Mila was deep in a Nora Roberts novel when something hit her window. With a startled cry, she dropped the book and sat straight up on the bed. Her eyes fixed on the window as she slowly got to her feet, half tempted to call one of the security guards who lived and worked at the Marceau home to investigate.

Before she could, the sound came again and this time she recognized it as a pebble. Brow furrowed, she padded to the window to open it with quiet stealth. Something furtive in the means of contact urged her to respond in kind, and she eased her head out the open window.

Her mouth dropped open with shock when she saw Elijah standing on the ground below. Her mark warmed at the mere sight of him, a testament to the connection between them. She bit her lip, her heart pounding as she leaned forward out of the window.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered.

The light of the moon provided enough illumination to show his shrug, though his face remained in shadows.

“I had to see you. Can I come up?”

A refusal hovered on her tongue as her mind reviewed all the reasons why he couldn’t. But her heart bypassed her mind to give the only reason that truly mattered.

I am his.

“Yes,” she answered. Her mouth widened into a smile as her skin tingled at the thought of his touch.

She held her breath as he climbed the trellis. It creaked under his weight, and his muttered curses as the thorns snagged his flesh seemed like shouts in the quiet night. She half expected security to burst into her room at any moment.

She didn’t breathe again until Elijah levered himself through the open window and closed it behind him. Then her mouth went dry and it was a struggle to breathe once more.

He was just as gorgeous in old jeans and a skin-tight tee shirt as he had been in the nude. In the hours that had passed, slow as cold molasses, since the morning, her mind had been overrun by thoughts of how sexy he was, how devoted to him she felt. The Elijah who dominated her daydreams was a force to be reckoned with, for sure.

But the real Elijah, standing there in the shadows of her bedroom, with broad shoulders and muscular physique, smiling at her with a hint of self-consciousness, left her utterly breathless.

“Um, hi.”

Her lips twitched at his boyish greeting. He had to be a few years older than she, judging by the creases forming under his eyes and around his mouth, but right then he reminded her of a teenage boy on his first date. Her mouth drooped at the analogy, remembering she had never been on a date with a teenage boy. She hadn’t been on any dates at all, unless last night counted.

When he brushed his thumb across her lips, sending a spark of desire through her very core, she looked up at him with confusion.

His touch was electric, but was it because it was Elijah touching her, or would any male have done? She knew there was no chemistry with Jared, but he was the only man with whom she had to compare, and he had never even kissed her.

“You’re frowning,” he said. “Would you like me to leave?”

Mila wrapped her hand around his wrist, holding his fingers to her mouth. “No.” She opened her lips and fastened them around his finger, nibbling lightly.

Elijah moved closer, putting his other hand on her waist. “I probably shouldn’t be here.”

“No.”

“You should tell me to go.”

“No.”

His eyes gleamed with a hint of teasing. “Is that all you can say?”

She released his his finger to return his grin. “No.”

Elijah cupped her cheek. “What else can you say?”

Mila rubbed against his palm, reveling in the darts of heat that radiated from his skin. “Make love to me.”

He let out a low growl as Mila stepped forward. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He closed the remaining distance between them, anchoring her tightly against him with his arm around her waist, his hand settling on the luscious curve of her ass. His mouth slanted over hers, his lips coaxing hers open so his tongue plunged inside.

Mila closed her eyes, letting her hand slide down his forearm before dropping it to his hip. Her other hand found the waistband of his jeans, and she hooked her fingertips over the hem to steady herself as he devoured her mouth.

Elijah more than lived up to her memories of last night. Alternately gentle and demanding, he changed the tempo of the kiss with each breath. When he caught her tongue between his lips and sucked, she melted against his chest, comforted by the feeling of being enveloped by him. As he traced the recesses of her mouth, her tongue tried to catch and pin his, but each time, he flitted away and found a new spot to tease.

She tugged on his jeans, trying to bring him closer. His cock pressed into her stomach, and she wriggled her hips as she felt herself growing wet with anticipation.

Elijah’s tongue left her mouth, and she tried to follow with hers, but he blocked her attempts by drawing her lower lip into his mouth to suck on.

