Straddling him, she pressed the center of her body against his groin, making him even harder. Please don't let me embarrass myself. Afraid he wouldn't last long for her, he rolled her over so that he could peel her shoes and jeans from her.
His heart stopped beating as he saw her lying there, completely naked and inviting. She opened her legs for him and bent her knees, giving him a prime view of the part of her body he craved most. Her smile was warm as she reached for him.
He wanted to tell her how much that meant to him, but his mind couldn't formulate a single word past the thrumming heat in his blood.
Kateri arched a brow at Ren's hesitation. She saw the deep-seated need in his eyes. Still, he made no move to touch her. Rather, he licked her entire body with his hungry gaze.
Finally, he approached her like a feral predator on all fours. Crouching low, he slid his cheek against her calf in a tender caress that sent chills all over her. His gaze held hers captive as he reached to gently finger the part of her that was begging for his touch. He ran his thumb slowly down her cleft in a move that only made her want him more.
A slight smile curled his lips as he used his thumb to open her up for him, then he replaced his hand with his mouth.
Kateri cried out as pleasure singed her. Reaching down, she sank her hand into his thick hair while his tongue teased her mercilessly. For a man who hadn't had sex in eleven thousand years, he was doing a mighty fine job of it.
Ren closed his eyes as he savored the taste of her and let her cries wash over him. He took a lot of pride in the fact that she was enjoying his touch as much as he enjoyed pleasing her. The last thing he wanted was to be compared to her other lovers and be found lacking in any way.
He wanted her to be more than sated. Her hands played in his hair, stroking his scalp while she murmured endearments. And then, in one heartbeat, she tensed up and screamed out as she spasmed.
Amazed at how quickly she'd come for him, he waited until she was completely through before he undid his pants. When he went to remove them, she stopped him.
At first, he thought she'd changed her mind, until she rolled him over and pulled them free of his body.
Kateri took a moment to appreciate the sight of his tawny, naked body. Never in her life, other than on the cover of a bodybuilder's magazine, had she seen a man more ripped. Dang, he was fine. He could eat crackers, soup, anything he wanted ... what the hell, he could come to bed covered in sand and she wouldn't care.
She purred at him, causing him to arch a brow at the sound. Laughing, she slowly crawled up his body, stopping only long enough to lave and tease him.
Ren cried out at the sensation of her sliding her mouth over his cock. Windseer had never done that for him. His breathing labored, he knew he was forever lost to Kateri. For this kindness alone, there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Nothing.
It's just sex.
Yeah, but she didn't have to have it with him. And the care she took, it was almost enough that he could pretend she had real feelings where he was concerned. What he wouldn't give, just once, to make love to a woman who would cry over his body the way Butterfly had cried for Buffalo.
The way Abigail would cry for Sundown.
I sound like an old woman.
But as soon as he had that thought, he heard Kateri in his head-one of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder when you are coming home at night. As much as he hated admitting it, she was right. While jealousy was the root of all evil, love was the source of all good. Jealousy brought out the worst in everyone. Love created the best. It was for jealousy that he had destroyed his own brother. But it was love of his best friend that brought him back and made him a defender again.
What about Coyote? He loved Butterfly. And there nothing beautiful in that relationship.
That wasn't true and he knew it. Coyote hadn't loved her. He'd lusted for her and he'd wanted to possess her. If he had really cared about Butterfly, he would have rather seen her happy with Buffalo than miserable with him. It was why his mother had released his father. She'd loved him enough to want to be with him only briefly. But she'd known that he would never be happy with her. Not while his heart belonged to another.
It was why Choo Co La Tah had married the love of his life to his best friend. Because they'd grown up together, Choo had never told her of his feelings. They were from the same clan and a marriage would have been forbidden. While Choo had dreamed of it, he'd let that dream go when she'd met another and fallen in love with him.
That selfless sacrifice was why the First Guardian had chosen Choo Co La Tah to be one of the Gate Guardians. Choo was able to put aside his interests for the benefit of others. While the Guardians had competed for the honor of their posts, those competitors had been chosen from warriors who had proven that they knew how to love. Warriors who understood that others came first.
Ren was the only exception. Forbidden by the First Guardian to compete for his stewardship, Ren had been chosen because of the hold Grizzly had on him.
If anyone understands why evil must be kept locked away, it is the one who danced with it for over a year. The one who has tasted its sweetness and then been burned by its bitter taste.
But Ren had never known the flavor of love. Not until he looked into a pair of gold-tinged eyes that reminded him of the man he'd once wanted to be.
He shook all over as she slowly licked her way up his body. She lifted herself up to look down at him with the most amazing smile he'd ever seen. Biting her lip, she slid herself onto him. Growling low in his throat, he shuddered at the sensation of his body inside hers. It took every bit of his self-control not to come instantly.
She took his hand into hers and rode him slow and easy while she smiled down at him. Ren lifted his hips, driving himself in even deeper. Until this moment, he'd never understood what it felt like to be welcomed somewhere. To be wanted. But as he looked into her eyes, he finally felt the warmth of home. Of belonging to someone other than himself.
Kateri watched the play of emotions on Ren's face. She wrinkled her nose teasingly at him. "Sorry I broke your record."
He scowled at her. "My record?"