Chapter 14 #2
Tanner turned his mug in his hands, planning how to say what needed saying.
“I owe you some truths. Even though you warned me about your Storm Mouth magic, the reality terrified me because you were so vulnerable. Each time something threatened you in the demesne, I wanted to protect you, but you saved yourself. And convinced six frightened teenagers to follow you. Now I’m wanting to find and kick the ass of whoever convinced you that you’re a coward and can’t fight. You are brave, smart, and adaptable.”
“Thank you. Your regard means much to me.” A slight flush of pink colored her face.
“But I wasn’t those things before. I’ve had time to think about this since my escape.
In the pen, I had hours and days and years to consider my former life.
I ran from my family’s plan to chain me to the breeding hall.
I disguised my human form under a charm for decades.
I ran toward new experiences as much as I ran from anyone who would tie me down.
But it meant that when I was caught, there was no one to miss me. ”
The urge to touch her was almost painful, but desire would flood everything, and they needed this conversation more.
“The demesne stripped us all down to essentials. Survival was a brutal but effective master. We all taught each other. Because your cousins are bold and courageous, I pretended to be brave, and somehow, I was. Because Naima insisted we should learn everything about our captors and our prison, we did. And you…” She looked directly into his eyes. “You taught me to dare.”
His heart danced on the edge of a precipice. “Did you mean what you said to me when we were at the failing portal?”
“That I am deeply attracted to you, and wish I could be your mate? Yes. All that, and more.” Her breathing deepened.
“I’m falling in love with you, Avelunne.” He knew his voice rumbled with thunderbird influence as he stood and held out a hand to her. “Could I kiss you? And more?”
She took his hand and pulled herself straight into his embrace. “A lot more.”
The kiss was incendiary, sending waves of desire coursing through his veins and lightning in his bones.
She molded herself to him. “Touch me, Tanner. Everywhere.”
Avelunne found herself half-danced and half-carried back to Tanner’s bedroom, her nerves tingling in anticipation.
She was nearly overwhelmed with need, and he was her only guide through the storm.
The room smelled of them both, but all she could focus on was the man in front of her.
She pulled off her clothes with eager speed, aching to feel his skin against hers.
Tanner kicked off his sweatpants, revealing his strong, lean form to her hungry gaze.
“You’re a work of art.” Her fingers traced the lines of his muscles and the old, deep scars that told stories of battles and victories. His body was a wonder she yearned to explore, to capture on canvas. But for now, she wanted to experience him fully and swim in the seas of his sensuality.
Tanner’s hands were gentle but firm as he guided her to the bed, his touch sending electric sparks of desire through her. He laid her down with a reverence that made her feel cherished, his eyes never leaving hers.
“You’re so beautiful.” His telepathic words floated in her mind.
The connection between them was palpable, a living thing that sang with energy. She could feel his emotions as if they were her own, a mix of desire, love, and awe that mirrored her own feelings. “Kiss me again.”
His mouth found hers in a deep, passionate kiss that stole her breath.
The taste of him was pure ambrosia. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer, needing to feel every inch of him against her.
His hands roamed her body, exploring her curves, lingering on her breasts, teasing her nipples to diamond-hard peaks before moving lower.
She gasped as his fingers brushed against her sensitive mound, the sensation sending a jolt of pleasure through her.
“Your scent drives me wild,” he whispered against her skin.
He moved lower, his mouth capturing one nipple, then the other, his tongue flicking against her pebbled flesh.
She arched into him, sending him a mental image of what she craved.
He smiled as his hand slid down over her belly.
His clever fingers found her already aching pleasure bud and stroked, alternating with sliding inside her wet channel.
She moaned and writhed against the pressure of his hand, wanting more.
An orgasm took her by surprise, heating her skin and stealing her breath.
She clung to him, her body shuddering with the force of it.
Tanner held her close, his own desire evident in the hard shape of his cock against her thigh.
