I allow my gaze to travel over his face. A faint smile curls my lips as I whisper sweetly, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
With his eyes still closed, he lifts his hand and rests it gently atop mine over his chest. I smile again as the faint glowing pattern swirls beneath my palm before they disappear again. I nestle closer to him and close my eyes as I drift into oblivion.
Awareness slowly trickles back into my mind and I lift my head to find Varus already awake and watching me. His reflective green eyes hold mine as a devastatingly handsome smile curves his mouth.
He reaches across and gently brushes the hair back from my face, tucking a stray tendril behind my ear. “The words you spoke last night,” he whispers. “Did you mean them?”
I tip my head to one side. “What words?”
“You said you are falling in love with me.”
My mouth drifts open as my cheeks heat in embarrassment. “You heard that? I thought you were asleep.”
“Please.” He takes my hand in his. “Tell me, Lilliana. Are you falling in love with me?”
My heart melts at his vulnerable expression and I nod, suddenly self-conscious beneath his expectant attention. As if his every wish and dream hang on this moment, on my answer. “I… know it’s sudden since we only just met, but… yes, I think I’m falling in love with you.”
He places two fingers under my chin and tilts my head up to meet his eyes evenly. “You are the most beautiful female I have ever seen.”
My breath hitches in my throat as he regards me like I’m a rare and precious thing, his gaze traveling over my face like a gentle caress. Something about his expression draws me closer and I lean in, closing the space between us until my face is less than an inch from his.
His warm breath fans across my skin. He smells like cinnamon and some exotic spice—a heady scent that I can’t quite place but is so familiar somehow. His gaze holds mine as I gently press my lips to his.
His lips are warm and softer than I imagined. He inhales sharply when I pull back, staring at me in wonder.
“Do your people not kiss, Varus?”
He reaches up and lightly touches his mouth. “Kiss,” he whispers, more to himself than to me. “Is that what this is? This pressing of lips?”
A short puff of air escapes me and I smile, amused at his description. “Yes.”
“What does it mean?”
My entire face flushes with warmth as I lower my gaze from his, nervous that he may not like this. That perhaps I’ve been too forward and done something he doesn’t want.
“It means,” I begin shyly, “that I like you. That I’m… interested in you.”
“As a mate?”
“Yes.”
He’s quiet for so long I wonder what he’s thinking. Suddenly, he leans in and presses his lips to mine in a tender kiss. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me even closer.
I trace my tongue along the seam of his lips, asking for entrance. He gasps and my tongue finds his, curling around it and deepening our kiss.
His mouth is warm and tastes of spice and cinnamon. The ridged texture of his tongue as it moves against mine only adds to the delicious sensations moving through me.
At first, he’s slow and almost hesitant, allowing me to lead, but eventually, he takes control. His tongue moves against mine passionately, stealing the breath from my lungs and filling me with a desire unlike any I’ve ever felt before.
I’ve kissed a few guys on dates, but those were never like this. This is a powerful, raw, and all-consuming passion. His hands are everywhere, all at once, as if he cannot get enough of touching me.
He rolls me beneath him, and I wrap my arms around his neck, running my fingers through the small hairs at the nape. I trail my hands down his back, kneading the muscles along the length of his spine. His scales are soft and smooth as silk beneath my touch.
I only meant to kiss him, but as his hips settle between my thighs, I’m desperate for more. My entire body feels as if it’s on fire and I want him to touch me everywhere.
Taking his hand, I move it down my body to my breast. “Touch me here,” I whisper against his lips.
A low growl rumbles in his chest and he rips his mouth from mine, trailing kisses along my jaw and down my neck to the valley between my breasts. He gently squeezes the soft mound, brushing his thumb across the already stiff peak. A soft moan escapes me, and I arch into his palm.
“May I kiss you here?” he whispers, staring up at me with a heavy-lidded gaze.
“Please,” I beg.
He lowers his head to run his tongue along the slope of my other breast. When he closes his mouth over the peak and swipes his tongue across the beaded tip, I gasp then moan, running my fingers through his hair and holding him close against me. “Feels so good, Varus.”
Encouraged by my reaction, he continues to lave at my left breast before moving to the other and giving it the same attention.
I’ve heard others talk about sex, but I’ve never even fooled around with anyone. All of this is new to me and I can’t get enough. I finally understand what all the fuss is about as I wrap my arms and legs around him to hold him close.
It doesn’t matter that he’s an alien and different from me. He’s Varus and I want him more than I’ve wanted anyone in my entire life.
He trails kisses further down my body until he reaches my mons. Lifting his head, his eyes meet mine full of unmistakable hunger. “May I touch you here?”
Unable to speak,
