“Let go, kardia mou. It’s all right.”
With another long, swirling sweep of his tongue, I shatter. The climax is explosive. It shakes me like an earthquake, throwing me off balance and straight into an abyss of pure pleasure. I tumble over the edge, shuddering with wave after wave of pulsing ecstasy. I don’t do anything ridiculous like scream. It’s worse. I mewl like a kitten and moan, “Oh my Gods” over and over again.
As the ripples subside, slowly fading, I open unfocused eyes, pretty sure that was the best natural disaster ever to hit the realms.
Still gripping my hips, Griffin sets his mouth on me again, sending an aftershock through me that makes my entire body curl in pleasure. I mewl—again—and he looks up, grinning.
My breath shudders. “Don’t look so smug.”
“Why not?” He stands up, towering over me.
My eyes automatically dip to his arousal. I scramble back, shaking off some of my stupor. “It wasn’t that good,” I lie through my teeth.
He laughs and crawls on top of me. “Then it’s a good thing there’s more to come.”
He settles heavily between my thighs, his hips spreading my legs apart. Anxiety hits me again, and I push on my heels, scooting back.
Griffin’s head jerks up. His hand lands on my stomach, pressing down. Holding my gaze, he moves forward again, repositioning himself without going farther. He waits. I could kick, punch, scream, bite, or just plain get up and walk away.
The strain in his face tells me how much he wants me. His restraint tells me how much he cares. I look into his storm-cloud eyes, and I can’t resist. I angle my hips up until his hot tip presses against my core.
He slowly exhales. His eyes close and then open again. He slides forward, pushing gradually inside. His thickness stretches me with an uncomfortable pressure. My nostrils flare, and I tense. The stretch turns into a burn.
Griffin stops, waiting for me to adjust. “Relax.” He kisses me between labored breaths. “It’ll get better.”
He wants me to relax, but he doesn’t sound relaxed at all. Perspiration dots his brow. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen him sweat. He’s right, though. It does get better—until he moves again.
Griffin braces his weight on his forearms, his muscles tense and bulging. Every so often, a tremor runs through him. His face is drawn in rigid lines. He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying this part any more than I am, so I turn my head and kiss the inside of his arm, inhaling his unique blend of salt, sunshine, and citrus.
He thrusts into me while I’m distracted, and I gasp, the last barrier between us broken.
Griffin drops his head into the curve of my neck. The sound that hisses between his teeth makes me wonder if he’s in pain. I know I am.
He stays still, buried deep. Then his mouth finds mine again, kissing me until my body molds to his. I eventually find myself wiggling, relaying my renewed interest, and Griffin answers with a slow, controlled thrust that generates a breathtaking friction. When I moan, he presses deeper, stretching me farther. My knees come up as he rocks above me. The desire that faded with the discomfort ignites again in an instant.
Griffin’s groan heats my lips. Our breath mingles, carrying short pants and sounds of pleasure. His steady rhythm and long, deep strokes drive me to the edge of reason. My body coils tight, straining for release. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him with all the passion of the Furies. My hips rise to meet his, and he grinds down on me, hitting sensitized, throbbing nerves.
I cry out, tension gathering in my core. I pulse around him, on the verge of shattering again.
Just when I’m almost there, Griffin stops moving and traps my face between his hands, capturing my eyes with his. His voice drops to a low, fierce growl. “I claim you.” He draws back and then thrusts hard, filling me completely. “I claim you.”
Even as I burn for release, my heart nearly bursts. I understand this southern rite now. He’s not so much declaring possession of me as asserting my right to him. Forever.
I nod and touch his cheek, accepting his gift of devotion and protection. Griffin’s eyes flare a heated silver. He drops his mouth to mine for a bruising kiss before driving into me, faster, harder. The sensations inside me build to an unbearable level. I throw my legs around his waist and sink my fingers into his back, meeting his almost brutal thrusts with a wildness of my own.
Griffin slips a hand under me and slams me up at a new angle, pounding deep into my core. I convulse with a shout, mewling all over again. A bright light flashes from me, and thunder rolls through the room. Griffin stills, seeing and hearing it, too, and breathing hard while I pulse around him. Explosive pleasure radiates from my center in hot, throbbing beats. His splayed fingers tighten on my bottom, and he grinds our bodies together, his sudden roughness taking my climax to a devastating level. The orgasm spills through me again, agonizingly sweet.