11
The pain of losing Tam weighed down on Breck, but he learned to live with it. He learned to breathe again and made himself get back to work. There was plenty to do from his long absence, which was a blessing. The bustle of New Chicago was a welcome balm. Home. It was good to be back. Some day it would all feel natural again, and he wouldn’t turn a corner and be reminded of the precious weeks he’d had his mate in his life.
He missed her. He’d known he would, and he accepted the pain.
“Mr. Breckenridge?” One of his assistants poked her head into his office. “There’s a call from Gea Crevan.”
“Put her through.” When his assistant disappeared, he closed his eyes, feeling a sharp stab of agony to the heart. These calls were a torment, but one he craved. He took in a breath. It would be over soon. This might be the last call.
“Breck.” The woman’s brown gaze was steady when she met his on the vidscreen.
“Gea.” He nodded. “Any updates?”
“Yes, sir.” Her voice was carefully neutral as she spoke.
“Tam’s medic cleared her fully for travel, and she’s taking her sister to Switzerland.”
Sending Sophie back to boarding school. He shook his head. Of course. Nothing had changed, had it? He couldn’t even muster any frustration, just resignation. He’d stayed in London long enough to make sure she was going to make a full recovery; then he’d forced himself to leave. He couldn’t make himself look at her anymore. The woman had essentially committed suicide right before his eyes, and the horror of seeing it haunted his dreams, crept up to slam into him at quiet moments during his waking hours. He swallowed the bile that burned his throat, forcing his mind away from the memory of her bleeding out in his arms.
There had been a medic at the Abernathys’ gala. It had been the only thing that saved her. Without that man, she’d be dead. Taken by a bullet that had been meant for Breck. Guilt hammered at him, but he crushed it. Just as he’d crushed any urging from the eagle within him to return to his mate. That was done. Over. He had to move on.
“Breck, did you hear me?” Gea’s voice jolted him back to reality.
“Yes.” He pressed his palms to his desktop, letting the smooth surface ground him. He’d hired Gea and her mate to provide security for Tam while she recovered, and to keep him apprised of her condition, but that was coming to a swift close. “If she’s amenable to an escort, you and Kienan will go with her.”
“Of course,” she replied. “I’ll offer our services to her. I think she’ll take us up on it.”
“Good. That’s . . . good.” He swallowed. “And what of Leland and Nichols?”
“They’ve been arrested.” She shook her head. “One of Kienan’s many and mysterious contacts is seeing to it that those gentlemen never see the light of day again.”
“Well . . . that’s good, too. It’s all over, then.” He let a sigh ease out. He ached to his bones, but he’d survive. What choice did he have? “Thank you, Gea. For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” She gave him a smile that was . . . sad for him, and he couldn’t stand that either. He was holding together by feeling as little as possible. Someday he wouldn’t be so . . . empty.
“Good-bye.” Tapping his fingertip against the vidscreen, he ended the call.
So, that was that. He wouldn’t let himself inquire about Tam after Gea and Kienan returned to New Chicago. That way lay madness. Tam had to figure out her life with Stefan dead, and that she was sending Sophie away to school again told him all he needed to know. He stomped down on the tiny tendril of hope that emerged because she hadn’t sent Sophie to the missionaries. So she hadn’t cut the girl out of her life entirely. So what? She was still abandoning her to be raised by someone else. Tam was, as always, determined to run away from love. That was her choice. No one could force her to want to stay, least of all him. He’d given it his best shot, and it had ended with Tam being shot.
He pulled up a memorandum and began to read it. There was a new merger in the works, and he needed to focus on that. It was time to get on with the business of living. Every day without her would get easier. It had to.
“What did he say when you told him I got a clean bill of health?” Tam hovered outside the room where Gea had been talking to Breck.
“Not much. He never says much anymore.” Gea swiveled in her chair to look at Tam, sighing. “His assistants are worried about him. They say he’s not himself.”
The look she pinned Tam with clearly said who’s fault that was, and she couldn’t argue. She needed to talk to him, but the conversation they had to have shouldn’t take place through a vidscreen. So, she’d avoided it. Because she was scared.
