Stone of Ascension (25 page)

As if he read her thoughts, Damian’s hand moved down her waist to run over her bare skin at the edge of her jeans.

“Damian,” she breathed, arching her hips to meet his hand.

“Last chance, Amber.”

She yanked his mouth back to hers, showing him how much she wanted him. She pushed him back and held his gaze. “Don’t you dare stop.” She would die if he stopped.

He reared back, kneeling between her legs. His hands brushed her stomach, circled her belly button then unfastened her jeans. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

She watched, entranced. Her chest heaved with each breath, the anticipation mounting. The light rasp of her zipper purred through the room. She moaned, her fingers stroking over the tender flesh of her stomach before they gripped the hard muscles on his forearms. The muscles flexed and tightened under her grasp.

Sweat gleamed on his skin in the pale glow of the bedside light. His chest expanded, contracted in a deep cadence that matched her own. Slowly, he pulled the material over her hips, down her legs, the brush of the fabric a gentle caress against her hyper-sensitive skin. Reverently, he looked at her, his gaze passing over the length of her body.

His fingers hooked under the edge of her panties, his eyes lifting to ask a final, unspoken question. She held his gaze and shifted her hips up in answer. He inhaled, then slid the final obstacle down her legs. The cool air brushed over her, clashing against the heat that burned within her. She shivered.

“Again, beautiful,” he said, his searing look saying more than the words. Fully exposed to him, she had never felt more secure. His hands smoothed up her legs. A kiss dropped on her knee. Her inner thigh.
Oh God
. The top of her pubic bone. Her legs flinched closed slightly.

“Trust me, Amber,” he breathed across her lower stomach. His hot breath shot straight to her womb, tightening the ache that burned below. She squirmed, her feet rubbing anxiously into the soft velvet of the duvet.

“I do,” she panted. “I just want…” She tossed her head. “I don’t know…”

His fingers pressed between her legs, one strong pad circling her vagina then running up to rub against her clitoris. Her back sprang off the mattress; white lights flashed behind her closed eyelids as the sensation bolted through her sex, over her womb and nailed her heart.

“That,” she panted. “That…”

His finger pressed harder, circled, toyed with the ache. “Have you ever had an orgasm, Amber?”

Oh God.
Did he really just ask her that? Her mind grasped for answers, battling against the sensations as his fingers continued to play with her most private area.

“Yes,” she finally admitted, the honesty breathing out of her. No place to hide. “But never with…” She couldn’t finish.

His finger plunged into her inner canal. Hard, demanding. A small scream left her mouth, her hips thrusting up to meet the invasion. The pleasure.

“But, never what?” he demanded, his voice harsh, yet soft. “Finish it, Amber. Say it.”

She couldn’t think. The pressure built with each thrust of his finger. Then his lips closed on her, his tongue stroked over her pulsing clit and she was lost.

“Say it,” he growled against her, the vibrations echoing through her. She writhed uncontrollably under him.

“A man,” she finally panted. “Never with…anyone.” He nipped her inner thigh, the bite shooting a tantalizing mix of pain and pleasure into her core.

“You’re killing me, beauty.” Then he was gone, his heat removed, his fingers absent.

“No,” she cried out, reaching for him. Needing him to continue. She bolted upright, ready to follow only to freeze. His jeans dropped, and he straightened, beautifully naked.

She swallowed.

Gorgeous. Hard, naked flesh. Head to toe solid man. Warrior.

The energy hummed around them. The anticipation pulling tight as he knelt on the bed then edged closer. Sweat broke and trickled enticingly down her chest, between her breasts. She licked her lips and reached. Unable to stop. Not wanting to stop.

To hell with not knowing what to do. Instinct controlled her now, every action primal. Her hand lifted, then hovered over his hard erection. His breath ceased, every muscled tightened.

“Touch it,” he ordered.

She did. Her hand shook before it closed around the velvet skin. So hard underneath. She was in awe. Enthralled. She stroked it, slowly up, down. His breath hissed. His stomach clenched, his muscle rippling at the sudden movement. She stroked again, her motions dictated by nature. His cock was thick, long and unbelievably alluring to her. She wanted to lick it. Explore like he did her. She moved her lips toward the head, anxious to taste the rounded crown, the soft skin.

“
Stop
.” His hands grasped beneath her arms and threw her back to the bed. She bounced lightly before he landed hard and hot on top of her. “Another time. If you do that, I’ll come before I get in you, love.” His kiss branded her, burying the word she swore she heard.

No time to think. To ponder.

His hard cock brushed her inner thigh, smooth and probing against her tender flesh as it inched upward in time with the thrust of his tongue, the arch of his back. Her legs spread wider, opening to him. Begging for the next crest.

The soft head of his erection rubbed over her opening, teasing then retreating. She moaned and pulled on Damian’s shoulders, a silent plea for what was so close.

He broke the kiss, sweat dripping from his forehead, his breathing haggard, quick. “It’ll hurt some,” he stated, regret edging the words.

It didn’t matter. Pain was negligible at this point. “I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “Right now I feel nothing but pleasure. I want this.”

“Amber,” he part growled, part moaned. “Too good for me.”

“Never,” she denied. “Just right for you.”

He cursed under his breath, a small exclamation of submission, then shifted to run his fingers through her pussy once again. A quick swipe, followed by a slow circle over her sensitive clit. God. Could anything feel better?

He groaned again. “You’re so wet. I need you. Now.”

She spread her legs wider. “Please.” She wasn’t beneath begging. She just needed what he offered. Her entire body ached for the final peak. That final sensation that he was withholding.

Finally, she felt his erection edge into her opening. He paused. The significance burned in his eyes and was communicated in the trembling of his shoulders and the measured intrusion that tested his restraint. She wanted more. Instinctively, she knew there was more.

