Chapter 30
MALIK
W ith an adorable growl, Amri kisses me back, her grip tightening around my wrist, and I squeeze the edges of her throat in response.
Her head falls back against the wall, and I delve my tongue deeper into her mouth, consuming as much of her as she’ll allow.
After everything, it wasn’t until I had my hands on Amri and my lips on hers that I felt truly at ease.
My beast pushes at me, wanting to sink his fangs into her skin with magic and intention. Internally, I shake my head at him. “Not without talking to her first.” He quickly backs off, and I turn my full attention back to the female in my arms.
When one of her hands leaves my wrist to trail down my chest, I purr so loudly it vibrates my entire body.
Her fingers curl against my skin as she kisses me, and I sink deeper into the moment …
into her. My cock aches, tenting my loose pants, and the way I have her pressed against the wall gives me perfect access to roll my hips and let her feel what she’s doing to me .
“You feel me, little warrior? How hard I am for you? Stars, Amri.”
She half-chuckles, half-moans into my mouth before whispering against my lips, “Did you enjoy sitting back and watching me fight, Alpha?”
My cock jerks, leaking precum and wetting the fabric of my pants.
Hearing her call me ‘Alpha’ … her alpha …
it’s a drug I’ll gladly lose myself to over and over.
I lick her bottom lip before giving her a little nip.
“You were a sight to behold. You always are. But you know I would have jumped in had you needed me, right?”
Her hand on my chest travels down, down, down.
Fingers play along the waistband of my pants, and my hips automatically thrust into her touch.
My skin tingles and my blood burns for her as she kisses my jaw, my neck, my shoulder …
and with a voice deep and raspy says, “I appreciate that, Alpha.” Her hand leaves my waistband and cups me over my pants, giving me a squeeze.
My breath puffs out as I drop my head to watch her small hand stroking me as she says, “I need you now, so jump on in.”
I bark a laugh, amazed at the mix of joy and raging desire coursing through me. With a small movement of my hips, I push my hard length against her palm, and she grips me tighter as I say, “As you wish, little warrior.”
I move my thumb so I can press a kiss to the pulse point on her neck, pleased when her head falls back and thuds against the wall.
I kiss the swell of her breast over the fabric of her shirt, and she arches into me.
As I kneel before my mate, she’s forced to release my cock, and while my body screams at me to do whatever it takes to get her to touch me again, I focus on her … all on her.
Lifting the hem of her shirt, I kiss her stomach, and her muscles ripple as her hips roll towards me.
I love that she’s so eager, but I can’t help but draw out the pleasure, so I lick her skin along the waistband of her pants.
Her fingers dig through my hair, scraping my scalp, and I smile against her hipbone.
With quick movements, I undo her pants, peel them down her toned legs, but stop when I reach her boots.
I kiss her shin as I unlace one, and when I move to the other, she kicks off the right boot, followed by the left.
On my knees, I wrap my hands around the backs of her thighs and stare up at my little warrior, my mate.
Her lips are pink and slightly swollen from our kisses, and her cheeks are flushed.
But it’s her eyes … those ice-blue eyes look down at me with such passion, heat, and acceptance.
Amri has always seen me. She knew the truth of who I was and stayed anyway.
My fingers dig into her skin as I say, “Thank you.”
Her head tilts to the side, her brows slightly furrowed as she runs her hand through my hair. “For what?”
“For not giving up.”
Her features smooth out. “You are worth fighting for, Malik.”
I take a deep breath, trying to absorb her words, trying to accept them as I stare into her sparkling eyes. “You honor me, mate. I think it will take some time, but I’ll try to see myself as you do.”
“I’ll help you.” She continues to comb my hair with her fingers, and I allow myself a few seconds to luxuriate under her touch.
But then I refocus and slide her panties down her legs. She squirms, mumbling, “Just magic them?—”
I lift her foot to help her step out. “Why would I use magic when I have the pleasure of undressing you myself?”