“You need to get your ass back to New Chicago,” Delilah drawled from where she lounged across a microsilk chaise.
Unlike Breck, Delilah and Hunter had stuck around to make sure Tam was all right, and she was grateful for the support. She didn’t know the last time she’d had anything that resembled a friend, so she had no idea what she was doing, but she was glad they were here. That was the problem, wasn’t it? She had no idea how to be in any kind of relationship, just as Breck had pointed out. She ran away from them. She hadn’t given anyone a chance to reject her in decades. But that was what she’d have to do with Breck. He needed her to show up and stick around. He’d told her as much, hadn’t he? Before he’d walked out of her life.
She’d drifted in and out of consciousness for days, and by the time she was truly cognizant of her surroundings, he’d already gone. That had hurt, but could she really blame him? As far as he knew, she’d been a willing lamb Stefan had led to slaughter.
“I don’t know what to say to him.” Tam clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her.
Delilah arched a pale brow. “Wasn’t it you who told me—oh so many years ago—that men were simple creatures?”
“That was before I fell in love with one! Then I just wanted to seduce them, shag their brains out, and get them to give me things.” Throwing her hands up, she paced around the main space of their suite at the Savoy. This was where Hunter had taken Sophie the night Breck and he had rescued her, so they’d decided to stay until Tam was well enough to travel. Which she was.
“Sounds like a good plan.” Hunter looked up from his palmtop, where he was busy running the world. “It works for Delilah every time.”
The lynx-shifter purred and leaned over to kiss him. He chuckled against her lips.
A pang went through Tam. She wanted a mating that loving. Breck had offered it to her, and she’d rejected him. Over and over again. She sighed. She didn’t know how to explain this to her friends. Everything had changed. In one night, her whole world had rotated on its axis. How she looked at and treated men wasn’t the same as it used to be. Breck had changed that. Hell, how she looked at and treated herself wasn’t the same. She was still trying to find her way in this post-Stefan world. It wasn’t just that he was dead—though she was glad about that—it was that he was no longer the man who defined her life. She’d let him be, and that was wrong. That was over.
Who she was now was still up in the air, but she’d figure it out. She wanted to figure it out with Breck by her side. And the only way to do that was to chase him down the way he’d done to her. She knew what she had to do, but she was flat out terrified. It was a huge risk, and the outcome would decide the course of her new life, one way or another.
“All right. We’re going to pick up all of Sophie’s things that she had to leave behind, and then we’re getting our asses to New Chicago, as instructed.” She tipped Delilah a nod.
“We’ll escort you right to Breck’s front door.” Kienan spoke up from where he stood by the window. His gaze swept the room, always alert for security issues. The man was quiet, but rock-steady.
“He hasn’t asked where you’re going after Switzerland.” Gea shrugged as she stowed her palmtop.
Tam forced a smile to her lips. “He doesn’t want to know. He walked away, and he wanted to know only enough to be sure I was healthy and safe.”
So like Breck. Even when he was licking his wounds and determined to cut her out of his life, he took care of her. His mate. Deus, she loved the man.
“We’ll take my private transport. It’s faster than a commercial carrier.” Hunter waved a hand at Kienan. “And more secure.”
“And less cramped with hundreds of people.” Delilah gave a cat-like yawn. “I’m going to finish packing. When are we scheduled to go?”
“Dawn.” Hunter grinned at her when she grimaced. “Don’t worry, kitten. You can sleep on the flight.”
Anxiety formed knots in Tam’s stomach the closer they got to New Chicago. Picking up Sophie’s belongings hadn’t taken much time, but the little girl had needed some closure with the place she’d called home for years. She’d bid her friends and teachers farewell, and now she curled up beside Tam on the transport ride to America. They’d be landing soon, and Tam was as nervous as the first time Stefan had forced her to pull a heist. Only this time, there was a lot more at stake. Her heart.
She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, reaching for calm. She could do this. She had to do this.
Sophie stirred, sitting up and pushing her dark curls out of her eyes. “Are we almost there?”
