Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
CHARLI
Sterling blue-grey eyes light up with emotion when he hears my words, as if he needed to hear I could build a life in Greystone.
Honestly, I was afraid to admit how much I wanted to stay and create a life here until this minute, but I’m tired of running and having no roots.
This is where I belong. Raine’s vision of me.
My visions of them. I’m meant to be here.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he breathes, hearing my silent realization through our bond.
His mouth descends, capturing my lips in a sensuous kiss full of depth and a vulnerability Teague doesn’t often show. I fall into it, into him, letting go of my fears and the barriers holding me back from committing to him. I want to be his mate in the fullest sense of the word.
Diving into his kiss, I trail my fingers across his broad shoulders until I reach his shirt.
Unbuttoning it, I slide my hands inside and over the strong muscles of his chest, wanting to touch him and claim what’s mine.
My fingers dance down his chest to his abs, where I trace the lines I’ve secretly drooled over.
He shifts restlessly beneath me and pulls my mouth from his. “Your hands feel so good.”
I tilt my head. “Hmm, it’s only the beginning.”
He traces the shell of my ear. “I’m guessing you have something in mind?”
I carefully unbutton my blouse and part the gold silk shirt, baring myself to him.
He pulls in a sharp breath. “Stunning. I’m a lucky bastard to have an incredible woman like you as my mate.” His hands trail lightly across my collarbone, then down between my breasts.
I take a deep breath. “The shirt stays on. No touching my back under it.” I’m not ready to show him or anyone else yet.
“Deal,” he rasps. “How far do you want to take this?”
I arch my body, pressing my breasts into his wandering hands, and whisper, “All the way. I want you. Inside me.”
He cups my face with his hands and stares into my eyes. “Why?”
“I want to seal our bond,” I reply, never more sure of anything in my life.
His eyes close. “Say it again.”
“You’re mine, and I’m yours. I don’t want to wake up another day without knowing you’re here.
A part of me, my soul intertwined with yours.
” I reach down and grab the hem of his sweater.
Pulling it off in one move, I settle my hands on his body.
“I want to touch you, taste you, do all the things I’ve dreamed of doing. ”
His mouth crashes down on mine, demanding and dominant, but instead of shrinking, I meet his kiss with the confidence that’s been building since the day I met him.
Scoring my nails lightly down his chest, I lightly flick his nipple, wondering if it’s as sensitive as mine. His indrawn breath tells me it is.
He scoops me up and carries me into the bedroom. He lays me on the bed and gives a low chuckle. “I’m nervous.” When I raise an eyebrow, he lifts a self-conscious shoulder. “I’ve waited centuries for this moment, but all I want is to make sure it’s perfect for you.”
I smile. “You make me ache every time you look at me like you can’t wait to touch or taste me.”
He groans and spreads my legs open, then stands at the foot of the bed and stares down at me with hooded eyes. “Seeing you here in my bed, feet clad in those strappy gold heels and little else…I promise, I want to fucking devour you.”
A wave of lust and awe and a craving so fierce it takes my breath away sweeps over me, and I moan.
He strips off the rest of his clothes, giving me my first glimpse of his cock with nothing to block the view. I stare at it, noting the veins and smooth skin, its length, and the way it proudly stands at attention.
His thigh flexes as he places one knee on the bed and crawls up my body, settling on top of me. “But first, I want you to see everything from the beginning.”
Eyes locked on mine, he opens the door between us, showing me everything he’s been holding back.
The euphoria he felt when Raine told him he had a mate and when he finally met me.
His worry that he would fuck it up. The tight rein he kept on his emotions so he wouldn’t scare me off or overwhelm me.
His hunger. How he craved my kisses and my touch, burned with the need to claim me.
The jealousy he felt of Leif, and the fury and terror he felt during Andros’ attack.
How proud he is. Every little and big thing is spread out before me.
A tear slips from my eye. I wasn’t ready when I first got here, still running from Hank. “Thank you for waiting for me.”
His mouth descends, and his kiss isn’t just demanding; it pulls every drop of my need and emotion to the surface. Shifting to the side, his hand glides down my body, then squeezes my breast. I arch into his palm for more.
“Can I touch you?” I ask, desperate to know what he feels like.
