enough.
His lips descended to hers and he fed her a kiss that was slow and sweet, hot and needy. Step by step, he backed her into the wall as he'd promised. Cool stone pressed into her naked back and she gasped.
On and on he continued to kiss her, kneading her breasts, paying tribute to her nipples. Soon she was writhing, panting, moaning. Begging.
'More,' he promised. 'I'll give you more.'
Lifting her up, he braced her against the stone with his hips, not entering—oh, please enter, no, savor—and anchored her legs around his waist. She squeezed him tightly, but he forced her to release her hold and spread her knees, opening herself up to him. Cool air kissed the most private part of her.
Two of his fingers traced a fiery path down her stomach and played at the fine tuft of hair. Eyes closed, she tried to arch her hips and lead those fingers into her core. She was dripping with need.
She'd wanted him the first (thousand) times they were together, but this… this was true need, being with the man she'd given her heart to. This was more than sex, more than pleasure. This was destiny, a melding of souls.
'Touch me, Maddox.'
'I am, love. I am.'
'Deeper.'
'Like this?' His fingers inched down… down… then stopped at the moist slit.
'More.'
'Like this?' Another inch.
'More.
He shook his head and with his free hand clasped her chin and angled her to meet his loving gaze. 'You don't have to beg me, Ashlyn. Ever. Your every desire is my pleasure to give.' Those two fingers at last slid home.
Her back arched. He worked in and out, his thumb rubbing her clitoris. Oh God. 'Yes!' That was exactly what she'd needed, what she'd die without. 'Yes, yes. More.'
A third finger instantly joined the play, increasing the pleasure, intensifying the sensation.
'Yes. Just like that,' she said on a wispy catch of breath.
'So tight and wet.'
'For you.'
'Only me.'
Too much… not enough… Fast, lingering. Fast. She arched, riding his fingers, slipping and sliding against them. Her clitoris was swollen, desperate. 'Need…need to come.'
'Need to feel you.' He surged inside her, his fingers there one second, his cock there the next. He filled and stretched her; he completed her.
She gasped and moaned, on fire, burning deliciously.
'Love you,' he grunted against her throat.
'Love you, love you, love you,' she sang in harmony with his thrusts.
He nuzzled her throat, as though he could lick her words into his body. He kept his thrusts slow and measured, just like he'd promised. 'Never felt anything like this. Never want it to end.'
She felt it, too. A sizzling burn in her blood, electric, awakening every cell. 'So good.'
'Forever,' he said.
'Forever.'
He surged inside her one last time, hitting so deep she felt him in every part of her body. Hitting her exactly where she needed him, branding her. Her orgasm ripped through her. She screamed his name, clutching him close.
He roared hers, holding her protectively. Heat enveloped them, so much heat. A heat that would never die.
'Mine,' he said, brushing a soft kiss on her lips.
'Yours.'
Maddox carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. He settled beside her, cocooning her. They didn't speak for a long while, just enjoyed each other.
'I missed you,' he finally said.
'I missed you, too. More than I can say.' She draped her leg over his. 'What happened while I was gone?'
He traced a lazy circle on her back, saying, 'Aeron has been placed in the dungeon. As I mentioned, Reyes is trying to woo and repel Danika at the same time, and Danika had to be locked in his room to keep her from escaping. Torin was injured, but is on the mend. Sabin and the others, the men you saw here after the bombing, have moved in. At the moment, we've reached a truce. Not a comfortable one, but a truce nonetheless.'
Wow. Never a dull moment, it seemed. 'I don't like Danika being locked up.'
'Trust me, beauty, it is for her own good.'
She sighed. 'I trust you.'
'What…' He paused. Stiffened. 'What did the Hunters do to you, Ashlyn? I have to know.'
'Nothing, I swear,' she assured him. 'I have to tell you something.'
'I know, beauty. I know.'
Relieved, she relaxed. He truly loved her, to forgive her so easily for something he'd almost killed her over before. She hugged him tight. 'Before he died, my boss told me that they plan to find Pandora's box and suck your demons inside.'
'We were told the same thing.' He suddenly yawned. A peaceful smile lifted the corners of his lips. 'I owe the gods a thank-you for bringing you back to me, but I find I'm too tired to approach them right now. I need little rest, but I have gotten none these past few days.'
'Go to sleep. I need you to keep up your strength,' she said huskily.
He chuckled, a sound of absolute joy. 'Your wish is my pleasure.'
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
'He sooo does not owe the gods. He owes me. But I swear this is totally my last favor to you. I put him to sleep. Don't waste any time.'
Ashlyn froze as Anya's voice penetrated her mind.
'Choice is yours, chica. I'm signing off.'
And she did. Anya's hum of energy died, leaving the room deflated.
Shaking, Ashlyn pushed from the bed and sneaked from the room—but not before giving Maddox one last wistful glance. She hated to leave the decadence of his arms, but wouldn't risk losing this chance.
'This is for the best,' she told herself. 'He's not going to die again. Not when I can save him.'
For fifteen minutes, she roamed the halls of the fortress, knocking on bedroom doors. No one answered. Not even Danika. All the while the halls echoed with the sound of someone shouting profanities. She heard chains rattling. Aeron, she realized and shuddered. He scared her.
Finally, she found one of the immortals. The silver-haired angel who'd taken her from Danika's room and hidden her in another. Torin. Disease. He was lying on a bed, a red towel wrapped around his neck. His skin was pale, he'd lost a little weight and the lines around his eyes and mouth were taut with pain. But he was breathing.
