He held her firmly, a hungry wolf, doing what he did best—devouring her. He used his tongue to draw out the nectar he craved. He used the edge of his teeth to tug on her sensitive bud to keep the bells playing. He suckled strongly, listening to the beauty of her voice crying out as he drove her up fast and hard, over and over, sending her body into a series of wild orgasms that rocked her.

Each movement sent the bells frantically singing and his cock nearly exploding with the intensity of the vibrations. He shifted position again, kneeling between her legs, needing to be inside of her. Her lashes were at half-mast, the green eyes glazed and sensual. Her full lips were parted, her breathing ragged as he moved over her, entering her in one brutal thrust.

She sobbed his name as he paused, holding himself deep in her while he bit down on the chain between her breasts, sucking it into his mouth and holding it between his teeth. He surged into her again and again and each time he did, the chain tugged on her breasts. All the while he stayed merged mind to mind, better to feel the hot pleasure streaking through her nipples, down her belly and into her tight sheath as he thrust in and out of her. Her fiery core had never been quite so scorching, fisting around him, clamping down like a vise so that the friction as he pounded into her nearly sent them both up in flames.

Fire arced from one nipple to the other as he tugged the chain with his teeth. The bells chimed and the flames jumped to his cock, scorching him like white lightning. He could feel exactly what she felt, that fire burning through her breasts, a delicious, sweet burn that flashed through her body like a storm to center around his shaft.

He didn’t want the sensations to ever stop for either of them, but he could feel her body growing hotter, tightening around his cock mercilessly, almost to the point of strangulation. The ground turned a subtle shade of red, her body was a magnet, drawing the magma that was at the very earth’s core just as it sought to draw the seed from him.

She whispered his name, a soft plea, and he took her over the edge, soaring with her, freefalling through space, while her muscles clamped down around him, milking him, surrounding him with her particular fire. He didn’t wait for the aftershocks to cease. He leaned down and carefully removed one jewel from her nipple, and drew her breast into the soothing heat of his mouth.

Her breath hissed out and her lashes drifted down, a look of intense pleasure on her face. He stroked her nipple over and over with his tongue, ending with kisses before attending to the other breast. Her sheath tightened around him, clamping down hard as he released the jewel and took her breast into his mouth. The soft moan added to his conviction that the fire in her only seemed to be growing, and no matter how passionate they were, how often he took possession of her body—or even how he took possession—the fire between them would only get hotter.

Do you have any idea how much I love you, Branka? he asked, his voice low, a strange lump choking him. He had to clear his throat several times.

“Yes,” she said quietly, reaching up with her slender arms to circle his neck. You love me as fiercely as I love you. And it grows with every moment we’re together.

Did the chain hurt you at all?

She laughed. “I’m Carpathian, wolf. I would never play with something that hurt in the way you mean. I felt fire, but you know I love that burn. If it got to be too intense, I simply turned down the heat a notch. You were in my mind, feeling what I was feeling, watching to make certain you weren’t hurting me in any way. I felt you there, caring for me. Protecting me. That’s why I trust you so much, Zev. You put me first.”

“You’re my mate. The love of my life. My everything. Of course I’m going to make certain you feel nothing but pleasure, any way I can give it to you.”

“Naturally,” she agreed, “although, Zev, your nature dictates who and what you are. You would put my health, happiness and pleasure above your own regardless of whether we were lifemates or not. That’s what I love most about you. Who you are.”

She raised her face to his, kissing him slowly, taking her time, the fire in her mouth sending a fiery arrow straight to his heart. He kissed her back with the same passion, the same fire, but his mouth was infinitely tender, showing her without words how much he felt for her. When he lifted his head she was smiling at him. He found himself smiling back and once again began moving in her body, this time slow and leisurely. They had all the time in the world.