Chapter 18 #2
And then he was kissing me.
Or I was kissing him. I wasn't sure who moved first, only that suddenly his mouth was on mine and his hands were in my hair and I was pressed against the solid wall of his chest, and nothing had ever felt more right.
I kissed him back desperately, hungrily, pouring seven days of longing and frustration and need into the contact.
He groaned against my mouth, his hands sliding down to grip my waist, pulling me closer.
The smooth press of his tusks against my skin anchored me to the reality of what this was, who he was, and I wanted him more for it—not less.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, he rested his forehead against mine.
"I can't do this anymore," he said roughly. "I can't pretend I don't feel what I feel. I can't follow your rules when every instinct I have is screaming at me to claim you, to keep you, to make you mine in every way that matters."
"Kael—"
"You're my mate, Sarah." The words were fierce, absolute. "I know you don't feel the bond the way I do—humans can't. But you feel something. I know you do. So stop lying to yourself and admit it."
My eyes burned with tears I refused to let fall. "I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Of this." I gestured between us. "Of wanting something so badly. Of losing myself in you and forgetting who I am. Of—" My voice broke. "Of you realizing I'm not worth it."
His hands came up to cup my face, gentle despite their size.
"Sarah Potter, you are the most extraordinary woman I've ever met.
You're brilliant and brave and so damn stubborn it drives me crazy.
You risked your career, your reputation, your safety to protect me.
" He stopped, swallowing hard. "If you think for one second that you're not worth everything I have to give, then you're not as smart as I thought you were. "
A laugh bubbled out of me, watery and broken. "That's a terrible compliment."
"It's the truth." His thumbs brushed away the tears that had escaped despite my best efforts. "I love you, Sarah. I'm in love with you. I'm not going to pretend I don't feel it anymore. I can't."
"I love you too," I whispered, the admission tearing out of me. "I love you so much it scares me to death."
The smile that spread across his face was incandescent.
"Say it again," he demanded.
"I love you."
"Again."
"I love you, you impossible, infuriating—"
He kissed me again, and this time there was nothing gentle about it. This was claiming, possessive, a promise and a demand all at once.
When he pulled back, his eyes were molten gold.
"My cabin," he said roughly. "Now."
"Kael, we're in the middle of the village—"
He bent and tossed me over his shoulder in one smooth motion, ignoring my startled yelp.
"Kael! Put me down!"
"No." He started walking, his hand splayed possessively across my ass. "I've waited seven days to have you again. I'm not waiting another second."
"People are staring!"
And they were. I could see them from my upside-down vantage point—clan members stopping mid-conversation, heads turning, mouths dropping open.
Then I heard a loud, unmistakable whoop that could only belong to one person.
"FINALLY!" Jordan's voice rang out across the village square. "It's about damn time!"
My face flamed hot enough to combust. "Oh my God."
"I KNEW IT!" Jordan continued, clearly enjoying herself. "Ryhain, you owe me twenty bucks!"
Kael's shoulders shook with laughter beneath me.
I should have been mortified. Should have demanded he put me down and let me walk like a dignified adult.
Instead, I found myself laughing, the sound bright and free and completely unburdened by the rules I'd tried so hard to follow.
His cabin was smaller than Argon's, tucked at the edge of the village near the tree line. He kicked the door open and deposited me on the bed with surprising gentleness, then stood back to look at me.
"You're wearing too many clothes," he observed.
"I'm not the only one," I countered, eyeing his bare chest. "In fact, I'd say you're dangerously overdressed."
"Easily remedied." He reached for the button of his jeans.
"Wait." I sat up, my hands going to the buttons of my blouse. "Let me. Fair's fair—if I'm stripping down, you don't get to hog all the fun."
His hands stilled, his eyes tracking every movement as I slowly unbuttoned my shirt and let it slide off my shoulders. "You know, for someone who claims to be all about rules and boundaries, you're remarkably good at breaking them."
"Only the ones that matter," I said softly, shimmying out of my skirt. "And only with you."
"That's what I'm counting on." He watched as I unhooked my bra, his voice dropping lower. "Though I have to say, watching you undress is significantly more interesting than any legal briefing you could give me."
"Is that so?" I slipped off my panties, standing before him completely bare. "Because I'm pretty sure the sovereignty recognition is objectively more important than your appreciation of my body."
"You'd think that," he said, moving closer. "But I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with opposing counsel."
I laughed despite the heat flooding through me. "Did you just make a legal pun while I'm naked?"
"I'm a multitasker." He reached out, his fingers trailing down my arm. "Also, you're beautiful, and I'm trying very hard not to lose my mind."
"Your turn," I said softly, gesturing to his jeans.
He stripped off his jeans and underwear in one smooth motion, and then he was gloriously, completely naked.
I'd seen him like this before. Had touched and tasted and explored every inch of him. But this felt different. This felt like a beginning rather than stolen moments.
He moved toward the bed, his eyes never leaving mine. "I need you to understand something."
"What?"
"This isn't just sex for me. It never was." He knelt on the bed, caging me in with his arms. "When I touch you, when I'm inside you, I'm not just taking pleasure. I'm claiming you. Marking you. Making you mine in every way that matters."