Chapter 16 #2
The room seemed to shrink around them, their proximity heightening the intensity of the moment.
Zera’s mind raced as she struggled to comprehend the implications of his admission.
He had never admitted to their connection so boldly before, avoiding it as if he was afraid of it, but somehow, that fear was gone.
Perhaps they’d both been changed by Kraven’s nightclub.
“Wait,” she said, her voice cracking in disbelief. “You thought it?”
Maverick’s thumbs traced circles on her shoulders in a soothing motion. “Yes, I thought it.”
“But you said before that I couldn’t have heard your thoughts.”
“That’s because of what that meant,” he said, his breathless voice in awe as if he was admitting this to himself as much as he was to her. “It meant that on some level you love me too.”
“But how?” Zera gasped. She turned around to find him so close she had to crane her neck up to look into his pensive gaze.
Their eyes locked in an electrifying moment of possibility. Maverick’s eyes held a mixture of vulnerability and desire, mirroring the emotions coursing through Zera’s veins.
“Because I’m a werewolf,” he said finally, his eyes searching hers. “Only a mate who loves them back can hear their thoughts. You didn’t know?”
She understood the underlying question. He wondered if she’d had this type of connection with her ex.
The werewolf who deserted her and her son.
The truth was, she was in love at first, and then he changed, or perhaps she changed once she realized she was going to have a child.
Either way, he showed his true colors when he cheated on her.
Yet, even though they were in love once and shared a good chunk of their lives together, she’d never felt this way with him.
The connection she had with Maverick was so different from anything else, so intimate it made everything else pale in comparison.
“This doesn’t have to change anything if you don’t want it to.” He pulled back, his eyes searching hers, pleading for an answer.
“Does it scare you?” she asked quietly, searching for any hint of regret or hesitation in his expression.
“Of losing my heart again? Yes,” he admitted, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “But like you, I’ve never had this bond before. Never felt so connected with someone that I’d risk it all.”
She understood the feeling. He must’ve heard her unspoken response. “But this… this bond between us, what does it mean?”
“It means that there’s something real between us, something I’m willing and ready to take a chance on.”
His words sparked a fire within her, burning away the guilt and uncertainty that had plagued her since their return to the apartment. For the first time in her life, Zera felt truly connected to someone, bound by a love and a bond that transcended the physical realm.
Her mind raced through all the things that could keep them apart—his past, her past, her being a mom, his job—but through their bond, she knew how sincerely he meant the words, that no matter what, he was there for the long haul, and suddenly, their differences didn’t matter.
She knew she didn’t want to lose him. That she loved him.
She realized that she had for a while now, and she was willing to take that chance with him.
“I love you too,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She licked her lips, biting her lower one as she did so. “And I want you. Now.”
A growl rumbled in Maverick’s chest as he pulled her closer, capturing her lips in a kiss that was gentle yet urgent.
He tugged on her lower lip, as if to express just that.
It told her he knew exactly what he was doing and knew how to take care of her.
Zera responded eagerly, her hands roaming his well-muscled chest, feeling the heat of his skin beneath her fingertips.
Their passion rose steadily, the bond between them growing stronger than ever.
It was almost as if they didn’t have to speak to know what the other one wanted, which was true.
The thought sent a shudder of anticipation down her spine.
Without breaking away from their kiss, Maverick scooped her up in his arms, and her legs straddled his waist. He carried her as if she weighed nothing around the kitchen island and toward the training mat in the center of the living room.
Maverick gently lowered her onto the soft surface, his muscular form hovering above her, his hips settling between her thighs.
Heat rushed through her veins, her body yearning for more of his touch.
Her eyes locked with his, which were filled with desire and determination.
I won’t last long with you looking at me like that. He moaned, his thoughts bursting through their connection. And I want to take care of you. Thoroughly.
Is that a promise? She grinned, tugging on his leather pants.
Maverick chuckled, his lips brushing lightly against hers. “Absolutely,” he whispered, answering her thoughts.
The heat between them ignited as they moved in sync, their limbs entwining like vines reaching for a shared source of light.
Maverick’s hands were at her hips, her waist, her neck.
They traced lines of desire and danced across her collarbone, dipping into the hollow of her throat, a gesture that sent shivers through her body.
“Your skin is so soft,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear. “Like moonlight on silk.”
Zera laughed, a sound both nervous and delighted. “Leave it to a spy to come up with such poetic descriptions.” Her laughter gave way to a soft gasp as Maverick nipped playfully at her neck, his teeth grazing her sensitive skin.
“Maybe I have a hidden talent for poetry,” he teased, his hands continuing their exploration. “But only when it comes to you.”
He claimed her lips again before his lips followed the line along her collarbone he’d traced with his hand. Each kiss sent a wave of pleasure in its wake. There were no more words, just touch. Just this.
As Maverick’s mouth traced a fiery path down her body, Zera found herself lost in the sensations he evoked.
