Page 52 of Love in the Wild

“You can go faster,harder,” she whispered in his ear. He was holding back, she was sure, and she wanted him to let go of his control.

He growled softly, the animal inside him clawing its way to the surface. He pinned her hands to either side of her face as he rose above her, and then he showed her what he could really do.

Eden gasped as he fucked her hard and raw. It was glorious. She’d always enjoyed a bit of roughness, but this was primal, instinctive, animalistic, and she couldn’t get enough. He knew just how to dominate her, how to claim her as his own. Thorne didn’t give her a chance to catch her breath. The bed frame smacked against the wall hard enough to leave marks and probably wake up the neighbors. Each pump of Thorne’s hips mixed with his gentle but strong hold on her trapped hands, and it completely undid Eden.

Their breaths mingled and the bed creaked in protest as they made love, frantic and intense. It was as though they were back in the jungle, surrounded by the roar of the falls and the call of the birds. They were joined, man and woman, two hearts racing wildly over the same cliff.

She came a second time and cried out his name, and he was there with her in that beautiful perfect moment. He nuzzled her neck, his lips exploring her skin as he caught his breath. He still held her pinned to the bed, and Eden quivered with aftershocks from the excitement of still being trapped beneath him. Being so thoroughly owned by him, as though he’d invisibly marked her, was the most amazing thing she’d ever felt. She was fully and truly his.

After a long moment, he rolled off her and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. His reverence for lovemaking, forher, left her reeling, like she’d stumbled into a wide world of amazing wonders. Every time he touched her, it felt like magic. It was the one thing she’d always craved in a relationship yet had never found, until him. How could she feel this way for a stranger? Emotion choked her words deep into her throat when she would have spoken to him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his deep voice almost rumbling like a jaguar’s growl.

She finally managed to find her tongue. “Yes. Being with you, it’s just so different.” She flushed and hid her face in his shoulder.

“Is that bad?”

She sensed a hint of worry in his tone. She raised her head to stare at him. “No, no. It’s a good thing. I’m just not used to it. But ... it’s what I’ve always wanted with a man.” Growing up in the wild the jungle made him seeherin a way that others did not. It was freeing, to know she could open up to him like this.

Thorne threaded his fingers through her hair, smiling. His sweet yet seductive expression melted her heart, and she cuddled closer. He tightened his arm around her body and pressed a kiss to her forehead, the touch both warm and tender. Eden closed her eyes, taking in the scent of the jungle, rain, and man, burning it into her mind forever. Now was the time to tell him about his uncle and the new life that awaited him.

She kissed his chest. “Thorne, please don’t be angry, but I spoke to your uncle today. Cameron Haywood.”

His chest grew still beneath her hand.

“He wants to meet you. I told him how we met. He is so excited to find you alive. He’s your family, Thorne. You really should meet him.”

Thorne drew in a breath. “If I meet him, you will leave me?” he asked.

She hadn’t expected that reaction. “Leave you? I ... No, no, I won’t leave you. I would be happy to go wherever you go if you want me to.”

He suddenly relaxed, the tension in his body releasing beneath her.

“If you are with me, I will meet thisuncle,” he said the word with a childish suspicion that made her smile. She tapped his chest with a finger.

“Remember, you are an uncle to Akika’s son. Remember how much you love Akika and his child? That is how Cameron feels about you.”

He arched one dark brow. “How do you know this?”

“I know, because I could hear it in his voice. He spent a decade looking for you, ten years. I know you don’t know what that means, but it’s almost half the time you’ve been alive, Thorne. That’s how long he looked for you. He didn’t believe that I’d found you at first, but I sent him pictures of your father’s ring and your mother’s necklace.”

Thorne brushed the backs of his fingers over her throat. “You are not wearing it.”

“I didn’t want to break that delicate chain while I slept. It’s in a special pouch, along with your father’s ring.”

Thorne seemed satisfied with that answer. “He believes you now? About me?”

“Mostly. Many people have pretended to have found you and your parents over the years for money.”

He growled darkly. “You mean gold?”

“Something like that. People can be greedy, and they can be cruel to get what they want.” She cleared her throat. “But people can also show compassion and love without end to one another. Most people believe in the goodness of humankind, and they are the ones you should put your faith in. I believe your uncle is a good man, as well as his wife, your aunt. Will you trust them?”

He was silent a long moment. “I trustyou. You have a pure heart. I will always trust you.”

His words shook her. How could he have such faith in her in so short a time? She hadn’t done anything to deserve such loyalty from him.

“Will you trust me then if I trust your uncle?”

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