He gripped the base of his magnificent cock and she felt it at her center, parting her folds. With several slow, shallow movements, he coated himself with her liquid heat. Then, without breaking their kiss, he thrust hard.
She cried out in sheer ecstasy as this amazingly courageous man filled her completely. She clung to him, not wanting to let go of him—ever.
Despite his earlier doubts, in the past few months, he’d become an incredible father and role model to their son who loved and adored him. As far as Darius was concerned, his dad hung the moon and the stars and could do no wrong. Even though today had made it official, Vince was already a trusted member of the Iron Guild, having mapped several more unknown portals.
She ran her hands over his broad back, over his many scars, feeling the movement of his powerful muscles contract beneath her fingertips.
The boy she’d fallen in love with all those years ago was everything she’d dreamed he would be as a man.
“Tell me you’re close,” he rasped in her ear.
“I am, my love.”
His rhythm changed slightly. With each thrust, he pushed in deeper, holding it a little longer before sliding back. He was on the brink now, just as she was. It hadn’t taken long. It never did.
And then…
A rush of intense pleasure crashed over her, radiating outward from where there were joined.
And then…
His muscles tensed, her name roaring from his lips as he came.
“Wow,” she said when she was finally able to think and speak coherently. “That was…wow.”
He nuzzled her neck, kissing that ticklish spot just below her ear and making her shiver. “I know.”
They lay contentedly in each other’s arms. She cracked open one eye and found that he was staring at her, his gaze roving over her face as if he’d never seen her before.
“What?” she asked, feeling almost self-conscious.
“You’re so beautiful like this,” he said, running the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “I used to dream of the day when I would see you again. Make love to you again. Draw you again.”
Seemed like both a long time ago and just yesterday when he’d sketched her in that daisy-filled field. “I’ll look for some art supplies in the market tomorrow.”
“I would love that,” he said, falling onto the pillow beside her.
He’d either be asleep in a few minutes or be ready for another round of lovemaking. She’d better tell him now.
She pushed a piece of hair off his sweaty forehead. “Vince?”
“Mmmm.” His eyes were closed.
“That thing I wanted to talk to you about?”
“Yeah?”
She took a deep breath. “Well, the thing is…I’m pregnant.”
His eyes popped open and he frowned. “What?”
“I’m going to have another baby.”
His expression was completely unreadable. Was he angry? Upset?
“But…how…?” He sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I mean, I know how, but…”
Her hands began to shake. He wasn’t excited. “You’re upset. I’m—”
In a flash, he dropped to his knees on floor beside the bed and took her hands in his as if he were praying to her.
“Upset? Zara, the Fates have given me the most perfect woman in two worlds to love and cherish. I’m consumed by you. Hell. I’d spend twenty-four seven in this bed with you if I could. How could I be upset that you’re pregnant when I find you utterly impossible to resist? Holy Fates! I’m going to be a father again! A father!”
She felt as if her heart would burst.
Lifting her into his arms, he spun her around and they laughed. Tears stung the backs of her eyes. She’d read him wrong. He wasn’t upset—he was ecstatic.
When he stopped, his eyes sparkled with emotion. “I love you, Zara. With all my heart and soul, I love you.”
She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and pressed her lips to his. “And you, my warrior, I love you, too.”
~ The End ~
Note From The Author
Thank you for reading WARRIOR’S HEART! I hope you enjoyed Vince and Zara’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Keep scrolling to read an excerpt from the next thrilling installment of the Iron Portal Series, REBEL’S DESIRE. My most favorite first-meet I’ve written is in that book!
Newsletter: If you’d like to get an email from me when my next book comes out, be sure to sign up for my VIP Mailing List. Subscribers get all sorts of exclusive goodies, including $20 gift card drawings. http://laurielondonbooks.com/mailing-list-sign-up/
Books: Be sure to check out the other books in the Iron Portal series. They can all be read as standalones, but you may enjoy reading them in order as characters from earlier books carry over to the next.
ASSASSIN’S TOUCH, Iron Portal #1
ROGUE’S PASSION, Iron Portal #2
WARRIOR’S HEART, Iron Portal #3
REBEL’S DESIRE, Iron Portal #4
Reviews: Please consider leaving a review for Warrior’s Heart at your favorite online bookseller. Reviews help other readers decide whether they’d enjoy a book, too.
