“For the record,” he repeated slowly, “I would have missed you, too.”
I stared at him for a moment, seeing the absolute sincerity in his features, and dipped my chin in acknowledgment.
There really wasn’t anything more to say, so I left him to manage the rest of the download. We’d talk more about the assignments later. Regardless of his opinion, it had been wrong of me to leave him here to do this on his own.
I was the royal of this region now, and I needed to truly take charge.
Because the queen bitch was dead.
Now all hell was about to break loose.
And I couldn’t fucking wait.
35
Willow
A jolt of heat spiked through my core, drawing me from the cocoon of blankets around me. My wolf prowled behind my senses, her growl a vibration in my chest that I couldn’t contain.
Ryder.
His presence overwhelmed me, his minty essence infiltrating my every breath.
He’s here.
But I couldn’t see him, the cloud of silk around me disrupting my view.
“Did you just growl at me, pet?” he asked, his tone holding a dangerous edge that had my thighs clenching.
The mattress dipped to my left, followed by the sheets softly drawing over my skin to reveal me to the predator looming over me. I inhaled his aroma, his fragrance giving me new life.
Shampoo.
Droplets of water.
And the heat of a very aroused male.
They all mingled together to create the most intoxicating cologne.
I reached for him, needing more, but he caught my wrists in his hand and pulled them over my head. “Stay,” he said, continuing the process of removing the silky fabric to expose every inch of my naked skin. “Is this gift for me?” he asked, referring to my nudity.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Mmm, good girl,” he praised, leaning down to kiss my mound.
I trembled at the touch, my body on fire from his mere existence. That he decided to lick a path to my hip only heightened my need.
“Ryder,” I moaned, nearly reaching for him again. But his eyes glinted up at me in the dark, his inner beast issuing a challenge with that look. I almost wanted to test him, just to see what he would do.
“I wouldn’t,” he murmured, reading my intent.
“Why not?”
“I’ll bite,” he promised.
My nipples hardened at the prospect, my legs tensing. “Oh, that sounds like a reward, not a punishment,” I pointed out.
He grazed my upper thigh with his teeth. “A reward?” he repeated, his mouth skimming my slick folds. “Do you deserve a reward, Willow?”
My heart began to pound. “Yes.”
His smoldering irises grinned up at me. “I agree, pet.”
I groaned as he pierced me with his tongue, his palms gliding up and down my legs as he settled between them.
There was something different about his touch. It was more potent than usual. More intense. More reverent.
I arched into him, his mouth an intimate kiss that shattered my thoughts, forcing me to focus completely on him.
He took me so entirely, his aura consuming me from the inside out.
I felt owned and protected, cherished and respected, devoured and loved.
My eyes flashed open—I couldn’t even say when they had closed—my chest beating a chaotic rhythm.
That was the difference.
Emotion.
It had always been there before, underlying every touch and kiss, but now he was allowing me to truly experience it. Or perhaps he was finally allowing himself to feel it.
I stared down at him, mystified and enamored all at once, my pleasure exploding on a surge of rapture that left me panting and dizzy beneath him. My cheeks were damp from it, my lashes lined with unshed tears.
It all hit me so suddenly that I stopped functioning.
And then he was there, kissing me, his lips a gentle worship against my own, allowing me to taste the arousal on his tongue.
“Shh,” he whispered, nuzzling me and adoring me and making me feel light-headed all over again.
What is this sensation? I wondered, floating in a cloud of erotic mist with Ryder as my only guide.
My wolf stretched inside me, content.
My vampire merely accepted what she considered to be obvious.
And my former human, who I realized was still very much a part of me, stared at the wondrous man caging me beneath his strong, very naked body.
“Mine,” he said simply, drawing his teeth along my lower lip.
“Mine,” I agreed, glancing between his dark eyes, still stunned by the emotions rolling off him.
He kissed me again, his cock nudging my entrance. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded, pressing into me.