Jaxon felt her shudder, and with a mighty effort clamped down on the hot desire that had begun as a slow burn in his belly and was now rifling like wildfire through his veins. This was not about him. It was all about Libby. His Libby.
He reluctantly withdrew from the tantalizing flesh, and his hands trailed down her body as she fell back onto the blanket. His fingers grasped the edges of her pants and he pulled them down her legs, hissing sharply at the sight of her sex, exposed and vulnerable. He had to stop and take time to remove her boots, and he felt sweat break out along his limbs as his body raged and the cat began to stir.
He threw her boots to the ground, and the pants quickly followed.
Once more he dipped the cloth into the basin and crouched beside her, gently wiping the grime from her body with slow, precise movements. He started at her neck and shoulders, letting the soothing water wash away all traces of her time with Cormac in the cave.
There was no sound, only their heavy breathing and the soft trickle of water as it fell from the cloth when he wrung the excess from it.
When his hands fell to her breasts, he smiled wickedly at the hard intake of breath and the slow hiss that left her lips. Lovingly, he cupped each globe, taking his time, perhaps too much time, and he reveled in the feel of them as they tightened and filled with pleasure.
He could see her hands clenched at her sides as he slowly worked his way over her ribs, taking special care where she’d been hurt, kissing every one of them as he finished. He moved the cloth down her body while his free hand massaged and kneaded. He felt small shudders underneath her skin as he swept over her belly, each pass with the cloth eliciting small mews from deep in her throat.
Her hips began to slowly gyrate, and Jaxon clenched his teeth together as her knees opened and her soft cleft lay open for him.
He had to pull hard to find the control he needed to continue, but it was important to him to look to her needs first. After rinsing the cloth again, he softly wiped along her inner thigh, inhaling the sweetness of her scent as he continued his ministrations. His eyes were drawn to the soft blond hair that lay there, glistening with the beginnings of her desire. She groaned loudly when he finally touched her heated flesh, gently rolling the cloth over her mound.
She bucked her hips then, and Jaxon chuckled. “In time, sweetness.”
He ignored the swelling cock between his legs and reluctantly left her hot core, finishing her body right down to the very tips of her toes. When he was done, he threw the cloth into the bowl and then ran his hands up along both sides of her body, before gently resting them against her hips.
Libby’s breaths were coming in short, soft pants, muffled as he turned her over onto her stomach. He felt her still, and then draw away from him. With his hands, he began to caress the scarred, damaged skin that lined her back in a macabre display of artistry.
Jaxon moistened the cloth yet again, to repeat his ministrations, starting from the top of her delectable neck, working his way down along the length of her body. By the time he reached the soles of her feet, he was breathing hard, because of the effort it took to control his need to claim her.
When he was done, he stood, the hard outline of his dick straining against his pants. He looked down at Libby, splayed out, long white limbs relaxed, but her excitement betrayed by the staccato breathing from her lips.
His fingers tore open the waist of his pants and he stripped them from his body, groaning roughly as the heavy material rushed against his aching cock. In one movement he threw his shirt from his body and reached for the cloth, wanting to clean his own skin before he would allow himself to touch her.
“Don’t.”
Jaxon paused and hissed sharply as Libby rose in front of him, her breasts swaying teasingly. She moved toward him slowly. “I want you inside of me right now.”
He felt his skin begin to burn and itch, and the wash of predatory possession that coursed through him made his breathing even more ragged and rough. She belonged to him.
And he would never let her go.
She knelt in front of him, her beautiful eyes huge and luminous, and when the tips of her nipples caressed the tight abs of his skin, he nearly lost it. He closed his eyes and prayed for control, but it was so hard. The beast in him howled in pleasure as her fingers took a torturous path, tracing the clan tattoos that proudly stood out against his flesh.
Softly, they crept up, and when he opened his eyes once more, he knew by her sharp intake of breath that his own eyes were glowing, full of raging desire. He reached down and cupped her cheeks, lowering himself until they were face-to-face.
For several moments there was no sound other than their harsh breathing as they both inhaled deep gulps of air. For Jaxon, everything faded away and there was only Libby. It was as if a spell had been cast. As if this moment in time mattered more than any other moment they’d ever spent together.
And he guessed that it did. Everything was spelled out. His heart was out there to be shredded to pieces or put back together and healed. She had the power.
And for the first time in his life, Jaxon Castille was willing to surrender to that power.
Her deeply shadowed eyes filled with soft tears, and he kissed them away before claiming the mouth that trembled against his own.
She tasted like home, and when her tongue flicked across his lips and her mouth opened wide beneath his, Jaxon clutched her to him, but then broke away. He needed her to know what was in his heart.
“I love you, Libby.” He held
her eyes, watching as myriad emotions crossed them and then disappeared. “Do you understand what I’m saying? There will never be another for me. There will never be another for you. I will not live without you in this world. Whatever tomorrow brings doesn’t matter,” he kissed her gently, “and you’ll always have my heart.”
He felt her body melt against his, and he caught her, gently laying her back onto the bedroll and pulling his large body up alongside hers.
“Please,” she whispered, “Jaxon, I need you to love me.”