Chapter Twenty-Three
Ace
L uana's chest rose and fell with the gentle rhythm of sleep, her dark curls spilling over her face like ink in water.
I sat propped on the makeshift bed, muscles aching, skin pulled tight over freshly healed wounds that screamed with every slight movement.
But this faint discomfort was a mere echo of the agony that had once been my constant companion within the cold, unforgiving stone of my cell.
I couldn't resist; the pull to touch her was instinctual, an innate need that thrummed through my veins.
My hand trembled as I reached out, brushing my fingertips along the warmth of her jaw.
Her lashes fluttered and then her eyes snapped open.
She lunged forward, her arms finding their way around me in an embrace that melded desperation with tenderness.
I pulled her into my lap, and she easily straddled me.
I felt the press of her body against my core, a sweet torment to my senses.
Her lips traced the line of my neck, the curve of my cheek, before claiming my lips in a kiss that seared through the remnants of any darkness clinging to my weary soul.
I clung to her as if she were the very essence of life itself.
Tears shimmered in her eyes, quivering like dewdrops on the edge of a leaf before they spilled over. She pulled back to look at me. "I thought I lost you."
"I'm right here, love," I signed to her.
A sob broke from her chest as I cupped her cheek and pulled her lips against mine once more.
Kissing her with our bond open ignited a flame within me.
My body instantly responded, the hard length of my cock tightened my trousers, and I knew she could feel it pressing insistently against her front.
Her hips rolled as she moved to hold me closer, and I couldn't suppress the growl that worked its way up my throat.
Luana pulled back, her breath hitching, her gaze locked with mine.
Concern flickered across her face, a flash of guilt in her tear-streaked eyes.
"I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her hands hovering over the scars that now marred my flesh.
With a grin, I shifted her weight until she was fully seated on my lap. She felt the undeniable evidence of my arousal, my cock pressing directly against her center through the thin barrier of our clothes.
"Does it feel like you hurt me?" I signed to her, and a blush bloomed across her dark brown skin, spreading like wildfire as a smile lit up her face.
Cupping her cheek, I drew her back into the kiss. Tenderly coaxing her with my tongue. My soul poured into the exchange, every emotion channeled through the connection of our lips. And then, I reached down the bond we shared, that she had kept vulnerably open for me.
As our minds melded and intertwined, I sank into the lush depths of her consciousness.
We were lost together, adrift in the seas of each other's essence.
The threads of our connection wove together into an unbreakable tether of light.
Her emotions crashed into me, waves of love, longing, relief, and mine surged into her with equal force.
The world around us faded, leaving only the raw intensity of our bond.
The kiss broke, our breaths mingling in the charged air as we placed our foreheads together.
The thread between us that had barely tugged before, now roared like a violent storm within my veins.
She wanted me—all of me—and it was a craving that resonated with every fiber of my being.
"Are you sure?" I asked down the bond, my voice echoing through the silent chamber of our linked souls. Her eyes widened in awe.
"Your voice . . . I can hear it in my head," she whispered.
"Do you like the way it sounds?"
"Yes . . . and yes, Ace, I want you, all of you," she breathed into the charged space between us.
“I wasn’t ready before, and then after you left, I wished I'd given you all of me.
I wanted to be with you, to let you in, but then when I got the news of your capture, I didn't know if I'd get you back.
I didn't know if I'd lost the opportunity to be with you, my mate .
. . and now I never want to be without you again. "
Tears welled in my eyes. “Say it again,” I commanded down the bond, and a small smile curled on her lips.
“My mate.”
I never knew two simple words could be my undoing. I captured her lips with mine and kissed her like a man starved of air, and I needed her to breathe.
Luana wrapped her arms around me, her hips pressing insistently against mine. The hard length of my cock was undeniable. I wanted all of our clothes off. I wanted to fuck her slowly, make love to her passionately, keep her in my bed and worship her for days until we were both completely spent.
But then, she trailed a hand down my back, and sharp pain jolted through me.
I tensed, a hiss escaping through gritted teeth.
She halted, concern flashing in her hazel eyes.
Those golden flecks shined as she pulled back.
Her lips, swollen from our kisses, parted slightly as she peered over my shoulder, examining the patchwork of healing wounds that marred my flesh.
"Luana . . . ," I choked out down the bond. Despite the ache, I craved her touch, her nearness. Her. I wanted—no, I needed her. "Come back," I urged. The sensation was intoxicating, knowing she heard me from within, a connection so deep it blurred the lines of where I ended and she began.
Her fingers hovered inches from the raw redness of my scars. "You are in no condition for sex, Ace," she whispered in my mind before switching to using her actual voice. "We've waited this long, so we can wait a little longer. I don't want to see you in anymore pain."
A deep growl clawed its way up from my chest. I wanted her, every fiber of my being straining against the weakness that held me prisoner within my own body. The thought of entwining with her, soul and body, for days unending was a maddening hunger I had never felt for anybody before.
"You must be hungry. You haven't eaten. Let me go get you something," she murmured, concern etching soft grooves around her eyes. She stood to move, but I was stubborn. Defiance propelled me upward. My muscles screamed in protest, but I quashed them.
"No," I said down the bond. Her eyes caught mine, wide with surprise.
I drew her back, imprisoning her in my arms and shifting her so her ass was on the bed.
If I could not claim my mate as I pleased, I would give her any pleasure I could for now to satiate both of us.
"No need, I have the meal I want right here.
" My thoughts poured into her mind, and her lips parted when she realized what I wanted.
Her scent changed as her arousal filled the tent.
My gaze locked with hers, a silent question hanging heavy in the air between us.
I knew she wanted me, but I would always ask her permission first. The night dress she wore clung to her like a second skin, and I desperately wanted to rip it off with my teeth.
I was like a starved animal. Every fiber of my being hungered for her.
A beat passed before she nodded, a subtle dip of her chin granting the consent I craved.
My fingers trembled as they reached for the hem of her nightgown.
The fabric was delicate against my calloused hands.
I peeled the night dress upward, unveiling the expanse of her dark skin.
The sight of her laid bare before me, I’d never seen anything so godsdamned perfect.
Not even the views of Heavensreach could touch her beauty.
"Luana." I breathed her name down our connection, a hallow invocation as I drank in the vision of her. She was my salvation and my undoing, and I was going to worship her. I dropped to my knees. “My mate.” I sent my words to her as she dipped her head back and spread her legs for me.