Rage to Adore (31 page)

She mesmerized him, moaning at the taste of their essences
mingling with the salt of her skin. He didn’t wait to be asked but dipped his
head, his tongue licking the remnants from her palm. “We taste good together,
Red.” She smiled up at him, trust and adoration shining in her eyes and he
realized it had always been there; he’d just been too blind to see it.

“I know,” she said and then her mouth touched his, her small
tongue teasing to gain entry. And then he was lost. Beyond control. Wildfire
igniting around them. All-consuming flames that burned supernova. Jaro slid
into her soft, moist haven and they moved together in rhythmic abandon that saw
them both safely home.

Fate

The early-morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the
curtains and Tani couldn’t help but smile as one tiny ray stretched a leisurely
finger to caress her lover’s cheek. He was lying on his stomach, his head
turned toward her, resting on the crook of his arm. His tan skin glowed as if
lit from the inside and she couldn’t resist touching the rough stubble of his
jaw to check that he was really here. That he’d really come back to her. She
wouldn’t have blamed him if he never wanted to see her again.

After their lovemaking, they had talked into the early
hours, laying bare their confused emotions, realizing their mistakes and
reweaving the threads of their relationship. The fabric of their love was a
shimmering tapestry now, strong and unbreakable.

Jaro’s eyelids fluttered against the chiseled perfection of
his cheek and his mouth curved upward into a grin. His eyes were still shut but
she knew he was awake. Well, if he was going to smile she would give him
something worth smiling about.

Tani sat up and began rubbing his shoulders, gently
massaging the muscles at the base of his neck. He groaned with contentment. She
ran her fingers along his back and then his arms, kneading his hard triceps but
then she quickly switched her movements to a faster rhythm and began tickling
his underarms.

He writhed beneath her, twisting, a snort and a bark of
laughter escaping although muffled by the fabric of his pillow. His head rolled
back in the throes of pure unrestrained laughter that reminded her of the day
he dragged her into the water during their never-to-be-forgotten trek. And it
was as beautiful a sound as she remembered. There was no music more wonderful
to her ears than Jaro’s deep rumbling laugh. It made her whole body vibrate,
her womb clench and her toes curl.

Still enjoying the sound, Tani suddenly found herself on her
back, Jaro looming above her and giving back as good as she had given. Tears
streamed down her cheeks before he gave up the assault. She had never laughed
so much or so joyfully.

“Morning, Red,” he said when she finally stilled. The sound
of his voice and the look in his eyes stole her breath away.

Desire radiated from his silver gaze flooding into her. Heat
flared between her legs in anticipation. She rubbed a finger along his lips,
adoring the softness, needing his kiss. “Morning to you too,” she whispered,
her palm caressing his cheek, loving the roughness of his unshaven skin. She
had missed him so much. He leaned in to touch her mouth, the brief contact
causing electric sparks to burst in her chest. She was already wet for him and
he could smell her arousal.

“I could get used to this, Red, waking with you in my arms.
It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

His admission touched her deeply, her warrior, so strong,
rock solid in every deed. He could still bare his soul to her revealing the man
he was, one who needed love, just like any man.

“Everything?” she asked, wondering how he would react to
some of the things she needed to tell him.

“Just you, Red. You are everything. What else is there?
There’s nothing in the universe better than this—you, naked underneath me.”

“Really? What about me naked and on top of you, or me naked
up against the wall, or me naked and in the shower…”

He barked out a laugh again, kissing her hard to stop her
teasing. “You should be careful,” he said. “You just wrote my to-do list for
the day.”

He rolled to the side, pulling her with him so that her back
was pressed to his hard torso, his arousal evident against her backside.

She wondered what would be on his to-do list when she told
him her news. Tani rubbed her stomach gently. Now was as good a time as any to
tell him. What would he think? Would it make him run? A flutter of panic. What
if he left her again? No…he wouldn’t. Would he? Doubts assailed her. Perhaps he
wouldn’t want to be tied, having so many responsibilities; it would be like forcing
a chain around his neck enslaving him again. She didn’t want that. She wanted
him to be free. But she had to tell him and give him the choice.

Strong arms tightened around her, calloused hands skimming
the flesh beneath her breasts. Jaro pressed a kiss to her neck, sending shivers
across her skin. Stealing a breath, Tani turned to face him.

