Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Raura

Our gazes lock, and I see the raw hunger in his eyes – a mirror of my own. “I need you,” I whisper.

I tug him down onto me, and he comes willingly, his lips claiming mine in a kiss that’s both possessive and tender. He seems to sense that I need this to be slow, to savor every touch, every sensation.

His hands roam my body, igniting my skin wherever they land, my breasts, my hips, the soft flesh of my ass. I arch into his touch, my breath catching as he traces a path of fire down my neck with his mouth, along my collarbone, and lower until his lips graze my breast.

His mouth brushes my nipple, sending a bolt of pleasure straight to my clit. I moan, my body still thrumming with desire, even though I’ve just had the most earth-shattering orgasm. His calloused hands cup the full curves of my breasts with a delicate touch that belies his brute strength, teasing and tormenting me until I’m writhing beneath him.

“Oh my God, you’re driving me mad!” I choke out, all ideas of taking this slow suddenly going out the window.

His lips touch mine lightly. “Shhh… There’s no rush.”

But my body seems to think otherwise. I clench my core muscles, desperate to feel him deep inside me, but he’s not giving me what I need; he’s dragging this out, making me ache. Every brush of his fingertips burns my skin, sending tremors of pleasure coursing through me. I whimper softly, my nails raking down the hard expanse of his back as I beg him with my body for more of his exquisite torment.

Finally, he relents, guiding the head of his cock along the mouth of my pussy and sliding into me slowly, his eyes holding mine captive as he does so. I gasp at the sensation, certain that I can feel each ridge, each vein, each inch of his thick cock grinding into me. He fits perfectly, stretching me, filling me completely, and it’s as if he’s stealing my breath along with my heart. We’re perfectly matched, our bodies fitting together as if we were made for this. For each other.

“Is that good?” he asks hoarsely, his breath warm on my face as he stays motionless above me. My chest is heaving, my calves locked around his hips. I’m struggling to find words.

“God… So good…” I gasp out. “So freaking good.” It’s all I can manage.

His eyes search mine as he begins to move, his gaze holding mine captive as our bodies find a rhythm. It’s as if he’s looking into my soul, and in that moment, something shifts between us. It’s more than just desire. More than the raw, animalistic need.

It’s…everything.

He hooks his arms beneath my knees, hiking them up to get a better angle as he picks up the pace. Soon, he’s driving into me, each pounding thrust taking my breath away. His forehead gleams under a light sheen of perspiration as he brings me to the edge and then eases back until I’m convinced I’m going to explode.

I know he’s close, too, because I can feel him shaking with the exertion of holding it off. Clinging to this connection as if he wants it to last forever…as much as I do. And yet again, I’m filled with the realization that had hit me so hard earlier. The understanding of something so profound that I know it’s going to change my life. My world.

Slowing him with my body, I put my hand on his cheek, my thumb stroking over the hard line of it. “Riot…” I’m breathing hard. “Riot… I-I need to tell you something.”

Oh, God, am I really going to say this?

Confusion flickers in his eyes. “What is it, Raura?” His voice is strained.

“I think…” I stop.

I can’t do this. What if I’m wrong?

But when I look into his face, I know I’m not. I’ve never been more certain of anything.

“What is it? Tell me…” His lips brush mine. His arms are shaking as he holds himself motionless over me, inside me. “You can tell me anything.”

Even this?

Yes! Say it!

“I think… I think you’re my mate,” I breathe out. “I think we’re fated.” I lick my lips because that’s not quite true. “No. I know it. I know you’re my mate, Riot.”

He hesitates, his eyes widening as he stares down at me. For a moment, he doesn’t speak, and my heart stops.

Am I wrong?

Have I misinterpreted this feeling between us?

And then he says it…the words that melt me.

