Rising slowly, she pulled up her dress to reveal a total lack of panties. He stiffened even more and the head of his rod throbbed. She straddled his hips and dug her hands into his hair.
"Are you sure about this, Lovely? I can wait until I have a bed to love you on." Shit, why had he said that? He needed to be inside of her now.
Her answer came in the form of the slick sliding of her body against his eager erection, over and over. She was very sure. Chase massaged her breasts, fondling until her nipples poked through the fabric of her gown. She circled her hips and teased him with her moister and delicious aroma. He was so close to her core, but damn, not quite close enough. She tortured him with slippery, mind-numbing friction, until finally, she reached between them and slowly, inch by inch, she drove him home.
It was too much. The physical and the telepathic connection between them made it possible to feel their lovemaking from both sides. He felt his pleasure, and hers. He felt his body stroking hers and her body gripping around his, all at once. He tasted himself on her tongue and her delicious sugar on his own.
She panted and moaned her pleasure into his mouth. At that moment, the most possessive and primal urge to claim her for his own bubbled up in his gut. He turned to place Danielle beneath him on the sofa. He stroked into her forcefully, proving to himself in the most intimate way possible that she belonged to him. He kissed her roughly, possessing her mouth to remind her how badly they needed each other. He delved deeply and caressed every part of her he could reach to scour away the memory of every other male's touch.
He rode her to the peak, whispering to her over and over, "You are mine, Lovely. You are mine."
Chase twisted his hips to search for that special spot that would break her. She gasped when he stroked it, and Chase showed her no mercy. He pounded again and again, dragging his head across the bundle of nerves. Her body gripped him like a tight, rippling fist, and they tumbled over the abyss together, shouting and gasping. Holding on to one another, they spun out into oblivion, blew apart, and came back changed forever.
Time passed wordlessly, while she lay peacefully across his chest, sated and relaxed after a heated joining. He was actually nervous about how things would be between them from that point forward. Would she be willing to show the world their love? Would she need more time to herself? Then there was the matter of the big, earth-shattering secret she was hiding. He didn't want to ruin the moment with questions she might not be ready to answer, so instead he asked, "So, what was the secret you were going to share with me?"
"I'm not ready to tell you yet. I just want to enjoy you for tonight, but you should know that it is life-altering stuff. It could make you change your mind about me in a hurry."
"I wish you could trust me enough to let me in again." He brushed her shoulder with the pad of his thumb and delighted at the chills it sent down her arm. "You can tell me anything."
"How about we make a compromise? I'll tell you a small secret today and work up to the big stuff later. Is that acceptable?" she bargained.
"I'll take what I can get."
She nuzzled his neck. "My name isn't really Danielle." His head popped up.
"What?" he snapped.
"You see, if this is your reaction to the small stuff, the big stuff is going to make you run, screaming." She pulled away, and he instantly missed the warmth and intimacy of their contact.
"I'm sorry, Lovely. Please come back. I promise to behave myself."
Just then there was a knock at the door, and Danielle hopped up and scampered into the bathroom to freshen up, muttering about damn nosy vampires. Chase hurriedly tucked himself back in, buttoned his pants, and opened the door. It was Darren.
"Is she in there with you?" he asked. "Never mind, I can clearly smell her." He pushed past Chase and began pounding on the bathroom door. "Let's go! Griffin is waiting for you to make his announcement."
"You need to relax and back off. We'll be out in a minute." Chase pushed him away from the door.
"I was sent to retrieve her, and I'll be taking her with me." Darren pushed back.
"You are not her warrior anymore. You are no more than an invited guest at this gala. She is safe with me, and you will leave this room or I will have you removed from the building," Chase told him through clenched teeth. "Take your pick. I vote to toss you out on your ass for interrupting our privacy, but the choice is yours." Chase was good and tired of the warrior's power trip and bully tactics with Danielle.
"Leave now, Darren!" Dani said from the other side of the door.
