CHAPTER 25
N icole’s closeness and the feel of her silky skin under Gaetan’s fingertips lit a fire deep inside. A slow growl rumbled in his chest. They only had today, for come nightfall, he’d resume his trek to find Anlon.
He slid his palm to the base of her scalp and drew her to him, giving her a blinding kiss. He poured all his love for her into their connection, letting her know without words that she owned his heart. She moaned under his onslaught, soft sighs of encouragement urging him onward.
Her firm breasts and taut nipples rubbed his chest, teasing him. He tightened his grip around her waist and tugged her closer. His erection pressed alongside her hip, straining against his pants, the material cutting into his balls.
Breaking their kiss, he growled. “My sweet Nicole, what you do to me.”
“Gaetan…” Nicole tugged her lip between her teeth in that sensual way that drove him crazy. “You can’t blame yourself for other people’s—”
He placed the pad of his fingertip over her plump lips. “Sh…no talking.”
She sighed and gave him an acquiescing nod.
Her acceptance and trust bolstered his love for her. All he wanted was to kiss her and show her what she meant to him. He trailed his finger over her chin and along her collarbone, enjoying the softness of her skin. Through her thin shirt, he grazed her nipple with his thumb and cupped her breast in his palm, the heavy weight sending a zip of excitement along his nerves.
She inhaled at his touch, and a slow moan eased from her. Before he could react, she gripped the edge of her shirt and ripped it over her head. The material landed on a pile of rocks. With a sly smile, she unhooked her bra, and it slid down her arms and landed at her feet. He sucked in a sharp breath, his arousal growing. She was exposed to him now, and he couldn’t stop himself from admiring how her pink nipples hardened from the chill air.
The burning need to be with her raced through him. He placed one hand around her waist and another under her legs, sweeping her into his arms.
A small squeal rushed from her lips, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Would you like to feed from me?” He hoped so, more than he cared to admit.
Nicole nodded. “If you don’t mind.”
“Mind? Not at all.” He grazed his thumb over her bottom lip, and her fangs elongated. Pretty and white, they gleamed in the light.
He cradled her close, and she sank her teeth into the soft spot between his neck and his collarbone. A brief pinprick of pain then a rush of pleasure struck him as she tugged at his throat. With gentle caresses, he stroked his fingers against her thigh.
Joined in unison, he enjoyed the pleasurable sensation of their hearts beating as one. After a long moment, she withdrew her fangs. A blissful smile curled her lip, and her hooded eyes gleamed with happiness.
He strode over the stone floor, forcing his bad leg to carry its share of the weight. Blessedly, there was no pain. As he laid her on the bed, her hair framed her beautiful features. He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers in a barely-there kiss then drew back to study her.
The look of pure adoration in her eyes just about broke him and another knot around his heart loosened. She could never love him, not with his broken body and tormented soul, but he’d give her all his love, every last ounce.
“These have to go.” He gripped the waistband of her pants.
She worked the zipper, easing it down with a quick zip. The sound echoed in the small chamber. With a firm jerk, he had her pants and underwear off in a flash.
His mouth went dry.
Completely naked before him now, her entire beauty took his breath away. Lovely, full breasts with small, tight nipples, a smooth, flat waist that flared into well-rounded hips, and long toned legs begged for a male’s touch…for his touch. He kneeled on the bed with his good leg, his damaged one dangling over the edge.
Starting at her pretty toes, nails polished in a enchanting green that matched her eyes, he brushed his fingers over her soft, silky flesh. The pads on his fingers tingled.
She squirmed, and a husky laugh burst from her lips, those beautiful, luscious lips. “That tickles.”
Oh, how he loved the shine in her eyes, and he wanted to tease her again and again, to burn that look into his memory. He placed his palms on each thigh and gently coaxed her to open to him.
A sense of unease flickered across her features.
His heart stuttered. “What’s wrong?”
“I…I’ve never done that before.” Her cheeks tinged a bright shade of pink.
“Never?”
She shook her head.
That he would be the first, no…the only one to give her such pleasure warmed his heart. An overwhelming urge to please her in this most intimate way raced through him, and the markings for empathy and patience burned on the back of his hand. He stole a glance at it. The lines reappeared, faint, but there. His chest swelled. “My sweet Nicole, I would be honored if you would allow me to pleasure you.”
She nodded once, desire sparking in her green depths.
Gaetan’s throat constricted. She trusted him. He wouldn’t let her down. With a gentleness she brought out in him, he slid his hands up each of her thighs, spreading her legs. The delicious scent of melons wafted into the air. He inhaled, enjoying her luscious scent. “My sweet Nicole…”
A smile tugged at her lips, blooming across her face, brightening her eyes. His heart leapt at the sight. He returned his attention to her moist, pink folds. They glistened with her desire, her want and need for him. He didn’t deserve her, he never would, and that saddened him. How could the bonding only give him a single band? Being with her felt so good, so right.
Not wanting his negativity to spill over to her, he pushed the thought from his mind. He’d satisfy her until she screamed his name.
Gripping her thighs with his palms, he planted light kisses up the inside of one thigh, taking his time until he reached the juncture between her legs. With a long, languorous stroke, he licked her warm, slick creases, tasting her for the first time.
“Gaetan…please…” She gripped his hair, her fingernails digging into his scalp.
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Not yet. I can’t neglect your other leg, now can I?”
“You’re torturing me.” She squirmed, her hips wriggling beneath him.
Gaetan chuckled. “Perhaps I am.”
He pulled back and retreated to her knees once again, trailing tender kisses up her other thigh. The need to taste her again, have her writhing from his ministrations, urged him onward. When he reached her mound, he slid his tongue over her entrance. She shuddered beneath him, her breaths fast and heated.
Her round nub hardened while he circled his tongue over the delicate flesh. She bucked against the bed, and a soft cry rose from her lips. “I’m so sensitive…”
He tightened his grip on her thighs, holding her in place. With deliberate intent, he moaned as he took her hard clit between his lips, sucking, pulling, tugging.
On the brink of her orgasm, she trembled, her legs shaking with anticipation. Her gaze never wavered from him, trust reflected in her beautiful eyes.
“Come for me, my sweet Nicole. Come for me.” He laved his tongue over her folds and her hard little nub, again and again, increasing his speed with each swirl.
“Gaetan!” At last, her orgasm broke through, her muscles shuddering with her release. He kept up his focused attention, riding the crest right along with her.
Nicole gripped his hair. “Stop. I can’t take anymore.”
Not that he wanted to, but he complied with her request.
She stilled beneath him. The tension in her legs drained away, but a small tremble still fluttered along one thigh.
“That was amazing,” she whispered.
His heart swelled. He’d pleased her in a way she’d never experienced before, and she’d trusted him, let him touch her in this intimate way. His throat constricted so tight, he almost couldn’t breathe.
She slipped her legs from between his grasp and propped herself on her knees. Swift and demanding, she gripped the edge of his pants. A slow, sexy smile tugged at her lips. “Your turn. Let me pleasure you.”
Gaetan’s mouth went dry. If he removed his pants, she’d see his deformed leg and reject him. A sheen of sweat coated his back. He drew away, sliding off the bed until he stood near the end. “No.”