He ground his hips deeper into her, held himself inside of her, feeling every aftershock through her tight muscles.
“Are you all right?”
She nodded slowly.
“You are not hurt in any way?”
She shook her head. Bit at her lower lip. He leaned into her and swiped her lower lip with his tongue.
“You have to know I will cherish you for all time, Teagan. In this one moment, you managed to wipe out every horrific battle, all those centuries of loneliness. You made all of it worthwhile.”
Teagan felt her heart still in her chest. The things he said to her made no sense and yet it was everything. She knew she would have to ask him questions, but not right that moment. Right then she wanted to be the woman who wiped out centuries of loneliness for him. Wiped out the battles. She knew it was true because there was only her for him in this moment.
Andre kissed her and the tenderness brought tears burning in her eyes. He dropped his head back to the mattress but kept his eyes locked with hers.
“You belong to me, csitri, for now and all eternity. Thank you for giving yourself to me.”
That set off a million butterflies in her stomach. Eternity sounded like a long time. She had a month, and then she would have to go home. She needed to find a way to tell her sisters that Grandma Trixie wasn’t insane without them wanting to lock her up as well.
A shadow crossed his face. The cave filled with a kind of intense heat. She sucked in her breath. His eyes went from a beautiful burning blue flame to a beautiful glacier blue in seconds.
“We need to get you in the hot water so you will not be sore,” he said.
Yeah. She was in trouble. She had a penchant for getting in trouble. Her sisters were always so good, following the rules. Going to church. Singing gospel music. She sang old love songs, and if she had to say it herself, she sang them very well. Perfect pitch. Her grandmother would have been happier if she’d joined the church choir like her sisters. Unfortunately, she skipped church more often than not, and she never followed rules if she could help it. Fortunately, she was extremely intelligent, which allowed her to outmaneuver most people. Not necessarily her grandmother, and probably not a man who could read her mind. But still, she had skills when needed.
“Andre.” They needed to talk. The dreaded relationship talk. Men hated that. “We need to talk.” That should do it right there. He should make excuses and run for the monastery.
He’d taken her virginity in a lovely, mind-blowing way. She would never be the same and no man was ever going to make her feel the way he did, but still, a month wasn’t a lifetime. He certainly wasn’t going to want her to think her vacation fantasy was real. Not when he was slinging words like century around. Right? She bit her lip again. She had to be right.
He slipped out of her and she nearly cried out with the loss of him. Involuntarily she caught at him, afraid he was going to disconnect immediately. Instantly she was embarrassed and ashamed. She wasn’t a needy kind of girl. Or even high maintenance. She didn’t need him to cuddle her after they’d had sex. She hadn’t even known she would want it—but truly she didn’t need it. There was a difference.
Andre stood up with casual ease, a fluid, almost catlike motion, and simply lifted her in his arms, cradling her close to his chest.
“You chatter at yourself, woman. Most of it is sheer nonsense. I like to touch you. I like my hands on you and my body as close to yours as possible. You are going to be sore if I do not get you into the hot springs.”
“We didn’t use protection,” she blurted, horrified at herself. “I’m a modern girl. I might not have needed protection before you, Andre, but I certainly know all about it. I hadn’t given it one single thought. Seriously, I’m my mother all over again. Oh, my God. I just had unprotected sex the one and only time I’ve ever had sex and I’m probably pregnant. Seriously, I’m not trying to trap you. I’m fairly certain you won’t want anything to do with me after I’m so reckless. How could you? Why would you want someone so completely irresponsible? I’ll probably die in childbirth and Grandma Trixie will have to raise her great-granddaughter. The cycle could go generation after generation and that will be my legacy.”
Andre’s eye color went dark and intense, with just a shade of amusement.
She gave him her narrowed eyes. “There is nothing humorous about this situation, Andre. I wasn’t being funny.”
He shook his head, but she was fairly certain she could still feel laughter in his mind so she continued to glare at him.
“You will not get pregnant because you are not ovulating. If you did get pregnant, I would never leave you or the child. You are my lifemate. In your language you would say wife.”
“Um. Andre. In order to be a wife, you have to get married. Take vows in front of a justice of the peace or minister or priest. There are papers to fill out. A lifemate isn’t the same as a wife. Maybe a girlfriend? Or if it’s more, a fiancée?”
Andre lowered her onto a smooth rock seat that even had a back on it. The hot water came up to her neck and felt wonderful. Soothing. She really hadn’t known she was sore, she was still feeling far too good. He had to be the best lover in the world.
“How would you know if I was ovulating or not?” she asked curiously, allowing her head to fall back, noticing in a kind of offhand way that the rock seemed soft, seemed to have a little niche she could rest the back of her skull against. It was comfortable and in her dazed and sex-sated state, she was certain she wouldn’t move again for a very long time. “I’m drained but perfectly happy right now. Especially if you’re right and there’s no chance of pregnancy. I really don’t want to be responsible for setting into motion a generational catastrophe for my family.”
“I would think not,” he answered.
She attempted a scowl, but the hot water combined with great sex made her too drowsy to give him a real glare. She subsided, idly pushing through the water with her fingers.
“You didn’t answer me, Andre. Do you really know if I’m ovulating or not?”
“Yes. And you are not. I am going to make certain your body is not going to be sore. It will take a moment and you will feel heat.”