“Yes, darling. Very soon now.”
“I’m still tired.”
“It’s the jetlag. You can sleep when we get there, if you like. Breck’s home has a lot of bedrooms.” She hoped that was where they’d be staying.
Sophie leaned over to look out the window, but it was a cloudy night. “Breck said I could come live with him.”
“What?” Tam blinked. “When did he say that?”
Her sister sat back in her chair, kicking her dangling feet. “People came for me, when they thought you wouldn’t . . .” She swallowed, her mouth curling down. “They said since I had no one to take care of me, I had to go with them. Breck made them leave me alone. He spent a long time on the vidscreen with people, and then he said they wouldn’t bother me anymore. He said I could come live with him if you didn’t make it.”
Her heart broke at those words. Despite everything, he’d volunteered to take Sophie and give her the life Tam had always wanted for her. She’d never loved him more. “Oh.”
“He’s nice. I like him a lot. Are you going to marry him?”
“I don’t know, darling.” She stroked her hand down the little girl’s hair. “I’m not really sure of much right now. But you and I will be together from now on. I promise.”
“Good.” She smiled her sweet smile. “But I think you should marry him. He cried when they said you were going to . . . die. I cried, too.”
Tears welled in Tam’s eyes. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
“You mustn’t do that again.” Sophie leaned close to show how serious she was.
“I will do my best to be more careful in the future.” With luck, she wouldn’t have to worry about that kind of danger ever again.
“Good.” Sophie nodded decisively. “I’m glad not to be going back to boarding school. They’re nice there, but it’s not the same as family.”
“I know it’s not.”
“We’re landing.” Hunter’s calm voice came through the overhead intercom.
She’d had no idea when he said they were taking his private transport that it meant he’d be the pilot, but it had simplified travel plans.
It felt like no time had passed at all before they were on the ground, hugging Hunter and Delilah good-bye, gathering their things, and then the shortest transport ride of all time had Tam standing at Breck’s door. She wanted a moment to compose herself, but Sophie knocked eagerly. “I can’t wait to see him. He’s a hero, you know. He rescued me from the bad men.”
“Yes, I know.” She couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s enthusiasm. It helped take the edge off of some of her nerves.
Breck’s housekeeper answered Sophie’s knock, and Tam was relieved to see it was someone she knew. The older woman’s mouth dropped open. “Ms. Tamryn? I had no idea you’d be here. Mr. Breckenridge didn’t say a thing to me.”
“It’s a surprise. A good one, I hope. May we come in?” She summoned up a smile. “This is my sister, Sophie. Sophie, this is Mrs. Hadley.”
“Hello!” Sophie bounded through the door and gave the housekeeper a hug.
“Hello, dear.” Mrs. Hadley laughed, then looked past Tam. “Are Ms. Crevan and Mr. Vaughn coming in, too?”
“No, we’re just the escort. We need to get home.” Kienan stepped forward and set Tam’s and Sophie’s bags inside the foyer.
He shook Tam’s hand, and Gea gave her a quick hug. “Good luck.”
She’d need it. “Thank you.”
The wind picked up Gea’s hair and she pushed it out of her face. “Tell Breck I’ll call him in the morning with a full report.”
Kienan caught his mate’s hand. “Quill is waiting.”
“Mr. Breckenridge is in his room. Why don’t you go up?” Mrs. Hadley waved a hand around at the luggage. “I’ll see to this and get Miss Sophie settled for the evening.”
“But I want to see Breck.” Sophie danced in place, beside herself with excitement.
“In the morning, dear. Let your sister talk to him, all right?” Mrs. Hadley took the girl’s hand. “Do you like cinnacherry cookies? We have some in the food storage unit.”
“For me?” Sophie glanced at Tam. “You’ll say hello to Breck for me and tell him I’ll see him as soon as I wake up?”
She bent and gave her sister a hug and kiss. “I’ll make sure he knows. Good night, darling. Be good for Mrs. Hadley.”
