But in the back of his mind, he knew something was different today.
Something was different about Sunshine.
He couldn't count how many centuries had passed since he had last shared a real laugh with a lover.
And this woman made him laugh. She made him crazy.
Best of all, she made him burn.
Sunshine had stumbled into his world and turned it upside down. She'd touched the emotions he'd buried long ago. Made him feel strangely alive again, which for a man who had died fifteen hundred years ago was quite a feat.
She gave him feelings he didn't understand. He felt like a kid on Christmas morning, overloaded with sights and smells. His senses were overwhelming him with need.
With desire for her.
Licking his lips in anticipation, he ran his hand over her silken thigh, up to her hips. This woman had the finest ass he'd ever caressed. He pushed her dress up to her waist while she locked her ankles behind his back.
His head spun at the feel of her wrapped around him like this. The heat of her inner thighs burned his waist as he felt her wetness against his stomach.
Returning to her lips, he carried her to the bed and laid her down on the mattress. Without breaking his hold, he lay down on top of her and kissed her fully, deeply, as he ground his swollen groin against the part of her he couldn't wait to bury himself into. He sampled the warmth of her mouth and listened to her moans of pleasure.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled her unique scent and let it wash over him.
Sunshine wanted to weep at how good he felt on top of her. The leather of his pants caressed her intimately as his lips tormented hers. His braids tickled her neck with every movement he made. And his hands felt wickedly wonderful as he ran them over her body, seeking out every part of her.
She almost whimpered in protest when he moved away.
He pulled her dress from her and tossed it to the floor.
She felt more than just physically naked in front of him. For some reason she felt spiritually bare as well. It was as if he could see deep inside her somehow, as if he knew things about her no one else knew.
As if they were connected on a level that transcended their physical bonding.
At least she thought so until he returned to lie on top of her. Then her thoughts scattered again and she became one with the moment. It was strange, really, this sensation of him.
Sunshine hissed at how wonderful he tasted. All that lush, tawny skin made prickly by his masculine whiskers. She so loved the taste of a man's jaw.
No man had ever tasted more perfect.
She brought her hands around his waist, to his fly. His bulge was huge. Pulling back slightly, she watched his face as she opened his pants and touched him for the first time.
He closed his eyes and growled deep in his throat as he rocked himself gently against her hands. Oh, she liked the feel of him there. He was so hard and ready for her.
She laced her fingers through his short curls, moving her hand lower until she could cup the soft heat of him in her palm.
Talon moaned in pleasure. It felt so incredibly good to have her holding him like that. He'd had sex more times than he could count and yet there was something new about this experience.
Something fresh.
She pulled his pants down lower so that she could tuck her toes into them and pull them off. It wasn't until she frowned that they both remembered he still wore his boots.
"Oops," she said with a smile.
Talon chuckled, kissed her deeply, then rolled over to remove his boots. She rose up on her knees and leaned her naked body against his bare back, making him tremble from the feel of her breasts against his spine.
"I just love this tattoo," she said as she slowly traced it down his back with her tongue.
"I love when you do that," he said, tossing his boots and pants into the corner. He gripped the edge of the bed as she explored his back with her mouth.
"Does it have any special meaning?"
He closed his eyes as she returned to tracing the marks with her tongue. "They're Celtic symbols for protection, power, and longevity." Talon clenched his teeth at the irony. His uncle had had no idea what was awaiting his nephew when he had placed those markings on his skin. Just how long his life would be.
She gave one long, warm lick, then pulled back. "I can't believe your uncle did this. My father had a cow when he saw mine."
Talon looked at her over his shoulder. "You have a tattoo?"
She wrapped her left leg around his waist and showed him her inner ankle. It was a very small, stylized Celtic sun with the jagged symbol for creativity.
Smiling, he ran his hand over it. "Very nice."
"Yes, but it hurt for days. I can't imagine how much worse yours must have been."
She had no idea. Especially since his had been performed long before the days of sterilized needles and machinery. His uncle had meticulously tapped the design into his body over a three-month period. Some of it had gotten infected and only Nynia's herbal abilities had spared his life.
"It wasn't so bad."
"Ooo," she said teasingly, wrinkling her nose. "Mr. Tough Guy."
"Would you rather I say it hurt?"
"It never hurts to admit that you feel pain."