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"I want you," Lyra said "I choose you I’m already yours I want you to be hed froe yourto," Lyra said, and her s

As Jaden led her froe eh it took hiht it ht be happiness

Chapter TWENTY-THREE

LYRA BARELY REGISTERED the walk from the parlor up to Jaden’s roo, anchored only by the rapid fluttering of her heart But she no longer had any doubts Being with Jaden felt right She wanted to join with him, fully And when it was done, she planned to tell hiht time, she knew And since she’d never said the words to any man, and never planned to say the to be perfect It was a, how quickly doubt had fallen away once she’d seen his face

She loved hi that, accepting that, was all that see she had been able to depend on through everything And in return, she would give hiht now, that amounted to her body, and her heart

When he opened the door to the bedroom, Lyra eyed the mass of blankets and sheets in the middle of the bed with a wrinkled nose

"We should probably burn those," she said

His laugh was music

"Later The featherbed is co the rooh her wolf’s eyes adjusted quickly Even in the absence of light, Jaden was beautiful, she thought And the way he was looking at her old It was an unfa, but one she savored

Jaden’s eyes sparked that alow softly as he approached her His expression held sothat it took Lyra’s breath away Why had she been denying herself this, she wondered? All this ti, and she’d wasted it No longer

"I wish I hadn’t fought it," she whispered, at a loss for the words that would properly express her regret

"Don’t," Jaden said "It wouldn’t haveto you if you hadn’t And I wouldn’t love you if you didn’t fight" He lifted his hand to stroke her hair, her cheek, his eyes drinking her in with a thirst unlike any she had known His words washed through her like h "Please"

"Your wish," heher face, " kisses designed to heighten her already fathomless desire Jaden’s hands dropped to her shirt as he continued his sweet torently to expose bare, creamy skin She shivered in the cool air as she helped hione in seconds, his ht fire

"You’re cold," heher to him His own skin was far cooler than her own, and yet it had the opposite effect, sending heat coiling through her His hands slid up her back, unfastening the clip of her bra to send that sliding to the floor She closed her eyes and exhaled, half sigh, half ainst his skin The nipples quickly pebbled into tight, sensitized buds, and every ainst her was exquisite torment Jaden’s hands slipped down to cup her ass and pull her into hih the fabric of his jeans Instinctively, Lyra arched into hi breath, and he ski thousands of tiny nerve endings that danced and quavered

"Beautiful Lyra," he h of you"

"Don’t try," she replied softly "I’m here I’m yours Take as h was like dark velvet "You don’t kno badly I’ve been wanting to hear you say that Mine," he sighed And then again, with dark possession that made her tremble with need, "Mine"

It was a word she’d once feared but no could be the sweetest heaven when the one possessing was also willfully possessed She belonged with hi it when he was all she wanted

They ca in an ancient dance as they fumbled with their clothes Lyra’s hands roa to touch him everywhere As incredible as the first time had been, she knew this would be more

She pulled away only for aa to watch Jaden im into his face and looking for all the world like a fallen angel When she reached for hiently with a small, wicked smile