Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her left cheek against his naked chest. She turned her head slightly so she could kiss the hard muscles there. She heard the sharp intake of his breath and knew that she had surprised him. She looked up at him and smiled. His eyes were blazing hot with need as he looked down at her.
“There are many things that I don’t understand about your world, Sebastian,” she told him calmly. “But I understand the goodness of your heart. And I recognize that you’re meant to be mine.”
Chapter 9
Lexi reached up and slid her fingers into the hair at the nape of Sebastian’s neck, dragging her fingernails along his scalp. She loved the small hum of pleasure that escaped him at her touch.
Sebastian leaned forward and kissed her forehead tenderly, breathing in her scent and allowing it to calm him considerably. He gave himself over to the beauty of this woman—his woman. Easing back after a moment, he rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.
Lexi pulled back from him and saw the pain that etched his features. She didn’t understand why he was feeling pain. She wasn’t feeling any pain, just a dull ache within her womb.
“Sebastian?” she asked him softly. “Are you still experiencing pain?”
“I will be well in a moment,” he told her with effort as he straightened, released his gentle hold on her, and took two steps away from her. Although he wanted nothing more than to hold her, he was in too much pain to trust that he would not hurt her if he tensed while she was within his arms.
“Why are you in pain?” Lexi asked, looking up at him in concern. “My pain is almost nothing right now.”
“It is the bonding urge,” he told her as gently as he could manage. “You experienced this earlier. Destined life mates must continue to touch often or pain will tear at them.”
“I know, but we’ve been touching, Sebastian.”
“We have,” he agreed.
“Then why is it still so painful for you?”
“The man in the bonding pair experiences pain that increases in intensity until the claiming has been completed and his seed finds its home within his woman’s womb.”
Lexi’s eyes widened in surprise. She didn’t know what to say. Sebastian would never know true relief from his pain until they made love and completed their bond.
“I would not presume to ask this of you so soon,” Sebastian began.
“Sebastian, stop.”
He smiled at her command, loving the strength of his queen. “I will stop, my lady,” he told her gently. “I could do nothing but honor your wishes.”
Lexi sighed at his words. “You really make it very difficult to lose patience with you,” she told him.
“That is a very good thing, my love.”
His words warmed her heart and filled her soul. This man was sincere. He wasn’t kidding when he said that the feelings between them would grow quickly. She more than liked him. She was hesitant to say that she loved him, but if she were to be honest with herself, her heart already belonged to him. Her mother had been correct. When she touched Sebastian, she knew him to be an honorable man who belonged only to her.
“I think that we should complete the bond,” she told him after a moment, her voice firm despite her nervousness.
“Why would you make this choice so soon, Lexi?” he asked, truly at a loss to understand. “I would not have you rush into this bonding.”
Lexi stepped forward and took hold of his right hand. She brought it to her mouth and kissed the back of his knuckles tenderly. She heard the soft rumbling growl that escaped Sebastian at her touch and was pleased. She was thrilled that he liked the way she touched him. She also loved the very raw and animalistic reaction she had on him. It was surprising. It was flattering. It was exciting.
“Something happened to me when I touched you, Sebastian,” she told him, her voice quiet but certain. She looked up at him, her violet eyes meeting his golden ones and feeling the deep connection with him once again.
“What happened, my lady?”
“I felt your soul reaching out and joining with mine.”
Sebastian closed his eyes and took a calming breath. To have her experience the joining of their souls was a true miracle, one that he did not think Lexi would experience. It was the way of life mates on his world. That connection was made and recognized the moment the intended life mates were in close proximity to each other. He was both surprised and relieved that Lexi had been able to experience that connection despite the fact that she was not a native to Altavesta.
“Look at me, Sebastian,” Lexi whispered, waiting until he focused his attention on her once again.
“I am looking at you,” he whispered back. “I will always enjoy looking at you, my lady.”
Lexi tried not to blush—she really did, but Sebastian was just too sweet for words. She had to tell him what she was feeling and what she wanted. She needed him to know.
“I want this,” she began. “I want you. As my friend, my life mate, and my king.”
Although her words were heartfelt and true, she couldn’t resist teasing him. She expected him to smile in response. He didn’t. The intense look he gave her was filled with an expression she could only describe as one of awe.
“My lady, you humble me.”
Sebastian’s voice was hushed with reverence. He wanted to reach out and pull Lexi into his arms, but he held back. She had to be the one to take the initiative. He would not assume to begin a physical relationship with her unless she chose it. Once she made that decision and reached for him, he was never going to let her go.
“I need to touch you. Is that all right?” she whispered.
He had to close his eyes and take a cleansing breath as his heart began to race at her words. “I ache for your touch, my love,” he whispered, kissing her mouth once again. “It pleases me that you want to touch me.”
As her hand traveled across his chest to gently slip around his waist and tenderly caress his back, he sighed with pure joy. He loved the gentleness of her touch. His breath hitched in his throat as she kneaded the muscles in his back then slowly pulled his body against hers. When her hand lowered to caress his buttocks and pulled him even closer, the intense desire that he had for her burst through him, sending a shower of his magic cascading around them as his eyes flew open and the golden within them flashed brightly.
