Page 107 of Tabitha

“Wait!” I try to shake him off, but he refuses to release his hold. I’m left pouting, my hands missing the silky feel of him.

Before I can protest further, he grabs my hips and lifts me up. I tighten my legs around him, a whine of protest coming from me at the thought of him pulling away. Instead, he slowly lowers me over his cock, and I moan as I’m impaled, the stretch of him bordering on painful, despite his careful preparation of me.

I loop my arms around his shoulders, gripping his neck as I take another inch of him. He slips his hands between my legs, massaging my clit, and I’m not even aware that I’m squirming on his cock in a silent demand for more.

And Gage gives it, slamming me all the way down on him in one smooth motion that steals my breath. He gives me a moment to adjust, relentlessly tormenting my clit until I’m moving slowly, riding his cock. He lets me take the lead for a full minute, my head falling back as I moan, then he takes over and begins pounding into me. He pulls out slowly, then slams back home, forcing me to take him with each thrust.

And it’s glorious.

I swear I can feel each vein, each pulse of his cock against my overly sensitive flesh, and it just pushes me higher, touching parts of me that make me see stars. I’m not sure when my orgasm starts. It’s slow at first, a tingling that spreads through my limbs, only it keeps building, getting stronger with each thrust. It sweeps over me in a giant wave, and I convulse around him, the world darkening as I’m dragged into a pool of nothing but pleasure.

His chest rumbles beneath me, and I feel his cock jerk as he comes, which only drags out my orgasm even longer. We collapse together, both of us panting. “For the first time, I finally understand what the wordbonelesstruly means.”

He chuckles, which makes his cock jerk inside me. I inhale sharply, quivering around him, and I shiver as phantom pleasure racks my body. Gage leans away, cupping my face, his eyes searching mine. “I love you. I didn’t want to fall for you—I fought it every step of the way—and I’ve never been so grateful to fail so fantastically at anything in my life.”

He kisses me so softly that it leaves my whole body tingling, and I swear I can feel his claim take root in my soul. I cup his face, enjoying the feel of his scruff prickling against my palms. When he pulls back, I nip at his bottom lip, not ready to let him go.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let him go.

“I love you too.” At his stunned expression, I nip at him again, giving him a teasing grin. “You’re kind of adorable, in your own grumpy, dickish way. How could I resist?”

He huffs, kissing me one more time before he finally pulls away.

Before I can get up, he grabs a cloth and cleans me up. Maybe I should feel embarrassed. Instead, I feel cherished.

Loved.

I’m almost asleep by the time he lifts me in his arms and carries me upstairs. He strips me out of my dress, kisses my shoulder, then resolutely tucks me into bed alone. I must have drifted off for a second, because I’m startled awake when someone slips into bed behind me. I slide my hand underneath my pillow, my fingers closing around the comforting hilt of my knife, then I launch into motion.

I twist, straddling the person who dared sneak into my bed, bringing the sharp edge of my blade right under their chin, stopping just short of drawing blood when I register the man below me. “Bast?”

Chapter Thirty-three

BAST

After spending the last few hours with the militia, cleaning up the aftermath of the battle, I drag myself upstairs, beyond exhausted. I only meant to check on Tabitha before heading off to bed, maybe tuck her under the covers, but I somehow found myself slipping under them instead.

I’m barely settled when Tabitha bursts into action.

At the cold press of steel against my throat, I go still, not daring to move. I knew it was a risk to sneak into bed with Tabitha, but I couldn’t resist the impulse after I found her curled up, her hair spread around her in silky waves.

The instant she straddles me, my cock jumps to attention, despite the knife at my throat, and I almost roll my eyes at the predictable response. I’m actually getting used to it, since it happens anytime she enters the room.

Or if I catch her scent lingering in the air.

Or even just think about her.

I clear my throat, struggling to clear the lust from my head, my voice rough when I speak. “I brought chocolate.”

I could kick myself for saying something so asinine. When it comes to Tabitha, my brain crosses right over the danger and goes straight to lust.

She cocks her head, her eyes dropping to my naked chest, and she licks her lips like I offered her a taste. I glance down, then wince when I remember I stripped off most of my clothes before crawling in next to her so I wouldn’t bring the smell of blood and death into bed.

My naked chest is on full display, my dark skin a stark contrast to the white sheets. She’s like a goddess, her hair spilling around us in wild waves, but it’s the image of her straddling me, wearing only my shirt, that has a groan rumbling in my chest, and my control barely hangs on by a thread.

The shirt is scrunched up to her waist, leaving only a thin sheet separating us. I fist the blankets in my hands to keep from reaching out to touch her the way my body demands.

I’m supposed to be the leader of the group, the one always in control, thinking three steps ahead in order to keep us alive. Yet, the instant Tabitha comes within touching distance, all that vaunted control vanishes, replaced by the need to stake my claim.

---