She felt the warm release of his cum as it flowed deep into her, the hard jerking of his cock making her moan with pleasure. And heartache.
Aching with the force of his orgasm, Aidan pressed his lips to Lyssa’s, his mouth hard and his teeth clenched tight as he surrendered to his need for her. He gasped when it was over, his tongue sliding into her mouth, his embrace almost crushing. She sobbed quietly beneath him. He turned his head and pressed his damp cheek to hers, wondering how he would live the rest of his immortal life without her. She would grow old and die, as all mortals did. How would he bear it?
He wanted that dream he’d shared; he longed for it with every fiber of his being. His heart grieved for the loss of the future he wanted but could never have.
But what he’d deciphered in the ancient text that morning left him no choice.
He was going to have to return to the Twilight.
And this was the last time he would ever make love to Lyssa.
Chapter 14
Aidan rolled to his side, taking Lyssa with him. On the narrow space of the couch, they were locked tightly together to keep from tumbling to the floor. His cock still throbbed inside her. Her pussy still milked him gently. He took a deep breath and tucked her closer, struggling to find the strength to leave her.
“Aidan.” Lyssa’s exhale gusted warmly over his sweat-dampened skin. It shifted through him, moving from his heart to his toes in a tingling ripple of pleasure.
“Mmm?” he murmured, caressing the soft skin of her back. He would never get enough of touching her, holding her, making love to her. The knowledge killed something inside him, that warm spot of hope and peace she’d given him.
“There has to be a way for you to stay.”
The lump in his throat was painful to swallow past. He didn’t know what to do with this surfeit of emotion. He’d been numb with loneliness for so long, nearly dead inside, caring only for the men under his command. He had respected every woman he’d taken to bed, but the name they spoke was not his. He was “Cross” or “Captain,” and the distance between them was vast, even if their bodies were as close as they could be.
“I want to take care of you,” Lyssa whispered, her fingers moving through his hair. “I want to make you laugh, make you happy.”
“You do.” His voice was rough, scratchy like sandpaper.
“I don’t want to stop doing those things. You need someone to take care of you.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “What a pair we are. You need looking after, too, Hot Stuff. You and I spend so much time taking care of everyone else, we neglect ourselves. You’re the only thing I’ve ever wanted just for me. Selfishly.”
What he wouldn’t give to spend his life with her, grow old with her, die beside her. Far better for life to be short and sweet, than eternal and empty. But the most he could do for her was ensure her the longest life possible. So she could marry. Have children and grandchildren. Another man’s children and grandchildren.
The images in his mind were like a knife thrust deep in his heart. Turning, gouging, killing him slowly and without mercy. He crushed her to him, but she didn’t complain.
“Can we stay here like this forever?” she asked with a mournful sigh.
He took a moment to control his voice and then spoke as lightly as he could manage. “I think the bed would be more comfortable.”
She gave a quiet laugh. It wasn’t the full-bodied merriment he loved, but it was much better for his sanity than her grieved tone.
“How about a shower?” he suggested.
“Together?”
“I would love to, but I should clean up the dining room and get breakfast started.”
She leaned back enough to look up at him with those big, dark eyes, and he cupped her shoulder blades to keep her from falling. The silent trust she had that he would support her made his smile genuine. Yes, she’d had her doubts about him, but despite them, she had always gone with her instincts, and they’d always ruled in his favor.
“What are you planning to make up for breakfast?”
She’d laughed until she cried when he came upstairs at three A.M. bearing a plate of Chips Ahoy! cookies with gobs of peanut butter smeared on the tops. “What?” he’d asked, grinning. “Peanut butter has protein.”
That reply had her falling over with mirth, her lithe body rolling amid the tangled blue sheets. He’d set the plate down on the nightstand and joined her, eventually sitting back against the headboard and pulling her into his lap. She had straddled his thighs while facing him, his cock hard and throbbing inside her. They’d smeared peanut butter on each other’s lips and licked it off, making love with cookies and laughter.