I took hold of his hands and drew his arms around me again.
“Adam – the Lilin,” I amended, because Chris hated to hear me call him by name. “He thought he could use his power to make me love him like the human girls did. He…came to my room when I was asleep and fed his energy to me.”
Chris swore, and I could feel his fury simmering beneath the surface. I tensed, waiting for him to stand and move away from me, but he stayed where he was.
“He couldn’t make me love him, but I started to…” I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t hurt him like that.
“You felt a physical attraction,” Chris said tenderly.
I nodded stiffly, and he kissed my temple.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of. You were under the influence of a powerful demon.”
My eyes filled with angry tears. “It shouldn’t have mattered how strong he was. He never should have been able to make me feel those things for him. How can you even touch me, knowing I let him do that to me?”
Chris lifted me and sat me sideways on his lap. I couldn’t look at him, so he turned my face toward his. The light from the fire showed me the fierce love shining in his eyes.
“You did not let him do that. He forced it on you.”
“But –”
“No buts. A Lilin’s power is designed to manipulate emotions, the same way a Master could make you believe whatever they want. They’re predators, Dove. I’d be just as susceptible to a Master as you were to the Lilin. Maybe more. Would you think less of me if that happened?”
I sniffled. “No.”
His thumb swiped at the wetness on my cheek. “Is this why you didn’t want to talk about what happened? You thought it would change how I felt about you?”
I averted my eyes, not wanting to see his disappointment. “Yes.”
He pulled me against his chest, and I laid my head on his shoulder.
“I love you, Beth, and nothing will ever change that. Tell me you believe me.”
I sighed, feeling lighter and happier than I’d been in almost two weeks.
“I believe you.”
Chris
Beth relaxed against me. She hadn’t been herself since the night I brought her home, and everyone I’d talked to had said she just needed time and love. I’d give her whatever she needed for however long she needed it.
It killed me to know what she’d been going through because of that bastard. He’d messed with her mind and made her believe she’d done something wrong, that she was unworthy of my love. I wanted to bring him back to life so I could be the one to kill him.
She hadn’t told me about the night she’d killed the Lilin, but she would when she was ready. It was enough that she’d been able to open up to me about what she was feeling.
I held her close and looked out over the water that sparkled under the full moon. When my mother had suggested this house for a getaway, she’d confided she had always thought there was something magical about the island. Seeing the light come back into Beth’s eyes over the last few days, I was starting to believe my mother was right.
Beth lifted her head and looked at me before she leaned in and brushed my lips with hers. It was the first time she’d initiated a kiss since she’d come home, and my breath stalled as I waited to see what she would do next.
She placed her hands on my shoulders and slanted her mouth against mine. I opened to her, letting her take the lead, and nearly lost my mind at the first swipe of her tongue against mine. Fire ignited in my blood, and I stifled a groan when she raked her fingers through my hair and held my head in place as she kissed me slowly and thoroughly.
I protested when her mouth left mine, and she let out a sexy little laugh as she trailed kisses along my jaw. When her tongue traced the shell of my ear, it was all I could do to sit still. I wanted nothing else but to lay her down on this beach and worship every inch of her body.
Hot breath washed over my ear, and the world stopped when she said, “I need…”
“What do you need?” I asked huskily.
“You,” she whispered.
I cradled her face in my hands and looked into her beautiful gray eyes. “You have me.”
Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip, and her eyes filled with uncertainty. I grazed her lip with my thumb and felt her tremble.
“What is it, Dove?”
“I want to…” She glanced away self-consciously. “I don’t know how to make it good for you.”
Make it good for me? I stared at her profile for a moment before her words sank in. She was trying to seduce me.
My chest expanded, and I could barely keep the grin off my face. God, I loved this woman.
“It’s good because it’s you,” I said, wishing she’d look at me and see the truth in my eyes.
“I know we have the bond, but you’re used to experienced women, and I’ve never –”
“Stop.” I captured her chin with my hand and gently forced her to face me again. “I’m glad you have no experience because it means I am the only man you’ll ever have. You may not have noticed it, but I’m a little possessive when it comes to you.”
She gave me a small smile. “I might have noticed that.”
“Good.”
I stood with her in my arms and set her on her feet so I could douse the fire. She laughed when I swung her into my arms again and started walking to the house.
“I can walk, you know,” she protested half-heartedly.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
I entered the house and carried her straight to our bedroom. When I looked at the bed, I was surprised to suddenly feel nervous. I’d imagined this moment so many times, and I wanted to make it perfect for her.
Setting her on the edge of the bed, I knelt on the floor between her legs, putting my face level with hers. I reached behind her and freed her hair from its ponytail, letting it fall in soft waves around her shoulders. Moonlight poured in through the open curtain, bathing her in a soft glow and making her blonde hair gleam like white gold.
“What?” she asked hesitantly, making me realize I’d been staring at her.
“You are so beautiful.”
I put a hand on the back of her head and pulled her toward me as I leaned in to taste her sweet mouth again. She met me eagerly, and what started as tender soon became hungry and urgent. Without breaking the kiss, I removed her coat and then my own. I had her shirt unbuttoned before I pulled back, panting.
“Am I going too fast?”
Her answer was to grab the bottom of my thin sweater. I raised my arms, and she pulled it over my head, throwing it somewhere behind me. I smiled and returned the favor, freeing her from her shirt. Nudging her chin up with my nose, I gained access to her throat and leisurely tasted every inch of her skin down to the swell of her breasts. The sight of them rising and falling with each quick breath nearly undid me, but I forced myself to stop and make sure she was still with me.
“Beth?”
“Don’t stop,” she said in a low throaty voice that sent a bolt of raw lust through me.
I pressed light kisses above the cups of her delicate satin bra as my fingers found the tiny clasp at the front. My heart raced like it was my first time when I moved the cups aside and bared her to me.
“Perfection,” I whispered roughly as I dipped my head again.
Her fingers dug into my shoulders, and I almost growled with satisfaction to be the first – and the only – male to know her body and to give her pleasure.
Lifting my head, I met her heavy-lidded eyes. I gently pushed her down on the bed, and she looked up at me with so much love and trust that I suddenly found it hard to breathe.
I kept my gaze locked with hers as I removed her short boots then unbuttoned her jeans and eased them over her hips and down her long legs. Reverently, I ran my hands from her ankles to her thighs and hooked my thumbs in the top of her panties.
She let out a small gasp. “Wait.”
My hands stilled.
“I want to see you.”
I smiled and stood, my hands going to the button of my jeans as I kicked off my boots. She rubbed her lips together nervously, and I expected her to look away. But her eyes followed the journey of my hands as I unfastened my jeans and pushed them down. I stepped out of them and watched her for any sign she wanted me to stop. Seeing none, I lost my last piece of clothing and stood there as her gaze moved over me like a caress.