Fear the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #9)(94)

He didn’t need her reminder as he trailed his lips to give the lobe of her ear a punishing nip. “You’re now my mate.”

Her hands lifted to stroke through his hair. “And?”

He lifted his head to stab her with a gaze that was only partially teasing. “And I don’t want you to mention another man’s name when you stink of him.”

Sensing his wolf was genuinely ruffled, she furrowed her brow in puzzlement. “You mean Salvatore?”

“I warned you.” Angling his head, he sank his teeth into the flesh of her throat, his musk filling the air to brand the woman beneath him. It was the most primitive sort of marking, but the mating bond was still raw and in need of proclaiming her as off-limits to other males.

Cassie moaned, the spice of her arousal teasing at Caine’s nose as her fingers tangled in the short strands of his hair.

“He carried you to this room and I walked beside him,” she said to comfort his beast. “Nothing else.”

“I know.” He nuzzled a path along the line of her jaw. “But I’m finding it hard to be civilized right now.”

“Caine.” Her fingers tightened in his hair as he covered her lips with slow, drugging kisses.

“Hmm?”

“You need to rest.”

His sucked her bottom lip, pressing his fully erect c**k against her inner thigh. They groaned in unison, the mating bond only intensifying the potent desire that flowed between them.

“What I need is my mate,” he assured her, stealing another deep kiss before seeking the scented pulse at the base of her throat.

“Mate.” She shivered as his tongue stroked her skin, his fingers tugging at the belt of her robe. “It feels . . .”

“Yes?”

She heaved a satisfied sigh. “Astonishing.”

Caine was in full agreement.

It was astonishing.

Astonishing and magical and entrancing.

Leaning back, he peeled open her robe, savoring the sight of her small br**sts tipped with rosy ni**les already hard with need.

She was exquisite.

A masterpiece of ivory and gold that perfectly matched the decor.

With a low growl, he swooped down to circle one of the tempting peaks with the tip of his tongue, chuckling at her soft gasp of pleasure. “And how does this feel?”

Her fingers slid down his neck to trace the line of his shoulders. “Mmm . . . nice enough, I suppose,” she teased.

“Nice?” The heat of his desire sizzled through him, nearly setting the air on fire. “You shouldn’t provoke a hungry wolf, pet.”

Her hands moved to explore the bare width of his chest, a smoldering invitation in her emerald eyes. “Ah, but he’s my hungry wolf.”

For all eternity, he silently swore, refusing to contemplate the world outside the bedroom door. In this rare moment of peace he was just a wolf with the woman who filled his heart with a joy he’d never dreamed possible.

“Your wolf needs a kiss,” he coaxed softly.

A slow smile curved her lips. “Such a demanding beast.”

“Ravenous.” He gave her nipple a slow lick before turning to share equal pleasure with her neglected breast. “Greedy.” He caught the nipple with the edge of his teeth, biting just hard enough to make her arch in encouragement. “Insatiable.”

She trailed her foot up and down the back of his leg, the movement brushing her thigh against his straining erection. At the same time, her lips nibbled a line of searing kisses along his collarbone.

“Just how I like you,” she assured him, giving his own nipple a wicked lick.

Carnal bliss jolted through him, and with a shaky groan he rested his forehead between her br**sts. “Careful, pet. I’m a breath away from early combustion.”

She stilled. “That’s one of those strange exaggerations, isn’t it? You’re not truly going to combust?”

“It all depends on your definition of combustion,” he muttered, grasping her wrists and tugging her hands over her head.

He caught a brief glimpse of emerald eyes dark with need before he was claiming her lips in a kiss of blatant hunger. Over and over he devoured her mouth, his hips gently rocking against her in time with her soft sounds of growing need.

“I think I’m beginning to understand,” she rasped, shivering as he released her lips and stroked his lips down the curve of her neck and then kissed the tip of each nipple.

Not entirely convinced she was as close to combustion as he wanted her to be, Caine continued his seductive path down the flat plane of her stomach, taking a minute to tease her tiny belly button before he was sliding off the edge of the bed and tugging her legs apart.

His wolf strained at the leash, eager to claim the woman who was now bound to him. The man, thankfully, didn’t intend to pounce.

At least not yet.

With a tender thoroughness he nibbled down her slender leg to the tips of her toes, breathing deeply of her delectable scent. Silk and lavender. Pure bewitchment. He made a similar path along her other leg before he pulled back to simply admire the sight of her stretched out before him.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured, his fingers tracing a light path along the inside of her thighs.

She trembled, her soft pants like music to his ears. “Why are you waiting?”

He allowed his fingers to drift upward, brushing close, so very close, to her damp heat. “Anticipation is half the fun.”