Silver(57)

“Feeling frisky?”

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. “Yes, definitely.” He kissed the wet skin of her shoulder. “You know I’ll never get enough of you.”

“I can’t believe I get you forever,” she said. “That’s what this means, right? You couldn’t really explain mating back there.”

He cupped her cheek. “I’m still not sure how you trusted me so much.”

“Perhaps because you were willing to risk your life for me from almost the moment I met you. Perhaps because you’d prepared me, warning me that you only date for keeps. Perhaps because I was starting to feel I couldn’t imagine life without you, and no matter how odd it seemed from a logical viewpoint, I wasn’t going to give up the amazing time I’ve had with you for anything.”

He sighed. “How are you so wonderful?”

“I have to be, to fit with you.”

“I never thought I would be this mushy,” he grumbled into her shoulder. “Be sure not to tell anyone.”

“Of course,” she said. “Besides, I like that this part of you is only for me. You can still be grumpy to everyone else. If they’re a woman, I prefer it.”

He laughed. “No problems there.”

“Good,” she said, holding him tight.

“I just… I love you. My kind, we know almost from the moment we meet our mates that they are meant for us. I never believed in fate before. It seemed to keep screwing me over. But when I met you, even as I fought it, I knew you meant something to me. From the first time I saw you, I couldn’t let you out of my sight. That’s why I watched you from the balcony. I just—”

She put a finger up to his lips. “You don’t have to explain it. I love you, too. I really do. My heart can’t imagine living without you.”

“Sometimes you just find someone who makes you feel so complete, who you know you can love more each day. Who will make life better just by being there,” he said. “That’s what a mate is.”

She sighed and ran her hands over his back, grazing him lightly with her nails. “I like that.”

“So you want to go make it official?” he asked, looking down at her.

She nodded, holding him tightly. “I want everything you can give.”

He picked her up again, loving the feel of his mate in his arms, loving having a purpose, someone to protect who made him want to get up in the morning.

He loved everything about this world now that he had his powers and a woman he loved and could move on and find some sense of purpose.

He set her down on the bed, looking at her naked, wet, glistening form, his eyes greedily devouring every aspect of her as her green eyes watched warily.

“I still feel like you should have been with someone more beautiful,” she said nervously.

He laughed, crawling over her on the bed, feeling predatory and powerful, wanting to use all of his power to show his mate how much he wanted her.

His hands closed over her wrists, putting them over her head, and he felt silver well from his fingertips, holding her hands down, bound to the mattress as the silver snaked down into it.

She struggled slightly, blushing. “Adrien, what—”

“I’ll let you go in a moment,” he said. “Just let me look at you.” He sat back between her legs, eyeing his mate, her bold green eyes, shy expression, soft cheeks, beautiful, curvaceous, feminine body that was as opposite of his hard, muscled physique as possible.

Everything about her was just perfect.

He drew a finger over her belly, which sucked in slightly, and he frowned. He leaned forward to kiss her belly button, running his tongue inside it as his hands smoothed over her hips. She gasped and arched against the silver bonds, but couldn’t move at all.

“Just let me show you how beautiful you are,” he said. “I love you for who you are.” He crawled forward, straddling her to place a kiss on her earlobe. “I love the woman you are. How brave you are. What you’ve come through. How you got to me.” He bit on her lobe, sucking gently before releasing it slowly through his teeth.

“Adrien,” she moaned.

“But your body, it’s absolutely perfect to me.” He sat up and looked down, making an hourglass motion with his hands. “I couldn’t have designed it more perfectly.” He leaned forward over her again, tickling her ear with his breath. “You know, in my time, curves were everything.” His hand trailed over her belly, caressing it softly before reaching the apex of her legs. “But no matter how you are, you’ll be perfect.”

He looked at her in question before touching her most sensitive spot, and she nodded eagerly. He released the silver, watching it disappear down into the mattress where he’d leave it in case it was needed, and her arms flew up to wrap around his neck.