin up higher and watches me carefully as he trails the other down the side of my neck and along my shoulder.

“My beast was furious that we waited, that we didn’t mark each other before we tried to run away. He believes you never would have backed out then.”

It hurts to think about what I did to him. I wish I could go back in time and undo it.

“Are you certain you want this? Us? Because he’s not going to make the same mistake twice.”

Reaching up over my shoulder, I sweep my damp hair to the side and tilt my head away, giving him full access to my exposed neck. He can bite me right now if he wants.

Ben stares at the spot, fingers twitching, before he drags himself back from the edge of losing control. His claws retract, and for a second, I think he’s pulling away. That he’s not going to do it. Then, in the blink of an eye, he lifts me up then tosses me onto the bed with a playful growl.

“Did you really think I would mark you while you kneel on the cold, hard floor?”

I’ve barely stopped bouncing when he grabs the gown still tangled around one arm and throws it aside, but not before pulling free one piece of the now ruined belt. Biting down on it, he rests one knee on the mattress and shoves down his joggers.

No underwear. His cock, thick and long, bobs freely. It’s hard and swollen and pointing straight at me as he crawls over me, then straddles my thighs and pins me in place, looking relaxed and casual, where I feel like I’m staring down the barrel of a gun.

Quite literally.

The head of his erect penis stretches up past my belly button, so close, and yet, so far. As I try to sit up and reach for it, he tuts, resting a hand on my chest and pushing me back flat against the mattress. He captures my hands and presses my wrists together, slowly wrapping the soft belt around until my hands are tied.

“You didn’t think I was going to do this that quickly, did you? I’m going to enjoy this moment. Savour it.”

Every word he says in that deep, gravelly growl of his turns me on even more.

I squirm while I watch him, waiting for him to give me some clue to what he’ll do next.

Backing down my thighs, he looks me over, scanning every inch of my body, which is on full display with my hands bound above my head.

“I can’t decide where to put my mark. Or the first one, at least,” he mumbles to himself as he strokes along my soft tummy and lightly skims his fingertips over the underneath of mybreasts and up the valley between them. Teasing me. Torturing me. “Maybe I’ll mark you twice, and you don’t get to mark me. How do you like that?”

When a rumble sounds from my chest, Ben smiles, liking my beast’s possessiveness. If we’re mated, he’ll damn well be wearing my mark.

He kisses me tenderly, and I melt into it, a warm feeling of happiness and safety flooding my veins and making me feel lightheaded. Ben deepens the kiss, flicking his tongue under my top lip, feeling for my canines that are already down and ready to bite, and then chuckles to himself before pulling back out of striking distance.

“Maybe here,” he muses, settling between my legs before ghosting featherlight kisses across the delicate skin of my inner thigh. The urge to clamp them around his head and force him to put his mouth on me is strong, but I resist, wanting him to enjoy whatever this delayed gratification is.

Dusting kisses and nips across my belly, from one hipbone to the other, Ben’s warm skin on mine is heavenly, but when his fingers travel lower, stroking and dipping quickly inside me, I’m about to combust.

“Or maybe, somewhere else.”

Whimpering when he pulls away once more, I shift positions, lifting my body to meet his touch, but he continues agonizingly slow and relaxed, taunting me with featherlight touches and frustrating words. Ben’s hands rest on my waist as he smiles down at me.

“You’re a bad man.” I chastise him gently, feeling hot and bothered after just a couple of minutes of this game he’s playing.

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