He slid the fat, succulent base between her lips and pushed the fruit inward. Sameya surprised him by sucking on the strawberry. His dick reacted, becoming harder and pressing uncomfortably against the leather.
“Bite.” The one word was all he could push past his lips at that moment.
No arguments forthcoming, she obeyed, her teeth slicing off the tip of the strawberry. Sameya chewed, her eyes widening. “Mmm….”
Maximus smiled, using his thumb to wipe off a spot of juice from the corner of her mouth. “Strawberry.” He sucked his pad and held up the remainder of the fruit. He popped the rest of the strawberry into his mouth. In a silent offer for her to help herself to the fruit, he pushed the bowl closer to her and was delighted when she selected another one. “Why are orgasms disturbing, Sameya?”
The second strawberry halted centimeters from her mouth. Tentatively, she met his gaze and shrugged as she swallowed what was in her mouth.
“All women enjoy them.” At least all the ones he’d been with had.
“You would have me believe you’re that familiar with women?” She munched on the fruit pinned between her fingertips.
Maximus plucked the remainder of the strawberry from her hand and tossed it in his mouth.
“Hey!”
He flashed her a wicked grin. “Why wouldn’t I have knowledge of women?”
“You’re with Gabriel. Shifters are possessive.”
“True, but you thought Gabby was our lover.”
She shrugged. “She seemed like yours and Gabriel’s type.”
Maximus chuckled. “Far from it.” He slid the omelet onto a plate and proceeded to make another. “I’d never been with a man before Gabriel came along. Mating doesn’t mean instant love or trust, but it’s a bonding of the souls. We took our mating slow, and before we mated, we’d fallen in love with one another.”
The typical mating ritual was frenzied, and so out of control, the parties rarely knew what was going on until it was over. But a shifter and vampyr together was taboo, so they’d taken it slow to make sure they weren’t reading the signs wrong. Since nature didn’t put together what couldn’t procreate, they’d known a female would someday enter their lives. Maximus had expected a shifter female, because to add a third species to their tri-union was so forbidden, it rather worried him. But already his protective instincts were honed razor sharp toward Sameya.
In time he hoped she’d love them, but they didn’t have time for that. “I would die for Gabriel and would kill without regret for him. I feel the same for you.” She looked away. Why’d that make her uncomfortable? Maximus cupped her chin in his palm and turned her to face him. “We both delight in the softness of a woman, listening to her soft cries as we give her pleasure. We’ve shared many women together in our bed, but we have never invited another man into our relationship.” To fuck another male would’ve been cheating. He ran his fingertips along her eyebrows when they arched a little higher. “Now that we’ve located you, there won’t be another woman.” Even if she leaves us. Such injustice in that truth.
Fingertip running the length of the round bowl filled with strawberries, she watched him. If the frown furrowing her forehead was any indication, her thoughts were troublesome.
Maximus lowered his hand, but maintained eye contact. Waiting for whatever she had to say…if she ever spoke. When she did, it wasn’t what he was expecting.
“My power is cerebral.” Sirens controlled others with their mind. He comprehended that. “I lose control of that function when I…climax.”
She sounded as uncomfortable with the word as she was with the defenselessness she suffered from having one. “You believe that makes you vulnerable?”
“I know it does.” She pulled his shirt to the side exposing the marks Gabriel had given her. They still seeped blood. “Had I owned my faculties, this wouldn’t have happened. I should’ve fought him harder, but I was so lost to the feel of him inside me and you doing…your thing.”
“Can’t you self-heal?”
“No. But I don’t need to if my cognitive abilities aren’t compromised.”
Without any thought, Maximus shifted closer and licked Gabriel’s mating marks. A tremor ricocheted through her, as her tiny gasp of surprise painted the air. Shifting to the end of the island, Maximus palmed her nape and pulled her against him as he tongued the puncture wounds.
The taste of her blood lured him to bite over the lesions Gabriel gave her. Worse, he wanted to sink his fangs into her as he thrust his dick into her wet sheath. He’d withheld his need earlier for fear of scaring her off.