“Just do it,” she insisted as she wrapped her legs around him. “I need more. I need all of you.”

He reared his head back then jerked his hips and surged completely into her. Her muscles flexed, her arms and legs clutched him to her, holding him tight as the pain flared. It hurt, burned, but he felt so good. He held her close, his entire body bound to her. “You’re incredible.” His low words barely penetrated the fog of her brain. “Hot, tight…so fucking incredible.”

It was incredible, full, intimate. She trembled, the feeling wracking through her as her muscles stretched to accept him. Amazing. God, it was so damn amazing.

Then he moved, shifted his hips and pulled out until just the tip remained within her. The feeling, the rioting sparks of sensation soothed away the pain. He thrust back into her, the sparks exploding into a full inferno of new stimulation. She gasped, her breath locked deep in her chest until he repeated the motion. The air returned on a throaty moan that sounded more animal than human.

Thinking stopped—all that mattered was the feeling. The mounting crests of excitement, of pleasure that grew with each thrust of his hips. Incredible wasn’t good enough. It was so much more.

The energy pummeled through her. His, hers, the stone. All meshing and blending until it pulsed in a demanding rhythm of desire.

Of belonging.

Damian thrust into her in time with the throb of the energy. His body matched the ancient beat, uniting them with the power that swirled around them. Stroking over her skin like a physical brush until every nerve was aching for release.

“Come, Amber,” Damian demanded, reaching between them to rub her clit. “Come now. With me.”

And she did. In a shattering burst of light and feeling, Amber soared along with her bird. Her muscles clenched, her back arched into Damian’s hard chest. Wave after wave of pleasure shattered over her.

A startled moan left her lips. He matched her groan and buried his head in her neck, then bound her to his chest in a tight grasp. He shuddered and came with her in a warm gush of energy. Power.

The golden light engulfed them. Binding them as it wrapped around their joined bodies in a blaze of pulsing heat that lifted her even higher, threw her over the edge and let her sail.

The light shattered, the energy parting then exploding outward in an atomic burst that pushed against her skin, electrified it until even the air excited her. Damian’s arms tightened around her as the energy tightened its hold and cocooned them in safety. In that instant, she felt her energy alter. The stone pulsed, clamped tightly between their bodies, one side touching each of them. Like a channel, it pulled a part of her through the stone while simultaneously feeding part of Damian into her.

The siphoning of energy, a true blending of power, of essence, blasted through her and sent her on another ride of pure, undiluted pleasure. He was truly, unquestionably hers.

Vaguely, she registered the quick flash of fire followed by pain that seared the back of her hand before her world darkened.

“Damian,” she whispered, her body wrapped around his as the golden light pulled her into unconsciousness.

Distantly, the angry roar of a beast registered through the fog of her brain. The feral tones broke through the energy, leaving a black streak of ice in its wake. The coldness pushed against the heat, driving frigid, hard rivets at the layer of warmth. Amber shivered, small bumps of trepidation stinging her heated flesh.

In warning or invitation?

Chapter Nineteen

Damian shifted to the side, pulling Amber against his chest. The fog slowly cleared from his head. The darkness receded as his senses gradually returned to functioning. What in the hell just happened?

Amber moaned against his chest, the vibration raking down his side where her body pressed against his. The air cooled his skin and brought with it more clarity.

Something more than sex had just happened between them.

He rubbed a hand over his eyes and blinked away the last of the haze. Amber arched lazily against him, stretched like a satisfied cat, then cuddled up to rest her head on his shoulder. He winced, prepared for the pain, as she’d forgotten about his shoulder wound. But there was none. He looked down and saw that his skin was completely healed. Not even a hint of a scar remained.

Un-fucking-believable.

His head thumped against the pillow, his thoughts misfiring around the recent turn of events. Her fingers glided over the lingering moisture on his chest, sending an instant flash of pleasure straight to his cock. Damn thing should be down for the count after what just happened, but it instantly twitched in a valiant attempt at revival.

Cursing silently, Damian pulled away against her grumbled sigh of protest. He returned from the bathroom, a warm washcloth and towel in hand.

She looked up, then blushed from head to toe as she took in his intention.

“I can…” She trailed off as her voice faded, her gaze dropping to look at the bed. Her legs curled up, but his hand on her hip stopped her from turning away.

“So can I,” he said gently. Just like with her hair, he wanted to take care of her. She kept her eyes adverted as he spread her legs. Her breath hitched and her blush deepened as he gently washed away the mix of blood and semen that stained her inner thighs.

Blood. The sight of it against her sex slammed home that he’d taken her virginity. Given freely, but still gone.

A virgin bride by his side.

Doubt tightened around the ache in his chest. There was no going back now. But had he done the right thing? Would she regret it later?

Returning to the bathroom, he cleaned off the remains of her virginity from his own body, proof positive that the deed had been committed by him. A deed he could not regret.

Truth—it didn’t matter if she regretted it. He wasn’t letting her go.

Discarding the soiled cloths, he returned to the bed and clicked off the small pool of light from the bedside lamp. He dragged back the covers then climbed in and pulled Amber to his side. She stiffened before she tentatively relaxed within his hold, one slow increment at a time. He pulled the duvet over them and brushed his lips across her forehead.

The quiet clashed around them. The ruffle of the sheets, her soft sigh, an errant drip of the faucet—each sound settled into the darkness that cloaked them. Between them, the stone glowed. A soft shimmer of violet, white and gold that emanated waves of warmth against his flesh.

“Is the day over?” she asked so quietly he barely heard her.

“What do you mean?”

Her fingers skimmed over his chest, her soft caress returning. “A lot has happened today,” she said in the same low tone. “I was just wondering if the day was over or if I should expect something else.”