His fingers worked their magic, deftly unfastening her bustier.
She sighed with relief when she was finally freed of the constricting garment, and Maverick sucked in a breath, his eyes filled with heat and love for her.
“Fae, Zera,” he whispered, admiration lacing his voice. “You’re breathtaking.”
Zera’s cheeks flushed at the compliment, but the feeling of vulnerability quickly dissipated as he continued to shower her with tender affection.
He took his time trailing kisses along her neck, his hand finding her breast before he took it in his mouth.
A moan escaped her lips as heat coursed through her body, fueled by his gentle-yet-passionate touch.
His hands shifted, replaced by his mouth as he moved lower, kissing every inch of her stomach down to her hip bones. She arched in anticipation when he paused at the soft skin near her thigh, his vow of wanting to take care of her echoing in her mind.
He looked up at her, his mouth inches away from her heated core, as if he was thinking the same thing. His lips parted into a crooked smile as he kissed her thighs instead. A devilish thing to do, but it elicited a laugh from her.
“Maverick,” she pleaded, arching up into him again.
It’s all part of my plan. To make you moan my name as you come to me again and again.
The promise had her coiled so tightly, she nearly exploded from the sheer anticipation alone.
But Maverick, ever the master of patience, deviated from his plan with a sudden, tender kiss to her other inner thigh. He traced the curve with his tongue, his eyes never leaving hers as he teased her. Each caress brought her closer to shattering against his touch.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice barely audible as she gripped the edge of the training mat, her knuckles turning white.
Maverick finally relented, his lips finding their way to the sensitive bundle of nerves at her core.
His tongue swirled with just enough pressure to make her toes curl, and Zera’s eyes rolled back in ecstasy.
He worked his magic on her body as if it were his own, as if he understood precisely how to bring her pleasure beyond anything she had ever experienced before.
Heat coiled within her again, threatening to consume her entirely as he licked her over and over, completely shattering her control.
Her hips rolled to the rhythm he set against her with his tongue.
Her body trembled as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge until she screamed his name as waves of pleasure crashed through her, leaving her breathless.
While her body trembled, Maverick held her, anchoring her to reality as she floated back down to earth.
As the tremors faded, Zera opened her eyes, finding Maverick’s gaze locked on hers.
He had a smug, satisfied grin on his face before he leaned up to kiss her again, as if to tell her he wasn’t done with her yet, but she needed him whole inside her.
Their lips met. Fiery. Hungry. Passionate.
He pressed himself against her as they kissed, his hardness evident, and she tugged him closer.
“Patience,” he whispered as he pulled away from the kiss, his breath warm with citrus and strong whiskey. “I want to enjoy you.”
Zera moaned as Maverick slipped a finger into his mouth, wetting it before teasing her opening until he entered her, stroking her at a rhythm that brought the coil of heat to an all-new high she hadn’t known existed.
She bit her lip, trying to contain the overwhelming desire that made her heart beat faster.
He groaned at the sight, his voice low and husky. “I love the way you bite your lip like that.”
Maverick’s expert touch sent her spiraling into ecstasy once more.
She arched her back and cried out in passion.
Zera was lost in the sensations, consumed by the heat of their connection.
When she came back to earth once more, Maverick removed his fingers, trailing teasing circles up her body.
His touch was electrifying, making her skin tingle as he moved higher.
She felt a warmth inside her that she’d never experienced in her life, and it wasn’t just physical.
It was deeper than that, and she never wanted to let go of it.
Their lips met again, hot and desperate. Zera needed him now.
Zera swiftly moved her body, her muscles flexing as she quickly used a maneuver he’d taught her during one of their training sessions to gain leverage on him. With surprising strength, she had him on his back, straddling him as she climbed onto his lap.
“Who taught you that?” Maverick asked, laughing in shock, his eyes wide with surprise and admiration.
“Must’ve been some hot spy I know,” she replied with a playful smirk, leaning down into his chest before guiding him inside her, which efficiently turned his laugh into a moan of his own.
It was his turn for his eyes to roll back as she took him in whole, riding him. He thrust against her, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her whole body. He coiled underneath her, his hands at her hips as his face tensed in a way that told her he wouldn’t last long.
He hardened even more inside her until he pumped once, twice, and then his body shuddered beneath her, sending her over the edge one final time.
He cried out her name, the sound of it filling her with a wild and heady sensation.
She collapsed into his arms, their bodies slick with sweat and their chests heaving as they struggled to catch their breaths.
They lay entwined, Maverick’s strong arms wrapped around Zera. Home. She felt at home in those arms.
Whatever tomorrow brought—all the unknowns—it didn’t matter. She knew she could face it because they were together. Wholeheartedly and honestly together.
A small echo in her mind reminded her of the synthetic pixie-dust issue, but it flitted away as sleep encroached. Everything else could wait until the morning.