Page 45 of Dark Gambit Reliance

His nostrils flaring, he smiled with a mouthful of fangs. "Ask, and you shall receive. What's your pleasure, love?"

He called her love, and it made her giddy because it wasn't just a term of endearment for him. Marcel loved her. It was in his glowing eyes, the gentle way he held her, and in the patience and restraint he practiced because she was human and fragile compared to him.

Arching her back, she lifted her bottom an inch off the counter. "Kiss me there."

That was such a wanton thing to say, and she loved that she could do that with Marcel and feel good about it. There was no judgment in his eyes, only desire.

He pressed a kiss to the front of her panties and then hooked his thumbs in the elastic and dragged them down her legs.

She expected him to come back and kiss her flesh, but when he gripped her feet and propped them onto the counter, she'd never felt so exposed or so turned on.

When his head lowered between her splayed thighs, he rested his cheek on one side and just breathed her in. "I want to bottle this scent and carry it with me all day long."

Normally, she wouldn't have found the idea sexy, but she was so turned on that his words just added fuel to the fire.

"You're teasing me again."

He kissed her inner thigh, then the other side, and then his tongue made contact with her clit, and it was as if an electrical current zapped her.

"Marcel," she groaned.

He didn't answer. Instead, his tongue flicked over her clit, once, twice, and then he pushed it inside of her.

A guttural moan left her throat, and as she arched up to get more of his tongue, he slid his hands under her ass and gripped it hard.

It was as if her moan had unleashed his beast. Driving his tongue in and out of her, he alternated with flicks over that sensitive bundle of nerves, and when he released one butt cheek and drove two fingers inside of her, Sofia exploded with a scream that must have been heard all over the enclave.

32

MARCEL

Marcel licked and pumped his fingers until Sofia went limp, and her head dropped against the backsplash. When all of her shudders subsided, and she let out a breath, he pressed a gentle kiss to her petals and lifted his gaze to her flushed face.

"You're the most beautiful after you climax."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

Upon hearing those words, something shifted in his chest. Something eased. He felt lighter, almost buoyant, and as he pushed to his feet and embraced the woman he loved, he felt complete like he'd never felt before.

"I love you, my Sofia," he murmured into her tangled hair.

It had come undone, and he collected it in his hands and twisted it up to expose her neck. Brushing his lips over the long column, he suppressed the urge to sink his fangs into her skin. The time for that would be later when he was deep inside of her, and she was climaxing again.

"I still have my bra on," she murmured.

"I'll take care of it." He lifted her off the counter, carried her to the bedroom, and laid her down on the bed.

"You keep carrying me around." She sprawled lazily on the bed, her legs parted in invitation.

"Because I know that you like it."

"I do." She reached behind her and unclasped her bra.

He pulled her hand out and kissed her fingers. "I said that I'll take care of it."

"Then do it." She pouted. "My poor nipples are hungry for your attention."

He was on her before she'd finished the sentence, ripping the bra off and sucking one turgid peak into his mouth.