Page 55 of Forbid Me

He didn't confirm it. But he didn't need to.

"Ken never drank from me. None of my vampire boyfriends did."

Oz growled low in his throat.

I took the fork from him and began building him a forkful. The delectable piece of grilled salmon should be shared. The vegetables accompanying the dish—crisp green asparagus, bright yellow bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes that glistened like little rubies—were vibrant as well as delicious. I lifted the fork to his mouth, and after a moment, he opened for me. I knew he liked it when his brow raised.

"Sometimes I think humans had the right of it with using paper and metal for currency. We're barbarians here using blood and teeth and hair."

In response, Oz poured a sample of wine into his glass, tasting it before filling my glass. It was a deep red, the color of passion. It swirled in the glass like liquid velvet.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" I asked with a playful smile, the tension of our situation momentarily forgotten in the warmth of the moment.

"No, I'm just making sure you have everything you need."

I looked into his eyes, those deep pools of sincerity and strength. He was always putting me before him, even in this small way of feeding me and making sure I had something to drink. No, not just something to drink—the best.

"I have everything I've ever wanted." The wine tasted like a promise, a vow of shared futures now that the battles were over. I reached across the table, taking Oz's hand in mine. The connection was electric, a current that ran between us, unspoken but deeply felt. "Let's go to our sleeping compartment."

He swallowed. His throat worked, like he was trying to come up with some excuse and failing.

"You said you're mine. You claimed me." I fingered the mark on my shoulder. "I want to claim you."

CHAPTER 38

Oz

The quiet snick of the door closing was like the bell tolling. I knew my time was running short. In the days, the hours, the moments I had left, I’d determined I would spend every second worshiping the woman standing at the edge of the narrow bed.

Stella disrobed in front of me as though it was the most natural thing in the world and not the exquisite gift that it was. First, her shoulders were revealed along with my claiming mark. The scar had looked angry when I'd first left it there. Now it blended perfectly with her honeyed skin, like she'd been born with the mark.

The silk fabric of the shirt slipped from her body. Her lush breasts with the caramel tips greeted me. The nipples looked more like fingers beckoning me closer, closer. I stepped toward her, no longer able to keep away.

She wasn't sin incarnate. I was. If anyone would have to pay for what was between us, it would only be me. I accepted my fate.

As I advanced on her, my gaze traveled down her curves to her stomach. I bit the inside of my lip at the sight of her belly button. I couldn't wait to dip my tongue in that hollow divot. I wondered if she would giggle or moan. Soon, I'd find out.

But first, I wanted another taste of her real treasure. She was bare between her thighs, which gave me a view of the dusky pink heart of her. I needed to swallow. And then swallow again. Didn't matter how many times I did it, I would never cease wanting to taste this woman.

This princess of my race.

This goddess among women.

Stella stood before me, completely nude. My legs went wobbly prepared to give her her due. I should be on my knees.

I let her pull up my shirt. She saw my scars and ran a hand and then her lips over them. I hissed at the contact. It was as though those wounds had never hurt. As though they'd been put there for her pleasure.

She undid the buttons of my pants and bent as she shoved them down. She stayed down on her knees, which bothered me at first. I was the one meant to worship her. But when she took me into her palm, I decided to give my goddess what she wanted. But not in this way.

I reached down and pulled her up. "Not on your knees."

"But I want to."

"You bow before no one. Do you understand me?"

She nodded. And then her lips were on mine. She kissed me, her lips warm and insistent. Her hands tangled in my hair as she deepened the kiss. My head was spinning with want, my body reeling with the knowledge that it could have.

Right now, she was mine. When we got to Portland, she might choose me still. Even if she didn't, I would be hers until my lastbreath. I would love her until my heart stopped. There was nothing and no one who could take that away from me.

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