Chapter Twenty-Two

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Billy kissed her then, and it was deep and joyous and hungry. At some point, he'd taken the glass out of Amalie's hand and put it on the table. There wasn't much in the way of waves tonight, but the table had a little lip to help prevent things from sliding off.

Her ward prevented their words from being heard, but she and Billy could still be seen, sitting on the deck of the boat in the dim light. And Amalie could hear the engine of the occasional car driving past. Not that she noticed much when Billy kissed her, but when one of the passing cars full of teenagers decided to honk their horn and send wolf whistles in their direction, she was shaken from the spell of desire Billy so effortlessly wove around her.

Billy raised his head and looked at the car full of kids, then shook his head. His smile made her feel even warmer than his kiss had, if such a thing were possible.

"Some Cassanova I am. I thought this setting would be romantic, but I didn't count on having an audience. It was bad enough that Gavin was always around the past couple of days." He straightened up to sit beside her, but kept his arm around her shoulders.

His words made her think. "You knew so soon?"

"I've been wanting to talk to you about the future since the first time we were together," he admitted, looking at her with such a loving expression in his eyes that she wanted to melt into a puddle right there. How had she lived so long without this man in her life? "My lion knew there was something special about you the moment we met. I admit, my human side was perplexed by the lion's response when you opened the door and went immediately into verbal combat mode with me." He chuckled, and she blushed, remembering their initial meeting.

"I'm sorry about that. I'd literally just gotten off the phone with Gran, and she was being what I thought was a bit high-handed about my privacy." She shook her head. "As it turned out, she was exactly right to send you, and I'm going to have to apologize to her. And to you, for being so prickly when we first met. I don't know why you put up with me."

"My inner lion thought you were adorable at first sight. Like a kitten testing out its little claws. I felt protective and indulgent of you from the get-go. The human side of me wondered if we were having the same conversation at first, but by the time we straightened things out in the backyard, I knew you were something special. You captivated me, Amalie." He brushed his fingers lightly over her hair which had come loose and was wafting around her face in the slight breeze.

"And I have to confess, I thought you were the most handsome man I had ever seen up close, and your patience with the crazy lady I presented you with at first cinched it," she told him, and they both chuckled, but then, she turned more serious. "And when I saw you fighting that Tauror and that old witch was jinxing you, I knew then…" She swallowed before she could go on. "I knew I couldn't watch you die when I might be able to do something about it. That's why I went downstairs. I knew it was a trap, but I also knew if you died, a part of me would be forever lost."

"Oh, sweetheart…" he whispered, gathering her into his arms again and letting her rest her head against his chest, her ear of the steady beat of his heart.

They sat like that for a long moment. Finally, he broke the silence. "So, just for the record, you'll be my mate? I swear, we'll find a way to make this work. We can live here, which would actually be pretty nice for me too, since I'd be close to at least one of my brothers."

She lifted her head to look up into his eyes. "Yes, I will be your mate. You won't be able to get rid of me," she promised teasingly, hardly believing she was having this conversation. It felt like a dream. A really, really good dream. "And I'd like to stay in this neighborhood and be near Gran, so that works for me. I'd like to get to know your brothers better too, since you're so close to them, and I'm already friendly with Meg."

"That settles it, then. We can take a look at the available houses tomorrow, and I'll put in an offer as soon as we decide which one we want." He reached forward to grab the half-full champagne glasses and handed hers back to her. "To the future, which I know will be fantastic now that you're in my life," he toasted.

She clinked her glass against his, feeling very blessed, indeed. They both drained their glasses, and he stood and grabbed the bottle. Then, he looked at her with one raised eyebrow and a sexy grin on his face. She could see the deviltry dancing in his eyes, and her blood heated in anticipation.

"Shall we adjourn to the state room so we can have a few more toasts in privacy?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied, feeling decidedly coquettish. She'd never felt quite this way before but there was just something about Billy that brought out new facets of her personality and made her want to explore.

And speaking of exploring, she wanted to explore him . Tout suite . He led the way belowdecks and opened the door to the forward state room. Amalie was impressed by the large, triangular bed that took up most of the space in the bow of the boat. It was luxuriously appointed with soft fabrics and crisp white sheets. There were lights in the curved walls that gave off a gentle glow in the private space. And beneath it all, there was the gentle rocking motion of the boat that made this encounter a bit more intriguing.

All in all, it was a very romantic atmosphere. Billy moved past her to put the remaining wine in an ice bucket that was waiting on a side table. He must've prepared this earlier when he'd first gone below. Smart, confident, strategic-thinking man. And he was all hers. Forever.

Oh, how she liked the sound of that. Turning to him, she moved into his arms, taking him a little by surprise. Good . She wanted to keep him on his toes.

She reached for the buttons on his shirt, focusing on that task until every last little button on the shirt was undone. When she slid the fabric off his wide shoulders, her hands lingered, loving the soft, white cotton of his undershirt that molded itself to his sleek muscles.

Amalie tugged the hem of the T-shirt out of his waistband and slid it upward, over the washboard of his abdomen and toward those amazing shoulders. He helped her, raising his arms and shrugging off the T-shirt, tossing it aside.

"Have I ever told you how yummy you look?" she said, moving into his embrace and kissing his collar bone.

"Yummy?" he repeated, chuckling. "I don't think I've ever been called that before."

"Maybe the women in your past—who, by the way, I want to turn into newts—didn't say it, but I can assure you they were thinking it."

"Newts?" He laughed again, a little louder this time. "I didn't know you had such a vivid imagination."

"It's not really my imagination. I can do it, you know. I'm half-witch, remember. So, just be forewarned. You're mine now, and there will be no other women allowed." She was teasing, but he gripped her upper arms and drew her away to look down into her eyes.

