“I know.”
He inhaled sharply and refocused on her eyes. “Do you have any idea what happens?”
“I…I… Just the little bit Wisty told me. You’ll show me…right?”
“Yes, I’ll show you,” he replied, stroking the skin beneath her eye with his thumb—the action she loved so much. “But if you change your mind,” he continued, gazing at her as if she would break, “you need to tell me.”
She didn’t expect to but a subtle yes slipped from her throat.
She sucked in air as he lowered his lips to her mouth. They barely touched but were so close his trembling breath spread across her hands like a gentle breeze.
“Kiss me, love.”
Her belly sank. She removed her hands from his, cupped his face and ever so softly patted her lips against his.
“Like you mean it,” he said.
Again she patted his lips, allowing her mouth to linger a second longer.
“No. Like this.” He captured her lips, forcing them apart, and slid his tongue into her mouth.
Gosh, she hadn’t expected that. No, she hadn’t but something inside her exploded. A mixture of prickly heat and excitement branched from her tummy, spreading through her like a wildfire. Even her face felt flushed. Was this the sensation Wisty had tried to explain?
The moment his tongue slipped alongside hers, coaxing it to react, she lost her sense of concentration and instinct took over. She wound her tongue around his and at the same time shifted in his lap to where she straddled his waist. It didn’t matter she’d exposed the center of her thighs. Nor did it matter the moisture flowing from her body absorbed into his loincloth right where his hard organ pressed against her flesh. She wanted to snuggle beneath his skin but she couldn’t seem to get close enough.
He retracted his hands from her face and placed them on her lower back and neck. Their lips remained interlocked as he carefully flipped her backward onto the ground. She sank quickly into the furs from his weight bearing down on her body. The fibers brushed against her shoulders and spine. Her skin became so sensitive she was aware of every single strand tickling her flesh.
She latched on to his upper arms. Thick muscle hardened beneath her palms as he propped himself above her, his elbows bearing the brunt of his weight. She’d never felt so small or in lack of control but an exciting thrill rushed through her veins. She was secure, protected and she turned her body over to him completely, trusting he’d treat her gently regardless of his size and strength.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “Ivy, I’ve changed my mind,” he said, his breath shaky as it sawed in and out of his broad chest. “I have only one thing to say.”
Oh no. He couldn’t change his mind. He couldn’t. She hadn’t led him this far to let him back down. Her heart plummeted. She laid her hands on the back of his head and stroked his hair, holding him in case she was drawn to beg. “Yes?” she reluctantly asked.
“If you’re going to run, do it now because I won’t give you another opportunity.”
Those words were so final and had the potential to scare her yet they enchanted her to the bone. Maybe she’d misunderstood them but she certainly hadn’t misunderstood his tone. Could she handle it if he got carried away or unexpectedly became rough?
A smidgen of reluctance mixed with excitement wiggled along her spine. The thought alone of bringing him to this point made her tummy spin in pride and no way would she bail now. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He rolled off her, rising to his haunches between her thighs. “That was your only chance.”
His dark gaze displayed hunger as it caressed her body from her brows to her thighs. The same raw hunger she’d witnessed only in the cave lion’s eyes.
“Don’t move,” he commanded as he started to rise.
“Where are you going?”
Rather than take a full stance he relaxed into a squat. “To get a condom.”
“What is that?”
His gaze strolled across her breasts to her hips then to her face. “It will prevent me from planting my seed inside your womb,” he explained as he stood.
“Wait.” She sat up and took hold of his hand. “You don’t want a child?”
His features softened. “I want a lot of children.”
“Then why would you prevent it from happening? I can give you many babies.”
He returned to a squat. “You would risk abandonment by your people to cross bloodlines with me?”
“Yes,” she said stroking her palm lightly across his cheek. “Only with you.” She lowered her lashes and swallowed. “But if you don’t want me to birth your children I’ll understand.”
“My God, Ivy,” he said as he began to lay her down, “before you, life and children were just a dream. You’re the woman I want. And the only woman I want to have my babies.”
Her emotions swelled. “Then we don’t need the condom, right?”