Page 31 of Hunter

Wearing it made Zoey feel as if she was surrounded and protected by Hunter.

Until she’d met him, she hadn’t realized how much those feelings of security and acceptance had been missing for most of her life.

Now she never wanted to give them up.

Or Hunter.

She stood to cross the room to where Hunter was sitting. “I think you’ve probably spent enough time on that for one evening, don’t you agree?” she cajoled as she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder.

Hunter’s lackof success in locating Wallis, after all these hours of searching for him, had left him feeling frustrated as well as impatient. But those emotions vanished the moment Zoey put her hand on his shoulder.

Overwhelming heat and desire took their place.

He turned in his seat, and Zoey immediately stepped between his parted legs before she rested both her hands on his shoulders. The flush in her cheeks and the brightness of her eyes, the pupils blown, told him she was as affected by their physical closeness as he was.

Hunter’s self-control had already been severely tested by being in the same room with her and her delicious scent for all these hours. It was tested even further by the fact that she was wearing one of his T-shirts and nothing else beneath it. It was huge on her, but even so, he could now clearly see the outline of her engorged nipples pressing against the soft cotton material.

His eyes widened when she held his gaze as she slowly bent toward him, her intention of kissing him clearly shown in the focus of her eyes on his lips.

The moment their lips touched, Hunter was overwhelmed by a kaleidoscope of colors and emotions. Zoey’s gasp told him that she was equally affected.

Hunter’s arms moved about Zoey’s slender waist as the kiss deepened, becoming wild, more desperate, hungry.

They were both breathing hard by the time she pulled back slightly to look at him. “Can you…have normal sex?”

Hunter’s eyebrows rose. “As opposed to what?”

“Mating sex.” Heat colored Zoey's cheeks. “I fully intend for us to get to that too.” She smiled when Hunter’s dragon gave a low growl of approval. “But I thought maybe for my first time, we should just have…normal sex?”

Herfirsttime? Hunter didn’t need to hear his dragon growl again to know how possessive the thought of being Zoey’s first and only lover made him feel.

Zoey began to chuckle. “It sounds silly when I actually put that into words. But the truth is, I really want the closeness of having sex with you, and the gentle aftermath, and I’m guessing mating sex is a little more intense than that?”

Hunter’s arms tightened about her waist. “Yes, I can have normal sex. But whether it’s normal or mating, the two of us will be making love, not having sex.” His brows lowered. “Although you’re quite correct in assuming our mating will be very intense.”

“Tell me,” she encouraged softly.

“The mating ritual calls for me to mount you from behind, and that I then bite you as I come so that our essence and blood can mix and unite us as mates.”

“That sounds…highly erotic.”

“But maybe not—did I understand you correctly?—for your first time?” Hunter looked at her searchingly, desperately hoping that was the case.

Her blush deepened and her gaze avoided meeting his. “I’m one of those people who needs to care deeply about the person I’m going to have something as intimate as sex with. Which has been difficult, because I really haven’t trusted anyone enough to fall in love with them. Until you,” she added shyly.

Hunter stilled. He had already been overwhelmed and grateful that he would be Zoey’s first lover, but hearing her say these words totally stunned him. “You love me?”

She nodded. “Not only do I love you, but I trust you too,” she stated without hesitation. “And I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to finally have the freedom to feel that way about someone after so many years of living with a man who clearly doesn’t know how to feel either of those emotions.”

“Don’t give him the power to even begin to make you feel sad,” Hunter encouraged as he captured her gaze with his own. “I loveand trust you too, Zoey, and not just because we’re mates. That you are beautiful is beyond dispute, but I also know how strong you are, how kind. That you are also a happy person, despite the losses in your life. I also know that you cared enough to protect a complete stranger, me, from any unpleasantness you feared might emerge from the man who has been your guardian for the past twelve years.” Hunter fully intended to look further into that situation, because something about it didn’t quite ring true to him. “I love you, Zoey. Completely and utterly.” A purring sound rumbled in his chest. “My dragon loves you too.”

“I love you and your dragon too!” Zoey laughed, a totally joyful sound.

“Will you marry us?”

“Oh yes,” she accepted happily.

Hunter kissed her long and deeply. “We can choose our rings once we’re with my treasure hoard.”

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