Page 31

He's magnificent—all lean muscle and golden skin, his erection jutting proudly from a nest of darker blond curls. He wraps a hand around the thick length, giving a slow stroke that makes my mouth water.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he says, echoing my thoughts back to me. "I can't believe you're looking at me like that. "

"Like what?" I ask, my voice breathy and wanting.

"Like you want to devour me." He moves toward the bed, his eyes wild and hungry. "That's how I'm looking at you, too."

He joins me on the mattress, his weight making it dip as he crawls over me, all controlled power and lethal grace. His skin is hot against mine, his body covering me like a living blanket as he settles between my thighs.

"I need to taste you," he murmurs, his mouth finding the sensitive spot just below my ear. "All of you."

"Please," is all I can say as all coherent thought flees while his hands and lips begin their exploration.

He takes his time, mapping my body with reverent attention. His mouth leaves a trail of fire down my neck, across my collarbone, dipping to capture a nipple in the wet heat of his mouth.

I gasp, arching into the sensation as his tongue flicks across the sensitive peak. His hand finds my other breast, kneading gently before rolling the nipple between his fingers.

"You're so responsive," he says against my skin, sounding pleased. “Just for me.”

His praise washes over me, heightening every sensation as he continues his journey downward, tongue tracing patterns across my ribs and my stomach, dipping into my navel.

When he reaches the apex of my thighs, he pauses, looking up at me with a question in his eyes.

"Yes," I breathe, answering before he can ask. "Please, Alder."

He smiles, a predatory flash of teeth, before settling between my legs, hooking my knees over his broad shoulders. The first touch of his tongue against my center has me crying out, fingers clutching at the sheets.

He groans, the vibration adding to the sensation as he explores me with lips and tongue. He seems to delight in discovering what makes me gasp, what makes me moan, what makes my hips lift, seeking more.

I'm lost when he slides a finger inside me, curling it to find the spot that makes stars burst behind my eyelids. My release builds with shocking speed, coiling tighter and tighter until I shatter, his name on my lips as waves of pleasure crash through me.

He works me through it, gentling his touch as I come down before pressing a kiss to my inner thigh and crawling back up my body.

"I love watching you come," he says, his voice rough with desire. "So fucking beautiful."

He reaches for the condom on the nightstand, tearing the packet open with his teeth. I watch, still dazed with pleasure, as he rolls it on.

Then he's positioning himself between my thighs again, the blunt head of him nudging at my entrance.

"Okay?" he asks, one last check.

I nod beyond words and reach up to pull him down to me. He kisses me deeply as he pushes forward, my taste on his lips, entering me in one slow, controlled thrust that has us both moaning into each other's mouths.

He stills once fully seated, his forehead pressed against mine, our breath mingling. "You feel incredible," he whispers. "So good, Lena."

"Move," I urge, my hands finding his hips. "Please."

He obeys, withdrawing almost completely before sinking back in, setting a rhythm that has me climbing toward another peak. His strokes are deep and measured, his eyes never leaving mine, creating an almost too much intimacy to bear.

I wrap my legs around his waist, changing the angle, drawing him deeper still. He groans, his pace faltering slightly before he catches himself .

"Not going to last," he warns, his voice strained. "You feel too good."

"It's okay," I assure him, my pleasure building once more. "I'm close, too."

He slips a hand between us, finding where we're joined, his thumb circling the bundle of nerves that sends lightning through my veins. The dual sensation of him inside me and his skilled fingers on my clit is overwhelming.

"Come for me again," he commands his voice a growl that reverberates through me. "Let me feel you."

His words push me over the edge, my second orgasm crashing through me. My inner muscles clench around him, and he follows me over with a hoarse cry, his hips jerking erratically as he finds his release.

For a long moment, we stay locked together, sweat-slicked skin against skin, heartbeats thundering in counterpoint. Then he carefully withdraws, pressing a soft kiss to my lips before rolling to the side to dispose of the condom.

When he returns, he gathers me against his chest, his heartbeat strong beneath my ear. Neither of us speaks right away, content to simply exist in the afterglow, our bodies cooling in the night air.

“Hey, Lena?” His fingers trace lazy patterns on my back as I snuggle my cheek against his chest.

“Mm?”

“Is it okay if we go sleep with Gordie?”

I untangle from his arms, sitting up. “Of course. You should go to him.”

He shakes his head. “I want you there. With me.” His eyes are vulnerable, and I tamp down the small voice that whispers this feels like much more than a fling.

“Lead the way,” I tell him, my mouth tipping into a smile. “I’m going to use the bathroom and be right in.”

He nods and plants a kiss on my forehead, walking naked down the hall like a man on a mission. And it’s this–the care he feels for this helpless dog–that tells me there’s no way I can go back to not having sex with him after he just exploded my world.

But that's a complication for tomorrow. I hurry to clean up and make my way to Alder’s room, where I'm content to lie in his arms, my body pleasantly exhausted, my heart full of something I'm not ready to name.

And I'm not sure I'll ever be the same.