Page 20 of Forever Bound

He cups my chin and presses his forehead against mine, our faces so close our breath mingles together. "They know, Love. They know. How could they not? They were your family."

And I feel his certainty and his unconditional love. Despite my scars. Despite my past. Despite all the bad I've done. This man before me, this man who sacrificed himself for everyone, he loves me.

Warmth floods me. A craving so strong I can't stop it. I need him. Need to feel him. To touch him. To be with him.

He lets out a breath, then a moan of desire as my need washes over him. "Evangeline… "

"Ivan… "

His mouth is on mine in an instant, soft at first, then harder, the passion building. We both stand, our chairs falling behind us with our need to get closer. He pulls me toward him and lifts me into his arms. "Is this what you want?" he asks, his voice husky.

"Yes. I want you. All of you."

In a few steps we’re at the bed. He lays me down and slowly pulls his shirt off, then his pants. I watch in awe, admiring the muscles, the planes, the strength in every inch of his body. He smirks at me, standing there in all his glory. "You, my love, are wearing too many clothes."

"Then you should probably take them off," I tease.

He groans and glides his hands over me, tugging at my skirt and panties, and slowly pulls them down my legs. I lift my torso so he can remove my blouse. I'm completely naked now, and his eyes feast on my body just as I do on his.

In the past, I've always insisted on darkness when with a man. I've never let anyone see the scars from my accident.

Now I have new scars mingled with the old, but rather than cover myself, I bare myself to him, heart and soul and body. We are both perfectly imperfect. Our scars tell our stories. And for the first time, I realize my scars don't make me ugly. They make me whole. They are part of who I am. It is our imperfections that make us truly beautiful.

With slow deliberation, his hands skim over my body, lingering on every curve, tracing every dip. I bite my lip to keep from moaning loudly as he settles on my breasts, using his tongue to trace their shape before sucking the peaks into his mouth one at a time, the feel of his fangs an aphrodisiac—an erotic scrape here and there. When his hand slides between my legs, I arch my hips, urging him to claim me as his, craving him more and more with each touch.

I moan and feel his smile as his lips continue to trace my skin. Every inch is worshipped, even the places I once found ugly and embarrassing. Somehow, with his touch, he heals them—not on the outside—but on the inside where it matters the most. I feel beautiful and desirable as the physical manifestation of his excitement presses against my leg.

When his mouth finally reaches mine, I trace his face with my fingers, memorizing every inch. He is gorgeous, perfect, and mine.

I can't hide my mewl of disappointment when he withdraws his hand from between my legs. Watching me, he lifts his wrist to his mouth and bites deep into the skin.

“Drink,” he holds his arm out to me. I cup it with both hands and bring it to my mouth. Aroused as I am, I don't have time to think about things like blood. All I know is that I want to taste him, to feel him, to bond with him in every way.

He groans as I drink, sucking as much as I can and letting it flow down my throat. Letting his power fill me. His pleasure is my pleasure.

“Enough,” he whispers and gently extracts his arm from my grasp. Like before, I make a mewl of disappointment, and this time he chuckles before sliding his weight between my legs. “I want you, Love.”

“I’m already yours, Ivan.” I feel him pressing at my entrance and lift my hips.

Just like with everything else, he takes his time. With our bodies pressed against each other, so close to becoming one, I tilt my neck to the side. "Your turn," I whisper through a haze of lust and love and power.

His arousal grows as his lips brush against the sensitive skin of my neck. “You’re beautiful,” he whispers. “I don’t deserve someone so beautiful.”

His teeth graze at the pulsing vein, his tongue tracing a line of fire down my jaw.

My nails dig into his muscular back, trailing along his scars. “You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met. If anyone is lucky, it’s me.”

As his teeth sink into my neck, he drives into me, and my body electrifies by a thousand lightning bolts. Pleasure, pain, and power merge within me, forming an erotic trio that ignites every nerve in my body.

And that's when he begins to move. Slowly, achingly. He pulls away from my neck, licking the blood off his lips, his eyes aglow with everything I feel within. We hold each other’s gazes, the desire becoming so intense I can barely remember who I am anymore.

My climax shatters us both, and we clutch each other as we ride the wave together.

When we are both spent, our bodies slick with sweat, my head resting in the crook of his arm, he holds me tight and whispers into my hair."Ya lyublyu tebya."

"I love you too," I sigh, holding him more tightly.

This man is mine.

---