Page 16

“No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.”

—R.A. Salvatore

There were no more words that night.

Not verbally, and not through their mind link.

Ben absorbed Lizzy’s revelations and heartfelt sentiments to the depths of his soul. He hugged her tight for a long, long time. Just standing there together in the sitting area adjoining their bedroom.

Eventually, he took her to bed. But only to undress her down to her underwear as if she was a child who needed assistance. He also helped her pull on a silk sleepshirt provided by the hotel. Then, he tucked her under the light comforter until only a sliver of her face was visible and bussed her forehead with a barely-there kiss.

Of forgiveness. Of absolution.

And, always, of love.

Her eyes were closed the entire time. She sighed deeply and immediately sank into a dreamless slumber, exhausted. She must have been hungry, having gone to bed without dinner, but she needed rest more. He’d make sure she got fed properly in the morning. For now, he went out into the night market of El Gouna to get some chores done.

Like buying their wardrobe for the next couple of days. They traveled light, but fresh changes of clothes were a small luxury he could well afford. He filled his belly at the countless stalls of local food, also acquiring some exotic snacks to bring back to the hotel for Lizzy to sample later.

All the while, he tried not to think too much. Tried not to wonder whether her increased access to their past would somehow hinder their present and future.

From his perspective, there was nothing else to forgive. He hoped she wouldn’t dwell on it. Even though their souls were the same, he was no longer Byakko or the leopard Beast. And she was no longer the Pure and Dark Goddess or the fox spirit.

While he was the same Benjamin Larkin D’Angelo that she knew thirty years ago as Eve, Michael and Ruth, he was also thirty years older. Hopefully thirty years wiser.

And she was Elizabeth Rose Winters now. The last thirty years of her human life had been uniquely Lizzy’s.

When he returned to their room, he took a quick shower and slipped into bed naked, his higher body temperature immediately drying his skin without help from a towel. She was curled around a pillow on her side facing away from him. But at the dip in the mattress from his weight, she rolled toward him instinctively, pushing aside the pillow to tuck herself into his body, hugging him tightly.

He held her too and stroked one hand through her hair, gentling and soothing her as she shivered against him. She made a small whimpering noise and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, breathing him in like she was desperate for air.

Desperate for him .

His heart panged at her unconscious need. The wound in his side panged too.

The raptor Beast had managed to gouge a talon between his ribs when he slammed Ben against the cavern wall during the earlier skirmish. Somehow, he got past Ben’s armor of scales.

The wound wasn’t particularly deep and didn’t puncture any internal organs. The upper layer of skin had already healed so that it couldn’t be detected by the naked eye.

But inside, it festered. The tear in his subcutaneous tissue and muscle didn’t knit itself together like it usually did.

Somewhere in the archives of his memory, he recalled a similar feeling. Just like the bittersweet pain that flooded his body, mixed with the bliss of his orgasm, when he released his life force into Lizzy.

Byakko’s wounds didn’t heal either, after he’d Fallen for the Pure Goddess. The leopard Beast’s Claiming by the Dark Queen Ashlu had also been the beginning of the end, though not because of anything she did. Instead, it was the Decline, when his heart had broken when confronted with his Mate’s hatred and rejection. When the Dark Queen had executed him later, it had been a relief, for the Decline had already ravaged his insides, and he existed in constant agony and humiliation.

The pain of Ben’s small battle wound wasn’t quite the same as what his past incarnations had endured. But it was a reminder that Lizzy didn’t love him fully.

Not yet.

Perhaps it would worsen over time. Perhaps this made him vulnerable to future battles in ways he wasn’t before. Byakko had lived for decades before he finally succumbed to the Decline. He simply refused to leave the Goddess. He hung onto life for as long as he could to protect her.

Ben would do the same. He wouldn’t hold back with Lizzy. He wasn’t afraid of pain or death. Only the passage of time that would be made finite by the lack of her reciprocity.

For as long as he had her, he would love her with everything he was and everything he would ever be.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Lizzy no longer dreamed.

Not the way she used to. The way she counted on ever since she began to have the vivid dreams.

Or, perhaps, her dreams were just like anyone else’s now. Something mundane and forgettable, her unconscious mind at work while her conscious self rested.

Whatever the case, for the first time, she fully lived in the real world. But maybe it was less because of the temptation of dreams and more because Benjamin D’Angelo existed in the real world.