Watching them wander toward the kitchen did nothing to help Tam with her love life, but she stood there trying to gather her nerve anyway. Breck was here. Only a curving staircase away. She turned and looked up the elegant marble stairs. Breck had once told her he used to slide down the banister as a boy. This was where he’d grown up. It was nothing like her childhood home, but so what? Was she going to let that stand between her and the life she truly wanted?
No.
With that, she pushed herself forward, following the irresistible scent of him that beckoned her up those steps and down the hall to the double doors that led to his suite of rooms. She set her hand to the smooth wood, but heard no movements beyond. He was asleep. Was that good or bad?
She tried the knob and found it unlocked. Pushing the door inward, she saw he’d fallen asleep working, propped up in bed, a palmtop computer resting on his chest. He wore only a pair of microsilk sleep pants, his blond hair tussled. She pulled the door closed behind her and leaned back against it, letting herself take in the sight of him for a moment. Her heart squeezed tight. Please. Please let her be able to convince him to give her another chance.
“Breck,” she whispered.
He stirred but didn’t wake. His palmtop slid off his chest and fell to the mattress, teetering as if it might slip from the bed and hit the floor. She darted forward and caught it, setting it on the bedside table.
Deus, he was close enough to touch now. Her hands itched with the need to do just that. If this were any other time, or any other man, she’d strip naked, climb into bed with him, and awaken him with her hands and mouth on very intimate parts of his body. She’d seduce him. And despite what Hunter and Delilah had said, she couldn’t do that. Not this time. She didn’t want it like that with Breck. This was her mate, and she wanted him to choose to be with her, not be seduced into it.
She sat down on the edge of the bed—a bed they’d shared so many times before—her hip brushing his. “Breck, my mate. Wake up.”
His eyes cracked open, and he drew in a sharp breath. Then his gaze flew to her. “Tam?”
“Yes, I’m here.” She smiled at him, though her insides quaked with trepidation.
He jerked upright in bed, his hand shooting out to grasp her chin. “This isn’t a dream.”
“No, this is very real.” More real than anything she’d ever done with any man before.
“What are you doing here?” He dropped his hand as if touching her had scalded him. “Aren’t you supposed to be off dumping Sophie back into boarding school?”
“No, we went to Switzerland to collect all the things her father made her leave behind, and to give her a chance to say her farewells.” She drew in a breath. “She and I talked about it and we’ve decided we want to live here in New Chicago. With you.”
His big body went rigid, his blue eyes growing shuttered. His voice dropped to a harsh rasp. “Don’t do this to me, Tam. Not again. I can’t have you in my life and then watch you walk away when it gets too intense. I won’t survive it.”
Tears burned her eyes, and she dragged in a ragged breath. “I’m not going anywhere. You said I deserved to be happy, and that you wanted me to believe I was worthy of what I wanted most. Well, you were right. About everything. I tarred myself with the same brush as Stefan for so long that I couldn’t see past what he’d made me.”
“And now you can?” His expression was dubious. “Because he’s dead?”
“No.” She twined her fingers together in her lap, trying to hold herself together and not fumble over the words. She wanted to get this right. “Because of what you said. Because I couldn’t get it out of my head. Because I looked at Stefan at the Abernathys’ ball, and it hit me how I had always thought the two of us hid the badness inside behind fancy clothes and a charming smile.” Tears threatened to fall again, and her voice shook a bit. “I thought I was what he’d turned me into. Someone awful, like him. And I hated that. I hated that I’d let him mold me into someone I couldn’t face in the mirror. I know that I just did what I had to to survive, but it shamed me. All these years, every day, I was ashamed of myself. I couldn’t save myself from him as a child, and I thought it was all my fault. So I deserved what I got, since I was bad like him.”
He made a rough sound and moved to reach for her, but then stopped himself.
She pushed onward with her explanation. “So it struck me then, how right you were about all of it. And . . . and . . . I’m not like him. I was never like him. He’s evil. He was evil. Past tense,” she corrected. “Clearly, I have a conscience, even if it’s a little underused and overly flexible in the legality department.”
His huff of laughter gave her the courage to continue.
