Page 93 of Heartsong
“Yes, I understand.”I understand I’m yours.She wasn’t ready to say those words, but Frey nodded, seemingly satisfied with her assent.
With that settled, they tucked into their dinner. Frey waxed poetic about the gyros, which made Anna’s heart happy. Still, even with the lighter topics and good food, an anxiety settled over the apartment. The glow from this morning had faded, and Anna desperately wished it back.
But burying her head in the sand hadn’t exactly gotten her far. It was time to take stock of the situation and do what she could.
When dinner was finished and the kitchen cleaned, she pulled Frey into the living room. Staring up at him, she tried to hide her nerves. Hands delving under his shirt, she took comfort from the warm burn of his skin. It drew her in, and she pressed her cheek to his chest, listening to his heart.
A set of claws carded through her hair, and Anna blinked away a sudden sting of tears. Standing in the center of her apartment like this, with him, it was almost like…they were at the beginning of something. Like just one more step and she’d take the fall.
Anna was terrified of heights and of falling.
She was scared of a lot of things, honestly, including the big man she held in her arms and what he meant for her.
But she had to trust that when she fell, he’d catch her.
She had to trust.
Pulling in a deep breath full of his rich scent, Anna finally got up the courage to ask, “Do you think sex would break the curse?”
His purring abruptly cut off, and he was silent so long that she had no choice but to peer up at him and assess the damage.
If she didn’t know better, she’d think from his face that he had a bit of gristle stuck in his throat.
His breath left him in a heaving rush, ruffling her hair. “What?” he croaked.
Anna shrugged, trying not to grimace with embarrassment. “I was thinking today about why the curse isn’t fully broken, and I thought…with everything you’ve said about how your people feel for their soulmates…maybe sex would be the final step.”
He blinked down at her owlishly, as if she’d started speaking a different language. He held himself so rigidly, she absolutely wasn’t ready when he swooped down to claim her mouth in a savage, messy kiss. His tongue pressed against her lips, demanding entry, and Anna gasped. A rumbling growl reverberated between them, and just when it felt like he’d sucked the very air from her lungs, he lifted his head.
The way he looked at her now had her toes curling into the rug; those gray eyes flashed, pupils dilating like a predator that’d just spotted prey.
Jaw working, it sounded like every word was forced when he said, “The mate bond isn’t solely about consummation. It’s about intertwining lives, our very souls. It grows the more it is accepted. But,” he stepped into her, hands dropping to her butt to pull her hips flush to his, “sex certainly helps.”
A bolt of heat sizzled Anna from head to toe to see that wicked grin adorning his lips. She’d never have thought herself a horns girl, but everything about him did things to her. The way his tail alternated between lashing and curling around her calf. How his wings bobbed and fluttered with his emotions, and most especially how they wrapped around her, cocooning them together. The way those fangs that could rend flesh were so tender with her as they nipped playfully at her throat.
His hands moved restlessly at her backside, kneading her curves, and the heat of his cock nearly burned her even through their clothes. Anna’s pulse thrummed in her throat, ready for him to sweep her into his arms and carry her off to bed.
Instead, he said, “When you are ready, I’m yours to command, my Anna.”
“What if I’m ready now?”
His nostrils flared, hot gaze flicking down to watch her chest rise and fall with her quick, excited breaths.
“I don’t want you to do it because you think you must,” he said slowly, gaze rapturous as her nipples hardened and pressed against her sweater.
“Oh, my reasons are almost entirely selfish, don’t worry.”
His broad smile showed off his fangs, and Anna couldn’t help matching it with her own.
“Are you eager to see just how fine your male is?”
“Hmm,” she hummed as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders. “I know just how fine you are.” Her touch was greedy and gratuitous following the shirt over his arms, feeling the firm swells of his biceps and the corded strength of his forearms. God, the man had beautiful forearms, and she suspected he knew it with how often he rolled up his sleeves.
“Excellent. Then let me show you just how well I can take care of my mate.” His claws teased at the hem of her sweater before drawing it up over her head. The cool air kissed her skin, and Anna instinctively rolled her shoulders in and folded her arms over her belly.
She’d always been fairly confident in her sexuality, happy to get her pleasure, but her experience was confined to dim bedrooms. Something about standing in the middle of her lit living room in her bra and leggings felt infinitely more intimate than getting naked under the sheets.
Gently pulling her arms away from her middle, Frey kissed the back of each hand and drew her to the couch. He sat down, tail curled on the cushion and legs spread. The fabric of his sweatpants tented obscenely at his lap, and Anna gulped.
