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I rose up on my knees so we were close to the same height, and moved so close that we were chest to chest once more.

His breathing was ragged, uncontrolled, and I could almost see the way he was holding himself back. Had been keeping himself on a leash for months, so that we could finally get to this moment.

“Do you know?” he asked, his tone almost desperate. “Please tell me you know, because I can’t…I can’t fucking do this anymore.”

“Do what?” I asked, my lip curling slightly.

“I can’t keep pretending that I don’t know you’re mine. Playing the villain, or the brother, or the friend. I can’t keep pretending that I don’t want you. I’m shit at it, anyway.”

He was, I realized now. He’d dimmed himself for my benefit, waiting for me to have the realization on my own. But he hadn’t shut down completely, and if I’d been less oblivious things could have been different.

I lifted my hands to his chest, just below his shoulders, and ran my palms slowly up I could wrap my arms around his neck. “Stop pretending, then.”

He growled low in the back of his throat, and I felt him growing hard against my stomach, but still he gave me one last opportunity to flee. “Be careful, love. Think about what you're asking before it’s too late.”

I brought my face so close that our lips brushed as I spoke. “I’m asking you to fuck me. I’m asking you to mark me and claim me.”

“Why?” he demanded. “Say it.”

“Because I’m your mate.”

33

AMBROSE

THE CAVE, NEVERMORE

“How?” I growled, my hand making the slow ascent up her back to grip her hair. I wrapped my fingers around her curls and pulled, tilting her head back far enough to give myself access to her neck.

“How?” Lonnie echoed, her voice high and breathy.

I trailed my tongue slowly over her skin, tasting her, drawing a path from her collar bone up to swirl my tongue around her ear before leaning in to whisper. “How were you going to let me fuck you?”

Her eyes widened, and she dragged her tongue slowly over her bottom lip. “You tell me.”

“Were you going to let me take you?” I asked. “Could I use you however I wanted? Would you let me split your pretty legs open and own your perfect cunt however I liked?”

“Yes,” she gasped.

Good.

I pushed her still further, reaching down to draw my fingers through her folds. She was wet and ready, practically melting on my fingers. I wanted to taste her, to suck her off my fingers then feast on her cunt until she was crying. First though, I was going to make her wait. I wanted her to beg me to let her come. Beg me to fuck her, and when I finally did I wanted it to imprint on her very being so she was irreversibly changed.

I pulled my fingers out of her cunt and offered them to her lips. "Suck," I commanded. She seemed surprised, but eagerly complied. It reminded me of how willing she had been back in Underneath, the one time I let myself give in to my desires for her. But now, as I watched her obediently suck on my fingers with hooded eyes, I couldn't help the stirring in my pants. She was such a contradiction - stubborn and defiant during the day, but perfectly submissive in bed.

"That's enough," I said, pulling my hand away from her mouth. Pinching her nipples hard enough to make her yelp, I sat back down on the cloak spread out on the floor. Despite the cold, I spread my legs wide and pulled her onto my lap. She straddled me and began grinding down on my already painful cock.

Placing one hand on her back and using the other to push away strands of hair from her face, I warned her to be careful. But she couldn't resist rolling her hips again, making me hiss in desire. It would have been easier to tease her if we were both dressed, but as it was, she was only one movement away from impaling herself on me.

"I'll fuck you when I'm ready," I told her. "Be patient." She pouted and rolled her hips again, almost letting the head of my cock slide inside her.

But before that could happen, I grabbed fistfuls of her ass and redirected her movements, leaning forward to take her nipples into my mouth instead. She moaned and arched into me as I trailed kisses up her neck and found her lips with mine.

Unable to resist any longer, I kissed her slowly, savoring every moment of finally having this woman in my arms after years of wanting her. Lost in our passion, I didn't stop her when she shifted forward and the head of my cock slid into her wetness. She was so ready for me, making it almost too easy.

"Well," she breathed, no longer moving her hips. "Are you going to fuck me now?"

I stayed still, barely inside her, fighting the urge to thrust forward and finish this. I wanted to take my time with her, make this moment last after waiting for so long.