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“I’m never going to let you go, my sweet mate. I love you to the moon, to the sun, to the very stars at the edges of the universe,” he murmured against my lips. “And back.”

My knees went weak, and my fingers tightened in his hair. “I love you too, Silas. So much.”

Silas released a long, slow breath, like a long-open wound had finally healed. He wrapped his arms around me, his body pressing against mine beneath the water.

In that moment, under the bright afternoon sun, with steam curling around us and his body warm and solid against mine, I knew without any doubt there was nowhere else I’d rather be.

He deepened the kiss, his lips claiming mine with slowly building intensity. His hands slid down my back, strong and insistent, pulling me against him until there wasn’t a breath of space left between us.

The hot water lapped around us, steam undulating through the air, but all I could feel was him: his hard body, his soft lips, the way his fingers traced over my spine, pressing into my skin like he needed to touch me.

I sighed into his mouth, tilting my head back as he kissed me deeper, his tongue sweeping against mine sensuously. My fingers tangled in his damp hair, holding him tighter, because I didn’t want space. I didn’t want any distance between us ever again.

I wanted him, in every way.

Silas broke the kiss just long enough to drag his mouth along my jaw, his stubble scraping against my sensitive skin sending a shiver down my spine.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” he whispered, his breath hot on my ear.

A purr escaped me as his lips traced the curve of my neck, his tongue flicking against the sensitive spot just beneath my ear before he sank his teeth in—a teasing bite, a reminder of the mark he had already placed on me. I shuddered, my nails digging into his shoulders.

“Silas—” I gasped.

He growled low in his throat, his hands tightening around me. “Say my name again, just like that.”

I grinned and said his name again.

His fingers slid lower, gripping my hips beneath the water, holding me against him, his hard cock pressed between us. His mouth was back on mine, hungry now, possessive, his kiss sending heat twirling through my body like tongues of fire.

I pressed myself into him, my body aching for more, but he slowed, teasing me, dragging it out, making me feel every touch, every brush of his hands over my wet skin.

“You drive me crazy,” he murmured against my lips, his voice gruff with need. “Every damn second I spend with you.”

I smiled against his mouth. “Good.”

He chuckled as he pulled back just slightly, enough to look at me, his lids heavy with passion. Silas’s hands roamed my body, his fingertips caressing over my waist, tracing the curve of my hip, cupping my tender bottom beneath the water.

I arched into him, my body thrumming with heat, the warmth of the spring nothing compared to what was burning beneath my skin. His fingers slid over my belly and up to my breasts in an intimate caress, like he was reminding me who I belonged to without having to say the words.

A shiver ran through me, and I squeezed his shoulders, my nails digging into the hard muscle beneath my palms.

He let out a low, satisfied rumble, his lips curving against my skin. “I can feel how much you want this.”

I bit my lip, glancing up through my lashes. “You’re not exactly hiding how you feel either.”

Silas laughed out loud, maybe the first time I’d heard what that sounded like, and it sent a fresh wave of warmth rushing through me. “You have no idea what you do to me, Lia.”

His teeth scraped along the curve of my neck, just enough to make my breath stutter, and sent a jolt of sensation straight to my core. I tilted my head back, giving him more, inviting him to do whatever the hell he wanted with me.

Because I wanted this too.

The heat of the water swirled around us, cocooning us in steam and silence, the rest of the world fading away until it was just us, just the slow, tender way he touched me, the way his hands held me like he couldn’t stand the idea of letting go.

I gasped as he pressed me back against the smooth rocks at the edge of the spring, his body hard against my soft one, his golden eyes boring into mine with dark, primal desire.

Silas leaned in, pressing his lips to mine, teasing, taunting, drawing out the moment until I was aching for more. I gasped softly against his mouth, my fingers tugging on his damp hair, wanting more.

My body responded eagerly, my legs wrapping around his waist beneath the water, his hard cock pressing against my slit. His hands clasped me tighter in response. He kissed me again, almost desperately. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, running my nails lightly down his back, feeling the way his body shuddered beneath my touch. His breath hitched slightly before he growled, low and possessive, his hands sliding up my back, holding me with a bruising kind of tenderness.