“Still could be,” I said, catching his arm as he bent down for a kiss.
The glow from my Maglite illuminated the space around us, but the rest of the world was a soft dove gray.
He drew his mouth over mine, almost making me forget my good sense.
Almost.
I nudged one well-defined pectoral. “You said you weren’t going to scare me anymore.” This was obviously a planned trip.
“Sorry,” he said, caressing my chin.
I slid my hands down his chest. He was warm, delicious. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
“You’re going to have to trust me,” he said softly.
Trust wasn’t a problem. Worry was.
I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and looked up at him. “Can I go with you?” I was good in a fight, or a negotiation. Besides, his last big secret almost destroyed his clan. He’d needed me then.
His expression softened, but he shook his head. “If I need help, I’ll let you know. It’ll be over before we leave for the honeymoon, though. I promise.”
“I can’t wait,” I told him. We needed a break, some time alone. A loud bang sounded, and a cheer went up from inside the house.
We slipped farther back into the mist-drenched garden. Alone. Unseen.
He kissed me, long and slow. I could feel the heat of his fingers through my dress, the slide of his body against mine. The scent of sage and basil surrounded us as we explored each other.
He caressed the nape of my neck as he pulled his lips back. They hovered right over mine. “You want to take a walk in the woods with me?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Good luck finding any woods.” We’d need all our luck to find the house again in this fog.
His lips bushed mine once. Twice. “Want to get lucky behind a garden bush?” I could feel the smile in his voice.
Hmm…I slid my arms around his neck. “I’m too neat and tidy.”
He laughed at that.
And then he showed me exactly how dirty I could get.
Chapter Nine
God bless Dimitri and his ability to make me forget everything but him.
I caressed his shoulders. How I loved his shoulders. I ran my hands down his wide chest. He was already half-undressed, which was very convenient.
More than that, this was the man who was always there for me, loved me.
His kisses were gentle, teasing, and I soaked them in like warm rain.
At last, I had time to savor this man. So many times in the past, we were running from imps or a demon, trying to save someone or simply trying to survive ourselves. But here…now, I had him all to myself.
We were alone. Hidden. I could finally take the time to explore every delicious inch of him, and I intended to take full advantage.
His kisses grew deeper, more insistent as I drew my hands down over his hips and slid them over the notch of muscle that defined his waist. “This is one of my favorite parts,” I said, dying to kiss it, completely unwilling to rush.
“It’s yours,” he murmured, sliding the straps of my sundress off my shoulders and drawing coursing wet kisses over my collarbone. I fisted the waist of his trousers, holding on tight as he slipped my dress down over my arms, trapping me against his chest.
“Perfect,” he said, caressing my nipples.
“I—oh!” He laved one nipple, then the other. Between his mouth, and the blanket of fog, and the heady feeling of being trapped against him, I didn’t think I’d ever felt more connected, more loved. It was us against the world and finally—finally we’d taken time for
It felt incredible to love him like this, to be with him. This is what we had been fighting for, for so long. This connection like no other. The pleasure of it washed over me until I was almost drunk with it.
I barely noticed when he slipped off my dress. I was drenched as he tore off my panties. And before I could wrap my head around it, he’d pressed me down onto the cool garden path. He kissed me long and hard as he pressed the warm, hard length of his body over me. I writhed against him, teasing us both.
“Wait.” We needed to slow down. I wanted to stay here and feel him and be with him. But his kisses and his touch, and oh God, he found the core of me with his fingers, and with it, the searing heat that scorched through me, filling me with white hot pleasure and screaming need. “Dimitri!” I rolled him onto his back, covered him with my body and with devouring, eating kisses. I ground against him, tore at his pants until he kicked them off, so he was as naked as I was.
He was hot and hard against my core. I drew a long, desperate groan from him as I rubbed my slit over his cock, drenching him in my juices.
“Now,” he said, pressing the tip of himself against me.
“Not yet,” I said, sliding down again, torturing us both. But it was so good, so right, and even though we were on the knife’s edge, I was greedy. I wanted more time, more kisses—as if kisses and touches and need alone could show this man what he meant to me.
His breath was ragged as he rolled me onto my back, found the tender spot at the nape of my neck. “Jesus, Lizzie, I need you so badly.”
Hades, I needed him like I needed my next breath.
I dug my fingers into his hips as his cock shifted, sliding against the full wet center of me. We both groaned as he entered me hard.
God, he felt amazing. Even better when he drew my legs up and pumped his lean hips in a slow, steady rhythm that had me squirming against him.
“I. Love. You. So. Much.” he said, with every hard thrust of his cock.
“I love you too,” I whispered, trying to find my voice. I’d never loved anyone like I loved him.
He felt incredible inside me, over me, against me, as his body twined with mine. I felt every move, every touch tenfold. And I knew this was what it was like to be truly connected with someone. To be one.
His kisses were hot against my sweat slickened body. I opened myself to him fully—now and forever.
I gasped as his thrusts sped up, lost their careful rhythm. I ground against him, licked his salty shoulder, bit it as the pressure built, the pleasure mounted and bliss spiked through me.
His control broke. He drove hard and wild against me as I clung to him, coming harder, spiraling higher. Savoring every last tongue of fire that lashed through me, knowing that this is where I belonged.
A little while later, Dimitri let out a satisfied sigh as I snuggled against his chest. “I think we trounced our clothes,” I told him.
He snorted. “Griffins like to be naked.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I ran a finger along his arm, watched in satisfaction as the muscle flexed.
The man had a point. I didn’t need clothes. I didn’t need anything. Except for him.
He touched my cheek and looked down at me with such love it nearly tore me to pieces. “Thanks for guiding me in.”
“Anytime, hot stuff,” I said, reaching up for a kiss.
I was about ready for round two when…
“Lizzie?” A rusty voice echoed through the fog.
My lips tingled as they missed his mouth and grazed the stubble on his chin.
It was Grandma.
