"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me? That you wanted me to 'find someone from my own planet'." She tilted her head back to stare into his beautiful face. He looked so conflicted.
"If I were half the man I used to be, I'd send you away. I would do anything to keep you safe, but I find myself drawn to you. The more I am with you, the more I want to live, to fight this insidious darkness in my heart. I just don't see how this is going to end well for either of us." He rested his forehead against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"If being with me pushes back the darkness, then never leave my side. If you need a reason to live, do it for me, do it for our future children. Please don't assume I would be better off without you, not now.
"You fear that if we're tied together, you turning feral would drag my soul down with yours, but what you don't realize is that I would happily jump into the depths of hell to be with you. If I lost you, I wouldn't be able to live in this world alone. I would take my own life to be with you."
His arms pulled her closer, squeezing her tight. "Don't say such things," he said, his voice breaking.
She pulled back and raised her hands up to cup his face. "There is no other for me and no life without you, so make the decision. Are we to live or die?"
She saw a flash of fear in his eyes before it was replaced by resolve. "You're not going to ever back down are you?"
"Nope." She popped her lips on the letter 'p'.
He smiled gently. "Then I guess all I can do is stay by your side for eternity."
"It's good to have life goals." She was smiling so much her cheeks hurt.
Shaking his head, he swept her up in his arms. "I can't, in good conscience, claim you yet, I want to see if being around my mate is enough to pull me from the edge."
"Then make love to me." She laughed at his shocked expression. "If being around me helps, just think of what making love to me could do?"
He laughed out loud and her heart soared. When he looked down at her, he wore the same roguish expression she had fallen in love with as a child. "I came in here tonight to tell you to stay away, but I can't fight temptation anymore. I cannot refuse your offer of paradise; I'm not strong enough." He laid her down gently on the bed.
"I've been waiting my whole life for you," she said sitting up. She reached around and unzipped her dress. When she looked up, he was staring down at her, his eyes wide.
"What do you mean you waited? You can't be a..."
"A what? A virgin? Let me break it down for you: I have three extremely overprotective older brothers and three extremely overprotective half-brothers. Their moral compasses tend to break if they are pissed enough. I have six units of warriors who would happily destroy any guy I dated who made the mistake of hurting me. To top everything off, I have been dreaming of you since I was six. Dating has never really been an option for me.
"So yes, I am a virgin, but that doesn't mean I haven't been taking care of business myself, if you know what I mean."
Darian's mouth opened and closed, then open and closed again. He blinked once before a sexy smile appeared. "Does that mean you have toys?"
Amelia kicked her shoes off and dropped them over the side of the bed. "Maybe." She shimmied out of her dress and threw it on the floor. When she was down to her bra and panties, she lay back on her elbows and crossed her legs at her ankles, getting comfortable. "You going to keep me waiting much longer, princess?"
With a low growl, Darian slowly began to unbutton his dress robe. "Lie back and close your eyes."
Amelia relaxed, lay flat on her back, and closed her eyes. She waited and listened carefully, trying to figure out what he was doing. She heard the rustle of fabric and assumed he had removed his robe. She wanted to open her eyes.
"Keep them closed." His deep voice came from her right. He'd walked around to that side of the bed. She shivered at his tone.
After a couple minutes, her mind had worked itself into a hectic mess. Where was he? What was he doing?
"Are you thinking about me?" His words now came from the foot of the bed.
"Darian, I don't understand, what are you doing?" She wanted to open her eyes and manhandle him onto the bed. Her body was coiled in anticipation of his touch, knowing that she was about to make love to her mate.
"Being with a lover is very different than 'taking care of business' on your own. The fact that I am the one to teach you the difference humbles me. I am going to take my time and introduce you to lovemaking."
She felt his fingers at her ankle. Casually, lazily he began to run his fingers up her leg to her knee and back down again. She felt completely out of control even though all he was doing was touching her leg.