Amanda…

“Body!” I cry, coming out of the trance and wrapping my arms around him. I pull him over on top of me and kiss him, harder and deeper than ever before.

He returns the kiss, his hands all over me as I cling to him and writhe, pressing my body against his as if I could fuse us into one being.

“I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you, too. And I promise I will never leave you again.”

A shudder runs through his body, and chills run across his skin. A low moan of need escapes his lips, and I grab his shoulders and pull him down, searching for his tongue with mine.

I run my hands down his back, feeling the warmth of his skin and the hardness of his muscles flexing under my fingers. I dig my nails into his lower back as I thrust my hips towards him, making him groan with need.

Body thrusts his own hips towards me, and I can feel his hard cock pressing against my throbbing, slick pussy. He teases me, rocking his hips towards me but not joining us together. I wriggle back and forth, trying to slip him inside.

He laughs softly, and I giggle back, enjoying the game. He teases me a bit more, then suddenly pins my arms by my sides and bends down to clamp his lips around my nipple.

I shudder under him, fighting his grip as my body bends against him. He groans as he moves to the other breast, licking slick trails across my breasts as he teases one nipple, then the other.

By the time he lifts himself up again to kiss me, I’m a mess of squirming, thoughtless lust. Arousal burns in me, running fiery trails across my skin as the deep throbbing between my legs pounds so hard, it threatens to obliterate all other sensation.

When his lips meet mine, his kiss is soft and gentle, caressing me delicately, barely touching. Slowly, he teases with his tongue until I find it with my own and draw him in deeper.

I thrust my hips towards him again, grabbing his lower back to keep him in place as I writhe against him. I feel the hot, hard length of him rub against my wet, throbbing pussy. With one hard shove of my hips, I slam him inside.

He stops, closing his eyes and shivering with need. I reach up and stroke his cheek, watching his big, beautiful brown eyes open and stare down at me with wonder.

His eyes are so dark, like the soil of the forest, but soft as velvet. The flecks of light are golden threads, treasures that can only be found by those who look deep.

“I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you, too,” I answer.

He closes his eyes again, and a shudder runs through him as he begins to thrust. I run my hands along his sides, linking them around his lower back and bracing myself so I can open my thighs further. Body groans with pleasure, thrusting even harder and faster as I encourage him deeper.

Waves of pleasure crash through me, exploding under my skin in cascades of goosebumps. I tighten my grip on him andthrow back my head, gasping and screaming as the spasms start inside me. My deepest muscles squeeze tightly around his hard cock, and Body shudders and gasps as the orgasm roars through me, my entire body flexing against the thick length of him inside me.

While I gasp and tremble, Body starts to thrust again, his muscles tightening up all over as his thrusts become hard and fast. When I feel his cock getting thicker and harder, another orgasm crashes through me, leaving me breathless and loose, barely holding on to him as he continues to increase his power and his pace.

Body collapses against me, his arms wrapping tightly around me as his cock shudders and blows deep inside me. He gasps as his body trembles in my arms, shivering and sweating with the force of his release.

We cling to each other as he curls up by my side, all my doubts and fears finally washed away by the power of his love for me.

And I can no longer fight my love for him. I am committed to his happiness now, and I will protect him at any cost.

Even if the price is my own heart.

Chapter 20 - Body

Cool, gray dawn slowly lightens the room, and a sound beyond hearing brings me out of a deep, contented sleep. My body is fully alert, muscles tensed up and hair standing on end. With my arms still wrapped protectively around Amanda, I try to figure out what woke me.

Ears practically pricked up, all my senses tuned, I finally catch the noise of a thin howl. Relief prickles through me as I realize it’s just a swift wind tearing down from the peaks and whistling through the shutters.

I tighten my arms around Amanda a little more. Her soft, even breathing comforts me. Not only because she’s so close to me, but it sounds like she is relaxed and fully healed from the battle.

I let the bloody, violent scenes run through my head, trying not to hold on to them, just letting the memories flow. I’m still struggling to accept it actually happened—that our allies and friends attacked us, with complete intent to murder us all.

If this ugliness was within them from the beginning, then it was only a matter of time until it came out. Don’t blame yourself, and don’t second-guess your choices.