Jaro gazed at the woman next to him, still wondering how
this could be real. He had returned unsure of his welcome. Nerves frayed by the
weeks spent apart. He had left her in anger but not through hate. Wanting to
stay but needing to go, he had taken advantage of the quest to find Sami and bring
Sitri to justice. Leaving had given him the space to clear his head, to shed
the years of bitterness, the sting of rejection and abandonment, forcing him to
focus on the only thing that truly mattered. Her. With that realization, his
need of her washed everything else away. She was his and he was keeping her. So
now that he was back and lost in the depths of her amethyst gaze, he knew he
didn’t want to ever be found. Nothing mattered but her.

“There is something I…” Her voice sounded small and uncertain.
Jaro had never seen Tani like this. She was a lioness, a warrior princess,
brave and unyielding and he couldn’t help but worship her. Long, dark lashes
fluttered down and he watched her tongue nervously lick those gorgeous red lips
he wanted kiss every second of every day for the rest of his life. He felt it
in his dick. He was a bastard. She was obviously worried about something.

“What is it, Red? You can tell me. Something you…”

She looked up at him then, her eyes a more vivid purple than
he had ever seen contrasted against the paleness of her skin and the flaming
red of her hair. Never wavering, locking her gaze with his, he felt her small
hand tug his large one from her shoulder. Pulling them both down, her hand over
his, she glided their palms together over her soft skin, keeping contact all
the way.

He felt the softness of her naked breast, the hard pearl of
her nipple, the supple curves and contours of her flesh as she traced a path
down her length. Their hands came to rest on the sweet, small swell of her
stomach, the rounded bump curvier than he remembered. He frowned, confused at
what she was doing. Was this her way of seducing him, or, no…

He shook away a stray thought that suddenly curled its way
into his mind. A tendril that had suddenly appeared as if from nowhere but he
knew came from her. She was trying to tell him something but his battered
brain, too hardened by disappointment, was unwilling to believe it could
possibly be true.

“Yes.” Her whisper seared through the connection, locking on
to his heart, opening it to the truth.

He felt his jaw drop in wonder. “Really?” His voice cracked.
Her reply a tentative nod. Then he was grinning, the biggest widest smile. She
had given him so many gifts already, her body, her virginity, her trust and his
own freedom and now… Now she was giving him the greatest gift of all.

“Are you telling me that we made a baby?”

“Yes. Are you okay with that?”

His jaw dropped again, this time in shock. “Am I okay with
that? By Chaos, Tani, you have given me so much and now you tell me…” He paused,
trying to find the words.

“I don’t want you to feel obligated,” she said quickly, a
touch of panic in her voice, reading his pause as something else.

He kissed her then to shut her up and wipe away her fears. “Red,
you are incredible. You have given me everything I could ever want or need.
You. Only you and our child. I love you. I adore you.”

Her eyes lit up with happiness and love that shone so
brightly back at him he was nearly blinded by it. She planted kisses all over
his face. “Jaro, I was so scared you wouldn’t want this. I love you so much.
Our baby is so lucky to have you as a father.”

He stopped her then, resting his forehead on hers. “We have
to do it now,” he said.

“What?”

“The bonding. To reset The Balance and make us one.”

Tani was shocked. “Don’t we need to go through the public
ceremony first?”

Jaro shook his head, his mouth set in determination. “It
doesn’t matter which we do first as long as both parts are completed within
eight days of each other. I spoke to Merak before I returned and he gave me the
details. I want to bond with you now, right now. Tyr taught me the words and I’m
hoping you already know them.”

Of course she did. The words had been drummed into her
through relentless hours of repetition as a child. She had never been so
grateful to her father. A smile stole across her face; her big, strong warrior
was full of surprises. “You’re really sure? You want to do this right now?”

The intensity in his eyes told her all she needed to know. “When
something is this perfect why wait?” His strong arms pulled her up so they were
face-to-face on the bed and the enormity of what was about to happen sank in.
Her duty, her fate all aligned in perfect synchronicity and this bonding would
be the ultimate expression of their connection. And between them, cocooned
safely and growing steadily in the swell of her belly was the ultimate
manifestation of their love.