“I called Delilah for help because I was going to try to give the fake jewels to Stefan while she gave the real ones back to the queen. I wasn’t really going to steal them. I wasn’t going to let Stefan get his way, because I wanted better for myself than he had planned. Because I deserved better.” She gave him a smile that wobbled. “Because even if I grew up on the docks, I deserve to have the kind of life I wanted for Sophie. Because even if I’ve done some bad things in my life, I’m not a bad person, and I deserve to have a mate as wonderful as you. You said so, and it took me a long time to get there, but I believe you now. I believe in us, and I want to stick around and see if I can make a relationship work. I want to see if I can be part of a real family.”
The breath whooshed out of her lungs, and she waited an eternity for him to respond. Perhaps she’d hurt him too much, pushed him away too many times for him to trust her change of heart. Perhaps it was too late. Her fingers twisted together so tight they ached.
His eyes closed, and she heard him swallow hard. He shook his head, and her hope crumpled. A tear slipped down her cheek. “I love you, Breck. I . . .”
But what more could she say? That she was sorry she’d hurt him? That she wished she could have spared him? It wasn’t enough. She knew it wasn’t.
“How do I know you won’t leave again?” The question was soft, and that very softness made it sting all the more. His eyes opened, and she saw the suffering, the doubt.
She pressed her lips together until she knew she wouldn’t sob. “I never wanted to leave you at all. Not the night you found me at Tail, not when Stefan shot me. I always wanted to stay. I just didn’t think I could or should.”
“You threw yourself in front of a bullet.” Guilt and shame filled his blue gaze, and that pained her, too. That he thought she loathed herself so much she’d commit suicide. Not that long ago, he might not even have been wrong. She’d been unhappy for a very long time. Dissatisfied. The thrill had gone out of conning people. Once, that had been her only power in a world that Stefan ruled, so she’d found pleasure in what she could control. But that was an empty pleasure that had stolen her soul, little by little. No more. She wanted a different life. And she wanted to share it with her mate.
“Yes, I threw myself in front of a bullet. And I would do it again. For you or Sophie, I would. Not because I don’t value my life, but because I would do anything to keep the people I love safe and happy. You’re the best things in my life, the best part of me.” She met his gaze steadily, dared him to contradict her. “Wouldn’t you do the same for the people you love? Risk your life and possibly die to keep us safe?”
He shook his head, turmoil in his expression. “Yes, but . . . you . . .”
Tilting her head, she arched an eyebrow. “I’m not supposed to love you as much as you love me?”
His jaw hardened. “I’m supposed to protect you.”
A breathy laugh escaped her. “You saved me from myself, Breck. That’s a far more difficult thing. I’ll always be grateful to you for it, and for staying with me and believing in me when I couldn’t. I love you.”
His hand rose to touch her face, but he hesitated. She caught his fingers, kissed his palm, and cupped his hand against her jaw. When he stroked his thumb along her cheekbone, she purred. It was so good to have him pet her. She’d longed for it during the days of her recovery. She’d longed to have him near.
“Be sure, Tam.” His throat worked. “I couldn’t bear it if you changed your mind.”
She leaned into his touch, rubbing her cheek against his palm. “I’m not sure about a lot of things, Breck. What I’m going to do with my life now that I’m not a grifter, whether or not I’ll be any good at raising Sophie, but I’m absolutely certain that I love you. I want to spend my life with you. I never, ever want to leave you again.”
His arms wrapped around her, dragging her down so she was pressed against every micrometer of him. She clung to him, relief making her so giddy she almost giggled. He squeezed her tight enough that she couldn’t breathe, and it was just right.
“I missed you so damn much,” he whispered in her ear. “I hated that you might have died because of me. I tried to tell myself I’d be fine without you, that you didn’t want me and I couldn’t force you to stay with me, but I fucking missed you every single second.”
She pressed her hands against his chest, lifting her head to meet his gaze. “I missed you, too. I hated that I couldn’t come to you right away, that I had to wait until the medics said I could travel. But I was also bloody terrified you’d tell me it was too late to make amends.”
As an answer, he kissed her. It was hot and sweet and utterly perfect.