Her world, amazingly enough.

Every morning for the past week, she awoke in his arms and went to sleep the same way. They didn’t make love again. She wanted to— all the time! —but something held her back.

She felt free to kiss him and touch him though, and incredibly, he allowed it. She kept their intimacies more affectionate, less arousing, but she’d have to be deaf, blind and stupid not to notice his body’s reaction to her closeness.

He was hard for her. Always.

He never did anything about it. Acted like his stone-hard erection wasn’t tenting his trousers. Like the head of his weeping cock didn’t leave a damp spot in the restrictive cloth.

Sometimes, she couldn’t resist. She’d wrap her hand around his turgid length through his pants and squeeze, like it was her favorite toy. Or she’d insinuate her fingers past his waistband and tease his slit while she rose on tiptoes to devour his mouth in a heated kiss.

He gave as good as he got, but he never took it further. Well, he gave her orgasms quite generously. At least a couple times a day. He used his lips, tongue and fingers, but withheld his cock. His delicious cream. He left her satisfied, but always hungry for more.

She didn’t demand that he fill her the way she desperately yearned to be filled. She knew somehow that if she commanded it, asked for it, begged for it, he’d give himself freely. He’d give her everything.

But she didn’t.

And he didn’t.

He always let her set the pace, let her take the lead. As if he was waiting.

Waiting for what?

More often than not, she’d start her mornings by burrowing deep beneath the blankets or whatever bed they were in to lap and suck the sweet and salty honey of his precum from his swollen crown while squeezing her fist along his thick length and rolling and pulling on his scrotum with her other hand. Milking him for more.

Always more .

But never enough.

He’d thrust slowly into her mouth, nudging ever deeper into her throat. She’d convulse around him as she swallowed, and he’d shudder all over, tense every muscle into steel. On the verge of orgasm.

Yet holding back.

Denying her the gift of his seed. Denying his own release.

Sometimes, she was more desperate for his orgasm than her own. She wanted his taste on her tongue, in her mouth. Craved his cream flooding her pussy, painting her womb.

God! She felt so empty without him. Even though she’d never done this before. She’d only ever known the muted couplings in her dreams.

Dreams she no longer had.

It was as if he denied her himself in both worlds, asleep and awake. Or, she denied herself. Because she couldn’t bring herself to ask it of him.

Over the past seven days, they’d traveled by Dragon Air to Turkey, meeting up with Eir and Kai.

Surprisingly, they were greeted with a friendly welcome by the resident Pure One who guarded the egg. The Immortal took them directly into the bowels of an ancient family tomb where the egg was kept safe for thousands of years like a precious gem.

Sensing no threat from the male, they allowed him to stay and observe Lizzy’s “activation” of the egg and the intensity with which Eir and Kai Claimed it afterwards. They’d departed the Pure One’s domain after that, with the Mated pair flying off to a secret location of their choosing, and Ben and Lizzy continuing on to the next treasure hunt.

Saudi Arabia was next.

They went to ?arrat Rahā?, a volcanic lava field in the Hejazi region. A thousand years ago, lava erupted from six aligned scoria cones, and traveled almost all the way to the Islamic holy city of Medina. There had been earlier eruptions too, but none since.

Annie and Merlin were already there, having pinned down the location of the egg among the vast lava field.

The surrounding territory was under the jurisdiction of a militaristic Dark One. But apparently, he was tied up in war mongering with humans and other Dark factions, and couldn’t be bothered with the fact that two dragons, a fire witch and a human had infiltrated his land and absconded away with a dragon egg.

Lizzy wished they could have spent more time with Annie and Merlin (Annie especially), because Ben seemed particularly close to the woman. He explained later that she was his best friend, that they’d been friends ever since they were kids.

Lizzy mainly wanted to pump Annie for information about Ben. The beautiful, red-haired woman was a little intimidating, honestly, for Lizzy to be comfortable with her right away. One, because she’d known Ben for so long, which inexplicably made Lizzy jealous. And two, because Annie’s personality was so bright and bubbly. She was a force of nature, and not just because she was also a fire witch!

Lizzy found it hard to compete. Not that competition with Ben’s friends made any sort of sense, of course.

But then, she was rather addlepated when it came to Ben.

Not a whole lot made sense. Not the dragon egg hunts and not the bombardment of intense feelings she was always besieged by when she slowed down enough to soak in Ben’s presence in her life.

