“Not this time. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
“I’ve never regretted making love with you.”
“Don’t.” He swallowed. “I won’t survive if you tell me to leave again.”
“I don’t think I’d survive it either,” she whispered.
One long step and he hauled her into his arms, ignoring the pain the action caused his wound as he stretched his stitches. He pressed his face into her neck, breathing in her scent like a drowning man. The exotic mix of berries, ferns, and Mother Earth on her freshly washed skin brought a burning ache to his center. Tangling his hand in her hair, he pulled her head back, holding her still as he took in her beautiful face, the sharp cheekbones of her ancestry, the dark almond eyes lowered seductively, and the slightly parted full lips. Her pulse fluttering in her throat was the only movement she made as she waited wrapped in the tight circle of his arms.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he leaned down and gently brushed her lips with his. A rough, impatient sound escaped her, stealing his breath. Was she as desperate for him as he was for her? He deepened the kiss, pushing through the seal of her lips to stroke the inside of her mouth. Tightening his arms around her, he pressed her body flush against the hard, throbbing length of his.
A raw sound of pleasure mixed with pain broke from him. “God, Raven, how have I lived without you in my arms?”
Her chest rose and fell, and her pulse beat like hummingbird’s wings. “There’s been no one in my arms since you left.”
Her declaration stunned him. “No one?” She’d been with no other man except him?
“Only you. There’s only been you.” She bit her lips as though she was scared of revealing so much.
“Raven.” He cupped her face in his hands and laid his forehead against hers, swallowing the lump of emotion threatening to strangle him. “I’ve never stopped loving you,” he whispered. “Lord knows I tried.” He pressed his lips against hers, overwhelmed with the feelings coursing through his system.
She broke the kiss and reached for his hands that still held her face. Then she led him down the hall and into her bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind them. The room also had a wall of windows that looked out to the frozen river, illuminating the bed in magical moonlight.
Could he be dreaming? She stood before the large queen size, roughly carved, log bed, looking magical herself with her long black hair shimmering with shots of silver and midnight. She slowly opened her robe, letting it fall to her shoulders, and then dropping to puddle at her feet. She wore a silky, flimsy piece of cloth that his trembling hands would tear off her if he wasn’t careful.
She reached out her hand, palm up, and he stepped closer taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together.
“I don’t want to rush,” he said, his tone reverent. “We’ve never made love without having to hurry. For that matter, we’ve never made love in a bed. The other day didn’t count.”
“Oh, it counted. If anything, it released the pressure of the last twelve years.”
“Speak for yourself.” He smiled. “I’m feeling enough pressure to fuel a trip to the moon.”
Suddenly, she frowned. “What about your arm? Are you in a lot of pain?”
“The only pain I’m in will be relieved once I’m inside you.”
“Well, then,” she smiled a sexy grin, “I hate to see you hurting.” She scooted onto the bed, and Aidan placed a knee on the mattress next to her hip and followed her down.
This was the way it should be, the way it should have been from the very beginning. They’d lost so much time. He swore to himself, then and there, that he would spend the rest of his life making up for the lost time.
Raven held her breath as Aidan loomed over her much like the black wolf that had surprised them earlier that day, saving their lives. Aidan was so big, so strong, so intense, and the gleam in his eyes had her swallowing hard. She felt like he would devour her until he owned her soul. He already owned her heart. She’d given it too him twelve years ago and had never gotten it back. No wonder life seemed so pale and washed out without him in it. She’d barely been living. Going through the motions. Doing all that was required of her, but not taking care of herself. Not seeing to her needs. The man above her certainly seemed intent on seeing to each and every one of her needs.
She gasped as his rough hands slowly inched up the silk of her nightgown. Erotic shivers followed in the wake as fabric lightly dragged over her sensitive skin. This was so different than anything they’d done before. There was no time limit other than morning, which was many hours off. Hopefully that would be enough time to explore each other. She doubted it. Each moment they’d been together, had been stolen. Needs and desire were rushed in order to satisfy, leaving them anything but completely satisfied. She hummed as his hands cupped her bare breasts.