she was. It was less the words of love and more his actions that shattered the tiny pieces of the wall around her heart. He stored her gear, emptied her gun, gave her space in his gun safe as if every man on earth did the same for the woman in their life.
"Ari, I love you so much it actually hurts," she whispered, clutching her chest.
Ari scooped her up, much in the same way Aiden had Meryn, but she was no Meryn. She was probably twice the woman's size, yet her mate held her with no problem. "The moment I saw you, you were branded to my soul, Brie. Every day, looking at you, breathing in your scent, it simply carves that brand deeper into my being. It's a pain I welcome, because it ties me to you."
Brie laid her head on his shoulder. "Do you think we could have shower sex without breaking my leg?"
Ari laughed and kissed the top of her head. "As athletic as we both are, I'm sure that it won't be a problem."
She leaned back to look up at him. "Trade you those two blow jobs for a savage pounding under your rain head."
"Deal!" he accepted eagerly.
He practically ran for the bathroom and set her down gently on the counter. She yelped a bit when her ass hit the cold marble, but watching her naked mate walk around the bathroom had her distracted soon enough. Unlike both of his brothers, he wore his hair short. She stared, entranced at the muscles of his neck as they transitioned into his wide shoulders. Everything from his square jawline to his perfectly tight ass screamed of strength and power, and it was all hers.
She hopped off the counter and walked up behind him as he held a hand under the water stream testing its warmth. Wordlessly, she stepped up behind him and pressed her breasts to his back and wrapped her arms around his torso. He inhaled sharply but let her hands roam. Grinning, she trailed a finger down either side of his hips and was rewarded with a throaty groan. She peeked around his body to see that his cock was straining against his stomach, clear glistening liquid already seeping from the head. "My poor baby has been wanting this all day, hasn't he?" she whispered, moving her right hand into the water. It felt warm enough to her.
"Gods, yes," he whispered.
She stepped around him and let the water sluice down her body. Reaching up, she placed her hand over his heart, marveling at their different skin tones. Hers gleamed like darkened bronze, and his glowed like gold. Side by side, they were beautiful.
"Join me."
He took a step and bent slightly in front of her. She had no idea what he was doing until both of his hands came up to cup her ass. Moments later he had her lifted and wrapped around his body. With her full weight supported by him, her hands were free. She ran them over the tightened tendons of his neck and shoulders before she leaned down and captured his lips with her own.
They took their time. Each of them exploring and memorizing the other. Ari leaned back, breathing heavily. "Gods, I hate to admit this, but if we keep going, the show will be over before it starts," he warned.
"You could come, just from kissing me?" she asked, feeling like a goddess.
"Brie, baby, I could come just looking at you," he admitted.
"Then this will be even better," she said, using her thighs to support some of her weight as she lifted herself up. Reaching down, she searched for him and wasn't disappointed to find he was hot and hard for her. Ever so slowly, she lowered herself down until he was seated inside of her. They both exhaled in physical relief at being connected once again. And that's what it felt like to her. In the long hours since he had last been inside of her, she felt as if she had been dying of thirst. Only now, being joined with him, could she drink deeply.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and rose up, feeling him slide from her, before relaxing her legs and dropping down on him again. As she rode him, she realized that her legs weren't even straining. She felt like she could easily do this for hours. Groaning at the thought, she rocked her hips, enjoying how he felt deep inside her.
She liked to think that