Lexi couldn’t help the shy smile she gave him. To be looked at in the way that Sebastian was looking at her was overwhelming. It was also beautiful and exciting. She saw his need, but she also saw his desire to have her as his to travel life’s journey together.
She hugged him tightly, the warmth of his body soothing her like nothing ever had before. Pushing aside her nervousness, she kissed the underside of his jaw. She felt and heard his low sounds of pleasure and smiled. He almost sounded as if he was purring.
“I want us to complete the bonding, Sebastian,” she told him softly as she pressed gentle kisses along his throat and across his collarbone. “I want to be yours.”
Sebastian groaned when Lexi slid her right hand down his abdomen and palmed his hard shaft through his trousers. He could not help but tighten his grip on her upper arms as she traced the hard length of him with her fingers then squeezed him carefully.
“Your touch is wonderful, my love,” he whispered, his words ending on a long groan as Lexi unlaced his black trousers with her free hand and pushed them downward so that his aching shaft was released. He could not prevent the sigh of relief that escaped him.
“So big,” Lexi whispered in wonder as she looked down and tentatively touched Sebastian’s shaft with her fingertips.
She traced the prominent vein along the underside of it, loving the thick girth and impressive length of him. Slowly lowering herself to her knees, she leaned forward and kissed the head lightly, loving the way his shaft bounced in response.
“I don’t know how you’re going to fit inside of me, Sebastian,” she whispered
, wrapping her hand around his shaft and pumping once before squeezing the tip and licking up the small drop of his essence that escaped.
“I will fit,” he said on a growl. “You are made for me, Lexi. You will accept me into your body without a problem. There will be no discomfort. I will be certain of it.”
“Will you?” Lexi asked, laughing softly. “And just how will you do that, my king?”
Looking down at her, he bent forward and kissed her forehead tenderly before standing and reaching out to pull her to her feet with clear intentions of getting her naked. She stood before him silently as he removed her vest and shirt. He reached up and reverently touched her breasts through the pink lace that covered them. He needed to touch her skin. Despite its delicate beauty, the garment had to go. His hands made quick work of the front clasp, smiling when it opened to reveal her full breasts to his admiring gaze.
His breathing quickened as he looked down at her stunning beauty. He weighed the fullness of her breasts with his hands, leaning down to kiss each one lovingly, tracing the rose colored areolas and lightly pinching the taught nipples before he sucked on them greedily. When he heard her soft whimpers of pleasure, he was filled with joy.
“Lexi, you are beautiful,” he whispered as he continued to caress her. He smiled at the gasp that escaped her when he passed the pads of his thumbs across the engorged tip of each nipple. Leaning forward he drew one into his mouth, suckling the darkened rosebud deeply, swirling his tongue around it, and nipping at it gently with his teeth. Not to be unfair, he turned his attention to the other breast and did the same.
He looked up at Lexi and saw the dazed expression on her face and felt the gentle touch of her hands as they speared through his hair and held him against her. She relaxed her hold when he leaned back and reached for her trousers.
“You will not leave our home without your weapons ever again, my love,” he told her firmly as he unfastened her pants and pushed them down her legs, leaving her clad only in her very feminine pink lace panties.
“I won’t,” she promised, realizing in shock that it was the first time she had ever left her weapons behind. That wasn’t a good thing.
“My warriors followed you until I ordered them to return to our camp,” he told her gently. “I realized that you had to be upset to leave me without concern for your own safety.”
“I was upset,” Lexi admitted. “That’s not a good reason to be unprepared.”
“No. It is not,” he told her, leaning forward and kissing her lips lightly. “I followed you without remembering to gather my weapons, either.”
Lexi laughed softly at his admission. They were quite the pair. Both of them had left themselves open and vulnerable.
“It will never happen again. I will help you control the magic within you which you will use to fight and protect yourself.”
Lexi was confused by his words, but soon lost all ability to think when he gently ran his hand up her leg to the curve of her hip. A tingling of pleasure kissed every bit of skin that his hand touched.
Sebastian was unable to tear his gaze from her naked body—a body that was his to love and to cherish from this day forward. He took the time to ease back and look at her. He loved the beautiful flare of her hips and the softness of her skin. Pressing his nose against her right hip, he moved it slowly as he made his way toward her center. Her scent drew him. Her light shivers of pleasure pleased him.
The soft light of Altavesta’s two moons played across her skin. Carefully easing her backward, he guided her down onto the soft blanket below them, calling upon his magic to cushion them. She deserved to be made love to in a place that was both romantic and comfortable.
Looking down at her as she rested beneath him, he was overcome with the significance of the moment. Lexi was going to be his—forever bonded to him as his life mate. This moment would seal their future together.
He was lost to her as he looked into her violet eyes as they watched him through lids that were half-closed with passion. Smiling, he kissed her lips gently, running his hand down her body and following its path with tender kisses. When he reached the band of her undergarment, he hesitated and looked up to see her watching him intently.
