honed her craving until it ran dangerously close to the wild part of her that
functioned from primal memory, when mating dictated survival, not pleasure.
She wanted Leslie beyond civilized reason, because without her, some essential
part of her would die. She understood then why the great beasts tore and
slashed their mates in the frenzy of joining. The same need scorched through her
with unrelenting ? ame and fury. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”
Laughing, eyes bright with exultation, Leslie pressed hard against her. Her full
breasts tensed with arousal. Her hips rolled in a slow rhythm of invitation. She
tightened her ? ngers in Dev’s hair and slid her other hand around to Dev’s
back. She set her nails into ? esh through the thin fabric of Dev’s shirt, claiming
her. “You won’t. You can’t. I love you. I want you to take what’s yours.”
Leslie punctuated each word with her teeth on Dev’s neck, leaving marks, not
caring. She hadn’t known. All these years she hadn’t known what passion was,
what desire was, what belonging meant. She was liquid with desire, her need
simmering like lava buried for millennia and ? nally streaking a path to freedom.
“I need you so much, Dev, please, please. God, come to bed with me.”
Dev couldn’t breathe. Leslie was all over her, stroking her, exciting her, reaching
inside and throwing open the bars on the passion she’d kept caged all her life.
She hurt. Her body quivered. A terrible pressure ? lled her chest and belly,
threatening to explode. “Rachel…
what about—”
“Gone.” Leslie wrapped both arms tightly around Dev, her hands raking Dev’s
back. “I left her. I had to.” She tilted her head back, face suffused with need,
eyes pleading. “I want you. Help me, Dev. Touch me.”
Dev drew a breath, and another, each sweeter than the last. The painful
pressure eased, replaced by pleasure. The beast was free, still ? erce, but no
longer hunted. No longer haunted. For the ? rst time, she welcomed her
passion.
“I love you,” Dev whispered, cradling Leslie’s face as gently as if she were
holding a newborn bird. She brushed her mouth over Leslie’s, soft as a feather.
“I’ve always loved you.”
Eyes closed, Leslie offered her throat. “Forgive me.”
Dev kissed her throat, the hollow at the base of her neck, the V
bared by the open collar of her blouse. “There’s no need. Not now.
Not then.” She opened Leslie’s blouse, one button at a time, her hands shaking.
Carefully, she teased the bottom from beneath the waistband of Leslie’s skirt
until Leslie’s abdomen was bare and the satin cups of her bra exposed. Dev
splayed her hands over Leslie’s breasts and Leslie sagged against her.
“I’ve dreamed of this,” Dev murmured, teasing Leslie’s nipples into erection.
“I’m going to touch you everywhere.”
“I’ve never been this excited,” Leslie warned her breathlessly. “I feel like I’ll
come right away.”
“It’s okay if you have to. The ? rst time.” Dev skimmed her tongue over the
surface of Leslie’s lower lip, then sucked gently. “I’m going to make love to you
all night.”
“I need you to.”
Dev kissed her again, tugging her nipples as she danced her tongue over the
warm inner recesses of her mouth. Leslie’s breasts seemed to swell and ? ll her
hands, stretching the sheer fabric tightly over her tense nipples.
“Ready for bed?” Dev whispered, her mouth against Leslie’s ear. Dev’s thighs
and abdomen ached from holding back, from going slow. The sounds Leslie
made, the way she shivered as Dev plucked on her nipples, the insistent rocking
of her hips against Dev’s crotch were making Dev crazy. She wasn’t sure she
could hold out until Leslie touched her.
Leslie moaned and pressed her forehead to Dev’s shoulder. “Yes.
Please, now.”
Hands linked, mouths searching for quick kisses, they stumbled to the foot of
the bed. Arms entwined, they freed buttons and lowered zippers and shed shoes
and clothes until they were nearly nude.
“Let me,” Dev said as Leslie reached to unhook her own bra.
Leslie let her hands fall to her sides, clad only in her bra and pale silk bikinis.
Her stomach was ? uttering with arousal, her breasts almost painfully engorged.
Her breath had ? ed at the ? rst brush of Dev’s hands on her skin, and she’d
never recaptured it. “Oh, yes.”
Dev, naked except for her briefs, slid her ? ngertips beneath the thin straps of
Leslie’s bra and eased them down over her shoulders. She dipped her head and
kissed Leslie’s breasts, ? rst one, then the other, moving down the smooth
curves as she lowered the bra, millimeter by millimeter, until Leslie’s nipples
were exposed. Rapidly opening the clasp, Dev freed Leslie’s breasts completely
and sucked a nipple into her mouth. Leslie cried out, her knees buckling.
“I’m so excited, Dev,” Leslie moaned, clutching Dev’s shoulders.
“I feel like I might come.”
“Let it happen,” Dev whispered around the hard nub, refusing to release her.
She pressed one hand ? at against Leslie’s stomach, sweeping her ? ngers in a
slow steady arc, tightening inside as Leslie’s hips thrust in the air. Keeping one
arm ? rmly around Leslie’s waist, she pushed lower, dipping her ? ngers
beneath the edge of Leslie’s panties, sucking harder. First one nipple, then the
other.
Gasping, Leslie covered Dev’s hand as it circled beneath the damp silk. “Oh,
don’t touch my clit. You’ll make me come.”
“I want to,” Dev growled, her mind a red haze. Leslie was hers now. Maybe
just for these few moments, but she was ? nally hers. “I want you to come. I
want to hear you come.”
“I will, I promise.” Leslie didn’t recognize her own voice. Her body was
spinning out of control. It was wonderful. It was terrifying.
“I’ll come for you. I will. But I need to see your face, Dev. I need to see you
when I come. Please.”
Dev heard what sounded like fear and ? nally raised her head.
Leslie’s eyes were nearly closed, her lips trembling. Her face and neck were ?
ushed, her breasts heaving. She was seconds from coming. The
heat from Leslie’s center beckoned and Dev ached to drive into her, drive her
over. Take her hard and deep. She wouldn’t hurt her, she knew she wouldn’t.
She would be inside her at last and Leslie would be coming for her. For her.
“Let’s lie down,” Dev said hoarsely, easing her ? ngers from beneath Leslie’s
panties. She guided Leslie to the side of the bed and yanked down the covers
with one hand. She kicked out of her underwear as Leslie stretched out.