Now, they were on their way to Greece.

But this trip was different. Not because they flew commercial for the first time since leaving Bangkok, but because they weren’t staying in a hotel for a change.

No, as soon as Ben had notified his friends, who were local to the region, that they were coming, Divina had insisted that they stay at her sprawling villa on San Stefano, Corfu. Ben conveyed the urgency of the treasure hunt, but Divina wouldn’t hear of it.

“Benjamin,” the female’s sultry voice could be heard purring through Ben’s wrist device as if she was in the airplane with them.

“You must stop to smell the roses. The treasure can wait. I own all of the surrounding islands for miles and miles, and my centaurs keep a close watch on everything that goes on.”

“We are safe ,” she emphasized in her lilting accent.

“There is time . I have not seen you for ages! You and your Lizzy must stay with us and visit properly. I want to hear all about how you met and make my case to be chosen as godmother for all of your progeny.”

At Ben’s mumbled protest, she simply spoke over him as if he hadn’t said a word.

“Not the least because I have so much practice!” she trilled and laughed a tinkling, musical, yet somehow also seductive laugh.

“I am a fertility dragon, after all. And my Andros is extremely virile! We will populate the entire Greek Isles with our descendants before you know it. And then, the world!”

If there was any friend of Ben’s who was most intimidating, Lizzy would bet her life no one could ever trump Divina. Even her name was intimidating!

And a fertility dragon…come on !

When they came through the exit doors at the International Airport of Athens, they were greeted by an ear-bursting squeal, followed by a fragrant, full-bodied hug and a smattering of kisses all over their faces.

Even Lizzy’s!

She felt jealous of the generous, bouncy curves pressed all along her body by the voluptuous female who smothered her in such an enthusiastic welcome. Jealous of them, and jealous of the fact that Ben got the same treatment.

Lizzy practically growled like feral dog that Ben got the same treatment.

“Divina, let our friends breathe.”

Yes, Divina. Back up off my man, you hussy! Lizzy thought ungraciously.

What was wrong with her?

A gorgeous bronzed god with long black hair that ran past his butt like a satiny cape greeted Ben and Lizzy more sedately with handshakes, though no less warmly.

“Welcome to our homeland,” the male called Andros said in his deep, smooth baritone while his Mate clapped her hands in excitement.

“I can’t wait to show you both around!” Divina crowed. “There’s so much to see. Do you want to do the tourist sites or go where the locals go?”

“The latter,” Lizzy put in.

“I’ve been to Athens several times before, and some of the surrounding islands too, for my archeological expeditions. I’ve been taken around by friends who are local as well, but I’m always curious how others experience their homeland. Whatever makes you happy to show us, I’ll be happy to see.”

“Oh, my dear girl,” Divina said as the taller woman looped her arm around Lizzy’s, “I like you so much already!”

And so, they all piled into Andros’ black Jeep Wrangler, which he had to import into Greece at exorbitant prices. Divina explained that this mode of transportation was almost as good as going by horseback (or by Centaur, when they were sufficiently remote where humans couldn’t spy on them).

A giant lion with the most adorable doggy face was waiting for them in the backseat, panting excitedly. Divina introduced the canine as her “baby” Chewie, who was actually a fully grown Chinese Tibetan Mastiff.

“What about Dragon Air?” Lizzy asked, once they were settled into their seats.

She sat in the back with Ben, Chewie sitting between them. He was so enormous, and with such an amazing amount of fur, that she couldn’t see Ben on the other side at all.

Lizzy understood that between her new friends, Andros was a Centaur prince, and Divina was a feather dragon. The rarest Quetzalcoatl dragon. The only one in existence. Surely, traveling by dragon was the best.

“Honey, my rainbow feathers are more for show than utility,” Divina purred, fluffing her long, wavy, multi-colored hair.

Truly, Lizzy had never seen the like. There were people who dyed their hair different colors, but Divina’s mane was something else. You could tell it was all natural. The way the strands glistened with health and luster. No chemically colored hair could achieve the same effect.

And the colors themselves were shades that only existed in nature. They evoked images of dawns and sunsets, of autumn leaves and—yes—exquisite rainbows after a thunderstorm.

If Aphrodite was a female dragon, Lizzy imagined she’d look just like Divina.

