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WES

I refused to rush.

I wanted to savor every moment. Wanted to bask in the wonder that was her body. Wanted to taste every inch of her skin.

And I did.

My clothes were gone, and I nuzzled her nose and trailed a line of kisses down her neck, over the slope of her collarbone, until I tasted tender flesh. And when I kissed her there, her whole body trembled, eliciting a chuckle from me.

Fuck, I loved how she responded to my touch.

Loved how gooseflesh dimpled her skin, how her back arched, and the sounds of pleasure and delight fell from her lips.

While I distracted her, my hand removed the last piece of clothing keeping her from me, and then I was over her.

Kissing her again. Breathing in the very life from her lungs.

Full.

Deep.

Powerful.

My right hand drifted downward once again, enjoying each supple curve, gliding over her hips, and finding her warmth. I sipped from her, relishing how her hands curled against my chest. But I wanted more. I was never satisfied and always greedy for what she could give me…

For what I could give her …

***

MARA

I spun like a tornado of delicious chaos, completely and unequivocally enraptured by every sensation rising within me.

And I was desperate for breath. But even as I pulled away to gasp for air, I could barely breathe before Wes was consuming me once again.

My blood was electrified, pumping bolts of lightning with every desperate beat of my heart.

His pacing quickened as profound sensations of ache settled low in my body.

“Wes,” I managed to utter despite the painful throbbing that threatened to consume me whole. “Please…” My hands gripped at his waist as I arched against him.

He trailed kisses to my ear, whispering in a husky, thick voice. “What do you want, love? What do you need?” He nipped my ear, and the heat inside of me climbed like a fever, and I burned as my heart thundered on.

I wiggled under him, deliciously pinned under his weight. “Wes…” His name came out in a breathy whisper.

I felt him nip my neck again, causing me to jump underneath him. “Tell me,” he insisted, his voice strung out like an addict waiting for his next hit. “I won’t do anything until I hear it.”

Oh my ever-loving god, he was going to make me beg . “I want you, Wes. Please …” It came out of me in a rush .

He tucked his head into the crook of my neck, a rumble leaving his chest, thrilling me to my core. His hand slowed its rhythm, making me achy, as Wes rested his forehead against mine.

“Mara,” he whispered, “there is nothing about you I don’t love.

Nothing about you that I am not willing to forgive, to accept, to take into my life and hold sacred.

” He nuzzled my nose with his own, then kissed my cheek, followed by my jaw, and then finally brought his lips to my ear, whispering.

“I love you, Mara. All of you. And I will spend the rest of my life showing you all the ways that I do.”

I melted, because how could I not? How could I not just dissolve into nothingness with him. Wes was fierce—that was true—but he was fierce in everything he did…right down to the way he loved me.

***

WES

Slipping between her legs, my hand traveled the length of her thigh, kneading on her flesh. I kissed her, pressing myself against her, and she shuddered, moaning softly into my mouth. And fuck, did those sounds undo me.

I wanted her.

I needed her.

There was no escaping the power Mara had over me. But I didn’t want to escape.

I wanted to dive .

To swim into the depths of her endless sea and never come back up for air. I wanted to live an eternity with her wrapped around me, trembling in endless joy and delight.

And when her body sought me …

When it rose to meet me, begging to be taken…

I fucking caved.

I dove deep into the wonder that was her boundless love, covering her mouth with my own and taking in the sound of her cry.

But I waited, shaking with the effort. Waited for her to adjust to me as she trembled. My arms strained as I held my weight, giving her a moment.

And as the seconds ticked…

As my heart pulsed and hers thundered and we both waited for eternal bliss…

I showered her with feathered kisses.

I gazed into her doe eyes and read the song she sang to me.

I love you , they whispered. I want you , they cried. I need you , they sang.

But no one needed anything more than how I needed her. And when she finally shifted, pushing up against me, driving me absolutely fucking mad, I moved with her.

I pulled and pushed and rocked and rolled against her, relishing the way she danced underneath me. And I kissed her and savored her and tasted her and touched her and explored everything she offered me.

I drank her in, losing myself in her.

Desperate.

Hungry.

Just a man driven by desire for the woman he hopelessly loved.

Powerless.

Helpless.

Defenseless against her.

Just a humble servant ready to sacrifice himself at her altar steps.

Her body responded to every gentle stroke with its own powerful thrust. My hand swept back into her hair, cupping the back of her head as I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against hers .

With ragged breaths, I forced myself to slow, causing her to whimper against me. Whispering, I punctuated my words with tender strokes that inched me further. “I would give my life a thousand times over even if it only meant one more hour with you.”

“Please…” she begged, arching against me, testing the limits of my control.

“Wes,” she uttered. The sound of my name on her tongue while being buried so deep within her created a surging animalistic need that fueled my blood like gasoline.

Her breaths grew short and ragged. Her fingers curled into my shoulder, gripped at my chest.

I fucking lost it.

My mouth collided with hers, hungry, and I devoured her. I sipped from her lips, grazed from her flesh, and roamed the landscape of her body. And when she was nothing but a whimpering thing in my arms, begging for release…

I gave her everything she needed from me.

Hard strokes…

Full thrusts…

She came crashing down into a tidal wave of pure euphoria, her whole body spasming as she cried out my name once more—trembling, shaking, quivering.

Arm wrapped around her, I held her tightly against me, relishing the feel of her in my arms as I gave her this.

It was a rush of sheer pleasure in knowing that I’d delivered what she wanted.

That she was mine — my promised, and I was the first and last to touch her in this way.

The mere thought tore at the last of my reserves, and I became insatiable, the last of my control snapping like a wire strung too tight.

My hand hooked over her shoulder, holding her in place, and then I was driving into her.

Hard.

Fast.

Powerful.

Unyielding stone crashing into white roses .

I took what I wanted—what I needed —and she was nothing but pure perfection in my arms. Then I shuddered against her, plunging into my own sea of pure joy.

I loved Mara de la Puente, and I would spend eternity doing exactly that.