He laughed at me, writhing. I saw it in his eyes, that teasing look right before he slowed his progress. He held my gaze and slowly pushed his jeans down his hips. I growled and reached for the waistband of his boxers, but he caught my wrist before I could do anything.
The corner of his mouth lifted. Butterflies flittered through my stomach as I watched him lower himself until he was on his knees. He looked up at me from between my legs before cupping the backs of my knees to pull me closer.
I opened my mouth to tell him that he didn’t have to focus on my pleasure. But before I could say anything, he ran his thumb along the damp line of my folds. My breath shuddered out of me from the slightest touch.
“Has anyone touched you like this? Has anyone taken the time to show you exactly what you’re worth?”
I couldn’t respond. Ryder pulled me into his face. His tongue delved past my folds, and stars burst across my vision. I cried out and buried my hand in his hair, holding him close as if he might get away.
Ryder laughed before pressing deeper. He lapped up the moisture that he’d conjured as if I were a fine wine. I would have blamed his lack of taste for his eagerness, but I knew that he’d gotten that back. Ryder’s enthusiasm was all his own. The way he savored me, the flick of his tongue adding to the pressure building between my legs.
When he slid one finger inside me, I thought I might break. I clenched around him and drew another satisfied chuckle from his lips. Ryder crooked his finger and found the spot inside me that turned the gentle pleasure into a firestorm.
I cried out and clenched my thighs around his head. He didn’t pull back. He didn’t complain. Ryder pressed harder, his tongue moving faster as his fingers teased the spot buried deep inside me.
I thought my climax would be gradual, but I suddenly found myself spilling over into pleasure that radiated from my core to my toes. The pleasure rocketed back up like lightning. It found the far corners of my body as I arched my back and curled my fingers in the bedsheets.
Through my pleasured haze, I watched Ryder stand and lick his lips. He slid an arm beneath the small of my back and lifted me, tossing me further onto the bed so that he could climb atop me.
He bent his head into the crook of my neck, littering my throat with soft kisses until I felt the scrape of teeth. The lightest bite made another wave of pleasure flare bright. The firework burned inside me while Ryder covered me with more bites.
When his teeth found the soft muscle where my neck met my shoulder, he bit down right as he buried himself inside me. He didn’t wait, didn’t ease himself in. With one sure stroke, Ryder filled me as his teeth sank into my skin.
I dug my nails into his shoulders because I needed something to hold onto. The waves of pleasure washed over me and pulled me under. He bit down harder. I felt my skin break under the force. Instead of pain, it rippled with pleasure until I scrabbled at his back with my nails.
Ryder pulled away and rocked his hips back. His husky laugh filled the dim room and wrapped around us like a safe blanket. Nowhere else in the world would ever feel as secure. Only Ryder could give me the peace that I’d craved for the past decade.
He thrust once, sending another wave of pleasure to the already throbbing mess that my neck had become. The wave crashed into the bite mark and doubled in pleasure. He thrust twice more, each one slow and deliberate. Ryder knew what he was doing, he knew that he had power over me in here.
I didn’t care. I gave everything over to him. For once, every muscle in my body relaxed. I sank into the pleasure, a breath rushing out of me.
Ryder hooked an arm underneath me and lifted me into his lap. He rocked his hips, bouncing me in his arms while he gazed up at me. From this position, he teased me both inside and out. I let my head roll back as I savored the double sensations.
He kept one arm around my lower back, but the other hand lifted to cradle the back of my head. He tugged me close and pressed a kiss to the bite mark on my neck. Once more, waves of sensation pulsated from my neck only to crash into the pleasure building between my legs.
I could barely breathe. The room became a blur. As I clenched in anticipation, Ryder whispered in my ear.
“You belong to me, heart and soul. The same way that I belong to you, now. We were made together. Fate separated our souls and put every obstacle in our way to keep us apart, but now I have you.
“And you have me.”
I whimpered. My heart couldn’t take this. The love and dedication warmed my chest. If I wasn’t careful, the ice would melt. I could already feel it turning into a slick, glistening mess. The ritual arcana was somewhere inside me, waiting to strike. Though I couldn’t feel it through the sensations Ryder had conjured, I knew it would always be there.
The witch said I would only break free from this curse in death.
If I had to hold back every time I made love, our mate bond would turn sour. I would never be able to give myself over to this man who’d dedicated himself to me. The lopsided relationship wouldn’t work.
And I had no idea how to tell him that. I wanted to believe that we could find a way. Through hope and love, there was a solution to everything. Right?
That’s not how my life had played out so far, though. Neither idea had given me much to work with. Though I clung to both in the moment, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold on to them forever.
Though my thoughts wandered, the pressure never stopped building. It grew and grew, drawing my attention back to Ryder’s hands on my skin and his eyes on mine. The promise that he gave me with his eyes alone chased away my fears. It dragged me back into the moment so hard that I fell over the edge into climax.
I didn’t bother fighting back my scream as this orgasm tore through me. Ryder bucked one last time and filled me. His spasms sent a ripple through my climax, magnifying it until I had to cling to him once more.
Ryder huffed, a sound that was both exhaustion and joy, and slung an arm beneath my buttocks. Carefully, he lifted me from the bed without sliding out of me. He didn’t pull out until we were in the bathroom. There, he helped me clean myself, his attention so tender that I thought I might break down into post-climax tears.
Ryder