Chapter 15 Lev
FIFTEEN
LEV
Lev’s mind had gone quiet the moment his lips had captured Xelene’s in the back of his royal vehicle. The roaring grief, the demands of the crown, the doubts—it all dissolved into white noise.
He hadn’t planned it. The kiss was pure instinct.
Her belief in him, her unwavering presence at his side while he said goodbye to his father, had filled a void inside his chest. Maybe it was the mate bond, that electric thread that had woven itself between them the instant they touched, finally pulling taut.
Or maybe it was simpler. Xelene was the first person who truly saw the man beneath the legend and didn’t look away.
He was already gathering the words—an apology, an explanation, something to smooth over the line he’d just crossed—when she moved.
With a certainty that stole his breath, Xelene shifted on the plush leather seat, her black dress riding up her thighs as she gracefully climbed onto his lap.
She settled over him, straddling his hips, her weight a perfect, grounding pressure.
Her green eyes, usually so cool and analytical, burned with a dark fire that made his lion roar with approval.
She wants this.
The realization hit him hard and immediate, and any thought of retreat vanished. This was no passive acceptance. This was her claiming him as much as he was claiming her.
Her hands went to the ornate fastenings of his ceremonial jacket, her fingers deft despite the slight tremble he felt in them.
She pushed the heavy fabric off his shoulders, letting it fall in a heap on the royal vehicle floor, revealing his bare chest. Her gaze swept over him, her fingers tracing the hard planes of muscle and the old claw scar across his ribs.
A soft, appreciative sound escaped her throat, and the possessive pride that surged through him was entirely alpha.
She leaned in again, her mouth finding his with a hunger that matched his own. This kiss was deeper, more desperate, a conversation without words that spoke of longing and a shared, furious need.
Lev reluctantly broke the kiss, his breath ragged against her lips. The royal vehicle’s gentle motion felt like the rocking of a boat in a storm.
“Are you sure about this?” His voice was a low rumble.
He had to ask. He had to hear it.
“I’m done denying what I feel,” she whispered, her hands sliding up to tangle in his hair. “Done denying what I want. I want this. This… mate bond.”
He pulled back just enough to search her face. “What?”
“Janice told me.” Xelene’s admission was breathless, her cheeks flushed. “She told me what you said to her. That I’m your fated mate. She explained… everything.”
A slow, triumphant smile spread across Lev’s face, his lion purring with satisfaction deep within. The charade was over. The truth was out. And she wasn’t running. She was here, in his lap, asking for more.
“I was going to tell you,” he said, his thumbs stroking her collarbone.
“But I’m glad you know now. And I’m glad you feel it, too.
” He leaned his forehead against hers, the intimacy of the gesture more profound than any kiss.
“I want you so bad, Xelene. I’m done running from this connection.
Whatever is happening between us… I don’t want to deny it anymore either. ”
“Then let’s stop talking,” she said, and her final wall crumbled.
With a boldness that made his blood heat, she reached for the hem of her black dress, pulling it up and over her head in one fluid motion.
It joined his jacket on the floor. She sat before him wearing only a simple pair of black panties, her skin glowing in the dim interior light.
She was slender but strong, with full, perfect breasts that made his mouth go dry.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed, the words ripped from him.
He didn’t wait for a reply. With a low growl, he wrapped his arms around her and laid her down gently on the wide back seat, settling himself over her.
He claimed her mouth again, then trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses down the elegant column of her throat, feeling her pulse hammer against his lips.
His hand found her breast, his palm skimming over the soft weight before his fingers closed around her nipple, rolling and teasing it into a tight peak.
She gasped, arching into his touch, her fingers clutching at his shoulders. “Lev…”
He moved lower, his mouth replacing his hand.
He took one taut peak into his mouth, laving it with his tongue before sucking deeply.
The sound she made—a broken, pleasure-filled moan—was the most exquisite thing he’d ever heard.
He worshipped her other breast with the same devoted attention, his free hand roaming possessively over her ribs, her waist, and the curve of her hip.
Her hands were in his hair, not pushing him away but holding him to her, her hips making small, restless circles beneath him. The scent of her arousal, rich and intoxicating, filled the space, making his own need a painful, urgent pressure. His control was a thin, fraying thread.
He kissed his way down her toned abdomen, his tongue dipping into the shallow well of her navel. When he reached the lace edge of her panties, he hooked his fingers in them, looking up at her for permission. Her answer was to lift her hips, helping him slide them down her legs and discard them.
The sight of her, slick and open for him, nearly made him lose his mind. He had to take a moment, just to look, to memorize the reality of this woman—his mate—surrendering to him.
“Please,” she begged, her voice a husky whisper that shot straight to his core.
He needed no further encouragement. He settled between her thighs, his hands spreading her wider.
He leaned in and tasted her, a slow, deliberate lick that made her cry out and her whole body tremble.
Her flavor was addicting—sweet and musky and uniquely hers.
He focused on her clit, circling it with his tongue before drawing it into his mouth and sucking gently.
Her gasps turned into desperate moans. “Yes… right there… don’t stop.”
He added his fingers, sliding two inside her with ease, finding her hot and tight and so ready for him.
He curled them, finding a rhythm with his tongue that had her climbing higher, her thighs shaking against his ears.
He felt her inner muscles begin to flutter around his fingers, the telltale sign of her impending release.
“Let go,” he commanded against her, his voice rough with desire. “Come for me, Xelene.”
The order, delivered with alpha certainty, shattered her.
Her back arched off the seat, a sharp, beautiful cry tearing from her throat as her orgasm crashed over her.
He felt the powerful clench of her around his fingers, the tremors that racked her body, and he drank in every gasp, every shudder, worshiping her through the storm until she collapsed, boneless and breathless, onto the leather.
Lev pulled back, watching her with fierce satisfaction. Her skin was flushed, her dark hair fanned out, her lips swollen from his kisses. The controlled, composed reputation architect was gone, replaced by a woman utterly claimed by pleasure.
And I did that, his lion purred, the thought primal and proud.
Her green eyes fluttered open, hazy with satisfaction but holding a new, unwavering heat as they locked with his. A slow, sated smile touched her lips. She reached for him, her hand finding the waistband of his trousers.
Her fingers, still trembling from her climax, found the polished buckle of his belt.
The decisive click of the clasp releasing was the loudest sound in the royal vehicle.
Lev didn’t hesitate. He helped her, his own hands moving in tandem with hers, shoving his trousers and boxers down his hips until his cock sprang free, thick and heavy and achingly ready for her.
Mine, his lion roared, the thought a primal drumbeat in his veins.