All of it. All of her. Every atom of her being, every moment of her pleasure. I wanted nothing else in this world but to be as close to her as I could be, in whatever way she would allow.
My wolf was fully awake now, and he howled to consummate our bond. I ran my tongue up her slit once more, then shucked off my clothes. I’d almost lowered myself over her, when a soft, “Wait,” stopped me.
I froze in place.
She moved her hand from my shoulder to the ground, pressing herself up, a slight shadow of pain flickering across her moonlit features. “I want to… taste you.”
“Next time, love,” I half-begged. “You’re injured. We have all the time in the world.” I didn’t want to admit the truth: that if her lips went anywhere close to my cock, I would embarrass myself.
Her reply was immediate. “No. I want it all, tonight.”
For some reason, my wolf snarled. But then she was reaching for me, licking her lips as her hand glided down my abdomen, her fingers tracing the line of hair that led to my cock.
“Anything you want,” I promised. “You can have anything from me.”
I moved so I was kneeling in front of her, giving her access to my body. Her hands were soft as petals blowing on my overheated skin, though the sensations were muted, blunted, when her fingertips passed over my tattoos. I hated them even more now that I realized what they’d stolen from me. But she traced them, not even needing to see them to follow the lines.
“They’re such powerful runes,” she whispered. “They’re a part of you. I can… almost feel the magic. It stings.”
It stings?Did it hurt her to touch me? I hissed and pulled back, but she moved quickly, leaning forward and capturing the tip of my cock in between her soft lips, her hand holding my hip firmly in place.
I’d read the story of Medusa long ago, how she turned men to stone with her gaze. Zinnia had frozen me in place every bit as surely, and for a long moment I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even blink, as she explored me with her mouth.
At first, her kisses on my cock were innocent, hesitant. Then her tongue darted out more confidently, tasting me, dipping into the slit in the head, drawing a warm circle around the sensitive end. She made a humming sound and swallowed when a small rush of my release hit her tongue.
“You taste good,” she whispered as she pulled away and stroked my length with one hand, then reached back and cupped my balls as well. She had no shyness about exploring me, letting her fingers move where they would, from my ass to my erection, finally coming to rest around the base where I was thickest.
My only reply—the only sound I could make—was a whimper. She giggled at the noise, then drew me more deeply into her hot mouth, sucking slightly. The moon shone on her hair, picking out the gray filaments like the light was caressing her. I ran one hand over the back of her head and let thelong, silky strands move through my hands, trying to focus on anything but the intense pleasure her tongue was giving me. Her head bobbed, her movements more confident by the second.
Before I was ready—and before she was, judging by her disappointed expression as she scowled up at me—I had to pull away. The stars overhead were reflected in her eyes, and I smiled. “Little star, you are so much more than I dared hope.”
A flash of surprise, then a flicker of pain, raced across those star-filled eyes. “Why do you call me that?”
“In my dreams, I never saw your face, but I saw your light. You shone like a falling star, always out of reach.” I ran my fingertips over her face, memorizing the shape of her features. “Let me make love to you.”
She hesitated for a long second, considering, before she lay back down. “Just once,” she agreed, with a mysterious smile. “Make it good, Sergeant.”
My wolf snarled again deep inside, and my voice was rough as I replied, “More than once, and more than good.” I moved so the tip of my cock was wedged between her legs. She parted them a bit more, opening herself to me, her smile widening, her back arching slightly as I pressed forward, just the slightest amount. I leaned over her, licking and nuzzling her taut nipple, then nipping at her neck where I would leave my mark…
A chill moved through me, that note of alarm louder now. Ida had hinted that Zinnia could help me. But if she couldn’t, and I claimed her, I could hurt her. I knew how close I was to my end. If I bound her to me, she would feel my pain. She might even die with me.
Fuck.
I couldn’t mark her tonight, not with my teeth. But I could claim her in every other way that counted.
I moved an inch forward, then back, snaking one hand between us to draw tight circles around her clit, bringing herclose to her peak once more. “You’re going to feel me inside you in the morning, little star,” I promised. “You’re going to feel me dripping out of you, your thighs aching, your pussy empty and needing to be filled again and again. There is nojust once.” She thrust her hips toward me, sliding more of my cock into her, and I hissed with the need to fuck harder, though I knew she needed time. “Your pussy is strangling my cock, mate. So tight it almost hurts.”
I moved a little deeper, and she let out a gasp. I held still, unsure if the noise had been one of pain or pleasure. But she murmured, “More, faster. Deeper, Julian. I need you?—”
“You need to come again.” I circled my fingers gently, evenly, my fingertips sliding with ease around the bundle of nerves. I didn’t move another inch until she began to shudder again, half-sobbing my name. Begging me to fuck her. “You never have to beg me, love.” As soon as her thighs began to quiver again, I thrust deeper, still moving my fingertips until she screamed aloud.
“Yes!” She clenched around me, so tight it almost hurt, and I pressed hard and deep into her, the thickest part of me stretching her entrance, the narrow fit as close to heaven as anything I’d ever imagined.
She arched her back up, her cries turning into sobs of pleasure as she came again while I fucked her, relishing every second. It was the most perfect moment of my life. The scent of the crushed grass below us, and her own fresh scent blending with mine... the sounds of our bodies moving together, as the nightjars called out around us and the wind blew through the canopy… her salt and musk on my lips and the slightly metallic taste of my own blood as I bit my lip, fighting for control.
My teeth itched, the canines lengthening as my wolf surged to the fore, longing for his mate. Needing to claim her. I growledas I moved inside her, my wolf calling out to her as much as he could while we made love.
But her wolf was still silent. No, almost entirely imperceptible, like a wisp of a shadow across the moon, as she trembled in the throes of ecstasy once again. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining its presence. I closed my lips over my teeth, ignoring the blood they drew as I protected her from a painful bond.