"I know that," he said. "And I don't mind. Not in the least. In fact, it's womanly."
"I could wax, if you prefer. I'd do it. For you."
"No. Be yourself. Don't twist yourself up trying to be right for any guy. A man should appreciate you for who you are or take a hike."
"Well." Her breath hitched. "Well."
"Stop worrying about what I like and don't like," he said. "Just relax."
"Easy for you to say. You've probably done this a thousand times."
Ridge sat up again, knocked gently on the top of her head. "What do you take me for? A man whore?"
"C'mon. You're gorgeous. I know women fall at your feet. Are you trying to tell me you don't hook up constantly?"
"I don't hook up constantly. I'm too busy."
"But you're a guy. A very virile guy . . ."
"Who doesn't get out as much as you might think."
"Oh no?" She rose up on her elbows, leaned over to claim one of his earlobes between her wicked little teeth.
Tenderly, he pressed her back down on the bed and used his mouth to enter her sweet moist threshold, touching the center of her femininity with his tongue.
Her body tensed, tight as a bowstring drawn taut. A soft moan of sheer pleasure slipped over her teeth as she bit into her bottom lip.
He gave her more of what she was sighing for. Circling and swirling, paying attention to places that gave her goose bumps.
When she was ready, fully wet and open and begging for him, he slid into her soft, yielding, womanly body, and thought insanely, home.
He'd finally come home. It was crazy, and he knew it, but he couldn't stop thinking it. Home. Home. Home.
She squeezed him, hot and slick and tight.
He struggled for control and a scrap of skill. He was good at this. Or thought he was. But with Kaia, he felt brand-new, a fumbling teenager who didn't know where to start.
Desire drove him. Need seized him. Gnawed and clawed and scratched. Instinct pushed him hard and fast. Mate. Claim her as his. Shatter her defenses. Dismantle her until she lay quivering and spent in his arms.
But he wasn't a beast, despite his Neanderthal urges. She deserved the best he could offer, and a rough quickie wasn't going to cut it. Not with Kaia. Not with the woman who felt like home. He held his breath, fought to slow down, lessened his movements.
"How are you doing?" His voice sounded deep, alien, raw, and rough. It shocked. The primal quality, the way need had him growling.
"Fine. Fine. More than fine . . ." She laughed shakily. "I'm rapturous."
"Already?"
"I am hoping for more." Her cheeks darkened prettily and her expression turned shy, vulnerable. She lowered her eyelids, sent him a soft smile. That look, so sweet and special, seemed designed for him and him alone.
With a mewling noise, she twined her arms and legs around, pulling him deeper into her, sinking her fingernails into his back, urging him on.
"Please," she whispered. "Don't stop. I want all of you."
That's all he needed to hear. He gave her everything he had, sinking into her with powerful thrusts. She let out a cry of speechless glee. A sound that stoked his blood and set his cells singing.
He cradled her as he drove into her, his arms around her waist, hands cupping her fanny. She moved with his rhythm as if they were made for each other. As if they'd been doing this for years. As if they'd do it for the rest of their lives.
They gathered speed, rocketing together at an impressive rate, riding, gliding, sliding down the splendid spiral of escalating joy.
Pleasure.
All he wanted was to give her the maximum amount of pleasure. Wanted to leave her wrung out and shaking and thrilled to the core. Wanted to leave her aching and longing to come back for more.
They twirled and spun, caught up in a tornado of their own making, their own whirlwind world. It howled through him, a wild wind-blasting, blistering, blustering, buffering.
He could not speak, could not blink, could not think, save for one inevitable instinctual command. Make this woman his. Brand her. Bind her. Ruin her for any other man but him.
Belong.
He wanted to belong to her. Wanted her to belong to him. Not in a grasping, controlling, possessive way, but in the perfect way two puzzle pieces fit together. Meant to be.
Meant for each other and no one else.
They'd crossed a threshold and no matter what happened from here on out, there was no going back. No undoing what they'd just done.
The thought hit him just as he flipped into the apex of sensation shooting through his body, tearing and ripping at him, pulling him into a million little pieces. Was she shattering with him?