He takes my hand and places it on his chest, and I explore every dip and hard ridge before sliding my hand south. He shudders when I reach his cock and run my fingers lightly around the rim and down his shaft. The skin is softer than I ever imagined.
Wrapping my hand around the base, I squeeze and slide my hand up and down. He groans, and I’m surprised to feel him lengthen even more.
He moves his mouth down to capture my hard nipple, and I moan.
A drop leaks out of the tip of his cock and, curious, I swipe it up and bring it to my mouth. “You taste so good.”
His eyes are almost an inferno as he watches me suck my finger.
“My turn.” Ignoring my protest that I’m not done, he prowls down my body and closes his mouth over me.
I arch off the bed, and his satisfaction in my pleasure as well as his determination to make me come using his tongue and fingers spill through our connection.
“Teague,” I cry out, fisting the sheets. “Please.”
His finger glides up the middle of me, then back down, gathering wetness and spreading it before sinking into me.
I moan and clamp down on his finger.
So fucking tight.
Are you going to fit?
Given how big he felt in my hand, I can’t help but wonder.
Swirling his tongue and bringing me closer to the edge, he adds a second finger. “You’re dripping, sweetheart.” He presses a third finger in, and I gasp at the fullness and lift my hips. “That’s it.” He slides in and out, then places his mouth back on me.
Everything spirals inside me. Tighter and tighter.
His hunger merges with mine, feeding off each other, and I thrash from side to side, needing to come.
Curling his fingers, he strokes my inner wall, and it pushes me over the edge.
Coming hard, I cry out, and still, he doesn’t stop, wrenching every tremor from my body and capturing it with his mouth.
He languidly continues his exploration of my body, teasing and tasting, learning every inch of my body and the little spots that make me gasp with pleasure until I’m writhing with need again.
Moving up my body, he settles his cock between my legs and rocks against me.
While his mouth was amazing, I’m so turned on, all I can think about is him inside me.
“Teague, please,” I pant, lifting my hips.
He reaches down and guides the tip in, then rocks back and forth. His jaw is tight with tension. “Relax, sweetheart.”
“It feels so big,” I whisper, concerned he won’t fit.
“We were made for each other,” he reminds me, moving his hand down to circle my swollen and sensitive clit. I gasp and arch my body. He slips in another inch. Rocking back and forth, he continues to slip the tip in and out.
Fire rips up his shaft with every stroke in and out of my body as the tip becomes more and more sensitive.
I moan, but I can’t tell if it’s because of what he’s feeling or what I am—the two of us are merged so tightly together.
I grab his hips and meet his thrusts with my own, wanting more, needing him to sink all the way into me.
He pushes the rest of the way until there’s not a breath of space between us. Sweeping my hair back, he stares down at my face. “Charli, sweetheart. I claim you as mine, my mate, forever.” His voice is growly and possessive.
Light wraps around my heart and soul. It’s dynamic and strong like him, but with a depth of emotion that is bottomless and reserved for those he loves the most. I gasp when my soul does the same to him.
“There you are. Strong and sweet with so much love to give. I promise to do everything in my power to deserve you,” he murmurs, a tear sliding out of the corner of his eye. “Do you feel it?”
I nod, a bit overwhelmed with how open and vulnerable I feel, but knowing he feels the same makes all the difference. “Teague, my mate. My forever.”
Teague moves, and I moan at the explosion of thoughts and images streaming between our connection.
Every single image he’s captured along the way.
My breath catches at the way he sees me.
Beautiful and desirable, more than I could possibly have dreamed of being, but also smart, creative, and compassionate.
He’s known how I’ve felt through our connection, but I show him my favorite memories.
The awe when we met, and I realized he was one of the men in my visions.
The excitement of our first date. Him learning how to make my favorite coffees.
His ambition and drive, and the way he inspires those around him.
Our first kiss. The endless confidence he has in me.
The rare times he shows me how vulnerable he is.
How sexy I find him in and out of those tight boxer briefs.
He slows for a minute, his lips finding mine in a deep kiss, swirling with emotion, including an overwhelming gratitude to have a mate like me. When he raises his head, there’s a sheen to his eyes.
“Charli, sweetheart, you unravel me in all the best ways.”
His hips thrust in and out, and the heat and hunger increase exponentially. I whimper at the way my skin feels. Tight. Hot. Panting, I know I’m close.
“Teague,” I say breathlessly. “Please.”