Page 20 of Mated By Moonlight
The raw confession stripped her of any remaining defenses, exposing her soul to the man who claimed it without effort.
"Before I saw your face, I felt you here." He pressed a palm over his heart, drawing her hand to rest atop his. "Right here, inside me."
His eyes reflected the feral, untamed spirit inside him, yet she saw in them an endless depth of tenderness. It was as if he saw through to the very core of her, to the place where her wildness met his, and understood her completely. She reached up, threading her fingers through Gideon's hair, pulling him down to her. Her lips found his in a deep kiss, one that spoke of passion and pain, of battles fought and won together.
Despite the soreness that reminded her of their recent struggles, the need to express her love eclipsed any discomfort. She pressed her body firmly against his, giving herself over to the sensation of his skin against hers. Maize poured all that she was into Gideon—her protector, her lover, her mate.
Gideon's arms encircled Maize with a tenderness that belied his towering strength. Carefully, he scooped her up, cradling her against his firm chest as if she were the rarest treasure.
The door to Gideon's bedroom swung open, revealing a sanctuary of soft shadows. The moon outside cast a silver glow through the window, bathing the room in an ethereal light that seemed to recognize the sanctity of their bond.
He laid her down on the bed. The mattress yielded to her weight with a gentle sigh. His fingers worked deftly, peeling away the layers of her clothing with reverence. Each garment that fell to the floor was a barrier removed, not just between their bodies, but their souls.
As her skin was bared to the cool air of the room, Gideon's lips followed, pressing tender kisses to the bruises that marred her flesh. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again."
Maize believed him; the conviction in his tone left no room for doubt.
Naked now, beneath the gaze of the man who had claimed her heart, Maize felt a vulnerability she'd never known. Yet it was a vulnerability laced with power. In Gideon's eyes, she saw nothing but awe and adoration.
His mouth descended toward the apex of her thighs, breath ghosting over her sensitized flesh. A shiver ran up her spine, anticipation coiling tight within her. And then his lips met her intimately, sending sparks of pleasure radiating outward from where they touched.
She gasped, hands fisting the sheets as waves of ecstasy began to build. Gideon's tongue, skilled and knowing, drew patterns of sheer delight across her folds. Moans escaped her throat unbidden, each one louder than the last, as he brought her closer to the edge.
"Gideon..." Her voice broke on his name, the world narrowing down to the sensation of his mouth on her, to therelentless pursuit of a climax that loomed on the horizon. Then, with a final flick of his tongue, her muscles clenched, and she tumbled over that edge, her body convulsing in rapture as her release washed over her in a torrent of sensation.
Her breath came in ragged gasps as the aftershocks of her orgasm rippled through her. Gideon barely gave her a moment of reprieve before he was prowling up her body. His mouth, still slick with her juices, left a deliberate trail of heat that reignited the embers of desire within Maize.
His body was a shadow over hers, muscles rippling with restrained strength, a primal elegance in his movement. She felt the brush of his length at her core, a teasing pressure that promised to fill her. Her breath hitched as he parted her folds with the head of his cock, and then, with a single fluid motion, he thrust home.
A gasp escaped her lips, morphing into a moan of profound satisfaction as he stretched her completely. The sensation was an exquisite blend of pain and pleasure, a perfect melding of their two forms.
Gideon moved within her. Each stroke a deeper claim. Each retreat a tantalizing promise of return.
Maize wrapped her legs around Gideon, drawing him closer, urging him to deepen his possession, to leave no part of her untouched. His hands roamed her body, worshipful and fervent, leaving trails of fire in their wake. She arched into him, needing more. He gave her all.
When their shared climax broke over them, the waves of pleasure were so intense that they crashed into one another. Her nails were dug into the skin of his back. His hands left a print on her ass.
In the aftermath, as tremors of delight continued to shudder through her, Gideon's embrace was both a fortress and a sanctuary. He held her tightly, his chest rising and falling witheach labored breath, his heart thundering against her ear. Maize held on to him with equal fierceness, her arms a vise of devotion around his broad shoulders.
"Don't let go yet," she begged him.
"Never," he whispered. "I will never let you go."
This pledge was a sacred vow, a promise that went beyond words and sank deep into the marrow of both their bones. The mate bond pulsed between them, a tangible force that sealed the promise under the watchful gaze of the moon above.