Page 187 of The Vampire's Bride

“Valaric, please,” I beg, although I’m not ever sure what I’m asking for.

He curls his fingers against my inner walls and finds a spot deep inside that makes me see stars.

He removes the last of his clothing, discarding his pants on the floor. I’m breathless and panting as he crawls onto the bed and pulls me into his lap to face him, my thighs straddling his hips. He crushes his lips to mine in a devouring kiss.

Pulling down the neckline of my dress, he cups my breast and then guides it into his mouth, laving his tongue across the sensitive bead.

I hold him close as he begins a gentle suction that drives my desire even higher. I’m balanced on the edge, intense pleasure rippling through me as he lavishes my other breast with the same attention as the first.

I guide his mouth back to mine as my hands explore the broad expanse of his chest and the delicious muscles lining his torso. Reaching between us, I wrap my hand around his stav.

A sharp hiss escapes him as I lightly stroke his length and then trace my fingers over the bulge of flesh around the base that is his knot.

His gaze holds mine as I rise up on my knees and position his crown at my entrance. He groans and the breath stutters frommy lungs as I slowly lower myself onto his length until he is fully seated inside me.

“So tight,” he groans as he strokes deep within.

He makes love to me like a man possessed, locking one arm around my waist as his other hand grasps the back of my shoulder to hold me in place as he thrusts up into me.

Everything within me tightens and then I’m falling again, tumbling over the edge as desire rushes over and through me.

Without warning, he twists in the bed, flips me onto my back, and then thrusts back inside me. His eyes are raven-black as he stares down at me, his gaze full of fire and possession.

“You are mine.” He captures my mouth in a searing kiss, stealing the breath from my lungs.

Overwhelming pleasure ripples through me as each stroke becomes longer and deeper.

He rips his mouth from mine, and I moan as his fangs graze over the artery along my neck. “Need to mark you,” he rasps as his lips brush my skin. “Tell me you are mine.”

I tilt my head to one side, giving him better access. “I’m yours,” I whisper. “Now, and always.”

His knot expands, locking us together as he sinks his fangs into my flesh. Intense pleasure rushes through me like a giant wave. Heat surges in my core as he erupts deep within, filling me with his seed, and we fall over the edge together.

I’m still breathless and panting when Valaric rolls us onto our sides and folds his wings around me. I nestle into his embrace. This is where I belong. In his arms, I am home.

CHAPTER 80

JULIET

When I wake, I’m pressed against something hard, unyielding, and warm. It takes me a moment to realize it’s Valaric’s bare chest, his strong arms and soft, leathery wings are wrapped around me as we lie in bed.

“How long was I asleep?”

“A few hours,” he says, voice like silk as he leans in and skims the tip of his nose alongside mine. “Are you hungry?”

The feel of his body pressed to mine makes me think of an entirely different sort of hunger, but when I shift, I wince slightly at the dull ache between my thighs. A subtle reminder that we’ve made love several times.

“Are you all right?” He stares across at me in concern. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” My cheeks heat at the beautiful memory of all the things we just did. “I’m just a bit sore. That’s all.”

He kisses my temple and then carefully moves out from under me. “Eben brought some food less than an hour ago.”

I allow my gaze to travel over his muscular form as he pulls on a pair of soft-knit pants and moves to the table to retrieve a tray of food. Heat pulses through me. He is masculine perfection incarnate. And all mine.

He goes still and then slowly turns toward me. He arches a brow, a faint smile quirking the edge of his lips. Longing and desire thrum across our bond. “I want you again as well, my lovely Juliet.” His voice is husky as he sets the tray beside me and then cups my cheek, brushing his thumb over my mouth. “I always want you.”

He curls a wing around my shoulder. “But for now, you should eat.” He hands me a plate with some dried fruit, cheese, and bread. “We’ll leave here once you are finished.”

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