I rise on my toes, erasing the last breath of space between us. Our mouths meet and the world narrows to this—the soft press of his lips, the sharp nip of teeth, the way his tongue slides against mine. His fingers dig into my hips, pinning me in place as the kiss deepens, turns hungry.
The cedar against my back keeps me grounded as everything else spins away. There’s only this. Only us. Only the way his mouth claims mine like he could drink my soul.
I arch against him, nails scraping down his bare chest. A growl vibrates through him, straight to my core.
“Bast—”
A moan escapes me as his mouth trails down my neck, teeth grazing that sensitive spot below my ear. His hands slide lower, gripping my thighs, and suddenly I’m lifted. My legs wrap around his waist instinctively. The new position presses us together everywhere, making my breath stutter.
“Need to get you inside.” His voice is rough, primitive. The words vibrate against my throat where his mouth works. His stubble scrapes deliciously against my sensitive skin.
“Then move,” I gasp, tangling my fingers in his hair and tugging until his mouth finds mine again.
We barely make it through the door. My shoulder clips the frame, but the flash of pain only makes everything sharper, more real. Broken pieces of wood crunch under his bare feet as he carries me deeper into the cabin.
His grip tightens, and I roll my hips against him, drawing another growl from deep in his chest. My teeth catch his lower lip, tugging until his eyes flash that molten gold that makes heat pool low in my belly.
His response is a searing kiss that steals my breath. We crash into the wall beside the destroyed bedroom doorway. The impact knocks a picture frame to the floor. The glass shatters, but neither of us flinch. His hands are everywhere—sliding under my shirt, mapping my ribs, claiming every inch of skin he can reach.
My body strains toward his hands, craving every point of contact. My shirt catches on the rough wall as he pushes it up, and I hear fabric tear. Don’t care. Can’t care about anythingbut the way his palms scorch my bare skin, the way his mouth devours mine like he’s starving for the taste.
His mouth blazes a trail down my throat as his fingers work the clasp of my bra. The lace catches on his calluses, making me shiver. Every touch feels magnified, electric. When his teeth graze my collarbone, my head falls back against the wall with a thud.
“Bed,” I manage, though my hands betray me, pulling him closer instead of letting go. “Before we break something else.”
A dark laugh rumbles through his chest. “Already broke the door.” His tongue traces the shell of my ear. “And the picture frame.” His hands squeeze my thighs where they wrap around his waist. “What’s one more thing?”
But he moves us to the bed anyway, navigating the small bits of scattered debris without looking. My back hits the mattress, and he follows me down, his weight pressing me into the soft sheets. All thoughts dissolve as his mouth finds that sensitive spot where my neck meets my shoulder.
I reach for him, needing to touch, to taste, to claim him back. His skin burns beneath my palms as I trace the ridges of muscle along his back. A growl vibrates through him when my nails scrape down his sides, and suddenly he’s pulling back, eyes blazing gold as he stares down at me.
“Mine,” he breathes, and the word sends shivers racing down my spine.
“Prove it,” I challenge, and his answering smile is pure predator.
His hands slide up my sides, taking my ruined shirt with them. I sit up, helping him strip away layers until there’s nothing between us but skin and breath and need. When his mouth closes over my breast, stars explode behind my eyes.
“Bast,” I gasp, his name a plea and a prayer. “Please.”
He pushes me back flat on the bed.
Our completed bond pulses between us, amplifying every sensation. His hands trace reverent patterns across my skin, like he’s trying to memorize every inch. I feel his fierce protectiveness, his need to erase all memory of the morning’s violence with gentle touches and whispered words of devotion. His emotions are alive inside me.
“You saved me,” he murmurs against my throat. “Chose me.”
“Always,” I breathe, cupping his face and bringing his mouth back to mine. The kiss is slower now, deeper. Less desperate but no less intense.
When he finally slides into me, my world stops spinning. The bond between us explodes with sensation—pleasure layered with emotion so deep it steals my breath. His forehead presses against mine, our shared gasps mingling in the space between us. For a heartbeat, neither of us moves, overwhelmed by the perfection of this connection.
“Look at me,” he whispers, and when I open my eyes the love I see there makes my chest ache.
His first thrust is achingly slow, deliberate. My fingers dig into his shoulders as pleasure spirals through me. His responses echo back, creating an endless loop of sensation that makes my toes curl.
“Mine,” he breathes against my lips. “Forever mine.”
“Yours,” I gasp as he hits that perfect spot. “Always yours.”
Our bodies move in perfect synchronization now, like we’ve been doing this dance for centuries instead of a day. When his mouth returns to that sensitive spot below my ear, stars explode behind my eyes.