She sucked his lower lip into her mouth, scraping it with her teeth. He growled, his hands tugging at her clothes. Anticipation wound tight within her, the undeniable heat she felt whenever he was near. Now, she could revel in it. She didn’t have to fight against what she wanted. She could keep it. The thought alone was enough to send desire shooting through her.
It was freeing.
She plunged her tongue into his mouth, wanting to lock the taste of him in forever, knowing this was a moment she’d never forget. Sliding her hands into his hair, she writhed against his hard length, loved the feel of his cock prodding the apex of her thighs. She parted her legs, bracing her knees against the mattress so that his erection could rub her where it would do the most good. His pants and hers frustrated her, but she rolled her hips against his, letting the excitement build to a fever pitch. Her pussy was slick with juices, and every pass of his thick cock over her clit drove her wilder.
A gasp escaped her when he flipped her over onto her back. Lust tightened his features, and a flush ran beneath his skin. He stripped her out of her clothes, his gaze burning in intensity when it touched every millimeter of her skin. She let her thighs fall open so he could see how wet he’d made her, how much she wanted him. He shucked his pants, and then they were both nude. His cock was a sharp upward curve, and she wanted to slide her tongue from base to crown and suck him hard. She reached out to run her fingers down the length of him, but he caught her hands and pressed them to the mattress on either side of her head.
He flashed his naughtiest smile. “You know what I want now.”
Yes, she did. He wanted to handcuff her to the bed the way he had so many times before. His headboard was solid wood around the edges, with a basketweaving of wood and mercurite strips in the middle. At the bottom of the headboard was a bar of gleaming mercurite, which Breck had bound her hands to more than once. Probably not the function the bed’s designer had had in mind, but it served the purpose so well. “You don’t have to tie me down, Breck. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know,” he said simply, and that faith meant so much more to her than he could ever understand. How many people had ever trusted her to keep her word and do the right thing? Breck and Sophie. That was probably it. He bent forward and nipped at the curve of her stomach. “But I want to tie you up. Because it’s fun, and we both enjoy it.”
She reached up and grabbed the bar. He snagged a set of cuffs out of his bedside table and used them to bind her to the mercurite. Heat pumped through her system, that same excitement of being unable to escape. “I’ve never let anyone but you do this to me.”
“No?” His eyebrows rose, a slow grin curving his lips. “Well, you’re never going to let anyone else but me do this to you.”
She tugged against the binding, loving the sound of metal snapping against metal. No running now. She didn’t want to. She wanted him to take her, hard and fast. Arching her torso toward him, she smiled at him. “Hurry.”
“No, I’m going to take all the time I want.” He slipped backward down the mattress on his knees, lifting one of her legs. He turned his head and kissed her ankle, her calf, the back of her knee. “We’ve been rushing around since I found you in London, and I want to slow down and just savor you. Because you’re mine and I can.”
If he hoped those words would simmer down her need, he was sadly mistaken. Her skin felt aflame, so hot with her craving she thought she might burn.
“Mine,” he said, kissing the inside of her thigh. Then he kissed the other. “Mine.”
Her breath caught when he dipped down to curl his tongue around her clit, and her hips lifted off the mattress. “Breck!”
The man’s purr could rival any feline’s. “This is mine, too.”
It was a claiming. Pure possession was in his gaze when he looked over her nude form, and she reveled in it. She’d always wanted to be his, she’d just never believed it was possible. Until now.
“Yes, yours. And you’re mine. Forever.”
He blew a cool stream of air against her damp, overheating skin, and she choked. The cuffs around her wrists snapped tight when she tried to push her sex closer to his mouth. But he held her down and moved up to kiss the lower slope of her stomach. “Mine.” Flicking his tongue into her navel made her squirm. “Mine.”
His hands closed over her breasts, kneading them. Lust shot straight to her core, and her sex clenched on emptiness. She needed to be filled.
“Mine,” he whispered, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. They went tight, beading into points. She cried out when his lips closed over the tip of her breast, sucking on it, batting it with his tongue, and then shoving it against the roof of his mouth.
