ELRETH

She got lost in him. Something inside her coiled tight, but wanted to release—and that piece of her that had come from him through the bond… it rippled under her skin wherever he touched.

She was gasping.

Aaryn trembled, his hands strong and sure, but shaking. Then he broke the kiss to slide down.

"What—" she started.

But he looked up her through his tousled hair, his light eyes shining with the wolf inside, and then latched onto her breast, mouth open over her nipple. And he sucked.

"Holy shit!" Elreth arched and gasped again, clinging to him. Then he rocked into her where they were pressed together, both of them still in their leathers and suddenly, for the first time in her life, Elreth was certain there were far too many clothes on in this cave.

Aaryn's shoulders rippled with tension, and the veins on his forearms stood proud as he shifted his attention from one breast to the other, still rolling into her, the pressure between them pressing the seam of her leathers against parts of her she'd rarely even thought about.

How had she missed this? Why had she ever mocked any of her friends for seeking this?

Elreth panted and pulled Aaryn back up, whimpering in her throat as he slid up her body, his skin teasing her sensitized nipples, then she took his mouth, tangling their tongues.

He rolled again, arching over her to pull himself against her, and his head dropped back.

It was the most erotic thing she'd ever seen.

She ached inside, at her core. A piece of her felt hollow. It yearned. And it spoke to her heart that was calling for him. Only for him.

With his chest arched up like that she was able to reach for him, slide her hands between them and palm him through his leathers her eyes going wide at what she found.

Between her parents and Gar, there were few things she didn't know about the mechanics of mating. But she was quickly discovering that the assumptions she'd made proved very different in practice.

Aaryn had grown.

But before she could ask, he shuddered and brought his chin down, staring at her through narrowed eyes, his breath hissing between his teeth. "Be very, very careful, Elreth," he gasped. "If you want this to last, just… be careful."

She grinned and tugged at his belt, teasing the strap out until it slapped against her stomach, then working at the thick buttons that were pulled too tight by the insistence of his body. She was almost at the last one when Aaryn pulled back, away from her.

"Wait, wait…" he whispered. "Let's do this right."

"What do you—"

He crawled off of her then and she groaned. But he just shoved his pants down and off, stepping out of them. His eyes dancing along her skin as a growl of pleasure puttered in his throat. Elreth covered her face, but he hissed, "No!" and slid back over her, pulling her hands away and kissing her until she'd stopped thinking about her embarrassment and started thinking about him again. But when she reached for the hard weight she could feel on her stomach, he made a little noise and leaned back, kissing his way down the side of her neck, back to her breast—where he paused long enough, laving her breast and creating those crackling jolts through her, that Elreth had forgotten what she was about to do.

Then he pushed himself up to kneel between her knees, and his nimble fingers made fast work of her buttons. She stared at him as he worked, taking in the sheer beauty of his long, lean muscle, the rippling ladders on his sides, the carved lines that started over his hips and plunged down, and the lines that bracketed his thighs.

He caught her staring and paused, grinning.

"Are you ready, El?" he rasped, his voice honeyed gravel.

Gulp. "Yes."

The smile he gave her then was a side of Aaryn she'd never seen. It made her breath come faster, and her heart flip. Then he grasped the waistband of her leathers and tugged them down. She arched off the couch to give him room, closing her eyes against the discomfort of knowing he was about to see her completely bare—something she knew wouldn't phase him at all.

She'd always been more human than Anima when it came to nudity.

Gar thought it was hilarious.

But Aaryn's breath was heaving as he gently urged her to bend her knees up, and he peeled her leathers down her thighs, then tugged them off first one foot, then the other. He tossed them behind him and they landed with a heavy thwack on the stone floor.

Then he froze, eyes wide as he scanned her from crown to…. Much lower than anyone had ever looked at her before.

*****

AARYN

She was pure stunning, everything about her body spoke of graceful lines and lithe strength.

And she was his.

He huffed the mating call, then swallowed hard, stroking his hand up her side, from her thigh to her waist, then up to curve around her breast, his touch gentle and reverent.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, El," he whispered, dragging his thumb over the peak of her breast, delighted when she twitched. He was tempted to take it in his mouth again, but Elreth had gone wide eyed and staring.

She'd always been a little freaked out about nudity—something that was common in humans, according to her mother.

Swallowing his lust, he tore his eyes off of her body and made himself meet her eyes. "Are you okay?" he breathed.

She nodded, still staring at him. All of him. "Just… wow. You're beautiful."

He snorted. "I think that's supposed to be my line."

"No, I mean it, Aaryn. I never noticed. I'm so sorry. You're freaking hot."

He wanted to be smug, but forcing himself to focus he leaned down, bracing both hands next to her head and holding her eyes. The position brought them together, and his breathing spiraled.

*****

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