Chapter Twenty – Cassia
With her back pressed against the tree, Kris kissed her, his hand between her thighs, stroking her through her clothes, making her whimper softly against his mouth. Beside them, the stream gurgled and babbled as it made its way through the trees toward the vineyard, and Cassia felt as if she were drifting, too, carried away by the current of sensation.
Her breath caught in her throat as his lips traveled down her neck, tender yet insistent, and she curled her fingers into his hair. She’d never wanted anything as much as she wanted Kris right now.
It was as if she burned for him and only him. As if she craved him like air itself. Her body hummed with need, with a fierce, primal hunger that threatened to overwhelm her senses.
“Kris,” she whispered against his ear, her voice trembling. “I need you.”
He growled softly in response, the sound vibrating through his chest and into hers. His eyes, when he pulled back to look at her, were tinged with amber, as if his bear were shimmering just beneath the surface.
“Here? Are you sure?” he asked, his voice rough with restraint. “We could go back to the house...”
Cassia shook her head, fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw. “No. Here.” To back up her words, she reached between their bodies and tugged at his belt.
Kris’s eyes darkened further, his breathing ragged as he helped her with the buckle. Then the buttons of his jeans. As the last one popped open, she curled her fingers around the denim and pushed them down over his hips, taking his boxers with them. When they pooled at his feet, Kris stepped out of them and kicked them aside. His hardness pressed against her thigh and she curled her fingers around his length, stroking him, reveling in his sharp intake of breath. He bit his bottom lip as she caressed him, moving her hand up and down while he rocked his hips back and forth.
What a sight he made, as he groaned, deep and guttural. A sound that made her stomach clench and her body ache for him.
“Your turn,” Kris whispered with reverent slowness. He hooked his fingers into her waistband and inched them down. Cassia lifted her hips slightly as he slipped her pants and underwear down over her curvy thighs. The cool forest air kissed her heated skin, making her shiver with anticipation more than cold. Kris helped her step out of her clothes, then gently pressed her back against the tree trunk. The rough bark against her shoulder blades was a delicious contrast to the softness of his touch.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, his gaze traveling over her body with such raw admiration that Cassia felt herself flush. “So damn beautiful.”
He kneeled before her, pressing soft kisses to her stomach, her hipbones, and the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Cassia threaded her fingers through his dark hair, holding on as if she might float away without his anchoring presence. When his mouth found her most sensitive bundle of nerves, she gasped, her head falling back against the tree trunk with a soft thud.
The world narrowed to just this—Kris’s talented tongue exploring her most intimate places, the whisper of leaves overhead, the distant call of birds, and her own quickening breath. She was vaguely aware of her soft moans echoing in the forest clearing but couldn’t bring herself to care who might hear. Let all of Bear Creek know she belonged to this man, and he to her.
She was vaguely aware of his hand on her knees, urging her to inch her feet apart, exposing herself to him. Cassia complied. Any other man would have left her feeling vulnerable, but she trusted Kris completely. With her body, with her heart, and her soul.
And right at this moment, with her pleasure.
His tongue circled her mound, gently at first, then with more pressure as her fingers tightened in his hair. Cassia’s breathing grew ragged, her thighs trembling as he slipped a finger inside her, then another, curling them upward as he brushed his fingertips against her inner walls.
She rocked her hips, her orgasm so close now…
But then he eased off, letting her come back down.
Tears stung her eyes. Why hadn’t he taken her over the edge?
But then he covered her mound with his mouth and flicked his tongue over her most sensitive spot, while his fingers curled inside her. He stroked her inner walls once more, exploring her intimately before he finally hit that perfect spot that made stars explode behind her eyelids. The pressure built rapidly, as his mouth and fingers worked in tandem to take her higher than she had ever been before.
Was he trying to prove something to her? Was he teaching her that no man could give her more pleasure than he?
If he was, then he succeeded. She came, her legs barely able to support her as her body pulsed around his fingers as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. But Kris did not relent. Not until she was completely spent.
As she slumped back against the tree, he rose to his feet, his eyes locked on her face as he stripped his shirt from his back and stood there before her like a bronzed god. How could this man belong to her?
But the look in his eyes begged the same question, how could this woman belong to him?
“I think we need to lose the rest of your clothes,” he growled.
Cassia nodded, breathless, as Kris reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and over her head in one fluid motion. Her bra followed quickly, leaving her completely bare beneath the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. The soft forest breeze caressed her skin, raising goosebumps across her exposed flesh.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Kris whispered, his voice thick with emotion. His hands cupped her breasts reverently, thumbs brushing over her nipples until they hardened beneath his touch.
Cassia reached for him, drawing him closer until their bodies pressed together, skin to skin. The heat of him against her was intoxicating, his hard planes against her soft curves creating a delicious friction that made her gasp.