As he teased her lips with his tongue, Elijah’s hands moved down to pull at her chemise, tugging it up to her hips so he could grasp the hem. He peeled it upward in so smooth a motion that there was barely a moment of parting between them. Even as he tossed the skimpy nightgown over his shoulder, his mouth was back on hers.

Mila turned her head to the side, breaking the kiss. Her brain cried for oxygen, and she drew in several deep breaths as she cuddled against him. In just her panties, the room was chilly, and she shivered. Immediately, Elijah’s arms enveloped her, and he pulled her tight against the heat of his body.

She lifted her head to look into his dark eyes, finding them molten with desire. She wanted to say something witty or romantic, but words escaped her. With the hope that her eyes spoke for her, she brought her hands to the hem of his T-shirt to tug it up over his torso. As she bared the skin by pushing the shirt up to his pecs, she felt his abdominal muscles jump beneath her fingertips.

“Mila.” He tried to capture her mouth in a kiss, but she evaded the attempt, bending forward to place her mouth against his chest. She flicked her tongue over his skin, making Elijah jump. She grinned at his reaction before extending her tongue and trailing it across his skin.

Her lips settled on his nipple, making him groan with pleasure. She caught it lightly between her teeth, and his hips surged forward, offering proof of his arousal.

As she tasted his chest, her hands worked on the fly of his jeans, freeing them with an ease she hadn’t expected. Passion must have given her the confidence. She folded open his jeans and reached inside to peel off his underwear, her eyes widening when her fingers instead found his bare cock, hard and ready for her.

She explored his cock with slow strokes, lulled by his low groans and the languid pistoning of his hips as he thrust against her hand. Sticky fluid leaked from the tip, and she swirled her fingers through it as she lifted her mouth from his nipple and met his eyes.

Elijah growled low in his throat when she licked his arousal from her fingers, and his eyes grew even darker with desire.

“Mila, I need you.”

She quivered at his words, nodding to expressing her reciprocal feelings. He released her long enough to peel off the T-shirt and shuck off his shoes and jeans.

During the seconds they were apart, her brain tried to remind her of her impending wedding, her duty to the pack and all the reasons why she shouldn’t be doing this.

Desire beat out logic, and she guided him to the bed, sprawling across it in what she hoped was a sexy pose. She parted her thighs and peered up at him through the veil of her lashes, waiting for him to join her.

Elijah knelt between her ankles, his hands finding purchase on her splayed thighs. Her pussy clenched with anticipation as his hands moved in agonizingly slow circles up her thighs until his thumbs were nestled on either side of her swollen lips. She parted her legs a bit wider, encouraging him to touch her.

“You’re so beautiful.” His voice was thick with emotion. “I had no idea it would be like this with you. That we would be so good together.”

Her brow wrinkled. “You’ve thought about me… before?”

He nodded, his eyelashes shielding his eyes. A hint of a blush suggested he was embarrassed. “Many times.”

She wanted to press for more information, and perhaps he realized her intent because he distracted her by stroking her slit with the rough pad of his thumb. A rush of moisture accompanied his caresses, and Mila arched her hips, inviting him to penetrate her.

Both of his thumbs were now exploring her center, sliding up and down in opposing motions that were driving her mad. “Please, Elijah.”

He pushed her lips together just at the point of her swollen clit, pressing down to apply pressure. “Please, what?”

“Don’t tease me.”

Elijah shook his head. “I’m not teasing, baby. I’m just getting acquainted. I want to know every inch of you.”

She bit back a groan of frustration as he resumed his light strokes. Her pussy convulsed, trying to take in his fingers, but he ignored her involuntary reaction.

When he parted her lips, she thought he was finally going to stop teasing and had to bite back tart words when all he did was circle her clit with his forefinger.

Mila was certain she couldn’t take any more and was close to pushing him away and burying her own fingers in her pussy to find relief. As she contemplated doing just that, Elijah leaned forward, bringing his mouth to her pussy. A moan escaped her when his breath brushed against her clit, and she lifted her hips off the bed, forcing his mouth against her slit.

His tongue squirmed into her opening, seeking out her secret places. Mila grabbed handfuls of the flannel comforter to keep from screaming as he sucked her clit into his mouth and flicked his tongue across the sensitive bud.