“Very pretty,” he commented, running his finger along the delicate material at the waistband and tracing the same delicate edging that surrounded her leg. Reaching beneath it, he followed the contour of it to the apex of her thighs. What he found there made his heart pound and his shaft harden even more.
Her dark curls were wet with desire—for him. He cupped her gently with his hand and carefully slipped his middle finger through the soft folds of her body to find the hot, moist entrance that he sought. Easing his finger into her gently, his groan matched hers as he was surrounded by her tight heat.
“Sebastian,” she gasped, grabbing at his shoulders as his finger tormented her.
“Yes, my love?” he answered, stopping to pull the panties from her body, setting them aside, and gazing at the beauty of his woman.
He slowly kissed her lips, her throat, her shoulders, and her breasts. Nudging the fullness of each one, he licked a line down her torso, kissing her belly lightly and whispering words of love as he thought about the babies that would someday be nurtured within her womb.
He lifted her legs carefully and pressed his shoulders between her thighs, smiling as she opened to him willingly. He parted her delicate folds with gentle fingers and gazed at the beauty before him before easing forward and licking slowly to gather the wetness that was already pooling at her core. He groaned against her body, loving the taste of her. Pressing his tongue deep, he gathered her cream and drank of her desire for him. She was sweet, and hot, and completely his.
“Oh, my goodness,” Lexi whispered, suddenly afraid.
He heard her fear and carefully made his way up her body to hold her gently. “Do not fear the intimacy that we are sharing, Lexi,” he whispered, kissing her mouth gently. “I will not hurt you.”
He waited for her to calm and accept his words. When she sighed softly and nodded, he smiled tenderly at her and kissed her lips lightly.
“I will give you great pleasure, my love,” he promised her, kissing her lips one more time and waiting for her to relax beneath him.
When she touched his face and smiled up at him, he knew she was ready for him to love her. He kissed his way down her body to her core, waiting until she opened her legs to him and invited him in. He kissed her inner thigh then nudged her curls with his nose, breathing in the alluring scent of her. He opened her carefully with his fingers and licked from her core to the swollen bud that beckoned to him. He swirled his tongue around it slowly before sucking it into his mouth and pressing on it with the flat of his tongue in a series of caresses that made more cream drip from her body as need drove her to push closer to his mouth.
Lexi’s body bowed upward as pleasure burst through her. She saw stars as an explosion began at her very center and radiated outward. She began to shake uncontrollably, her entire body going up in flames as he continued to push her from one wave of pleasure to the next.
“Sebastian,” she moaned softly as her orgasm consumed her.
Sebastian smiled with satisfaction, kissing her pulsing bud one last time and licking the rush of desire from her core before slowly sliding up her body and taking her into his arms.
Lexi clung to him, panting, her heartbeat rapid and her breathing labored. She had never known this intense a feeling could be possible. When she looked at him, Sebastian was watching her with a tender expression on his face that tugged at her heart. He lowered his head slowly to hers and kissed her gently.
“Lexi,” he whispered, pulling back slightly to look down at her. “I need to be inside you. Will you allow this?” He asked her as calmly as he could manage.
Lexi reached up and stroked his face tenderly. He was so kind, so caring. How could she deny him when he made her feel so cherished?
“I think that’s exactly where you belong,” she
told him quietly, smiling softly at the relief she saw reflected on his face.
He kissed her gently, his lips coaxing and teasing. He needed to love her and show her how much she meant to him. He was determined to give her tenderness and honesty in his love for her.
“Lexi, there may be a chance that we will create a child in our joining,” he whispered as he looked down at her, waiting for her understanding and ultimate consent or denial. He would not continue without the knowledge that she wanted to take the chance of starting a family with him.
Lexi looked up at him in silence. She searched his face for the answer she needed. This was a very big decision to be making—one that she knew in her heart had already been made.
“Sebastian, do you want that possibility?” she asked him, her voice serious.
She could not ignore the look of total happiness he showed her as he looked down at her. It seemed that he had already come to the same decision.
“I want you as my life mate from this moment on. I want and will accept every child that the heavens will bless us with,” he whispered sincerely. “Creating a baby with you right now would be pleasing to me. It would be a gift that I would cherish.”
Lexi closed her eyes to hide the sudden need that washed over her. His honesty about wanting a child with her made her know that this was a man who would love for keeps.
“Sebastian,” she answered him finally, touching his jaw gently as she looked deeply into the sparkling emotions that radiated from his beautiful golden eyes. “I don’t know if I can even have children, but I would like to have that possibility with you.”
The look of relief and happiness that was displayed on Sebastian's face made her know that what she had told him in all honesty was exactly what he needed to hear. His slow smile made her heart flutter. When she saw the gentle look turn into one of heated desire, she held her breath in anticipation as he lowered his head to meet her lips with his own and show her through his kiss how much he wanted her and whatever future they would create together.
Alexa's Warrior Mate (Guardian Warrior Mates, Prophecy of Salvation Book 1) Page 15