“You don’t. I love you. I adore you and the ground you walk on. Do not let your encounter with Rosaanne confuse how deeply I feel for you.”
My fingers fisted at my sides as I took a step away from the counter. “Did the ritual bond save anything for just me?”
Annoyance suddenly emerged in his expression. “Ripley, how can you be mad at me for this?
“Because this whole time youknewyou were mine.”
“Yes. It’s true. But I didn’t know if you would be mine.” We stared at each other for a moment before he turned away from me, and it felt like he had taken my heart with him. He moseyed to the rectangular table and took a seat. “I was trying to prepare myself for the inevitable. For when I’d have to watch you marry someone else. And I’d have to settle for someone who isn’t you.”
I could taste the truth on his lips. If I hadn’t known Fletcher would be mine in the end, there was a strong possibility that, perhaps, I would have acted the same way. But, I had to rip the bandage off fast and smooth and open this wound as wide as it’d go because I wanted this conversation to never rear its ugly head again. “How many?”
He scrubbed his face. “Five women.”
My jaw dropped with the disappointment. “And how many times?”
He scratched the back of his head. “More than five—But, no one compares to you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, sure. Little old inexperienced me—”
“Actually, I find your inexperience quite endearing.” There was a small twinkle in his eye.
I sent him a cold stare with crossed arms.
“Ripley,” he smiled, “while I find your jealousy and possessiveness wildly attractive, know it’s unnecessary.” He waved a glowing hand in the air and the lights dimmed. “They don’t hold a candle to you, and I’d sacrifice all of them in a heartbeat if you asked.”
Something about his intensity appeased the jealous storm raging in me. My eyes widened with tenderness. “You would?”
“Yes. I’m the one who is insecure that you’ll find love elsewhere in Elizy. I hardly think you need to worry about me finding anyone.” His hands sparked with my magic and soft music played in the air. He stood, took my hand, and spun me in a gentle twirl before bringing me to him. His posture relaxed as he stepped forward, his body a wall against mine as he tipped his head forward and kissed me. “I worry you’ll forget about this if you’re away for too long.”
I undid my hair, letting the golden locks fall to a puddle on the ground near my feet. “Maybe we both need some reminding then.”
He clamped his hands over my waist and hoisted me on the counter, hands threading between my knees and spreading them apart. The trail of his fingertips was hot as they inched up my thighs. “Maybe we do, princess.” His mouth pressed against mine with desperate, primal need. A moan escaped unbidden as his hands unclasped my leather pants and tugged my underwear to the side to prod the wetness at my core.
He hummed a solitary deep note when he noticed how his touch affected me then kissed me harder. His other hand traveled up the loose shirt he had let me borrow and cupped my breast, massaging as he slid his finger into me down to his knuckle.
I broke the kiss, head falling back in pleasure as he pumped in and out of me. His other hand moved away from my breast, and lifted my shirt up and over my head. Then, his fingers threaded through my long locks of hair as he grabbed a fistful and gently tugged my head to the left, exposing my neck.
His lips came down on it as I reached forward and undid his pants.
He groaned when I grabbed a hold of his hardness, stroking the considerable length and lingering at the sensitive tip. It caused him to quicken the pace of his fingers sliding in me before withdrawing. His fingers slid down my back and beneath my underwear until his hands were flat on my bottom, working my clothing off. As he slid my pants off my feet, he confessed, “I need to be inside you.”
My breath caught in my throat, my desire overtaking me. I gently nodded and waited for him to take me. He tossed my clothing to the side without another word. Within a blink, he aligned himself with my entrance and invited himself in. Swift and demanding, his fingers dug into my thighs and hauled me forward until he filled me completely. Fletcher caught me as I fell back with the force, moving me away from the counter and onto the floor.
“Tell me you’re mine, Ripley.”
My golden hair splayed across the hardwood flooring, and Fletcher was quick to wrap most of it around his hand and gently yank it to the side until my neck was exposed for him to suck on. The warmth of his lips as he sucked the sensitive spot under my jaw sent a deserved whimper of lust barreling out of me.
With every thrust, every movement, every time his breath covered my skin, I quivered under him, giving him as much control of me as he wanted.
“Tell me, Ripley.” He buried himself deep into me in one hard plunge. “You’re not theirs. You’re mine.” He pulled out slowly and drove himself into me once again. “Right?”
As soon as he yanked on my hair even more, it took mere seconds for it to spill off my lips. Honest truth mixing with the pleasure of Fletcher and tying itself around a one-word promise. “Always.”
Lying in bed beside Fletcher while wrapped in just his shirt was a bit of a distraction from my homework. In fact, I couldn’t even begin until I remedied the heat growing between my legs again.
I could still feel his hands marking my body in insistent caresses, like echoes of a ghost. Lingering and clandestine. Being near him made everything I’d been through feel blurry and insignificant. I wanted to bask in that feeling. I needed him to touch me. Needed to touch him.
“You know I can sense what you’re feeling, right?”