Her hips had a mind of their own, mindlessly pumping, demanding more of his tongue. He complied by sweeping it to her opening and penetrating her. She moaned at the sensation as her pussy throbbed, her thighs clenching around his head as he drove her higher, higher, higher and finally over the edge, sending massive shudders through her body.

She let out a desperate cry when his tongue left her opening and returned to her clit. He suckled the sensitive bud with gentle attention as two of his fingers penetrated her pussy, thrusting in and out of her in time with each stroke of his tongue.

Convulsions exploded from deep inside her, sweeping outward and consuming her like nothing she’d ever felt before. Her body quaked violently, a cry of satisfaction escaping her lips as she came, her juices flooding his fingers.

He moved quickly, silencing her mouth with his to hold in the rest of her cry. Her taste was on his tongue, sweet yet tangy, unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

Mila drew his tongue into her mouth, sucking on it desperately to keep from screaming as her pussy convulsed over and over with the force of her orgasm.

When she finally regained control, she lay under him, staring into his eyes. They were both tense, waiting to see if anyone had heard her reckless cry.

As the minutes ticked past, it seemed obvious they hadn’t, and she relaxed. A moment later, his coiled muscles loosened, and he sank on top of her, pressing her into the soft mattress with his weight. It was a comforting feeling.

In a whisper, she said, “I love you, Elijah. I know it sounds crazy, but I do.”

He sighed, stroking her hair as he spoke. “I’d always heard stories about the intensity of a mate claiming, but I always thought they were exaggerations. I’ve loved you for a long time, Mila. But what I feel for you now is so much stronger than love. You’re as vital to me as the air I breathe. IWe barely know each other, and yet I can’t imagine living without you. I came here to tell you that, to reassure you that I meant what I said this morning. I’ll fight for you, no matter what it might cost me.”

“Elijah. Make love to me.” Her face was warm. It was disconcerting to be embarrassed about discussing sex at her age, but not surprising, considering how sheltered she had been. But she felt emboldened by their mutual commitment, and she wanted — no, needed — to feel him inside her again.

He nodded. “I ache to be inside you. It’s all I’ve thought about all day.” His hand moved across her thigh, seeking out her hand, which he brought to his cock. “Can you feel how hard I am for you? How much I want you?”

“Yes.” Mila bent her legs, leveling her feet on the mattress as Elijah shifted positions to align their hips. With one hand he guided the head of his cock to her entrance, nestling it against her opening.

He hesitated, and she lifted her hips to take him inside her. As he slid into her, slow and gentle, her sheath contracted around his cock, drawing it deeper. She rocked her hips up and wrapped her legs around his ass, pulling him even closer until he was completely enveloped in her.

They stilled, both relishing the feeling of being so closely joined, and it felt so good, so right, she couldn’t breathe for a moment.

Finally, he eased back, pulling out until his tip almost left her body, making her gasp at the sudden feeling of emptiness. He moved his mouth over hers, taking her in a slow, languid kiss as he plunged into her, then pulled back out, again and again, angling himself to graze her clit with every stroke.

As they kissed, his thrusts slowly increased in speed, and her hips rose to match each one. Although she wouldn’t have believed it was possible, her body was ready for another orgasm.

When Elijah’s hand slipped between them so he could caress her clit with his thumb, she tightened her thighs around his body, anchoring herself to the delicious torture until her pussy tightened and began convulsing around his cock.

He responded in kind, pushing in as deep as he could and staying that way as he released himself, his seed, everything he was, into the woman he loved.

Mila bit down on her tongue to keep from crying out when she came again. Every muscle in her body tightened for a millisecond, and her breath caught in her throat as waves of pleasure crashed over her. When the assault finally ended, a harsh exhalation escaped her, and she melted into the bed in a state of boneless relaxation, incapable of moving right then.

He didn’t seem inclined to move either. Elijah eased his weight onto her, his cock still throbbing, rock hard, inside her.

Together, their breathing slowed, and Mila’s heartbeat returned to its normal level. Perspiration slicked her skin, and when she looked at Elijah she could tell he, too, was exhausted from their passionate exertions.

There was so much she wanted to say to Elijah, but she didn’t have the words, and her eyes fluttered shut despite her best efforts to keep them open.

As gave herself over to a deep, dreamless sleep, she felt a twinge of sadness.

She knew he would be gone when she woke up.