But like Endelle said,whatever.
She drew in a rough breath. “So where do we do this? Did you want to go back to the Blood and Bite where it all began?”
His smile was warm and grew very male and beautifully dark. “I want you inmy bed, Elise. In my bed.”
She sighed. “Then let’s do it.”
He took her hand and inclined his head toward a hallway to the left. “My bedroom’s this way.”
Her heart pounded but she nodded and let him lead her down the long hall, to a room that opened up on the left to another view of scattered lights and the valley stretched out below.
His bedroom.
The bed was big, flat, and had a wrought-iron headboard. She thought of the ropes he’d used on her earlier. She’d like to tie him up. Desire didn’t just flow through her, it cascaded in heavy sheets of sensation.
“Mmmm. Strawberries.”
“I could use ropes on this bed.” Did she actually say that aloud?
But he laughed and caught her up in his arms. “Oh, Elise, you are so my kind of woman.”
She laughed as well but the sound was a little tinny and her heart wouldn’t quiet down.
He drew back. “You’re nervous.”
She nodded, small, quick jerks of her chin. “I’ve never done this before.”
“Well, neither have I.”
She shook her head and odd tears pooled in her eyes. “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m talking about love. I’ve never done real love before, committed love. Of course thebreh-hedden has me freaked out as well, but still … love.”
He drew in a deep breath. “Me neither, but I’m willing to learn how to do it right. I want to love you, and learn to love you, battle with you when we need to work things out, and yeah, use some ropes on the bed, for as long as we have together. Just so you know, it could be a long time, as in an eternity.”
“Now you’re really freaking me out.”
He searched her eyes for a moment. “We can do this, Elise.”
Then he kissed her and Elise melted into his arms, no holding back, no letting her fears rise above her desire to be with him, really be with him. He deepened the kiss and drove his tongue inside, searching her out as he had from the first.
Her heart swelled with affection, with desire and yes, with love. She slung her arm around his neck and held him close. His arms became a beautiful vise that nearly squeezed the breath from her, but it felt so good.
Let’s do this thing,he sent.
She pulled back and cradled his face in her hands.Yes,she sent, growing more and more at ease with telepathy.Let’s f**k the hell out of this thing.
He laughed and scooped her up in his arms. He turned her toward the bed and he must have thought the thought because she watched the covers move as if by magic, peeling back to finally sink to the floor at the foot of the bed.
She didn’t know what exactly was going to happen. She knew the mechanics but she also knew that thebreh-hedden went way beyond physical bonding. Preternatural power would be involved.
But as he laid her out on his bed, on the dark blue silk sheet, nearly the color of his eyes, she let it all go and focused only on him, only on him.
Chapter Ten
Gideon looked into her eyes and saw that she was with him, really with him. Her straight black hair was once more fanned over the dark blue pillowcase and her brown eyes glittered in the dim light of the room. A need swelled in his chest and his breathing tightened. The sensation felt familiar. He sometimes felt this way before battle, a heavy, very male-laden state.
Some part of his brain started to shut down in a strange way. The rational part. His breathing grew rough and labored and faint grunts left his throat.
“Gideon, what is it?”
“Spread your legs.”
Her dark eyes flared, flames leapt, and when she spread for him, more of his brain shut down.
In its place was a very specific need that was more than just sexual. He needed her to know that he was her man, now and always.
He climbed between her legs and planted his knees. He settled his hands on either side of her shoulders. He leaned closed to her neck and sniffed, dragging her scent into his nose, more female this time, less strawberry. He licked and felt her shudder.
Then he dipped low and he bit her shoulder, hard. Not too hard, but hard.
She cried out. “Gideon. What the hell?”
He drew back and once more looked into her eyes. He lowered his chin and out of his throat and mouth a deep growl emerged, something he’d never heard himself utter before.
He watched her neck arch then her back. “Oh, God, that sound. It’s different. What are you doing to me?”
He shifted to her opposite shoulder. He sniffed again. He licked her skin. He bit again, hard.
A long “Ooooh” came out of her mouth and her scent rolled now, a heavy strawberry-woman cloud that flooded him and took his mind deeper into an ancient primordial world.
He looked down at her br**sts and he pawed them, rubbing over peaked ni**les with one hand as he balanced himself on the bed with the other.
These are mine, he sent.
Gideon. Shit. Gideon.
He moved a little lower so that he could put his mouth above the left breast. He struck with his fangs and released the potion. She cried out and he took as much of her nipple and breast in his mouth as he could and he sucked … hard. He looked up at her and saw the wild look in her eye.
She panted.Fire, she sent, the word a primal cry in his mind.
He left that position and moved to her other breast and once more he sank his fangs in and released the potion. Her back arched off the bed. He grabbed the same breast and suckled again, hard, firm, sweeping his tongue over and around the nipple and sucking again.Mine.
“Yes. Yes.” She panted and when he looked up at her, he saw tears in her eyes.
He shifted lower and sank his fangs just above her belly button. She was tender there and he knew it. He released the potion then tongued her navel until she was gasping and rising up off the bed.
He put a hand between her br**sts and forced her down. He needed to keep her there, flat on her back. He didn’t know the why of it, but she wasn’t to move. This was where he needed her.
He moved lower and took as much of her clitoris in his mouth as he could and he sucked, which brought her up off the bed again, but using the same hand he pushed her back down and held her there while her body undulated under him. He’d latched on good, though, and he worked her with his mouth until her pants became cries and then screams as he brought her and brought her and brought her.
“The potions,” she shouted. “Oh, God.”