Find me online:
Website http://LaurieLondonBooks.com
Facebook http://facebook.com/LaurieLondonAuthor
Twitter http://twitter.com/LaurieBLondon
Instagram http://instagram.com/LaurieBLondon
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/LaurieLondon
About the Author
Laurie London is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sweetblood and Iron Portal series—dark, sexy paranormal romance, set primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Publisher’s Weekly has called her work “sexy” and “sizzling.”
She lives on a small farm outside of Seattle with her husband, two children and a variety of animals. After graduating from college, she worked for a Fortune 500 company as a programmer/tester and an underwriter. Her other jobs included cocktail waitress, hotel maid, candy store manager and bridal gown sales.
Excerpt from REBEL’S DESIRE
Keely needed to sell this kiss.
She gave it everything she had, which wasn’t too hard given that the stranger she was kissing was smoking hot.
With her mouth pressed to his, she ran her hands up the muscular plane of his chest, over his leather jacket, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He tasted and smelled amazing—like whiskey and mint, one hundred percent male. She’d always been impulsive, but she’d never done anything quite like this before.
At first his mouth had been rigid, but then his lips softened and began to move against hers, his hand slipped into her hair. The guy was actually kissing her back!
Good. It made this all the more believable.
All she had to do was make it seem like she wasn’t the woman her pursuers were after. That woman had been alone and wearing a faded grey sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. This woman wore a blue tank top, had longish red hair that fell past her shoulders, and was engaging in some serious PDA with her boyfriend.
Two totally different people, right? God, she hoped so.
From the corner of her eye, she saw her two pursuers sprint around the corner. They were coming right this way.
For a moment she questioned her split-second decision to stop running and try outsmarting them. She was desperate. She just hoped she hadn’t been too desperate.
Acutely aware of how high the stakes were, she kissed the stranger with even more intensity. She couldn’t let those men from the club, those thugs, get ahold of her, otherwise where would that leave her sister? It wouldn’t do either of them any good if they were both being held against their will. Plus, this was all her fault. She needed to make this kiss work.
Hitching a knee, she hooked her leg around the man’s hip. It shocked the hell out of her when he cupped his hands under her butt and pulled her other leg up, wrapping them both around his waist.
“Thank you,” she whispered against
his lips.
“You’re welcome,” he said, his low, rough voice reverberating through her body like a tuning fork.
Her pursuers drew closer. She could feel them looking in this direction. Instinctively, she put up a mental shield, sending invisible jolts of electricity racing down her arms.
The stranger’s body shifted slightly.
He hadn’t felt that, had he? No, he was reaching for something.
Without breaking the kiss, he turned them so that her back was against the wall. His large frame now stood between her and those men.
Was he protecting her?
Something flashed close to her face.
He had a knife!
Panic and confusion shot through her.
“Shhh. This isn’t for you.” He ran a thumb over the pulse point on her neck.
His touch was intoxicating and she felt herself relax, although she didn’t drop her guard. Almost immediately, he hauled her closer and deepened the kiss, stroking his hand through her hair. He pressed her mouth wider and slipped his tongue inside, acting as if she was his to take. Heat seared through her and desire pooled low in her belly.
Oh God. What was going on? This was all just for show, and yet it felt so…real.
Her heart pounded furiously as the two men jogged past them on the sidewalk, not more than a few feet away. She couldn’t tell if her physical reaction was entirely because of them or this darkly compelling man she was kissing.
The moment her pursuers disappeared around the corner, the man took a step backwards and released her. The blade he’d held a moment ago was gone. She disentangled herself, feeling suddenly awkward.
Now that she was staring up at him from a distance greater than the length of an eyelash, her breath caught in her throat.
He stood a good head taller than her, with sleek raven hair pulled into a low bun, warm olive skin and the most intense gray eyes she’d ever seen. He wore a black leather jacket, a plaid shirt underneath, low-slung jeans and black boots with thick soles. If someone were to ask her what two plus two was right now, she’d probably tell them her middle name.
“Um…thanks. I really appreciate…what you did.” Sure, he’d just saved her ass, but that was, quite possibly, the most amazing kiss in the history of the world.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, anger flashing in his eyes.
And just like that, her balloon popped.
* * *
REBEL’S DESIRE coming July 15!
Warrior's Heart: Iron Portal Series (Paranormal Romance) Page 21