"The lady has spoken." Chase opened the door.
Darren stomped off down the hall.
Several minutes later, Chase and Dani walked hand in hand back to the ballroom. He hoped she wouldn't drop his hand and move away when they reached the ballroom, but he tried to prepare himself for the possibility. Their connection was still forcefully humming with the flush of passion. "Are you going to tell me what your name is, or are you trying to kill me with suspense?"
"My birth name is Soleil."
"Soleil? Like the sun?" he asked.
"I knew you wouldn't like it. It's a stupid name, right?" She flushed pink.
"I love it, actually. It's just unusual. Do you know its origin? Maybe it's a family name?" He was curious.
"My father named me Soleil, because he was sure the world would revolve around me." She lowered her face and flushed even darker.
"Don't be embarrassed." He lifted her chin and kissed her nose. "That's very poetic. I assume your father was precognitive, because he was exactly correct." Dani stopped to show him her necklace.
"My father gave this to my mother the day of their bonding." He looked it over and smiled. She pointed to her earrings. "Your parents gave me these today. Aren't they beautiful?"
"They're lovely on you, Soleil." He loved being able to use her given name. It was much more fitting than that boy's name she used.
She looked around warily. "Please be careful with that name, by the way. It's a secret, remember?" She poked his side.
Chase was so happy to be able to touch and play with his Lovely the way he wanted to, he didn't think twice when they entered the ballroom with his arm wrapped around her waist to keep her close.
She didn't pull away. In fact, she nuzzled his chest with her still-flushed face. They earned several dirty looks, and Kayden came up out of his chair at the sight. The band was playing, so Chase playfully danced with Soleil across the floor. Yes, he would be using that name as often as would be allowed.
Before they reached their table, Griffin got up from his seat. Sarah followed and grabbed his arm, obviously frustrated. Chase didn't miss the irate, sidelong scowl Sarah gave Danielle. This announcement was obviously going to be memorable. Sarah continued to hiss under her breath at Griffin.
"Chase, I need you to stay with me, okay? Whatever Griffin says, no matter how you feel about it, please stay with me. I may need you to hold me up." She actually broke into a sweat.
"Lovely, I will never leave you again, if you let me stay close. What's going on?" He dragged her chair closer to his, so she could lean against him. She looked ill. He handed her a glass of ice water. Was it time for the big reveal? Chase assumed he would hear the secret from her in private.
Griffin shook off his mate and went to the podium. He asked the room to be seated for some announcements.
"You're about to get your second secret of the day. Please don't be upset with me." She looked at him with a plea for mercy on her creased brow.
"Is this what upset Kayden?" he whispered, as the room got quiet.
"No. He has no idea about this. Don't be surprised if he jumps out of his seat again."
That actually made Chase feel better. Kayden was in the dark, right alongside him. Chase caught Sarah glaring at the back of Soleil's head. She was obviously not in the dark, and she was pissed off.
"Ladies and gentleman, we have two joyous announcements to make. The first is mine and the second will be made by Deborah Deidrick."
Everyone at the table looked at Debbie. She shot a wicked little grin at her mate. Mason's eyebrows shot up. Good to know his father didn't know everything either. Sarah got up and left the room.
"This is a momentous occasion indeed," Griffin revealed. "I do not intend to answer any questions on the subject, now or in the future. But I want to share my joy with everyone. This is the perfect venue, given the number of us that gather for this annual celebration. I hope you will all be happy for me and my family."
Dani hung her head and Chase pulled her closer to him.
Griffin continued, "I was secretly bonded as a young man." The room hummed with the news. "I believed that my first mate and child died in childbirth, until very recently. Just days ago, I found out through a stroke of luck that the girl you know as Danielle Scott is actually my long-lost baby girl. Danielle, come, be welcomed by our community." Griffin beamed at her. She felt sick. "I would like to formally introduce my daughter, Soleil Danielle Vaughn."