Tani melted into his hard chest, surrendering to the
strength of his embrace. He leaned down to take possession of her mouth, gently
demanding entry. A slow-burning fuse lit deep in her womb as she opened up to
him. She thought it would be as it had been the night before, a slow steady
fusion building to an earth-shattering crescendo but then the tip of his tongue
touched hers.

The fuse burst into a flaming comet and then they were both
on fire. Out of control. Tongues collided, teeth clashed, lips merged. Jaro’s
hands fisted the hair at her nape, accessing the arch of her neck. He pulled
her head back and nipped at her pulse point, sucking her skin until she was
marked by his kiss. The sensations sent her body into freefall. Whirling out of
control, Tani echoed his claiming with sharp bites to his jaw and throat over
the muscle that ticked frantically to the rhythm of his heart.

She could feel the pounding in his chest when her breasts
crushed against his hard pectorals. Her nipples pebbled, swollen by the
friction that sparked as skin glided against skin. They were wild for each
other. His hands covered every inch of her flesh until finally sinking into her
moist heat. “Chaos, Red, you’re so hot and wet. I need to taste you first!”
Oxygen escaped from her lungs and Tani thought she would die from lack of it.
But she needed to taste him too.

Jaro crashed back against the pillows, pulling her
forcefully down with him but before he could position her against his mouth she
twisted over him so that she had access to the part of him she craved. He
growled appreciatively and spread her legs apart, running his hands down the
length of her spine to palm the globes of her ass. “So sexy!” he groaned as he
lavished kisses to each cheek.

At the same time Tani pushed at his thighs, one hand cupping
his balls and squeezing them tight. His cock twitched, alert and begging for
attention. She -stroked her other hand across the V of his hip and the crisp
dark hairs of his happy trail before enclosing his virility in her fist.

As she took him in her mouth, relishing the silky hard
length of him between her lips, Jaro took possession of her swollen clit. His
tongue swirled the ripe pearl and then he sucked hard. Tani broke out into a
sweat as feverish ripples swept across her burning flesh. She lavished his cock
with reciprocal attention, sucking and licking, tonguing the slit at the tip of
the ripe head until he was chanting her name again. A prayer, a plea. Praise
for her devotion. “Get up here, Red, I’m about to explode!”

Jaro spun her around and jackknifed up so that they were
both sitting again, Tani straddling his hips, his erection straining between
them. He palmed her cheeks, his eyes molten silver starbursts detonating. Their
swollen lips crashed together. Devouring. Devastating. Delicious.

Hands on his shoulders, Tani couldn’t wait any longer. She
impaled herself on his shaft, loving the taut hardness as he slid into her
slick sheath. No slow burn. No soft glide but a furious frenzied ride as Jaro
thrust and she bounced—friction, electricity, sparks and then combustion. A
star exploding. Words spilling out from deep inside dancing on the flames of
their passion.

“We are yin and yang—together we are one—infinite
and eternal—different but complementary— We are the ebb and flow of the
universe—Love and Hate personified—the essence of all existence—together we are
one—eternal and forever.”

Chanting together, their bodies
synthesised, coalescing into one unified being of carbon and atoms, neurons and
electrons, particles of matter and antimatter colliding and mutating in
intoxicated delirium. And as their bodies peaked in sync, their minds stripped
each other bare, giving everything, holding nothing back so that their souls
were irrevocably entwined.

The gossamer threads of The Balance, fluid
strands interwoven in the fabric of the universe, encircled their physical
bodies, entangling their fate and that of their child into the yin-yang
labyrinth of time and space. Galaxies, planets and stars realigned as Love and
Hate mingled their essences in a cosmic cocktail that sailed across the
universe and began healing fractures in the webbed tapestry of all things.
Their climax was a turbulent paroxysm, an exhilarating rapture that crested on
a wave of euphoria and then subsided in a diffusion of heat. The last throes of
their orgasm dissipating, Tani and Jaro fell back onto the sheets, limbs
entwined, bodies coated with a light sheen of sweat, both gasping for breath.
They lay like that for what seemed like hours, neither wanting to lose each
other’s warmth until Jaro finally turned his head and pulled Tani into a kiss
that gave and took in equal measure. He dropped a gentle brush of his lips onto
the claiming mark at her neck.