her nails into his back, thrashing in her release so that he grinned at her enthusiasm. Their gazes locked for an incendiary moment and he felt as if time stopped.
Then he saw the flash of her eyes as she tackled him, her move taking them both to the floor. She stripped off his shirt with impatience, then ran her hands over his bare chest. She smiled as she ran a fingertip around the silhouette of his dragon tattoo and her touch left a line of cold fire.
Her orgasm had shattered her shell, or maybe broken the ice that held her captive. Her gaze was on fire, her hair tousled, her lips red. Her cheeks were flushed and her hunger for his touch was undisguised. Hadrian had never seen anything or anyone as gloriously beautiful as his mate bent on seduction.
He was hers for the taking.
She surveyed him with satisfaction—as if she knew it—then bent and suckled his nipple, exactly as he had teased hers. She grazed it with her teeth when it was taut, making him burn for more. Hadrian was content to be at her mercy, savoring the sight of her as she turned her attention to the other nipple. Her hair had become loose and it fell around them like a golden curtain, or a net. Hadrain ran his hands through its silky length, content to be her catch.
Her smile was mischievous as she unbuckled his belt and pushed down his jeans. Hadrian couldn’t resist the urge to lock his hands around her waist and draw her closer. He captured her lips with his and kissed her once again. White sparks flew as she closed her hand around his erection, and Hadrian found himself moaning as she tormented him with pleasure. She mimicked him perfectly, taking him almost to the summit then easing off, ensuring that desire made his heart thunder.
When he knew he couldn’t hold back, he scooped her up and turned her around, settling her on top of him. She smiled as she walked her hands down his chest, then lowered herself over him. There was awe in her expression as she took the tip of him inside her and she moved so slowly that he thought anticipation might kill him. She was so hot and tight that Hadrian was barely able to take a breath. She moved with such deliberation, that the pleasure was exquisite.
He wanted it to last forever.
He knew he’d never manage that.
She exhaled slowly when he was buried completely inside her, closing her eyes. He wondered then how long it had been since she’d been with a man—she had to have done it before, didn’t she? Then he caught a glimpse of her one hand moving quickly, away from his side. He wondered at that, then remembered.
The knife!
Hadrian rolled his mate to her back in the other direction, ensuring that the knife was out of reach. He saw her gaze flick toward it.
“Not yet,” he murmured as if he hadn’t noticed, rubbing against her so that she gasped.
When they kissed, she stretched one hand toward the knife again. Hadrian moved so that he apparently struck it by accident, sending it dancing across the floor. He pretended not to notice either the knife or her quick inhalation. He heard the blade hit the far wall and knew she couldn’t reach it there.
Clever and determined. He liked her more with every passing moment.
He moved deeper inside her, catching her nape in his hand and kissed her again. The firestorm burned furiously, its light blindingly white, its power obliterating even his sense of danger.
There was just his mate, wrapped tightly around him; his mate, kissing him back; his mate whispering incoherently with pleasure. Just when he thought he couldn’t bear any more, the firestorm increased his sense of union. Hadrian’s heart matched its pace to hers; his breathing came at the same rate as hers. He looked into her eyes and felt the most powerful connection he’d experienced in his life.
He had to convince her to let him survive.
They had to find another way to save her brothers. He knew it could be done.
Her eyes widened in wonder, their gazes locked, and he was sure she felt the same potent force. She pulled him down and kissed him with sudden fervor, her silent demand taking them both higher and higher. He’d never felt anything more right and his heart thundered at the prospect of their future together.
The firestorm burned and crackled, sending white sparks in