I kiss my way back up her legs, slowly working up her body.
As I stand, I hook a hand behind her thigh to hitch it over my hip.
Watching her face, I grind against her, hitting her clit and am rewarded with a pleasured gasp.
Her eyes glaze over and she grips my shoulders, rubbing herself against me with panted breath.
“Malik, please.”
I’m helpless to obey, but in the best way.
There is no coercion, no magic. Just us.
I grab the back of her other thigh and lift her.
Her heels dig into my lower back, and before I’m able to, she reaches down and shoves my waistband down over my cock.
Wet heat slicks along my length, and we both groan as we sink into a kiss that sucks my soul from my body.
My balls are so tight, I fear I won’t last long, but at least if I do embarrass myself, it won’t take me long to be ready again.
Thank the stars for shifter-quick refractory time.
With a flex of her thighs, Amri rises, slicking her pleasure on my lower abs, and then she’s sinking onto me.
I drop my head, my forehead pressed to hers so I can watch.
“Fuck, Amri. You feel so good. Stars, look at you sinking onto my hard cock. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” She bottoms out, and we both gasp.
I stare at where we’re joined. “Stars, mate.” At that word, she clenches around me hard, my cock jerks with a small orgasm.
With a chuckle, I move one hand to her ass, holding her on me as we both breathe through our pleasure.
“You can’t do that, mate, or I won’t last.”
She clenches again, rolling her hips with a rasped, “You keep calling me that.”
I nuzzle her neck, then bump her nose with mine to get her to look at me. “What?” I draw back, and with a torturously slow thrust, I say, “Mate?”
She throws back her head, exposing her tattooed neck to me, and my cock jerks inside her as she says, “Fuck, Malik. ”
I thrust again, this time a little harder. “Look at me, mate.”
Her head falls forward, her dazed gaze trying to focus on me.
I roll my hips, grinding deeper, and her pupils get larger, nearly eclipsing the blue.
I keep my pace slow, driving my cock deep each time she grinds herself down on me.
It’s bliss, and I can’t wait to claim her …
if she’ll have me, because as much as she seems to enjoy me calling her mate, she has yet to return the sentiment.
Which is fine. I understand, but hopefully, one day …
“Amri, I want to watch you come apart on my cock. What do you need, mate?”
She clenches around me again, and I can tell she’s close because it’s getting harder for her to hold my gaze, but she manages to say, “Keep going. Oh, stars. I … my … my clit …”
I happily obey, easily holding her with one hand as I use the other to press her clit.
I rub it, circle it, flick it, watching, learning …
and then I pinch her clit and give it a little tug.
Her body seizes, her back arching, her mouth opening on a silent cry.
Her pussy flutters with her orgasm, her thighs like a vise around my hips.
My own orgasm threatens to burst, but I barely manage to hold back as I roll her clit between my fingers, never changing the pace of my thrusts until she slowly relaxes and comes down from her climax.
As soon as a contented sigh passes her lips, I unleash. The snap of my hips drives her against the wall with a fast thud, thud, thud. A strangled scream tears from her throat as she clings to me, holding on for dear life.
With every punch of my hips, she gasps, “Malik. Malik. Malik. Mal. Mal. Ma. M. M. Ahhhh!”
I explode with her this time, stars bursting across my vision, pleasure tearing through me, sparks of pure bliss rippling like electric waves.
When I come back to myself, I look at Amri.
She’s panting, flushed and sweaty, and perfect.
Still buried deep inside her, I press a soft kiss to her lips and force out the words that have been stuck in my throat for a while. “The Fates were right.”
Her eyes go wide, but she quickly recovers. Instead of squirming out of my hold like I expect, she hugs her thighs tighter and cups my cheeks to hold my gaze. She opens her mouth, and I brace, readying myself to accept whatever she says in response.
A strange sensation slips between us, and I fall forward, slamming into the wall, holding nothing.