“Deus, please.” Her back bowed, her arms jerking against her bindings. A hiss spilled from her when he bit down on the other nipple. Her sex fisted, and she felt orgasm building deep within. Deus, she was going to come before he ever got inside her. “I need you, Breck. I love you. Please, please.”
A shudder ran through him, and when he met her gaze, she could see how he struggled to contain the eagle within him, saw the wildness in his eyes. It called to the most feral part of her, and her fangs slid forward, claws tipping her fingers.
“I want you inside me.” She licked her lips, knowing he’d see the deadly points to her teeth. “I need it.”
“Yes.” His talons dug into her flesh where he cupped her breasts, and he dragged the sharp claws lightly down her torso while the blunt tip of his cock pressed for entrance within her pussy.
She pushed her hips up to take all of him, moaning as he impaled her one slow micrometer at a time. The stretch made her sob on a breath. She’d missed this connection so damn much, had craved him every single heartbeat that they’d been apart. He hilted his dick inside her, rotating his pelvis to stimulate her clit.
“Mine,” he groaned.
She squeezed her inner muscles around his cock, clamping down on his thick shaft. She purred when he groaned again.
“Yes, mine,” she agreed.
The chuckle that rumbled out of him was a rusty sound, but he propped himself on his elbows and met her gaze while he began pistoning in and out of her pussy. The drag and glide of his flesh in hers made her shudder. Wrapping her legs around his flanks, she rocked herself into the contact. The speed and friction built, and every time he powered into her, the hair on his chest rasped against her nipples. Oh, Deus, it was beyond amazing. She writhed against the restraints, loving how they added to the overwhelming sensations.
Faster and faster, he thrust inside her, the intensity of his emotions playing over his face. He was more open to her than he had ever been before, and she let him see everything she felt. No masks, no hiding. She wanted him to know how she felt about him. Her sex began to clench with each penetration, climax beckoning irresistibly.
“I’m going to come,” she whimpered, and voicing it made the need unstoppable. She catapulted over the edge, a high feline scream breaking from her throat. Her pussy flexed on his cock, milking his thick shaft as he continued to fuck her. “Come with me.”
His groan was long and loud, the sound of a human volcano erupting as his control broke. He sank deep inside her as he reached orgasm, his pelvis grinding down on her clit. His fluids pumped into her, flooding her, and her sex clenched around his cock. “Tam! My Tam.”
“I love you,” she whispered. “My Breck.”
Emotion imploded inside her, and a tear slid from the corner of her eye, a sob hitching her breath. Her heart hammered in her ears, blood pounding through her veins. The euphoria of orgasm tangled with her love for him, and the rush carried her higher than she’d ever been before. It was so good, and it was even better because she didn’t have to make herself give it up. She got to keep this for as long as she lived. She’d never allowed herself to contemplate something so sweet until now.
It was a long time before she came down from that high, before her breathing and heart rate returned to normal. His weight crushed her, and her arms were beginning to cramp, but she couldn’t bring herself to protest. He groaned, pushing against the mattress to hold himself over her. Dipping forward, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
“Let’s get these off of you.” Kneeling up, he unfastened her bindings, propped her hands on his chest, and rubbed the circulation back into her shoulders and arms. A purr soughed from her throat. Satisfaction made his eyes heavy-lidded, and a lazy grin quirked his lips. He looked more relaxed and happy than she had ever seen him, and her heart turned over.
“I love you, Breck.” She caught his face between her palms, locking her gaze with his. “I’m going to be here for the rest of our lives. I’m yours forever. I swear it.”
“And I’m yours. I love you, Tam.” He turned his face and kissed her palm, then nipped at the base of her thumb. “My mate.”
She let his love wash over her, and for the first time got to enjoy it. She didn’t have to deny his feelings or hers, she didn’t have to feel shamed by who she was, or guilty that he had the misfortune to be her mate. No, she could just feel it, absorb it, let the wonder of loving and being loved seep into her soul. She was safe and whole and happy. All the people she loved were near, and she got to keep them with her. Forever.
She’d gotten exactly what she deserved.