this love? She didn’t know, but whatever it was, it was something real. She never had the opportunity to really explore and dream of what love could be like, but she imagined that this could be what it felt like at the first spark. If love wasn’t quite there yet, she could feel the kindling of something between them that just needed time to grow.
It would have that time. She wanted forever with him.
Rhyst’s soft hand touched her cheek. “Cha’lii, I do not mean to bring you sadness,” he murmured, and she felt him begin to retreat. “We can find another way…”
Charlie trapped his hand against her skin as she turned her cheek fully into his touch, nuzzling his palm. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his dismayed gaze.
“You bring happiness,” she whispered, “I never imagined…Yes, Rh’ystmal, I will be your mate.”
His eyes brightened with emotion, and his cheeks creased with the pleased smile that completely transformed the rough planes of his face, his fangs flashing fully. Her breath stuttered at that smile and then stopped completely as he leaned down to capture her mouth.
At first, his lips pressed against her hesitantly, but as she softened against him they became more aggressive, his tongue stroking along the seam of her mouth. She opened instinctively, a ragged sigh escaping as his tongue swept in, exploring her mouth. She clung to him, pressing into him, returning each stroke.
She was so lost in the kiss that she was only vaguely aware that he had turned into his room and prowled toward the bed. The bed didn’t even enter her thoughts at all. The entire world existed only in the touch of their mouths and the play of their tongues.
This is what it’s like. Finally, she understood. It was not just sex. The need flowed, but it was her heart that answered, that made her reach for that connection in every way that mattered. In that moment, she understood just why Doug would have been willing to give up everything he knew for Mia, because she knew that she would have no regrets over leaving everything she knew to stay with Rhyst.
A simple kiss brought it all together for her in a way she hadn’t been able to puzzle out when she had an attempt to isolate and analyze her feelings. She couldn’t ignore that it was all happening so fast. That should alarm her, and yet in a life where such things were a dim improbability, she reached for it with joy. Her heart took her on a headlong drop from a high cliff, exhilarating like when she had found joy in his arms as he plummeted down the side of the mountain and she realized she could trust him.
She could trust him with this—with everything—with her heart. She could take the risk. It was worth it.
There seemed to be nothing that could disturb the rush overtaking her until he climbed onto the large cushioned platform that served as his bed. The sway of their bodies together as he settled them on the cushion was just enough to send a jolt of anxiety through her, breaking the fog of bliss. His hand stroked down her arm as he set her on the bed in front of him, between his forepaws.
“Do not be afraid, Cha’lii,” he said. “I would never hurt you. If you are not ready…” He sounded pained, but he was giving her an out.
She smiled. “I know. I’m just a little nervous. That’s all. I want this”
“Then allow me to set you at ease,” he whispered with an enticing purr.
Charlie’s head jerked in a nod, her breath coming out in light pants as his hands roamed her body. His fingers trailed down, slowly, exquisitely, to her hips. He dragged the fabric of her kassan up until he had access to the band of the loose pants worn beneath the dress. He pulled them down to her ankles, exposing her bare sex, before pulling each foot free. The pants fell to the floor as he explored her sex, sliding his fingers against the slick flesh as he watched her reaction. Charlie had been mortified at first when she learned that Tak’sinii didn’t wear clothing around their genitals, but now she could only gasp in thanks with every teasing glide of his touch.
When her body began to twitch, his hands slipped away, leaving her groaning. He chuckled at her dissatisfied hiss, but her complaint turned to a moan as he began to