Page 27 of Call of A Eagle

I didn’t know why, but I did. This man, while he might have withheld things from me, he still cared about me. It was easy to see. Before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in and kissed him. The moment our lips met, a surge of electricity coursed through me, igniting the sparks that had been simmering beneath my skin the entire time.

Everything faded, leaving only the two of us.

Waylen’s hand moved to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, and deepening the kiss. His touch was gentle, yet insistent. My heart raced, and my owl fluttered inside me, basking in the closeness of him.

He was our mate.

The truth of it settled into my bones, and with it, a sense of rightness that I hadn’t known I’d been missing.

As we broke apart, breathless and dizzy, I realized I’d moved into his lap at some point during our heated kiss. The poultice had been forgotten. The muslin. His wounds. The events of the night.

One kiss from him had erased it all.

“Tell me what you want,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “Where do we go from here?”

“I want you,” I admitted without hesitation. “My owl wants you. We choose you, Waylen.”

Goose bumps prickled across my skin as a slow smile spread onto his face.

“My eagle and I choose you, too,” he said, his hand cupping my neck and pulling me close to place a featherlight kiss to my lips. “He’s known from the moment we met, and somewhere deep down, so did I.”

As our lips met again, the world around us dissolved once more. The heat of his body pressed against mine, sending shivers of want cascading down my spine, and causing my owl to call out with joy.

This was where we were meant to be—in his arms, with his heart beating in sync with our own.

Waylen’s hands roamed over my body, exploring me as his mouth claimed me, leaving me breathless. I clung to him, my fingers gripping his biceps as though touching him was the only way to steady myself.

“Lyra,” he murmured, his voice low and primal sounding.

In one swift motion, he hoisted me into the air, cradling me against his chest as he stood. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling weightless, as he carried me across the porch and down the steps. When we reached his truck, he popped the door open and set me down gently inside. His eyes locked with mine while I unwrapped my legs from his waist, there was a hunger that burned within them—a hunger that mirrored my own.

Leaning down, he brushed his lips against mine. This kiss was rougher than the one before, fierier and more passionate, as though he couldn’t get enough of the feel of his lips against mine. His hands slipped beneath my shirt, skimming along my sides. I arched into his touch, desperate for more. As though he could read my mind, he pulled at the hem, lifting the shirt over my head and tossing it to the side. His hungry gaze skimmed over me, soaking me in, before the corner of his lips quirked into a satisfied grin. His mouth crushed against mine again as he hooked his fingers around to unhook my bra. I gasped as he bent to take one of my nipples into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue.

How long had it been since a man had touched me like this?

When he trailed soft kisses across my chest to show the other breast some love, I intertwined my fingers through his hair and released a soft moan. He pulled back to look at me, the hunger in his eyes igniting tenfold.

“I’m trying to take things slow with you,” he ground out. “But if you make another noise like that, I don’t know that I can.”

“Who said I wanted to take things slow?” The words left my mouth before I knew what I was saying, but the sexy crooked grin he flashed me made them worth it.

“Okay, then,” he countered. “Set the pace.”

He removed his hands from me and stood to his full height, lifting his hands up between us in mock surrender. I held hisstare for a moment, knowing he was waiting for me to make the next move.

Skimming my teeth over my bottom lip, I did.

I reached for the button on his jeans, eager to feel him inside me. Waylen helped me out, shimmying out of his jeans and boxers. I stared at him, standing in front of me, fully erect.

The man was mouthwatering to look at.

His fingers trailed down my abdomen until they reached the button on my jeans. With expert fingers, he undid it and shimmied them down my hips. My panties came next. His gaze skimmed over me before he leaned in and kissed me, cupping my face with his warm, strong hands. He made his way on top of me in the truck. I spread my legs, allowing his hardness to press against my center.

“Are you sure this is the pace you want to set?” he asked, his words barely above a whisper.

I gripped his ass and pulled him closer to me. “Yes, this is the pace I want to set.”

“Well, all right, then,” he said, and then he entered me.