She reached for him, her hand wrapping around his length, marveling at the silky smoothness of his skin.
“I need to taste you.” She pushed him onto his back, her eyes never leaving his as she moved down his torso.
She took him into her mouth, her tongue swirling around the head of his cock, her hand stroking his length where her lips couldn’t reach.
The salty drops from his tip sent zings through her as she found the spots that made his cock flex.
He groaned, his hands splayed flat on the bed, his body taut with pleasure.
“Avelunne,” he gasped, his voice a plea. “I need a moment.”
She released him, pleased that she’d pleased him as she trailed butterfly kisses back up his body.
He captured her mouth in another searing kiss, his hands roaming over her skin, reigniting another fire within her.
He flipped her onto her back, his mouth trailing kisses down her body until he was kneeling between her thighs.
The first touch of his tongue against her pearl sent a shockwave of pleasure through her. He licked and sucked, his fingers slipping inside her, stretching her clenching muscles and finding her most sensitive spots.
She cried out, her hips arching off the bed, her hands gripping the blanket.
The second orgasm hit her with the force of a thunderclap, her body convulsing with the intensity of it.
Her sensations crashed through their telepathic connection, sending him over the edge.
His eyes rolled back as his hips jerked in spasms, spilling his hot seed on her thigh.
It was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen.
She shared her admiration through their link.
“You are amazing.” He used the corner of the sheet to clean off her thigh, then leaned forward from his knees to kiss her mouth.
He moved slowly started down her chest with little nibbling licks, ensuring both her nipples got his attention, then trailed down to her mons.
“Right now, I wouldn’t trade being a shifter for anything else in the universe. I’m ready again. Are you?”
She was drowning in sensation. “I’ve been ready since the day I first met you.”
Tanner moved into position, his cock proud and poised at her entrance. His eyes locked on hers, waiting. “Now, Tanner.” She ached for him. He slid into her, slowly and inexorably filling her. She felt echoes of his pleasure and his love as their connection deepened.
Slow didn’t last very long. She needed more, and he needed to give it to her. Their bodies moved in sync, their hot breaths mingled. Her heartbeat sounded loud in her ears. His pleasure and hers amplified everything.
Avelunne felt the orgasm building within her, a slow burn that grew with each thrust, each touch, each kiss.
She clung to him, locking her ankles behind his thighs, her body moving with his, their rhythm instinctive and perfect, their connection complete.
She imagined stars drifting down, a gentle shower of light and love, as the orgasm coursed through her in one long, timeless moment, leaving her breathless and boneless in their wake.
Tanner followed her over the edge, his body tensing, his cock pulsing within her as he found his own release.
He collapsed onto her, his body slick with sweat, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
She held him close, her heart pounding in her chest, his weight a welcome anchor lest she float away to the stars.
As they lay there, their bodies entwined, their breaths slowly returning to normal, Tanner lifted his head to look at her. “Mate,” he whispered.
Avelunne froze in panic for a moment. The moonwing curse hung over her like a dark cloud. However much she loved him, she couldn’t doom him to a one-sided mating. He deserved the joy and strength of a true mate bond.
Though she’d shielded her thoughts, he seemed to sense her anxiety. A look of concern crossed his features. “I’ve got you. I love you, Avelunne.”
She pushed her worries away, focusing instead on the man in her arms, the love in his eyes.
She leaned up, capturing his mouth in a kiss, her body already stirring with renewed desire.
She would worry about the future later. For now, she wanted to lose herself in him, in the love and passion that consumed them both.
Two days later, Avelunne curled her legs beneath her in the padded settee in the cabin’s great room, wrapped in a sinfully soft blanket and basking in the warmth of the illusionary flames that danced in the flat panel shaped to look like a hearth.
Lighting without flame and room heat without fire and smoke were delightful modern inventions.
Her stomach was pleasantly full of a spicy chicken and vegetable soup, accompanied by bread with cheese.