Page 30 of Breathe Again

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life,” she said, looking vulnerable as if I could ever say no to this woman.

I kissed her on the lips, then planted little kisses along her cheek and down the column of her neck. She turned her head, exposing the vulnerable part where her neck and shoulder met. I smiled as I kissed the spot I would mark her, and without hesitation sunk my teeth into her skin, marking her body forever and claiming her as mine.

She didn’t leave me waiting or having to wonder if she’d back out. I felt the sting of her canines almost immediately and my heart soared with unchartered happiness. I had heard that a sort of frenzy begins and that the sacred moment of sealing the bond is almost always during or preceding sex. That frenzy didn’t ignite in me; instead, that one perfect moment when we were fully connected brought absolute completion, a feeling of finally being whole after years of missing half of myself, the Elizabeth half. I’d never again face that loss and loneliness. It left me overwhelmed with love.

I pulled back first, and she soon followed. I licked the small spot of blood on her neck and again kissed the spot, staring in wonder at the sight I’d longed to see for most of my life. It was done. No matter what Elizabeth was mine now, one hundred percent mine.

I felt the wet tears sliding down her face and pulled back to look at her. I knew she had no regrets. The second she sank her teeth into me, our bond completed, and I could feel her emotions as clearly as if they were my own.

I kissed her through her tears.I love you,I heard her clearly say.

I pulled back in surprise and stared at her.I love you too,I thought, grinning back at her.

“But that’s not possible, we just sealed our bond,” she said.

A bond that’s been growing between us for well over a decade, sweetheart. Didn’t you feel it? Our bond fully opened the moment we sealed it,I thought in my head.

She couldn’t stop staring in wonder.

This isn’t supposed to be happening so quickly. Oh no, how am I going to keep my thoughts to myself? He doesn’t need to know about the fantasies I have of him. Oh no, I just thought that, did he hear it? This is going to be so embarrassing,she thought, causing me to laugh.

I couldn’t stop the image of her bent over as I claimed her in the way I really wanted: hands braced against the headboard as I pumped into her from behind while she screamed my name. I had been thinking non-stop about how to make love to her without hitting her stitches or causing her too much pain, and it seemed like the perfect answer, but I didn’t want to freak her out, either. I had been little more than an eighteen-year-old virgin the last time I’d made love to her. I wasn’t that awkward boy anymore.

“Holy shit, yes!” she said.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re projecting your thoughts loud and clear, in freaking pictures!” she told me excitedly. I was suddenly blasted by the scent of her arousal. Oh yeah, she’d seen what I was thinking, and the fact that she’d liked it turned me on more than I ever imagined possible.

As if on cue, just as I was about to lean in and get things really started, her phone rang.

Elizabeth

Chapter 14

Nooooo!I wanted to scream. My body was screaming with need and desire for my mate. The vivid images of what he wanted to do to me had nearly made me come. Where I had once wondered if there was something wrong with me physically due to my lack of sex drive, I was suddenly consumed with nothing but desire. There wasn’t anything wrong with me, I just needed my mate, and my body was alive and throbbing for only him.

I glanced down at the phone ringing next to me.My mother,I thought.

Cole’s head dropped, and I knew he was as frustrated as I was. “Answer it, or we’ll never have a moment of peace.”

I laid back against my pillows and answered the phone. “Hi Mom,” I said as cheerfully as possible.

“Lizzy, I just wanted to check on you. The girls said Cole kicked them out and wanted to talk. Is everything okay? They said you were a little upset when they left. I worry.”

“Mom, I’m fine, really.”

Cole gave me an evil grin and lifted up my shirt. He started kissing my stomach, circling his tongue around my belly button and stoking the fire burning within me. He seemed to kiss every inch of my midriff with agonizing precision as he slowly inched his way up my body.

“Mmm hmm,” I said, not having a clue what Mom was still talking about.

“Elizabeth,” she scolded, and I cringed. As much as I loved that Cole used my full name, I despised when my mother said it. She made me feel like a small child being punished. “Are you even listening to me?”

“I’m trying, Mom, but my head’s all foggy,” I said honestly as Cole grinned and pushed my shirt up even higher, exposing the fact that I hadn’t bothered to put on a bra. “From the painkillers,” I blurted out for my mother’s benefit.

Cole peeked up at me with sheer mischief in his eyes and shook his head. He knew damn well my head wasn’t foggy from the meds, but lust-induced from what he was doing to me.

“I’m coming over. I need to know for sure you’re okay,” Mom said. “I’ll bring dinner. Is Cole still there? He’s not planning to stay over again tonight, is he?”

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