Chapter 38 SECOND CHANCES
STANDING UPON THE furs, cool air feathering against her bare skin, Lara let him observe her. And he did, his gaze tracking a hungry path down her body. “I could look at you all night,” he whispered.
She snorted. “Please don’t … it’s not that warm in this alcove.” Indeed, the heat of the smoldering hearth didn’t reach this far. Cold drafts from the gusting wind outdoors pushed in through cracks in the stone and around the curtain that shielded them from the rest of the roundhouse.
“You’d better come here then,” he replied huskily.
Lara’s lips quirked. “I want to see you first.”
His gaze hooded. “Very well.” With that, he pushed aside the furs, revealing his own nakedness.
Warmth flushed over Lara as she took him in, admiring the lean hard-muscled lines of his chest. A thick solid erection thrust against his flat belly.
Her breathing hitched.
She moved then, climbing onto the furs and shuffling up so that she knelt between his thighs.
Her head lowered, her lips sweeping across his.
With a groan, he lifted his hands and cupped the back of her head.
His mouth opened under hers, and they kissed—a slow, deep, sensual embrace that neither of them hurried.
And into it, Lara poured all the emotion that still churned in her chest. She wasn’t sure if he’d understood or accepted her love.
But she’d show him now. Her teeth grazed his lips.
Her tongue slid against his. Teasing. Demanding.
A low groan rumbled in his throat in response.
Reaching between them, she traced her fingers along the proud length of his prick. It responded to her touch, swelling larger still, straining toward her. She slid the palm of her hand over the swollen crown, thrilling as another groan escaped him.
He reached for her then with his good hand, but she brushed him aside. She continued to stroke him, marveling at how his shaft grew harder still. Moisture beaded on its tip.
His hand reached out once more, his fingers fastening gently around her wrist. “Wait,” he said throatily. “I haven’t touched you yet.”
“And you will,” she promised, heat pulsing in her womb now. “But, first, I need this.”
He stared up at her, his pupils flaring dark. After a moment, his lips curved into a slow smile that sent her pulse wild. “In that case.” He let go of her wrist and sank back against the nest of furs, spreading his thighs wider for her. “I’m all yours.”
The challenge in his voice made Lara’s breathing grow shallow.
She sat back on her heels and gazed down at his rigid prick.
Every time they’d lain together before now, she’d let him take the lead. But she was a different person now. Maybe he didn’t think she’d take what she wanted, but she would.
Shuffling backward, the furs soft under her bare knees, she cupped his balls with one hand and wrapped the fingers of her other around the base of his shaft. He was rock-hard, his skin soft yet scalding to the touch. His shaft jerked, and he breathed an oath.
She leaned down then, her mouth greedily taking him in. When they’d coupled before, he’d pleasured her with his tongue, and she did the same to him now, flicking her tongue across the crown of him, tasting salt. And when she traced the underside of the tip, he gasped.
A thrill of power went through her, and she raked her fingertips over the tight skin of his balls.
He moaned, the sound sliding into a strangled noise when she took the length of his straining erection into her mouth. She took him as deep as she could, until it hit the back of her throat. Her eyes watered, yet she focused on stroking him, on sliding her mouth up and down his solid prick.
A shudder went through him.
A moment later, his fingers tangled in her hair, gathering it into a coil upon her crown so that it no longer hung in her face, so that he could watch her work him.
Excitement quickened like a flame on dry tinder in the cradle of her hips.
His raw sensuality awoke something inside her, a wildness that answered his call. Eagerly, she continued to slide her mouth up and down. Her jaws ached now, but she didn’t care. She wanted to make him lose control, for him to spill down her throat.
“Touch yourself, Lara,” he rasped then.
The command in his voice made her shiver, hunger quickening. And so, she obeyed, lowering her free hand between her thighs.
Her wetness shocked her, as did her sensitivity. She ran a finger gently over the swollen bud nestled there, and pleasure started to pulse deep within her core.
“That’s it,” he growled. “Good lass.”
A groan rose in her throat, even as she sucked him, feverishly now. However, as her finger circled her wet, aching sex, her climax barreled into her. She cried out, the sound muffled against his throbbing prick.
He moved then, lifting her up from his groin. His shaft slid from her mouth, and she cried out in protest, reaching for him again. She wasn’t finished.
“Not yet, mo rùin,” he replied, his voice gravelly now. “When I come, I want to be buried deep inside you.” With that, he pulled her astride him.
