Chapter 174: Show Me

For one suspended second, Maverick simply stood there, stunned by the boldness of the kiss. He had not seen that coming at all. Then his arms banded around her waist, hauling her flush against him, and any illusion that Aria had been the one in control disappeared entirely.

Maverick kissed her like he’d been starving for this moment, deep and consuming, tilting his head to fit their mouths together more perfectly. Aria’s fingers dug into the bare skin of his shoulders, holding on as the floor seemed to tilt beneath her.

She could feel the heat radiating off his chest through the fabric of her top, the ridges of muscle pressed firmly against her.

Somewhere beneath the haze of sensation, Aria registered the room around them, the same room where they’d argued about Rhydian minutes ago, morning light slanting through the window, her roommates still asleep just beyond the wall. Except none of it mattered anymore.

The mate bond pulsed heavy and persistent between them, a current that strengthened every time his mouth moved against hers, almost as if her body had been waiting for permission to stop fighting this. Heat bloomed low in her belly the second his tongue traced the seam of her lips, asking without asking.

She let him in.

Maverick Nightshade groaned against her mouth, hoarse with need, the sound alone sending a shiver skating down her spine. His hand slid up from her waist to cradle the back of her neck, tilting her head exactly where he wanted it, deepening the kiss until she forgot to think about anything except him.

His other hand splayed wide against the small of her back, fingers pressing into bare skin where her tank top had ridden up, and Aria felt the warmth of his palm sink straight through her.

Aria yielded against him, her fingers sliding from his shoulders up into his hair, tugging lightly, and the answering growl that rumbled through his bare chest vibrated against hers.

He walked her backward without breaking the kiss, guiding her until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed. She barely had time to register the change before he lowered her onto the mattress and followed, until his weight settled fully over her, one knee braced between her thighs, his body pinning hers into the sheets.

"Maverick," Aria breathed against his lips, even though she had no idea what she meant to say after that. Perhaps some warning about her roommates or timing or sense that evaporated the moment his mouth trailed along her jaw instead.

He kissed a slow path down to her throat, and Aria’s head fell back into the pillow, giving him better access, her hands fisting against the bare skin of his back as his lips found the same spot where his thumb had lingered earlier, right over the frantic thrum of her pulse.

Maverick lingered there, tasting, sucking gently until she gasped, her whole body arching up into him, her hips brushing the hard line of him through his shorts.

"You have no idea," he murmured against her skin, "how long I’ve wanted to do this, Aria."

Had anyone told Maverick that he would one day touch a woman this way, much less have a mate whose body he couldn’t seem to get enough of, he would never have believed them.

He’d had a plan once.

If the time ever came when he needed an heir, his seed would be given to a suitable woman willing to carry his child, and that would be the extent of his involvement with her. His parents could help him raise the baby afterward.

His family was ridiculously large, with more relatives than he cared to count, and he’d never doubted that his child would grow up surrounded by love. His fathers alone would probably smother the poor kid with enough affection to make up for an entire household.

At least, that had been the plan until Aria.

"Show me," Aria whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them, bold in a way that surprised even her.

That was all the invitation Maverick needed. His mouth found hers again, hungrier this time, one hand sliding down her side to grip her thigh and hitch it around his waist, anchoring her beneath him as the kiss turned messy and lascivious, both of them chasing the pull of the bond neither had any intention of resisting anymore.

Maverick’s hips rocked forward instinctively, dragging a broken sound from Aria’s throat that he swallowed instantly. He kissed her deeper, unable to get enough. Feral would no doubt be proud of him right now.

Her fingers gripped his back, feeling the muscles ripple beneath his skin as he moved against her, his hard length pressing insistently between her thighs.

"Maverick, do you..." she gasped, breaking the kiss just enough to breathe, her eyes half-lidded, pupils blown wide.

"I know." His voice came out rough and strained, his forehead dropping to hers. "I feel it too."

The bond hummed between them, making every point of contact feel electric, amplifying each sensation until Aria wasn’t sure where its pull ended and her own desire began. She didn’t care to find the line anymore.

His hand slipped beneath the hem of her top, palm flattening against her bare stomach before drifting higher, slow enough to give her every chance to stop him. Aria didn’t. If anything, she arched into his touch, silently urging him on, and Maverick groaned at the encouragement.

His fingers finally closed over the curve of her breast, and Aria’s breath hitched sharply, her hips rolling up against his of their own accord. He caught the movement, answering it with a slow roll of his own hips that had her nails biting into his shoulders.

"Fuck, Aria." His voice was wrecked now, barely more than a growl against her throat. "You have no idea what you do to me."

"Show me that too," she whispered, echoing her earlier words, and felt him shudder above her at the challenge.