"That's not possible, Amalie. I thought you knew. You're my mate. I can't be with any other woman ever again. There is no cheating among shifters. Not after a true mating, like ours."

He was so serious, she reached up and kissed him. "I'm glad," she said against his lips before she deepened the kiss, opening to him as he joined in the explosive desire that always seemed to flame between them.

A long moment later, she realized he'd been busy while his kiss had distracted her. She was skin-to-skin with him, her blouse and pants having disappeared somewhere along the line, along with her underwear. He wore only his pants, having kicked off his shoes and, somehow, even toed off his socks.

Fighting her way back to her senses, Amalie decided she wanted to take charge this time. Pushing back from him, she lowered her hands to his waistband and unbuttoned, then unzipped his pants. She looked up to find him watching her, the light in his eyes golden, like the sparkling fur of his lion half. Was she looking at the man or the beast… Or both?

Smiling, she lowered his pants and underwear, and he kicked the fabric away. He was hard and ready, and she wanted to feel. She wrapped her hand around him, loving the velvet heat of him as he pulsed gently in her hand.

"Sweetheart, you do much more of that, and this'll be over before it begins," he warned her.

Was he really so ready for her that the slightest touch would set him off? The thought gave her pause and filled her with wonder. Did he really want her that much? It seemed incredible that such a handsome man—who probably could have any woman that caught his eye—would be that turned on by her. But there he was, hard and almost quivering in her hand.

Huh . Amalie thought about that for a split second, and the idea made her feel fierce and wanted and…loved. Not for what she looked like or what she could do, but for who she was. Because deep down, she knew this kind of attraction was for the entirety of her being, not just her body or her power. He wanted her . All of her. Not just the superficial bits that would change over the years.

Just as she wanted him. Certainly, he was the most handsome man she'd ever known, but it wasn't his looks alone that attracted her to him. It was his mind and his heart and his incredible courage. She remembered him taking on that Tauror and winning—when not jinxed by Mrs. Entwistle. She admired him for that and for so much else. He really was the most amazing man she'd ever known, and her heart had been won very, very quickly. Maybe there was something to that shifter way of knowing your true mate so quickly. Meeting Billy had made her a true believer in love at first sight.

She squeezed him once more and then released his hard length, moving her hands to his shoulders until the back of his knees hit the side of the odd-shaped bed. She pushed gently, and he sat, scooting back into the middle of the bed. She liked the way he watched her as she climbed over him. Straddling his legs, she reached between them and took him in hand again.

"Would you mind if we sped this along this time? I'm not really into waiting right now," she said, her breath coming in short pants as her excitement increased exponentially. She loved the idea that he was letting her have her way with him.

"We've got all night, sweetheart, and I've got shifter stamina on my side. I'm fine with taking the edge off so we can take our time later." His grin told her all she needed to know. That and the pulsing hardness in her hand.

She guided him to her and slid downward, taking him deep. She was so wet and ready, it didn't take much work to slide him deep inside. Then, she paused for a moment, savoring the feel of him.

He reached up to fondle her, and she began to move. Slowly at first, she felt the rhythm of the waves against the boat increasing a little from what they'd been before. She went with it. The inexorable motion of the ocean helping her emulate that motion between them.

She rode him for a good long while, only escalating things when it all became too much. She needed more. She keened as she rose toward the moon that was pulling on the waves, and on them. Rising higher, taking her pleasure somewhere it had only ever gone with Billy. Crying out his name, she came hard, pulsing with need as she felt him shoot to the stars with her, coming inside her as they completed their pleasure together.

Always. Together forever. As it should be.

Long moments later, she rested on him, her head cradled against his chest as they began to breath more normally. Billy's big hands stroked her back, holding her against him as if he would never let her go. Basking, Amalie placed lazy kisses along his pectoral muscle and collar bone, then the underside of his jaw.

"This is even better than I dreamed," Amalie said lazily. "And I didn't think anything could get better than those dreams."

"Wait." Billy raised his head to meet her gaze. "You dreamed of me too?"

"I've been dreaming of you for quite a while, Billy," she revealed, feeling warm and loose and wanting him to know everything. The time for secrets between them was well and truly over.

"I thought I was the only one," he murmured, his gaze filled with confusion.

"I think we've been sharing the same dreams for the past few nights. I especially enjoyed making love to you in my private study at the castle," she revealed.

"The octagonal room with the magical chandelier?" he asked. "I meant to go looking for it before we left, just to see if it was real."

"Oh, it's real, all right." She paused to place a smoking hot kiss on his lips before drawing back. "I'll take you there someday, and we can reenact that dream."

"I'd love that," he replied, caressing her cheek and rubbing his thumb along her lower lip.

"It's a date, then. Next time we go there, I'll give you the nickel tour."

"Deal." He gazed into her eyes, and her breath caught as he lowered his lips to hers once more.

"I love you, Billy," she whispered, in between kisses.

"That's good because I love you too, sweetheart. Always and forever."

He rolled them over and began loving her all over again. This time, he was most assuredly in charge, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. Their loving was slow and tempestuous and filled with the finesse she'd been too eager to find in their first encounter that night.

As he'd promised, he made love to her long into the night, over and over, in different positions and ways, but always with the greatest love she had ever felt from any man. She was left in no doubt that they were perfect for each other. Not that she hadn't known it before, but with such a whirlwind romance, it was good to build on each experience so that eventually, their love would be as solid as the foundations of the home they would build together.

They were only just starting out on this amazing journey together, and she was eager to see where it all would lead. She knew the whole world was going into a rough chapter, but with any luck—and the two of them working together—they would weather the storm and come out better on the other side. It was what she prayed for, and what she hoped in every part of her being, would happen.