Page 45 of The Orc's Bonded Bride

The past that had haunted her—the abandonment, the loneliness, the unanswered questions—dissolved like morning mist under the sun’s warmth as she melted into him. For the first time since he’d reappeared in her life, she wasn’t kissing a memory or a ghost of what might have been. She was kissing him as he was now—scarred, powerful, and somehow more real than the boy she’d once known.

When they finally broke apart, she kept her hands on his broad shoulders, unwilling to lose the connection. The weight that had pressed against her heart for so long had lifted, leaving her breathless with unexpected lightness.

“I’ve imagined this moment a thousand times,” she confessed, her voice soft in the firelit darkness. “But the reality is so much better.”

His laugh vibrated through her where their bodies touched. His golden eyes, once so guarded, now shone with open wonder as he looked at her.

“I never let myself imagine it,” he admitted. “It hurt too much to hope.”

She traced the edge of a scar that ran along his jaw, no longer seeing it as a mark of what had changed but simply as a part of him—the male who had chosen her safety over his own happiness.

“No more secrets between us,” she said. “No more noble sacrifices. Whatever comes next, we face it together.”

The smile that spread across his face transformed him. In that moment, she saw clearly what they could be to each other—not just echoes of a shared past, but partners in whatever future they might forge.

“Together,” he agreed, the word a promise that resonated in the quiet glade.

CHAPTER 17

“Did you really mean it?” Egon asked a short time later, staring into the flames, almost afraid to look at Lyric.

She was curled against his side and she raised her head, giving him a confused look.

“Mean what?”

“That you want to be mine? Completely?”

“Of course I mean it. I told you I want to be with you.”

Four simple words that shattered the fortress he’d built around his heart. She wiggled closer, her scent wrapping around him—honey and flowers and something uniquely her. The firelight caught in her chestnut hair, turning the waves to liquid copper. His hands trembled as she reached for him.

“Are you certain?” His voice emerged rougher than intended. “I’m not?—”

“Don’t tell me what you’re not.” She pressed her fingertips gently to his lips. “I know exactly who you are, Egon.”

His Beast stirred, not with violence but with a primal need that threatened to consume him. When she lifted her face to his, he met her halfway, gently cradling her face in his big hands.

Their kiss deepened, years of longing poured into a single point of contact. Her hands slid up his chest, tracing the ridges of scars with acceptance rather than pity. Each touch burned through him, melting away layers of doubt.

“I never thought—” he whispered against her neck.

“Then don’t think.” She smiled, tugging him toward their bedrolls. “Just be. Be with me.”

He lowered her to the furs, his massive frame caging her in. Her eyes shone bright in the firelight, reflecting the same longing he felt.

“I’ve dreamed of this, you know,” she murmured. “So many nights, I’d lie awake and imagine…”

His lips traced the curve of her jaw, savoring the taste of her skin. “What did you imagine?”

“You,” she breathed, her hands tangling in his hair. “Touching me, holding me, making me yours.”

His control hung by a thread. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, to see fear in her eyes when she looked at him.

“I don’t want to rush this,” he murmured. “To take anything from you.”

Her laughter danced in the night air. “Egon, you’ve given me everything—my freedom, my past, my future. Let me give myself to you.”

Their eyes met, and he knew in that instant that she meant every word. With infinite care, he undressed her, his calloused hands skimming over silken skin, worshipping each newly revealed inch, so small and sweet and perfect. Her breath caught as he lowered his mouth to her breast, teasing the sensitive peak with his tongue until she arched beneath him, her fingernails digging into his shoulders.

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