Stroking one finger along the seam of her entrance, he said almost inaudibly, “Thank you.”

Her hand skimmed over him, touching his hair, his shoulder, his chest, as she whispered back to him. “Thank you.”

The urgent hunger built up again. He couldn’t wait to take her in his mouth. Going down, he parted her petals to expose the small pearl of her clitoris. As he licked, nibbled, and tugged gently at her sex, her body flexed in instant response.

She began to shake everywhere. Closing his eyes, he focused all his attention on learning what pleased her. As he explored every part of her, the wetness of her arousal slicked his fingers and his mouth.

She tasted like love, like pleasure, like all the finer things he had grown to believe he didn’t deserve and would never experience again.

Lifting herself up to his mouth, she gasped, “That feels so amazing, I can’t even describe it. But—but—”

What is it, love? he asked telepathically.

Her shaking fingers stroked his temple. “I-I’m not very good at climaxing with others,” she confessed. “I can climax by myself just fine, but… well, I’ve only had two other lovers, so, you know, I haven’t had a l-lot of practice…”

Only two other lovers?

A storm of reaction swept through him, both triumph and possessiveness. The fools lost her, and if he had anything to say about it, nobody else would ever get the chance to be with her again.

He murmured in her head, Shame on them.

“What?” She sounded confused.

I said shame on them. They had a unique treasure, and they didn’t know how to take care of it. He nuzzled her then pressed kisses along her inner thighs. Just relax, my love. I’ll take you there.

“That would—that would be amazing.” Her voice trembled. “But if it doesn’t happen, I want just to tell you it’s okay. This feels so good. You feel so good.”

You’re beautiful, he told her. Every part of you is so lovely, your voice, your scent, your passion, your music, your strength, and your femininity. Relax, Sidonie, you’re safe with me. You taste like heaven, and I could happily stay here like this all night. We have all the time in the world. Shh, don’t strain for it, just relax.

It was a lie.

They didn’t have all the time in the world. In the back of his mind, where the lycanthrope virus lived, he could feel the moon traveling across the night sky, and he raged internally at the knowledge that he would have to leave her again before daybreak when he never wanted to leave her again. Not ever.

But his soft-spoken, telepathic words did what he wanted them to do. He could feel her relax as he talked to her, and as the tension flowed away, she opened herself further to him.

While he flicked at her clitoris with his tongue, he slipped two fingers inside her. She was tight, so tight, her inner muscles gripped his fingers, and he wanted nothing more than to plunge his aching cock into her lush, wet heat.

For now, he satisfied himself with fucking her gently with his fingers while he worked her. Gradually he increased his rhythm, until her breath came in sobs.

“I can—feel it’s there, but I can’t quite reach it,” she gasped.

Don’t try so hard, my love, he said gently, making love to her mind while he stepped up the pressure and he fucked her more deeply. In fact, don’t try at all. Ease up, and let me bring it to you. I want you so badly, it hurts. I feel thick as an oak tree. When you took me in and sucked on me, you shocked me so much I almost came in your mouth. All I can think about is planting myself so deep inside you, I never come out again.

“Oh, God,” she said on a note of complete amazement.

Her torso arched off the bed.

He could feel her climax start deep inside. She flushed all over, and tears spilled out of the corners of her eyes. It rippled outward in waves, and the raw, inarticulate sounds she made as she came were the most beautiful music he’d ever heard.

It set a fire burning in him, but he held himself back, watching her intently while he kept up the relentless pace. He said, Again, my life. Let’s go there again.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” She wiped at her face. She looked broken open. “It’s a miracle I went there once.”

I believe in miracles. At least he did for this one night. As the ripples eased, he sucked at her hard.

Her eyes flew wide. With a strangled shriek, she came off the bed again, and there it was, her second climax. Gods, she was lovely.

He wanted to watch her climax all night, but his own hunger was a savage goad so that abruptly he knew he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Rising up, he said between clenched teeth, “I need to get inside you. Now.”

Her face flared with eagerness. “Yes.”

She took hold of him and guided his cock into place, stroking him back and forth, until his head was slick with her arousal. The sensation was excruciating. Gritting his teeth, he endured it so she would be ready for his entrance.

Then she seated him at her opening, and he pushed into her. Rocking almost all the way out, he pushed back in again, this time a little farther. She was so tight, so hot. He watched her closely as pleasure illuminated her expression.

“You feel incredible,” he told her. His voice had gone guttural.

“So do you,” she breathed. Then, suddenly, she looked deep into his eyes, and the instant snap of connection between them was so strong he felt as if she pulled his soul halfway out of his body. Raking her nails down his back, she hissed, “Stop being so damn careful.”

And that was it. It was like she unzipped him. The civilized veneer fell away, and what came leaping out was primal, wholly ungoverned.

He thrust in all the way in one long, brutal move, and she ignited. His fire fanned hers again, and she met each of his long, hard strokes eagerly, lifting to him as he hammered down while she clenched down on him as tight as a fist.

She felt like wet silk and molten fire. He couldn’t get in far enough, hard enough. Plunging into her with his cock, he delved into her mouth with a punishingly hard kiss, and she took all of it, all of him, goading him on when he would have eased up, until he lost all vestige of control and rutted on her in a frenzy.

Gripping her by the thighs, he pushed her open wider so he could get deeper. He thought she climaxed again, but he wasn’t sure. Her hands roamed everywhere, and her mouth—that beautifully formed, soft, demure-looking mouth—whispered filthy things in his ear.