Page 106 of Hayden's Haven
She fell into a rhythm, pushing back into him, slowly taking control, loving how he moaned when she pushed back particularly hard and fast. It was fascinating, empowering even, until the orgasm crashed down on her, destroying her ability to move.
“You were supposed to wait, sunshine,” he said as he picked up where she had left off, his hand no longer rubbing her clit as he eased in and out of her, unbelievably slow. His arm remained curved around her, possessive, protective, as if he owned her. She wished that were so. She would never truly be his without the blood-bond, and he wouldn’t be hers.
“Forgot,” she said as his thrusts intensified. Two thick fingers entered her core, spiking a new wave of sensations. Sensitive flesh protested at first, but Hayden persisted, determined to bring her to that cliff once more.
“You won’t forget again,” he said, pinching her clit. A sharp wave traveled through her and he stopped his thrusts, drawing her back from the edge he’d just sent her to. “You do as I say, or I’ll make that beautiful ass of yours too red to sit on. You’ll have to lay on top of me for a week.”
“Promise?”
He chuckled as those slow, wicked thrusts resumed. He nipped at her earlobe, sending her eyes rolling back in her head. Her body started tightening as the wave approached.
“Not yet,” he whispered. “You come with me.”
One final and hard thrust sent his balls slapping against her clit.
“Fuck yes, Mila,” he moaned.
That deep, sensuous moan of his was the final push she needed. She couldn’t stop the wave from crashing over her. Nor could her brain string two words together as the wave ripped through her. Guttural sounds tore from her throat as the wave picked her up and sent her flying. Hayden had stopped moving. He lay there draped over her back, his mouth at her ear, breathing heavily as his warm seed pumped into her.
Together, as one. But still apart.
Several soft kisses followed, placed at the base of her neck as he eased out of her. She nearly cried at the loss of his body from inside of her, on her, as his mouth kissed a path down her spine ending just above her ass.
Then he was gone, heading into the bathroom. She collapsed onto the bed.
The faucet in the bathroom was running, the old pipes groaning slightly until he shut the water. The sound of a washcloth moving against him seemed so distant. That’s how she felt now, distant. That’s how she’d always feel without the bond, even when he was only a few feet away. It’s what Kate, Anna, and Tess had all gone on and oy about, how that connection brought them closer together to their mates, more than they’d ever imagined.
More than anything, Mila wanted that with Hayden.
She could hear him breathing nearby, then a cold hand slid over her ass. “You haven’t moved, sunshine.”
He drew her into his lap where he cradled her. She tipped the blindfold off. Hayden was scowling. . . not the expression she expected. She buried herself into his chest, her eyes clamped tight as he wrapped both arms around her and kissed her forehead.
“Mila. . .” He didn’t say much after that, and she felt like a fool. He’d probably think he had hurt her, when it was she who was hurting him.
“No more of this, Mila,” he said. “Enough already. You can’t keep punishing yourself, taking the weight of the world on you. You are what God made you, and I love every part of you. There is nothing you could ever say or do that would make me love you less.”
Then she heard a swish and smelled blood. Coppery, fresh blood. She eased away from Hayden’s chest to see his left hand bloody from a long slice down the middle, the knife still in his right hand.
“Give me your right palm, Mila.” His voice was steady, commanding, patient, and so very confident.
“Are you sure, Hayden?”
“Will you always be there for me, Mila?”
She wiped away her tears as she nodded.
“Then I’m sure.” It was more than his words or even his voice, but something in his look. SheknewHayden was fine with the repercussions, that blood-bonding her meant more to him than the abilities he’d lose.
She held out her right palm and locked eyes with him. He looked away only long enough to slice her palm. The sting of the pain was nothing compared to the pain her soul released the moment he clasped her hand with his, joining their blood, creating the bond that would forever tie them to one another.
This beautiful shifter, the one who would give up everything for her, was the other half of her soul. He had done more than save her from a series of depraved shifters and a past of loneliness, he had saved her from drowning in a sea of hopelessness. He shared his strength, his love, his soul with her, and she finally understood that no matter what happened, as long as they were together, they would want for nothing.
* * *
HAYDEN
Hayden clasped Mila’s hand in his, entwining their fingers, as they walked to the lake for the Running of the Moon. The kids had had their mock run earlier in the day and tonight was the adults’ turn. His mate was quiet after the blood-bonding. Already he could feel the bond between them, the way her anxiety rolled through her, only to reach out for him and finally calm down. He peeked along the bond, trying to find what was at the core of her fears. She was stronger than she realized, and he knew she would continue to gain confidence in who she was.