“Once in a while, I might stretch my wings,” Divina said. “More often than not, because I want to impress my stallion and get him in a particular mood, if you know what I mean.”

She turned to share a glance with Lizzy over her sunglasses, and waggled her brows lasciviously.

Lizzy would be hard pressed not to know her meaning. Unbidden, she wondered what it would take to get Ben in that particular kind of mood…

“Like the peacock, I’m really not much of a flyer,” Divina continued. “And unlike all the other dragons, I’m also not much of a fighter. Although, if I ever saw anyone mistreat animals, I won’t hesitate to scratch their eyes out!”

Chewie barked once in fervent agreement.

Andros took one hand off the wheel, clasped Divina’s hand in his over the console, and wove their fingers together.

There was a story there, Lizzy could tell. Mistreatment of animals was apparently an extremely sore spot with Divina. And somehow, it had to do with Andros too.

Soon, they arrived at the Monastiraki Flea Market, which was more like a bazaar. Lizzy had been here before with colleagues, but now that she strolled along the narrow streets with Divina, Andros and Ben, Chewie happily winding around their feet, it was a new experience altogether.

Divina’s effervescent joy was contagious. Effortlessly, she made everyone around her happy. The shop keepers, tourists and locals who walked past, and of course their own group. People looked at her and couldn’t help but smile, for she always had a special sparkle in her eyes, and her full, pink lips were always turned up in a cat-like Mona Lisa smile.

Whatever jealousy Lizzy might have felt in the beginning was quickly replaced by indulgent affection. As well as an awed admiration. And no one was more affectionate toward the she-dragon than her Centaur Mate.

Andros and Divina were always touching wherever they went, as if they were tethered to each other. Sometimes, they wound their arms around each other’s waists as they strolled, her head often leaning against his shoulder. Other times, they linked hands, and Divina practically skipped along like an eager little girl. She often touched Andros’ chest to gain his attention or to ask wordlessly for a kiss. And he always obliged with a smile, a deep, abiding love shimmering in his eyes.

Lizzy watched them with fascination. They were so demonstratively affectionate, whereas her parents, who were also deeply in love, were much more subtle.

She learned through a meandering conversation (everything was meandering where Divina was involved), that the pair had been together for over a thousand five hundred years already. It boggled the mind!

And yet, they still behaved as if they were newlyweds. As if every moment was precious and rare, and they were eternally grateful that they got to spend it with each other.

They picked up some street food and fruity drinks along the way, stopping at various stalls and shops to peruse all kinds of artistic wares. Divina selected a few changes of clothes for both Ben and Lizzy, and waved aside Ben’s credit card when he pulled it out of his wallet.

It was her treat, she insisted. What good was money if she couldn’t use it to spoil her friends?

The dresses she selected for Lizzy were similar to what she wore herself. Reminiscent of the kind of loose, flowing robes the ancient Greeks might have donned. For Ben, she chose airy cotton shirts and trousers. And for both, she bought intricately woven sandals that made Lizzy feel like she was floating on air when she walked in them, after they stopped at one of the shops to change into their new attire.

Ben fit right in here. Well, he always stood out no matter where he was, being so tall and broad and leanly muscular.

But here, with his sun-kissed waves and golden skin, his bristly scruff and chiseled cheekbones, aquiline nose and angular jaw, he looked like a mythical god descended to earth, deigning to mingle with mere mortals. There was a halo of light around him wherever he went, as if the sun couldn’t help but caress him more than every other person.

And who could blame the sun? Lizzy was rather jealous of the flaming star.

Come to think of it, she’d been jealous of everything related to Ben lately.

Jealous of the breeze that swept through his hair. Jealous of the pomegranate seller for pulling a smile out of him as he sampled one of the ripe fruits.

Jealous of the children he bought little windmills for before they scampered away with the unexpected gift from the godly stranger. Jealous of Chewie, for heaven’s sake!, when Ben scratched vigorously behind his floppy ears, all but invisible, buried in his pompadour mane.

Rather annoyed and astounded with herself, Lizzy realized that she wanted Ben’s attention all on her. So she could bottle it up and lock it away to bask in it in private whenever she wanted like a miser counting precious coins.

Even stranger, she wanted to give it back to him ten fold. A thousand fold. She wanted to lavish him with attention and hang on his every word. She wanted to touch him as easily as Divina did with Andros.

Time flew as they explored the nooks and crannies of Athens.