“I need you inside me,” she murmured against his lips. “Now, Kris.”
With surprising gentleness for a man of his size, Kris lifted her, his powerful hands gripping her thighs as he guided her legs around his waist. The rough bark of the tree supported her back as he positioned himself at her entrance, pausing to meet her gaze.
He slid into her impossibly slowly. She could feel every inch of him stretching her, filling her in the most exquisite way. Her head fell back against the tree as she gasped, overwhelmed by the sensation of completeness that washed over her.
“Look at me,” Kris commanded softly, his voice a rough whisper. “I want to see your eyes when I make love to you.”
Cassia obeyed, lifting her gaze to meet his. In that moment, she felt the connection between them—primal, unbreakable, destined. This wasn’t just physical; it was a claiming, a bonding that went deeper than flesh.
He began to move, each thrust deliberate and measured. The sounds of the forest faded away until all Cassia could hear was their mingled breathing, the soft sounds of pleasure escaping her lips, and Kris’s occasional growl of approval when she tightened around him.
“You’re perfect,” he murmured against her neck, his breath hot against her skin. “So perfect for me. My mate.”
Those words my mate sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. She’d never dreamed this kind of relationship was real, and certainly not for her.
But here he was.
As he thrust into her, she explored his body, touching, stroking, teasing, and learning what he liked. When she sucked his earlobe, he thrust deeper. When she raked her nails down his back, his pace quickened. When she reached between them to touch where they were joined, he growled again, a sound so primal and possessive it sent fresh waves of desire coursing through her.
She was not the only one who liked to explore. Kris changed the angle of his hips, finding a new spot inside her that made her gasp and clutch at his shoulders. With a smile of devilish satisfaction, he lowered his head, cupped her breast in his hand, and sucked the hardened nipple into his mouth.
Cassia bit down on his shoulder to stop herself from crying out as he swirled his tongue around her sensitive peak. The dual sensations of his mouth on her breast and his hardness filling her completely were almost too much to bear.
Their bodies moved together in perfect rhythm now, as if they’d been lovers for years. Each thrust brought her closer to the edge, the coil of pleasure tightening low in her belly. Kris seemed to sense it, his movements becoming more urgent, more demanding. The tension that had been building inside her shattered, and Cassia cried out as pleasure crashed through her in powerful waves. Her inner muscles clenched around him rhythmically, drawing him deeper.
Kris followed her over the edge moments later, burying his face in her neck as he growled her name. She felt the hot pulse of his release inside her, binding them together in the most intimate way possible.
For several long moments, they remained joined, their ragged breathing gradually slowing as they held each other. She didn’t want this moment to end.
Didn’t want to lose this feeling of closeness. As if she were part of something bigger than herself.
“Are you okay?” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her and lowered her feet to the ground.
“Yes,” she whispered, although okay did not begin to describe how she felt. She had been claimed in the most primal way, and she felt…transformed.
Her body was still humming with the aftermath of their lovemaking, her skin hypersensitive where it touched his. With trembling hands, she cupped his face and pressed her lips to his.
“Are you sure?” he whispered as he brushed a stray tear from her cheek.
“Yes. Although, I think ‘okay’ might be the understatement of the century,” she added with a soft laugh. “That was...incredible.”
“I am a man of many talents,” he said with a smile that made her insides turn to liquid fire.
She wanted him to make love to her all over again. And again. And again.
“I’ve noticed,” Cassia replied, running her hands over his broad shoulders. The cooler air under the trees finally registered on her naked skin, raising goosebumps along her arms. Kris noticed immediately, ever attentive to her needs.
“We should get dressed before you catch a cold,” he said, though reluctance colored his voice. He bent to retrieve their scattered clothing from the forest floor.
As they dressed in comfortable silence, Cassia couldn’t help stealing glances at him—the way the muscles in his back flexed as he pulled on his shirt, how his hands, so powerful yet gentle, fastened his belt. Everything about him called to something deep within her.
When they were both clothed again, Kris pulled her into his arms, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. “Hungry?”
“You’re thinking of food at a time like this?” she asked incredulously.
“I think that I’m going to need all my strength if I am going to worship your body all night,” he said as he spread the picnic blanket on the ground and held out his hand to her. Cassia felt her face flush at his words. She took his hand and settled onto the blanket, her body still humming with pleasure.
“All night, huh?” she teased, though the thought sent delicious shivers through her. “Pretty confident, aren’t you?”
“All night, every night, for the rest of our lives,” Kris said as he kissed the back of her hand and then reached inside the picnic basket. “Sandwich?”
“Thank you.” She laughed as she took one and Kris retrieved the wine glasses and refilled them.
“Another toast.” Kris touched his glass to hers. “To food, wine, and love. The perfect ingredients for life.”
“Food, wine, and love,” she agreed.
“Although not necessarily in that order,” he added.
No. Love would always come first.