“You’re mine,” he chokes out, and then he’s moving again, his eyes closing as he loses himself in the sensation. I cling to him, my body alive with pleasure, our passion building to an inevitable climax. It hits me like a thunderclap, a crashing roar of blood in my veins mixed with the rush of sensation that sets every nerve-ending alight. The fluttering in my pussy turns into a spasm so hard it has my back bowing.

“Oh my God, Riot! Come with me now!” I plead, clinging to him desperately.

“Raura,” he gasps, his eyes flying open to meet mine before burying his face in my neck. “Raura… You’re mine.” He stiffens and then drives himself so deep inside me that it’s hard to tell where he ends, and I begin.

And in that moment, as our bodies find release, I know this is right. He’s my mate. The one Fate created to complete me. Which is funny because until now, I never realized that I wasn’t whole. I could have gone my whole life without knowing this feeling.

But now that I do, I never want to let it go.

It feels like it takes an eternity for the ripples to finally fade away. My hair is damp with sweat, my body coated in it, my limbs limp. I’m sated.

There’s wonder in his face when he finally looks at me.

“Is that okay?” I ask softly. “What I said before… I don’t want you to think—”

“Stop.” He puts a finger to my lips. “This is good now. Just like this. This is perfect.”

“It is,” I agree. As he rolls off me, I curl against him when he slides an arm around me to pull me close. “This is perfect,” I echo. Warmth fills me, covering me in a blanket of pure contentment.

How the hell did I reach this point in my life without knowing any of this?

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask him, looking up at the strong lines of his face. Just the sight of him makes my breath quicken again.

He shakes his head. “I’m happy just like this.”

“Me too.” I nuzzle closer.

“Good,” he says. “Then rest,” he tells me.

So I do.

???

Riot

She doesn’t wake when I lift her in my arms and carry her down the short hallway that I’m guessing leads to her bedroom. Nudging the door open with my foot, I look around at the little creamy haven of tranquility. I can imagine her asleep here. It’s soft and feminine. It makes me feel welcome. Wanted. Just like she does.

Setting her down on the queen-sized bed, I reach for the cover and tug it over her. It’s a pity to be covering up so much loveliness, but there’s a chill in the air. She needs to be warm.

And I’m not going to be here to warm her.

She stirs as I arrange the pillows beneath her head, plumping them up a little. I go still.

“Riot?” she murmurs, reaching out to me.

“Shhh…” I soothe, taking her hand and raising it to my mouth. “I’m right here.” I graze her knuckles with my lips.

“Oh. Good.” Her lips curl up. “I’m glad. I don’t like it when I can’t feel you close.”

“I know.” My throat tightens. “Me, too.” Setting her hand underneath the quilt, I pull it up over her shoulders, tucking it around her. She looks so sweet and content curled up in the downy bedclothes. I’d give anything to lie down behind her and mold my body to her back. To hold her close.

But I can’t.

She makes a small sighing noise. “So tired.”

“That’s okay,” I murmur. “Sleep, my love.”

My love…

It just feels right, so I don’t regret saying it.

“Tomorrow…” She exhales the word. “Tomorrow, we’ll go to Jagger. To save Willow.”

“Yes. Tomorrow.” I stroke her hair, committing the feeling of the silky strands to memory. Because soon, that will be all I have left of this moment. Of her. And it will have to be enough to see me through…for however long I last back there.

Sinking down to sit on the bed beside her, I stroke her hair, taking in her features until she sinks back into a deep sleep. I brand each one in my mind…her thick lashes, the smooth blush of her skin, her plump pink lips…

“I’ll never forget you, Raura,” I whisper, then lean down and press a kiss to her forehead. I rise, looking down at her, then turn toward the door before pausing yet again. I can’t help myself.

Standing there, I cast one last longing glance at the sleeping woman, already feeling the raw pain that tears at my chest. It feels like I’m about to rip away a part of myself.

But there’s no place for me here. And the stakes are too high to ignore what I have to do now.

So I shove my feelings back in the box I’ve kept them locked in.

And I leave.