By dusk, they’d made their way to the Thissio Outdoor Market, near the Temple of Hephaestus. There, at a small nearby park, Lizzy’s eyes were caught on a man and a woman sitting together on the park bench.

They must have been in their eighties, if not older. Yet, they both had a youthful blush in their cheeks and twinkles in their eyes. The man’s arm was draped over the woman’s shoulder, his other hand held in both of hers on his thigh.

They smiled at Lizzy’s group as they walked past. Nodding in approval, Lizzy thought.

Surreptitiously, she glanced at Ben, walking beside her. He’d slowed his long strides to match her shorter ones, his ambling gait smooth and fundamentally masculine. With an underlying power and grace, and utter confidence in his own skin, that no human man could replicate.

While she no longer dreamed, or at least she no longer recalled them upon waking, Lizzy was accessing memories of her past lives more and more. They felt as if they’d happened to someone else. As if she was watching a movie that wasn’t real.

But in all of her memories, whenever they included Ben’s past incarnations, she felt deeply, unconditionally, truly loved .

Even before her past selves knew what love was, they felt it.

Sometimes, they resented it. Feared it. They certainly never knew what to do about it. They’d regarded his love as a burden at times, a currency at others. Something they used to keep him at their side, to bind him to them.

But what Lizzy’s past incarnations didn’t appreciate, that current human Lizzy did, was that his love had always been freely given. He’d stayed with them by his own choice, not because of anything they did to coax or coerce him.

He was the first of their creations, the first of all Immortals, who’d grown a soul because of his love. And whether they knew it or not, Lizzy’s past selves eventually grew a soul and learned how to be human because they wanted to love him back. They never knew how; gods didn’t love. And they’d been afraid of love besides.

But they wanted to.

Because Ben inspired them to.

Ben glanced back at her just then. He must have seen something in her expression, because his own softened with a sad sort of joy.

And endless affection that Lizzy didn’t know how she could ever deserve.

He took her hand in his and tugged her to his body. There, in the middle of the crowded street, they stood like an island unto themselves, as if they were lost in their own world.

Lizzy gazed up at him longingly. All of the cacophony of the bustling market faded into the background. Chewie’s happy barks could be heard somewhere farther ahead. People brushed past them like river current flowing past a large boulder.

And all was still and quiet.

There was only Ben and Lizzy.

Lizzy and Ben.

“I have something to say,” she whispered, staring unblinkingly into his achingly familiar face.

Yet, he was new as well. But no matter what he looked like, she would always know him. She felt the resonance of his spirit in hers. The echo of his heartbeat inside her own chest.

He gave a small nod, showing that he was listening intently.

“I know we’ve only just met,” she said, her breath hitching slightly, her pulse fluttering in her throat.

“It’s not even been two weeks. Logically, I know you’re galaxies out of my league.”

He frowned a little.

“Don’t interrupt,” she ordered.

He didn’t, but the frown stayed. It was the perplexed sort, not the angry sort. As if he couldn’t comprehend why she didn’t see herself the way he saw her.

Well, the feeling was mutual. Lizzy was willing to bet that no one in the universe saw Ben the way she did.

They might be captivated by his golden good looks. They might sense the protectiveness in him, the innate strength. They might be attracted by his brilliant intellect and his hard-earned wisdom.

But that was only scratching the surface of who he was.

“It’s like…it’s like I dreamed you into being,” she said softly, as much to herself as to him.

“Like…someone asked me to imagine the most beautiful, magical, purest goodness in the world, in the entire cosmos…and I imagined you.”

His hands gently cupped her face. Her hands clutched at his waist, holding tight, as if she could somehow channel his courage to bolster her own.

She gulped a breath and went on.

“And because I created you, I’ve always taken for granted that you’re mine. You are mine,” she said rather fiercely, her voice coming out in a possessive growl.

“But not because I wished you into being. Rather, you’re mine because you chose to be,” she said breathlessly, barely believing the words as they tumbled out of her mouth.

“It took me a long time…too long… to understand. To recognize the priceless gift you’ve given me.”

Lizzy could hear the faint, gathering beat of an ancient drum. Belatedly, she realized that it was her heartbeat.

And his.

Ben’s heart pounded to the same primal rhythm. Yet, the rest him was like stone, as he held himself perfectly still, while inside, a thousand emotions were broiling. Rising. Clamoring to be expressed.

