She gasped when he touched her sex, and he knew that would take her there fast—and him, too. It was so damn sexy, watching his cock disappear into her. He would never be able to claim her, he never be able to sink his fangs into her and make her his mate, but if he could keep his wolf under control, maybe he could keep her with enough of this—his love, his protection, and all the hot orgasms she could stand.
“Oh, God, Jace!” she cried out, and he could feel her tightening around him. He breathed through his teeth, trying to forestall his own release, all while flicking his thumb across her nub with one hand and grabbing her breast with the other. He twisted her nipple to give her that small touch of pain to tip her over the edge. She screamed his name and came undone around him, convulsing around his cock, and suddenly, his own climax rushed at him.
No, no, no… but it was there, coursing white-hot pleasure through him, more intense than anything he’d felt before. Through the blinding haze of release, he could tell—he was still human. He groaned with relief and pleasure as she rode the last waves and then collapsed on him, burying him in the softness of her arms and her breasts in his face, wrapped around him, kissing him.
He rolled to the side with her, both of them collapsing with their pleasure spent. She cuddled into him—complete trust, complete openness, every small part of her spread wide to him. It was the most sublime feeling he’d ever known, and he couldn’t stop touching her, all over, just skimming his hands and reveling in her nearness. Her soft kisses were slowing, and a drowsy haze was calming his motions, too. They remained locked together, tangled but utterly comfortable in each other’s arms.
She nibbled up his neck to his ear and whispered, “I told you so.”
He huffed a small laugh. She was right—he’d kept his wolf contained—but he had no idea if it would happen the next time. Or the next. He couldn’t be sure of any of it. But at the moment, all he cared about was the soft whisper of her skin against his.
He held tight onto the warmth of her against him, and before he knew it, he was swiftly tumbling into sleep.
Piper’s eyes were still closed when the sun moved onto her face. She squinted her eyes open and peered at the window—the sun’s early morning glory was blazing through. Jace’s arms were wrapped around her, still spooning her from behind and draping his arm and leg across her body in the most delicious blanket she would ever have.
She was so in love with this man. Last night had been amazing—hot sex, revealed secrets, and the thrill of making him come without unleashing that wildness he didn’t think he could control.
He was so wrong about there being an evil part of him, something that killed people. She knew with absolute certainty, deep in her being, that Jace River was nothing but good, through and through. There is no way his beast had done anything like what he believed. She had no idea what the real story was behind his time in Afghanistan, but she knew the fog of war clouded the sharpest minds. Something had happened to him over there, and once she found Noah and the other shifters, she would get to the bottom of it.
She had never wanted a mate—the very idea still curled knots of tension inside her stomach—but when she looked at this beautiful man lying next to her, sleeping soundly on his bed, she saw possibilities that had never been open to her before. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted him. The idea of submitting still ran shudders through her mind and her body—it was a complete domination, as far she could tell. Her father, the Colonel, certainly had used every ounce of magic to dominate her mother and turn her into an empty shell of a woman. But Piper couldn’t imagine Jace ever doing anything like that, especially to a woman he cared for and loved.
He said he wanted to love her. She could tell by the look in his eyes when he said it that he didn’t mean the hot sex, the driving of his cock into her body which he held out as a reward for her staying in his arms. He meant he wanted to give her his heart—something she still could hardly believe. It was like a fantasy come to life.
Jace made a soft breathy sound, like he was rising up from the depths of his sleep. It killed her that he refused to take a mate. Not that it should be her—the idea still ran shivers through her—but he deserved everything that was good in this world, and for Jace River, having a mate was one of those things. In the end, if she could cure him of this belief that his wolf was dangerously wild, and she was still too afraid to submit to him herself, then she would have to let him go. Make sure he was free to claim a mate who deserved everything that he was.
Jace stirred, his hands sweeping across her body and sending an echo of the delicious pleasure he’d given her multiple times. He yawned and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked at her, then suddenly jerked out of bed, scrambling away from her. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and he stared at her with wild eyes.