Page 58 of Kian

She nodded, listening.

“That’s what I felt the moment I first saw her,” he explained. “She was so tiny, but my whole world was changed forever, in a flash.”

She nodded, a fond smile on her face, as if she remembered something similar from the day she met her daughter.

The sweet expression was so beautiful that it almost hurt him to look at her.

“And it’s how I feel every time I look at you,” he heard himself tell her. “I know that nothing will ever be the same.”

Her kind eyes flashed to his and before he knew what was happening, she was melting into his embrace, hands sliding up his chest to cup his jaw as she went up on her toes to kiss him.

The jolt of pleasure at having her in his arms was almost too intense to bear.

He kissed her back with everything he had, his heart pounding as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

When they reached the bed, he placed her gently down on the floor before it, silently thanking the gods that there was already a fire crackling in the grate, warming the room enough for her to be comfortable.

“Kian,” she murmured, sounding overwhelmed with need.

Her voice was like a rainbow of beautiful sound. It washed over him, speeding his heart and filling him with desire.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured, unfastening her dress, and sliding it down her body, removing her underthings along the way.

When he straightened the sight of her left him almost paralyzed. Back in the barn, it had been dark, and she had been perched on the counter.

Now the starlight pouring in the window bathed her small body, illuminating her proud posture, her small breasts with their delicate brown tips, and her shimmering dark hair.

The last time he was alone with her, she had reminded him of the legend of the star-mother. This time, the resemblance was even more uncanny. Her skin was smoother than the marble of any statue, richer than the hue on the greatest artist’s paintbrush.

But unlike the star-mother, his impatient little mate was clawing at his leathers, desperate to seal the bond they both craved.

“Bed,” he told her, intending to remove his clothing as she got in.

When she turned and crawled into bed, her hips swinging invitingly, he almost descended on her without bothering to undress.

But rushing things was no way to begin.

As the dragon howled in his chest, he quickly removed his leathers and boots.

When he looked up again, she was lying on her back, her hair spilling over the pillow, gazing up at him.

“Are you ready?” he asked her as he climbed in beside her.

She nodded.

He would have known by the delicious, needy scent of her that her body wanted him badly. But her heart, her mind?

“This is forever,” he whispered, brushing a hand through her hair, and then cupping her cheek.

“I want it,” she said, reaching for him.

He kissed her, nipping her lip a little and sucking it into his mouth while she moaned, arching her back.

He slid a hand down to toy with her breasts, then followed with his mouth, licking and sucking her tight little nipples until she was quivering under him.

He licked a hot trail down her belly, nudging her legs apart.

She wasn’t afraid this time. He could tell by the way she angled her hips up, as if to search for his mouth.

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