Excitement swooped through Lara. Still breathless from her peak, she slid her hand down his torso, wrapping her fingers once more around his shaft. She then lifted herself up, positioning herself over him. And then, inch by inch, she lowered herself down upon his heft.
A soft cry escaped her.
This position brought him deep, stretching her fully until she ached. And as she slid down his length, she shuddered. Her core was so sensitive now that even the slightest movement made her clench against him.
Alar’s mouth fastened on her breasts then, sucking each one until mewing sounds tore from her throat.
“Grind on me,” he growled as he nipped gently at a nipple. “Use me.”
Heat flooded her loins, her pulse skittering. Gods. This man.
He leaned back once more, his chest rising and falling fast as his gaze captured hers.
Staring down at him, Lara rolled her hips, circling slowly.
Pleasure rippled through her loins, and she cried out, the sound shockingly raw.
She was making a noise, yet she didn’t care.
Repeatedly, she rolled her hips against him, bringing him deeper still each time.
And with each movement, he touched a place that made her shudder and whimper.
Sweat trickled between her shoulder blades, and her eyes fluttered shut.
Alar grasped her hip with one hand, dragging her up and down his shaft in slow, deep strokes. He gasped her name then, the sound almost a sob.
And then he moved—so fast that she gasped.
An instant later, Lara found herself on her hands and knees on the furs. She barely had time to draw breath before he drove into her from behind. One hand tangled in her hair, he pulled her head back so that her spine arched, bringing her harder against him.
Lara’s breathing came in ragged gasps as pleasure climbed and climbed. He felt so good. Every hard inch of him.
His breath fanned against her cheek then; he’d let go of her hair and now braced himself with his left fist, so that his uninjured shoulder took his weight. The wet slide of him inside her, and the friction of his lean sweat-slicked chest against her back, made her pant and whimper.
His tongue traced the shell of her ear. His lips and teeth grazed her neck.
“Mine,” he whispered.
Lara shivered, anticipation twisting in her gut. This position was dominant. Possessive. His mouth was so hot. He was all around her now, overwhelming every sense. But it still wasn’t enough.
“Please,” she whimpered. “Mark me.”
He growled, the sound low and feral. And then, thrusting hard, he sank his teeth into her shoulder.
The world spun. Suddenly, she was untethered.
Lost.
Blood pounded in her ears.
Pleasure pulsed in her womb.
A cry tore from her throat as she writhed, grinding herself against him.
The ragged sound of their breathing filled the alcove.
Alar withdrew from Lara in a long slow drag. The movement made her moan, and his gut clenched in response. Ashes. The sounds she made. They awoke something primal in him.
Gingerly, he lowered himself onto his back. Despite that he’d tried to be careful, his right shoulder now throbbed. He didn’t care though. Not after this.
Panting, Lara collapsed against his chest, her thick auburn hair fanning out, tickling his skin.
They didn’t speak for a while. Instead, he gently traced the indentation of her spine with a fingertip, enjoying the feel of her against him. His throat thickened then. Nothing had ever felt so right.
He still couldn’t believe she’d come to him tonight.
The things she’d said. The emotion that blazed in her eyes.
He didn’t deserve any of it, but he didn’t doubt her.
They were well matched; he’d known that from the first days of their marriage.
It was he who had set fire to it all. He’d thought he’d ruined everything.
He’d believed it was over between them, despite that they loved each other.
But tonight, Lara had given him hope.
She raised her head then, tossing her curtain of hair over her shoulder. Her gaze sought his—but all Alar could see was the angry red crescent where he’d bitten her. It marred her milky skin.
His breathing quickened as he raised his hand, his fingers brushing the mark.
Peering down at her shoulder, Lara’s brow furrowed. “Why do I enjoy that so much?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never heard of the wulver’s mating bond then?”
She stilled, her lips parting. “No.”
“They don’t have handfasting ceremonies. Instead, when a wulver takes a mate, they mark them. They are together for life, after that. Only death separates them.” His lips curved then. “Lyall and Dolph have such a bond.”
Lara’s pupils flared wide, her lips parting. Then, she reached out, her fingertips tracing the lines of his tattoo. Her touch made him shiver. Did this woman have any idea of the effect she had on him? He was utterly in her thrall.
She swallowed then, her gaze lifting to his once more. “So, I was yours then … even a year ago?”