I kissed him when we walked through my front door. I knew I shouldn't have. Things were still complicated to say the least. Kissing him was not going to un-complicate anything. But the gentle way he spoke with my parents, the truthful words he had spoken, the way he so willingly held my hand when I was on the brink of shattering, it all made me toss my good sense out the window.

And when my lips pressed against his, I knew it wasn't a mistake. He tasted like the first day of summer and the coldest day in the winter all at once. His body beneath my roaming palms was just as sturdy and as stable as his words had been. The little groan that left his mouth was the sweetest symphony I would ever hear.

"George," he murmured when I pulled away. He didn't let me get far though, gently tugging me back to him so he could place a kiss on my forehead.

I stayed nestled in the safety of his arms, breathing in his scent and embrace the strength of him for far longer than I should have. He just smoothed my hair and rested his chin on top of my head for the most part. He became a safety net I could fall into. I could – and had – hurled myself at him in fury, in tears, in happiness, and he had taken it all in, hardly batting an eye. I could press, I could pull, I could tear. He would be there to mend.

I let myself do something I had wanted to do for ages now. I took his hand in my own and led him to my bedroom.

"George," he repeated, stuck somewhere between enthusiasm and wariness.

"I want you, Ryder. I'm tired of fighting it. You're my mate."

He melted against me, his entire body slackening in my arms as if I had just said some magical words. A moment later we were tangled together on the bed. He laid beneath me and I straddled his hips. Our kisses started out tentative, feeling each other out, little tastes. He brushed my hair behind my ears with gentle fingers. I cradled his face between my palms, sweeping my thumb over those devasting cheekbones.

It wasn't like the first time. there were no moments where it felt brash and rough. Never once did I wonder if I was going to regret it. His touches were attentive and explorative. Mine were eager. I would learn every inch of him and every sound he made. He was keen to do the same. I gasped against his open mouth when he squeezed my ass with both hands. He just grinned up at me.

"So sensitive," he rumbled.

"You have no idea."

His eyes seemed to darkness then and the sincere smile edged into a smirk.

Despite the plain clothes that I wore, Ryder made me feel like I was a gift being unwrapped. When he pulled off my shirt and let out an appreciative sigh, I thought I could never feel more special. But when he made quick work of my bra and dropped well placed kisses over my breasts, I couldn't think at all. My hands gripped his muscular thighs when he sucked each nipple into his mouth. I only realized that I was arching my back for him when he swept a hand up my spine, drawing my awareness there.

When my eyes opened again, he was filled with cocky swagger. So, I kindly helped him out of his own shirt, then traced my fingers down his body, starting at this collarbone, dipping over a pectoral, sliding over his ribs one by one, ending on his hip. Goosebump rose over his skin. I placed my fingertips at his collarbone again, but this time I used my good hand and dragged my nails down his body. He shuddered and I was able to marvel at the way his muscles all contracted beneath my touch.

A moment later I was on my back and Ryder was tugging off my jeans and my panties.

After I was completely bare, he held himself up over my body, watching me breathe heavily. Since becoming a hunter, I had veered away from the standard of beauty. I wasn't soft curls and a narrow waist. I was hard lines of muscles, defined strength. Ryder took in every scar, every mark, every muscular limb. His eyes told me just how much he lusted after all of it.

"Tell me what you want me to do to you right now," he commanded.

Words failed me. I knew what I wanted, but getting it out onto my tongue seemed so impossible all of the sudden. I just buried a hand in his raven hair and pushed his head downwards.

"Can't even say it?" he teased, but moved willingly between my thighs.

I shook my head mutely.

"Do you like a little teasing?" he wondered. Wet lips brushed against my inner thigh. A second later, his tongue. "Or are you more direct?"

I tried to tug on his hair, tried to buck my hips towards him.

"If you aren't going to tell me, I'm just going to have to guess for myself," he mused.

He took his time. He kissed, licked and caressed every part of me that he could reach. I whimpered and whispered his name. I rolled my hips, arched my back, moaned towards the ceiling. Now, I couldn't even focus enough to get the words out. Thankfully, he was merciful.

A single finger slipped through the folds. "So wet," he groaned. The single finger slid upwards ever so slowly. When he skimmed the bud, I lost my breath. "So fucking sensitive." It sounded like a prayer leaving his lips.

He devoured me. He listened to every gasp and groan while his mouth worked over me like it was gospel. When I shifted and squirmed, he heard all of the things I wasn't saying. He knew just how to swirl his tongue, just when to push his fingers inside me. my orgasm was swift and relentless. I didn't know if I was screaming or moaning. My hands fisted the sheets. I thrashed about as I rode over the wave. And when I fell from the crest, Ryder was kissing my thighs softly, looking plenty proud of himself.

While I listened to the ringing in my ears and my thundering heartbeat, he found the condoms in my nightside table. When he spotted a single vibrator, he only grinned and promised to make me beg for it another time.

He parted my thighs and pressed into my wetness. We moaned together.

His pace was slow and smooth. I had forgotten how perfectly he filled me, forgotten the noises he made. I didn't waste time trying to commit it to memory now. Nothing my brain could manifest would be as good as being with him in the moment. So, I embraced it for what it was worth. I moved my hands over his strong back. I watched the storms pass through his eyes. I listened to every breath and every curse that came out of him. I loved it all.

But I was not a patient woman and the pressure was building again.

I pushed him backwards until we were in the position we had started with. Now when I was on top of him, I could ease him inside of me. and watching his mouth fall open and his eyes close as I took him inch by inch was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. After a while, he laid back with his hands clasped behind his head, admiring the way I moved on his cock, so arrogant and comfortable even in a moment of nakedness. I decided to put on a good show by placing my hands on his thighs and leaning backwards. My abs looked amazing this way, my thighs squeezing the sides of his body. A few rocks of my hips and he wasn't so passive anymore. One hand gripped my hip, the other the back of my neck.

"Georgia." He said my name like it was the only thing he knew.

Whether he was aware of it or not, the hand on my hip was moving to show me just how he liked it. I fell into the motion for him, moving a little faster, the bucking motion of my hips more pronounced.

Listening to his breathing get louder, watching his eyes meet mine then jam shut, it pushed me towards my own high again. And when he groaned, I broke with him.

I collapsed onto his chest, desperately trying to catch my breath. He held me tight and peppered me with tender kisses. When we both recovered enough, he helped me move to the bathroom where we showered together, his strong fingers massaging shampoo into my hair.

And there, under the spray of the hot water, surrounded by steam and endorphins, I wished so badly that I could freeze time.