Sol reached over her with an open palm and sent the door crashing to the ground with a harsh shove.
Claire jumped over the iron and ran right for me. Her lips were on mine before I could speak, her arms winding around my neck and yanking me down to her for a hungry kiss. Our bond sparked to life, humming in approval at our shared touch and solidifying once more. We both knew how close we’d been to losing one another, how our connection nearly faded away into nothing. But neither of us had dwelled on it, too determined to fix the problem.
And that was the way it should be.
The way I always wanted it to be.
Claire responded in kind, accepting the third stage of our link with a bold thrust of her tongue into my waiting mouth. We had so much to go over, so many items to discuss, but it all paled in comparison to the near sense of loss.
Never again, she whispered. I’m never losing you again.
Took the words right out of my mind, baby. I deepened our kiss and grasped her hips to lift her into the air. Her legs wrapped around my hips as I braced her back against the wall and well and truly devoured her.
I missed you. The words were spoken by us both, simultaneously, over and over and over. Her body sung to mine, her mouth openly receiving my worship. Each swipe of her tongue invigorated my soul, giving me the strength I hadn’t realized I needed and bringing me back to full health in an instant.
“Claire,” I whispered, reverent. I wanted to do so much more than kiss her, but this wasn’t the place. And we had an audience.
A hungry audience.
I could feel their desire for her through the bond. They were only in the initial stage, their courtship fragile, while her other three mates were already promised for eternity. That had the potential to create another imbalance, one Claire had only just fixed. But it was too soon for her to promise herself to them as well. I could sense it in her mind that she wanted more time to get to know them, to make sure it was what they wanted.
And with Sol, I could feel his absolute craving, his unwavering loyalty crafted over the last month of knowing who he considered to be his little flower. I rather liked that nickname and wondered if he’d spoken it out loud to her yet or not, because it seemed to be a recent blossom in his mind.
Hmm, but Vox, he remained uneasy. While he liked Claire,
he wasn’t yet satisfied with her motives. Primarily because he’d spent their entire relationship pushing her away, and he seemed to think he’d done too good a job.
I almost laughed.
It definitely showed he needed more time to get to know Claire, because once he did, he would see the stubborn female that lurked beneath.
She sighed against me, her sense of rightness palpable. “Take me back to our bed, Exos,” she whispered. “Please.”
My lips curled against hers. “Not even going to let me eat first?”
She froze, her eyes flashing wide, her nails an anchor against my shoulder. “Oh… Oh God, you’re right! I’m mauling you when you probably—”
I silenced her with my mouth, pressing her harder against the wall and aligning my thickening arousal with the sweet spot between her legs. “Baby, I’m fine and only teasing.”
A whine left her as I kissed her again, this time with all the fervor built up from the months of knowing her and not consummating our relationship. Oh, I’d tasted her—several times—but I’d yet to experience the sweet bliss of my cock sliding into her waiting heat.
And unfortunately, I had to wait even longer before I could fuck her.
Because I needed to work with Cyrus to determine the real threat.
It wasn’t the mean girls who set up our Claire and made her appear too unstable to exist, but someone else. And the presence was at the tip of my thoughts, still hiding behind that sticky wall that didn’t belong there.
Claire palmed the side of my head, her lips leaving mine, her gaze narrowing. “I feel it,” she said, clearly having followed my thoughts. “It’s…” She prodded it with her spirit, her brow furrowing. “I think—”
A piercing shriek had me flinching and almost dropping her.
Sol was suddenly there, his hands on Claire, trying to rip her from my arms.
I shook my head to clear it, holding on to her tightly, as the sound continued.
And then I realized it was coming from her.
“Let go!” Sol shouted.