Page 93 of Crimson Heart

40

Even though it was time for dinner, and everybody was heading into the dining room, Byron took Charlotte’s travel bag and led her to the third floor of the mansion, where his own bedroom was located. With everybody assembled downstairs, nobody would hear them. Perhaps nobody—apart from Jude—would even realize that they weren’t in the dining room. He was utterly grateful to Jude for speaking to Charlotte and paving the way for her to take him back.

He dropped the bag on the floor and locked the door. Nobody would disturb them tonight. Without a word, Charlotte walked into his arms. He could sense the trust she had in him now. He would never break it again, no matter what other hurdles lay ahead.

“I love you,” she murmured and tilted her face up to him.

He looked into her face, letting his gaze roam from her beautiful eyes to her full lips that were parted in anticipation. He didn’t rush it, didn’t fall upon her like a hungry beast. No, the beast would have to wait. It would come out later. Right now, the man in him was in charge. He tightened his arms around her body, pulling her closer so he could feel her breasts caressing his chest, reminding him of what it was like when she gave herself to him. When they surrendered to each other.

With one hand, he brushed over her cheek, caressing her soft skin, and felt the heat emanating from it.

“I love you,” he replied. “More than anybody or anything I’ll ever love.”

Slowly, he brought his lips to hers and brushed over them in a featherlight touch. He could still taste the salt of her tears on them, but he knew there would be no more tears tonight. They would become one tonight, a bonded pair for the rest of their lives. If somebody had told him a week ago that he’d give up his bachelor life for a woman he’d only met a few days ago, he would have told them they were crazy. But he knew he wasn’t crazy. He was in love. In love with the only woman he would touch for the rest of his life.

He slid his hand on her nape, then deepened the kiss, delving into her mouth to explore her. She welcomed him, tasting desire and passion. Their breaths mingled, and he pulled her even closer. His cock was already hard and heavy. It had been since the moment they’d entered his bedroom. It was her fault. Charlotte did this to him. Her scent and her taste drove him insane with lust. But it was different tonight. It wasn’t just physical. It wasn’t just lust. It was the knowledge that they would mate tonight.

Charlotte slid one hand onto his ass and yanked him to her, reminding him that she was as strong as he. The she-wolf in her gave her that strength, and he knew she would use it to get what she wanted. What they both wanted.

Even though he wanted to slow things down tonight to make it last, to give them a memory that they would look back at for decades to come, he wasn’t able to stop himself from tearing at her clothes. She did the same, her fingers undoing the button of his pants, while he tugged at her top and shoved it up. He interrupted the kiss so he could pull her T-shirt over her head and toss it on the floor. Before he could take her lips again, she yanked on his shirt, and he heard a ripping sound. Instead of opening the shirt’s buttons, she’d ripped it in two.

He smirked. “Damn, babe. Looks like you’re impatient.”

He freed himself of his shirt.

“Aren’t you?”

“You’ve got me there.”

He captured her lips for another hungry kiss while he helped her undress him. When she shoved his pants down, he realized that he still wore his shoes. He severed the kiss and proceeded to kick them off to free himself from his pants. But before she could undress him completely, he stopped her.

“Your turn.” He pointed to her jeans. “Don’t mind if I watch.”

She shimmied out of the tight garment, and it looked like she made a few seductive wiggles just to seduce him even further. When she stood in front of him, only wearing her bra and her panties, he stopped her once again.

“I’ll do the rest,” he said with a grin.

“How come?”

“It’s my favorite part.”

She cast him a seductive smile and waited. He took a breath, forcing himself to move slowly. Gently, he laid his palms on her breasts. The black fabric of her bra was so thin that he had no trouble feeling her hard nipples. He squeezed the firm flesh, eliciting a soft moan from its owner. She closed her eyes, and her pink tongue came out to lick her lower lip, while she dropped her head back, thrusting her luscious breasts in his direction. He couldn’t resist and dipped his head down, pressing his face into the valley between them. He inhaled, drinking in her unique scent, the scent of a she-wolf in heat. It sent even more blood into his cock, making him harder than a rock.

He wouldn’t last long, he knew that. It was the reason why he had to hurry now. He reached for the bra’s clasp on the back and, by some miracle, was able to open it quickly. Charlotte helped him free herself of the garment and let it fall on the floor. Her panties were easier.

“My turn now,” she announced and slid her palm over the thick bulge beneath his boxer briefs.

A spear of lust shot through his body, making him let out a curse.

“Fuck!”

His patience gone now, he shoved his boxer briefs down, revealing his cock. When he looked back at Charlotte, he noticed the hungry look she raked over him.

“On the bed, now!” he ordered, sounding gruff, even though he didn’t want to. He felt he needed to explain to her why he was behaving like a caveman. “I’m sorry, babe, but I⁠—”

She put a finger across his lips. “Shh. I know.”

Relieved, he watched her as she lay down on the bed, her naked body looking like a luscious dessert on a silver platter. He went to the other side of the bed and opened the drawer of his nightstand.