Chapter 201: Can’t Wait For Long

Aria’s entire body went still.

She braced herself instinctively for the bite, but the pain never came. Maverick remained there for another torturous second, his fang resting against her skin while his breathing grew heavier. Then he dragged himself away from her neck, lifting his head just enough to speak.

"I don’t know how much longer I can hold myself back, Aria." His voice sounded rough, the words hard on him. "And Feral..." He exhaled sharply. "Feral isn’t making it any easier."

Aria swallowed, her heart stuttering beneath her ribs. She knew exactly what he meant. The mating. The marking.

That instinct inside both Maverick and Feral demanding the bond far more permanent than the kisses they’d allowed themselves so far.

She simply didn’t know what she was supposed to say when part of her was frightened by the enormity of it while another part couldn’t stop wondering what it would feel like to surrender.

Maverick finally lifted his face completely and looked into her eyes. The gray had narrowed into predatory slits, but beneath all that hunger was restraint. He was struggling, Aria realized. Actually struggling, with her trapped between him and a tree, her neck exposed and his mate close enough to bite, and still he was waiting for her.

Guilt twisted painfully inside her.

"I’m sorry," Aria whispered, and she meant it.

Maverick’s brows drew together. "You have nothing to apologize for, Aria. I’ll wait for as long as I can."

They both knew what he meant. The mating fever. Once it came, he would have to give in. Until then, however, the decision remained hers, and that only made Aria feel worse knowing how much holding himself back was already costing him.

"But you look so damn good tonight." His eyes dropped briefly to her mouth before returning to hers. "And if I don’t get another taste of you, I think I’m going to lose my fucking mind."

Aria’s lips parted, but no words came. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, could still feel the phantom pressure of his fang against her neck. So she did the only thing her suddenly useless voice would allow.

She nodded.

That was all the permission Maverick needed.

His mouth descended on hers in a ravenous kiss, stealing what little breath she’d managed to gather as his body pressed hers firmly against the rough bark of the tree.

Aria slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. Maverick groaned into her mouth at the invitation. His hand settled at her waist beneath the open fur coat, his palm warm even through the thin fabric of her top as he slowly followed the curve of her side.

His tongue brushed the seam of her lips, and Aria opened for him willingly. There was none of the frantic recklessness from before. Maverick had all the privacy he’d wanted now, and he intended to take his time with it. His tongue stroked against hers with maddening patience, retreating only to draw her after him before meeting her again, until Aria found herself rising onto the toes of her boots just to keep his mouth exactly where she wanted it.

Maverick seemed to like that. A rough sound vibrated through his chest as he pulled her firmly against him. Aria gasped into his mouth at the sudden contact, and he took shameless advantage of it, deepening the kiss until her fingers tightened around the back of his neck and she forgot entirely about the tree holding her upright. By the time he finally released her mouth, her lips were swollen and tingling.

He then kissed his way slowly along her jaw, his mouth settling against the same sensitive spot where she’d felt his fang moments ago, except this time there were no teeth. Just the slow press of his lips followed by the warm sweep of his tongue that sent a shiver racing down her spine.

"Maverick," Aria moaned his name, having no idea what she intended to say afterward.

He hummed against her skin, and that was worse.

Aria’s head tipped back against the tree before she could stop herself, giving him more room, and the answering growl against her throat told her Maverick noticed exactly what she’d done. Her eyes fluttered open to the crescent moon hanging between the branches overhead, and some distant, still-functioning part of her brain could only hope the Moon Goddess had better things to do tonight than watch this.

His mouth traveled lower, lingering at the base of her neck before returning to that sensitive spot again, deciding it belonged to him.

"Soon..." Maverick murmured against her skin, his voice so rough that the word seemed to scrape over her nerves. "I’m going to be balls deep inside you, and I’ll fuck you so hard you’ll cry tears of gratitude."

Aria’s entire body reacted before her mind could.

Those words should have frightened her. Coming from anyone else, they probably would have sounded like a threat. But from Maverick, with his mouth still warm against her throat, they sent a hot pulse of desire straight through her.

God help her, she was turned on.

Maverick caught the change immediately. His nostrils flared as he breathed her in, and when he lifted his head, the desire already burning in his eyes had darkened into something so hungry that Aria’s stomach tightened.

"Do you trust me?" Maverick breathed, pressing a kiss now to her chest.

That was probably the stupidest question he could have asked when they were already teetering at the edge, one reckless decision away from plunging straight over it.

Yet Aria answered on a trembling breath. "Yes."

His eyes almost seemed to glow at her response. Then, without looking away from her, Maverick slowly lowered himself.

His lips trailed downward in a torturously slow path, beginning at her cleavage before continuing lower. All the while, his eyes remained fixed on hers, watching every flicker of realization cross her face as he descended.

Aria’s breathing grew shallower the farther he went, her fingers tightening helplessly at her sides as Maverick sank lower and lower in front of her.

Until he reached her skirt. And Aria stopped breathing.

Maverick’s hands settled against her hips as he moved closer, his face now dangerously near the short hem. Then he inhaled deeply through his nose. Loudly.

Aria swallowed.

Dear Lord. She knew exactly what he was about to do.