Page 53 of Phoenix Falling
“You’ll gain experience; don’t worry.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing hard against my fear, and finally got out the words I’d been holding deep inside.“I’m afraid of disappointing you.”
He chuckled inside my head.“Not gonna happen, sweetheart. I’m about to come just thinking about drinking from your neck. When I get my mouth on other, much more important places, there isn’t a chance in hell that I’ll be disappointed.”
Without realizing it, a rhythm had begun with our bodies, a rocking that rubbed my nipples against his chest, my core against his cock.“I don’t think that’s the only reason you’re about to come.”
His teeth gripped a bit of my skin, and when he sucked lightly, I gasped. Rocked harder.
“Demetri, I…I want…”
“Me too.”The hard ridge of his erection nudged against my clit.“Let go, beautiful. Just let go.”
The urgency took me then, erasing doubt, erasing fear. I found myself surging against him, seeking more of that exquisite sensation rising between my legs. Demetri guided my hips, sucked at my neck. I couldn’t stop, couldn’t get enough, couldn’t move just right—
The detonation, when it came, took over my whole world. A scream left my throat just as the sharp prick of Demetri’s fangs puncturing my vein shot through me. I was caught between his greedy mouth, pulling hungrily at my flesh, and the hard press of his hand on the back of my head, even while I continued to rock over him, drawing out the spasms of delight that squeezed my empty channel.
“Demetri!”Without realizing it, I reached for him, not with my hands, still tangled in the cloth at his shoulders, but with my mind.“Demetri!”
He was there, inside me, it seemed, meeting me halfway.“Feel that, Imogen? That’s it.”
It took a moment for me to recognize the words, to sort them out from the movement of our bodies and the yearning of my soul.“The matebond?”
“Your soul is calling for mine.”
More caressing, more rocking. More drinking.“Oh God. Demetri, please!”
My cry seemed to wake him up from the daze of feeding.“Shh.”The urgency at my throat eased. Demetri’s hold on me tightened.“Shh, beautiful. You’re all right. We’re all right. Just hold on to me.”
I held on with everything I was. Slowly, slowly the world came back into focus. Demetri lapped lazily at my neck, allowing the punctures to close, I assumed. My mind quieted. My hips came back under my conscious control and stopped grinding, though my body had no desire to move away from his. Long moments later, my head buried in his neck this time, I murmured aloud, “You didn’t accept.” And why that opened a void in my heart, I wasn’t sure. “You said you would.”
A heavy sigh lifted his chest, lowered it. “And I will,” he said, the words still rough around the edges—probably due to the hardness still filling the space between my legs, “but not until we’ve discussed it. You were acting on instinct, not a willful choice. When the time is right, there will be no hesitation on my part.”
I tried to reason that out through the haze in my mind, the disappointment that mingled with the warmth of knowing my mate wouldn’t make a choice he wasn’t a hundred percent certain I was also ready for. “When will the time be right?”
He leaned his head back enough to meet my eyes, his own holding that beautiful silver-blue glow. Shaky hands dug into my hair, pushing it back from my face. “Are you sure, Imogen? Because I want you to be absolutely sure that this is what you want. A matebond is permanent. Once that bond is formed, it can never be broken.”
I looked at him then, really looked—not at the beautiful facade, which was most certainly there. Demetri was model gorgeous. It made it hard to believe he wanted me, plain ol’ Imogen, but I couldn’t deny the evidence of his choice. Beyond that, deep inside him, I’d discovered a heart and a mind that I admired, a male worthy of honor and respect. A male who gave me the same.
A male I loved, I realized, the knowledge sparkling inside me like diamonds. When I looked inside my heart, there was no hesitation, not when it came to loving him. I might doubt myself, but not him. “I’m sure, Demetri.”
He kissed me, the feel of his mouth hot and urgent. When he finally pulled back, he hesitated, then reached for my hands. “I’d like to ask you a favor.”
The smile that took me over felt like it was lit with a thousand watts. “You don’t have to ask. Just tell me what you want.”
He raised a thumb to trace over my lips. “In Archai tradition, a pair will wait to create their matebond until a matebonding ceremony.”
“In front of the clan?”
“Yes.”
I considered that. “I have questions.”
He chuckled, jostling me on his lap. “Of course you do. You always do. You have a sharp mind, Imogen. It’s one of the things I love about you.”
I sucked in my breath. “You—” I swallowed hard.“You love me?”
As if he understood why I couldn’t get the words past my lips, he kept my face in his hands and leaned his forehead against mine.“I love you.”And then aloud, “I love you.”
