“I saved you and kept you with me.”
His lips covered hers in a tender kiss. His arms circled around her body and pulled her closer into an embrace. Grace surrendered entirely to the overwhelming desire that took over her every time they touched. Her body shook and overheated. Her heart threatened to come out or explode. Irrationality clouded her mind, and she often found herself losing track of time.
“I could be with you like this forever,” she said breathlessly when his mouth scattered kisses down her neck. “You make it hard for me to control myself.”
Noah remained silent, his lips spreading shivers down her shoulders and back. A tickling sensation took over her body, and she moaned with need.
His fingers brushed her neckline, slid down her throat, and played with the third bottom of her shirt, the one covering her breasts. Heat exploded between her legs, and she tilted her head back.
“You smell so good,” Noah whispered before planting a kiss on her chest. His arms pulled her closer to his lower body. “I want to rip your clothes off.”
Grace giggled. “I want you to rip my clothes off, too.”
“We need to behave,” he said.
“Yes.”
“It’s too soon.”
“Everybody is downstairs, making noise, and … we could close the door,” she reasoned.
“You should tell me to control myself.”
“I should.” She giggled. “It’s hard to control myself with you kissing me.”
“It’s hard to take my hands off you when you’re so sexy and feel so good against me.”
“We’ve been acting rather irrational since we kissed each other. That might have triggered some sort of overwhelming attraction that exists between mates.”
His mouth covered hers, and his hand massaged the back of her neck. “I was already overwhelmingly attracted to you before our kiss.” He leaned back enough to keep talking. “But, yes, mate bonds are famous for triggering irrationality and desire. The first weeks are more intense. I’m not familiar with the mating ritual between soul-mates, but I read about it.”
“But attraction isn’t love.”
“Love comes with time and grows stronger with the obstacles and evidence that we can trust each other.” He swallowed hard, his mouth inches from hers. “But we know that mates are meant to love each other. Even if they are from different races.”
Grace breathed in to control her urges. “We’ll wait for Grandpa’s arrival to mark each other. Agreed?”
“I’ll do as you please,” he answered.
“Are you always this charming?”
“Only to you.” He kissed her forehead. “Your happiness is my top priority.”
“What if I want you to take over and do as you please?”
His eyes glinted, and he smiled mischievously. “I can take control and show you how dominant I can be. But I know you, Grace. These days together gave me a good idea about your personality. You’re an alpha like me. You don’t like to be told what to do. You don’t like to be pushed into doing something you’re not sure about.”
“I’m sure about how I feel about you.”
He smiled. “You might not be submissive, but you always say what I need to hear to push aside my insecurities and doubts about how this would work between us. You know I need to hear these things and feel wanted. Don’t you?”
“We lost our parents and felt unwanted by society and our families. We are each other’s family now. I don’t want you to hurt anymore. I’m here. You are here. We aren’t alone.”
He kissed her and showed her how her words affected him and warmed his heart.