Page 26 of Fire Bear (Return To Fate Mountain #1)
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Eliana curled into Ash’s side as he slid an arm around her. She let her head rest against his shoulder, inhaling his familiar scent. It felt like home. “This feels right,” she said, turning her face to kiss his cheek.
He answered by leaning down and kissing her lips. As they kissed, she felt his broad chest rise against hers. Her heart thundered in response. Ash leaned in, pressing a series of soft kisses across her temple, her cheek, and finally returning to her mouth.
Ash guided them closer to the bed, and her pulse thundered in her ears. Every slow breath of anticipation made her hyperaware of her body, of his presence. Her dress now pooled at her feet, and his shirt lay discarded to the side. Naked, vulnerable, and utterly entranced, she watched him through half-lidded eyes.
He reached out, tracing the curve of her waist with warm fingers. The tender way he brushed over her skin ignited a gentle ache between her thighs. She inhaled deeply, letting the sensation wash over her, giving herself permission to sink fully into this moment.
Her lips parted on a soft sigh as he bent his head, his mouth moving against the sensitive spot below her ear. She responded with a tremulous breath and rose on her tiptoes, pressing her breasts to his chest, feeling the hard lines of his muscles. His warm breath caressed her collarbone, and a low moan escaped her when he grazed his teeth over her skin, just a hint of the primal edge she knew was in him.
Slowly, she urged him toward the bed. Her palms flattened against his chest, feeling the drum of his heart. A bolt of raw desire shot through her as he captured her mouth in another kiss, this one deeper, hungrier. She tasted the familiar hint of champagne mingling with his own unique flavor, a reminder of the trust they had built.
When the backs of her legs touched the mattress, she sank onto it, heart pounding. Ash followed, his body poised above hers. For a moment, he paused, his gaze tracing the length of her as though committing every curve and freckle to memory.
He knelt at the edge of the bed and guided her thighs apart, his calloused hands stroking along her calves and then up to her knees. The gentle pressure parted her legs wider, exposing her most intimate place to his eager eyes. She trembled, her breaths coming faster as anticipation knotted deep in her core.
He slid his hands up her thighs, his caress lighting a fresh spark of need. His name caught in her throat as her hips arched toward him, seeking more. He responded by leaning down and pressing warm, open-mouthed kisses along her leg, inching upward. Each brush of his lips built the tension, sending tiny jolts of pleasure straight to her center.
At last, his mouth found her slick heat, and she gasped, her hand flying to tangle in his hair. The sensation overwhelmed her: pleasure that pooled low in her belly and crackled through her nerves. He explored her slowly, taking his time, licking and kissing in a deliberate, reverent rhythm that left her dizzy.
Her moans filled the hushed suite. She felt her thighs begin to tremble at the onslaught of sensation. Each stroke, each gentle suck, coiled her desire tighter. Desperately, she clung to him, balancing on the knife-edge between delirious need and near-complete surrender.
When she was certain she couldn’t bear another moment of teasing, he pulled away and moved up her body, planting soft kisses along her abdomen and over each breast. The scrape of his stubble against her sensitive skin sent delicious shivers through her. She arched her back, pressing herself closer, silently begging him to keep going.
He met her gaze, his eyes dark with longing. There was a question there, a silent plea for permission, and she answered it by guiding him closer. She felt his erection press insistently against her inner thigh, and the sensation drew a breathy whimper from her lips. She needed him, craved the completion his body promised.
Slowly, he pressed forward, the tip of him nudging her entrance. Her eyes fluttered shut at the sweet pressure that followed. A broken moan escaped her as he began to slide inside, stretching her body to accommodate his. Their joined breaths caught and stuttered in unison.
Time seemed to stall for a heartbeat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he sank deeper, filling her inch by inch. The pleasure was exquisite, an ache that transformed into bliss.
Her hands roamed his back, feeling each powerful muscle shift under her fingertips. With every thrust, he built the tension inside her higher, matching the frantic rhythm of her heart. She let her head fall back against the pillow, surrendering to the delicious friction and the heat coiling tighter in her belly.
His breath grew ragged, and his pace quickened. Her body climbed toward the edge of ecstasy with each deep roll of his hips. When his mouth found hers again, the kiss was messy and desperate.
“God,” she whispered, clinging to him as her inner muscles fluttered, her climax cresting close. He answered with a low growl, his lips sliding along her throat. The primal note in his voice skittered over her nerve endings, pushing her closer to the edge.
She felt the sudden shift in his energy and sensed him hovering on the brink just as she was. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and every sensation seemed magnified as Ash roared and found his release. Hot seed burst inside her as her pussy throbbed and clenched around his cock.
In that exquisite moment, pleasure scorched through her. Ash sank his fangs deep in her neck, cutting off her breath as he pumped the mating venom into her veins. The sensation flared hot and bright, a quick sting that transformed into mind-spinning euphoria.
Eliana was no longer in the bedroom. She was floating in a black expanse of space, a bright spangle of stars spreading across the sky. She was weightless, holding hands with Ash. They turned to each other, starlight shining in his eyes.
“This is the space of our mate bond—where we are together as one throughout all time,” Ash said.
Eliana felt a rush of connection spreading through her heart. Everything that was Ash was downloaded into her—all his hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses. His love and loyalty filtered through her consciousness with a deep and abiding reverence. At the same time, she knew that the same essence of her was downloading into Ash. She could feel the connection flowing between them as they held hands.
“Eliana,” he breathed, gathering her in his arms. “You are the most precious soul, and it is my deepest honor to be bonded with you.” With a flare of joy, Eliana took his hand and twirled with him in the infinite expanse of space.
Then, suddenly, Eliana was back in the bedroom. Ash retracted his teeth from her neck, and she drew long pulls of air into her lungs. Ash kissed her forehead and rolled away with a gasp, then gathered her into his arms. She lay on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, the soft glow of lamplight painting his skin gold.
“I never imagined it would be this close,” she said, kissing his chest. She tasted the salty sweat on his skin, then looked up into his eyes. He drew her closer, kissing her lips.
“This is more than I could have ever hoped for—better than I had ever dreamed,” he said, cupping her face in his hands as he gazed into her eyes.
Eliana lay beside him as he pulled the blankets over their shoulders. The calm, subtle warmth of their bond flowed between them in that lingering moment of infinity, a timelessness she never wanted to leave.