She could feel it. His emotions mirrored her own.

“I don’t remember everything yet,” she said.

“The past is still a blur. More like dreams than memories. And if they’re memories, then they’re someone else’s, not mine.”

His thumb stroked across her cheekbone, grazing her lashes, tickling her.

Was it her imagination that his hand shook? Or was Lizzy the one shaking, because her epiphany held her in thrall. Her entire body practically sizzled with awareness, as if lightning struck.

“ My memory is of a tall, broad-shouldered man who rescued my tiger kite from flying away,” she murmured, searching the depths of Ben’s brilliant aquamarine eyes.

Searching his soul.

“A memory of the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen holding the door open in the New York subway. I told my full name to a stranger in the hopes that he’d somehow remember it. Remember me . And maybe even come find me when I’m old enough, grown enough, to appreciate him the way he ought to be appreciated.”

“The way he deserved to be loved.”

Ben’s lips parted on a frozen breath, his gaze intensely bright.

It was like looking into the sun. Staring at Truth.

A cowardly part of Lizzy wanted to look away.

Who was she to claim a male like this? How could she ever give him everything he deserved?

But, screw it. She was going to try.

“I’ve never been in love, so take this with a grain of salt,” she began, dithering, licking her lips nervously.

“I think I’m falling in love with you, as illogical as this might seem. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m already in love with you,” she said in a rush.

“And if I’m not doing it right, loving you right, just tell me what I should do differently. I’m not much for public displays of affection. At least, I’ve never been before. But, you know, there’s always a first time. And, I like holding hands with you. And kissing you. And, well, if we weren’t in public I’d definitely want to do more with you—”

He cut off the rest of her rambling words with his mouth.

On hers.

He kissed her like there was no tomorrow. As if they weren’t in the middle of the road with dozens of strangers gawking at them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lizzy could have sworn the old couple on the park bench was smiling approvingly at them.

And then, she was lost entirely to Ben’s kiss. The rest of the world faded away.

It was passionate and bold, possessive and hot. He made her knees buckle with voluptuous sweeps of his tongue.

Thankfully, he had an arm anchored around her waist and he held her entire weight up against him. She molded herself to his hard contours like clingy, melted cheese.

Oh heavens, but the man could kiss!

The way he licked into her and lit up all of the nerve endings in her mouth mimicked the way she imagined he’d thrust into her with his body. Slow and deep. Unhurried and lingering.

Wet…

So wet.

Making her wet elsewhere. Making her leak slick from her pussy. Making her clench and shudder around emptiness, desperate for him to fill her.

She’d never felt anything like it. Never thought of herself as wanton.

Yet, he made her terribly, helplessly wanton.

If he slid her panties to the side beneath her dress, opened his trousers and sank into her to the hilt right here in the middle of the market, she wouldn’t have cared. She’d simply wrap her legs around his waist and grind herself into his hardness, taking him deep and keeping him there.

Locking him inside of her forever.

The way he was meant to be. The way she’d always dreamed of since the first time she had those hazy, sensual dreams.

He changed the angle slightly, slanting his mouth against her, plunging his tongue rhythmically into her sucking, moaning mouth.

Was she the one making those needy, whimpering noises?

Why, yes. Yes, she was.

She didn’t care. She was beyond caring.

She wanted him.

She loved him.

She wanted to make love with him right fucking now!

“Well, there you are!” Divina’s cheerful voice reached Lizzy’s buzzing ears, as if from a great distance.

Mini explosions went off between her thighs as Ben continued to devour her mouth.

“Oh, I just love witnessing true love!” Divina was saying.

“But darlings, you might want to save that for the bed chamber. You’re drawing quite a crowd.”

Finally, with the greatest reluctance, Ben pulled slightly away, breaking the seal of their lips.

Lizzy, however, had no shame. She chased his mouth with small, biting, sucking kisses, then peppered his jaw and throat with hungry nibbles, while the rest of her tried to climb him like a tree.

Later, sweetheart , his deep voice was husky with emotion and gravelly with lust in her mind.

In private.

Promise , she demanded, pulling back to pin him with a mulish stare.

He closed his eyes and bent his forehead to hers.

She felt his nod of acquiescence. Felt his body’s shudder of acceptance against hers, still holding her tightly to him.

Later.

Soon.

She’d claim him for her very own.