reached a peak. “After I make love to you, I want to tuck you under my skin to protect you, but I also want to take you to that training facility and have you kick my ass without all of the barriers between us.”
“I want that, too,” she replied. Taze couldn’t move as she slowly brought herself closer to his body, standing on the tips of her toes. This was happening.
Chapter Seventeen
She was so tired of fighting her demons when it came to her past. Taze was right. They didn’t deserve the space in her mind. She shouldn’t let it define her anymore.
“I’m going to touch you, Taze. Please, make me your mate so I can finally get past this,” she begged as she inched closer.
His huge body vibrated under her gaze, and she knew he was holding on by a thread when it came to his need to mate her. Her human side wasn’t going to make the first move. Her panther was in charge for once, and as their mating scents blended, she let the animal take over.
“Are you sure?” he asked with a shaking voice. “Calla, you have to be sure.”
Her eyes glowed as she released the hold she had over her beast. A snarl rumbled out of her chest as she went higher on the tips of her toes. Taze was so damn tall compared to her, but she didn’t mind.
Her fingers tingled as she slowly reached for his face. Gods, how she’d dreamed of this moment, but had been too scared to follow through. But here they were, face to face, ready to make the connection.
She kept her eyes open as she reached for him, wanting to remember this moment for the rest of her life. Taze would never do anything to hurt her, and she knew that…hell, her panther knew that, too.
The moment her fingers made contact with his skin, an electric shock rocketed through her body. His eyes glowed amber as his canines shot forth into his mouth. She gasped as she pressed her lips to his, finally tasting him for the first time.
His hands cupped her face, and she felt the wetness between her legs. The animal was priming her for the mating, knowing exactly what needed to be done. In that moment, there was no past…only their present and their future. There was no fear, only love and passion.
“Mate me, Taze,” she growled as he picked her up and carried her toward his room. She’d been in his bed several times already, and the idea of making their mating final in that very space made things a lot easier than she thought they’d be.
“Come here,” he ordered and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her body flush with his. She immediately felt the hardness of his cock as it pressed into her belly.
She reached behind herself and unhooked her bra. “Taze, this is so different.”
“Different good or different bad?” He froze, but she reached for his lips again to prove she was okay.
“Good,” she hummed. “It’s very good.”
She reached for his shirt, struggling to get it over his head, but Taze was there to assist. Her fingers immediately went to his abs, dancing across the muscles. His nipples hardened under her touch.
“I don’t know what to do, Taze,” she whispered.
“Do you trust me to take over?” he asked. Calla knew he was beyond ready to mount her, and she respected him for his chivalry, but she needed him to touch her.
“Please,” she begged and stepped back to pull her shirt over her head. There was a difference seeing your mate without their clothes than when they were just another pride member stripping for a shift.
There was lust in his gaze, no hatred, and she felt her body loosening as the panther inside her prepared her body for what was to come.
Taze reached for the fly of her jeans, popping the button with a raised brow. When she nodded, he unzipped them and slipped them down her legs. He knelt at her feet and looked up at her with a questionable look.
“Gods, you smell so good,” he moaned. “I’m going to kiss you here.” With his admission, the male pressed his lips over her mound. Her panties were already soaking wet, and he inhaled deep. “I’ll never get tired of this.”
“Oh, Taze,” she hummed when he slowly began to rise, stopping at certain intervals to press his lips to her skin. When he reached her breasts, he glanced at her again,