Page 204 of Elemental Becoming

I wanthim.

His eyes hold mine, hunger and restraint warring beneath the surface. And beneath both, I glimpse the cost of holding himselfback.

“You’re playing with fire, Amara, darling.”

I roll my hips against him. Intentional. Merciless.

His breath hitches, and the strain in his control is impossible to miss.

“Then burn me,” I whisper. “Let go with me, Thane.”

The moment hangs suspended, taut and electric.

Then something shifts.

I watch him make a choice.

His hands pin mine above my head as he pulls me closer, the force of it stealing the breath from my lungs. His eyes lock onto mine, and for the first time, he stops holding back.

“Remember this,” he growls. “When you ache later, remember that you asked for it.”

His mouth crashes into mine—claiming as if starved for me. His hands are everywhere. Gripping. Tugging. Pulling me against him like the space between us is unbearable. Months of longing finally break free. Every stolen glance. Every interrupted moment. Every restraint.

Gone.

For this one moment, there is only us.

Still, I wonder, is he losing controlwithme orbecauseof me? Or is it something deeper that’s restless, raw, clawing its way to the surface? Not just passion, but a need that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with what lives inside him.

The fire. The restraint. The shadows. The curse.

I keep my shields tight, wind coiling inward around my thoughts. I don’t want him hearing any of this. Not when he’s finally letting himself go.

A growl vibrates through his chest as he bites my lower lip, as though even the smallest distance between us has become unbearable. I arch into him instinctively, my thoughts scattering as I cling to him, needing more.

“You still want this?” he rasps.

“Yes,” I breathe. “All of it.”

His hand slides down, gripping my thighs, spreading them wider.

“Then take it.”

And by all the Elemental gods, I do.

He pulls me closer, his body surrounding mine, his breath hot and uneven against my skin. His calloused hands are firm, relentless. I rake my nails down his back, needing to leave some mark that I was here. A feral groan leaves him, and the sound sends another wave crashing through me.

My body tightens around him, pulling him deeper. His forehead drops briefly against my neck, a rough curse slipping past his lips.

“Amara—”

It isn’t a word.

It’s a prayer.

Need for me.

Need for this.