"I'm in love with you," he said with so much intensity that tears crept into the corners of her eyes.

She kissed him deeply, all the while thinking about how much she wanted to ask him where the key to the handcuffs were so he could make love to her. He wouldn't go for it. This was about him surrendering control to her, and they could still make love like this.

"Erik..." She drew back and looked into his eyes. He raised his brows, his honey eyes sparkling at her. "I want you inside me, where you belong."

It was the corniest line in the world, but she didn't care. When he was inside her, she felt complete and nothing mattered in the world but him, but the feeling of them together.

He grinned broadly, clearly amused by her corny line too. She rolled her eyes. He motioned in the direction of the drawer where he'd got the cuffs.

Getting off him, she pressed a kiss to his lips and then one to the head of his cock. She walked across the room, wriggling her hips just a fraction so he'd get a good show. She could feel him watching her.

She pulled the drawer out and found the condoms. Taking a couple out of the packet, she spotted the key to the cuffs and decided to bring it with her too. She bunched everything up into her fist and then shut the drawer.

A smile crept onto her lips.

Turning, she raised a brow at Erik. He looked so damn delicious stretched out on the bed completely naked. She glanced down at her body, at her underwear, and then back at Erik.

"Take them off," he said.

It wasn't a command, it was part wish and part voiced hope.

Reaching around behind her, she unhooked her bra and drew the straps slowly down her arms. She let it drop to the floor when she reached the foot of the bed and put down the stuff she was holding. She slipped her thumbs into the waist of her knickers and shimmied out of them, losing them as she knelt on the bed. Taking hold of the condoms and the key, she crawled up the length of Erik, her eyes taking in every inch of him and the devastatingly seductive look he was giving her. It said everything she could feel he was about to say.

"I want you, Kim. We belong together ... come to me."

She was surprised when she felt pulled inside, drawn to him, as though those last three words were a command and she didn't have the will to ignore them. She was glad that he hadn't said exactly what was in his eyes. She knew that he wanted them to be together forever, and she wanted it to, but the process frightened her. To be with him forever she would have to become like him. She just didn't think she was ready.

Even though her heart said yes.

She shunned her thoughts and focused on what was happening now. The future could wait.

"Erik?"

He gave her a look that said to go on.

She froze, her hands against his thighs and her eyes locked with his. He was looking at her with so much love and affection that she clammed up, the words she wanted to say fluttering away unspoken. She held his gaze, her brows furrowing slightly as she struggled with herself. Her words of love wouldn't come back, and she wanted him to hear them and know that no matter what decision she made, she did feel the same way about him as he felt about her.

She loved him.

She loved him with heart, body and soul.

Shaking her head, she watched his eyes narrow and a frown marry his brows for the briefest of moments before she chased it away by lightly running her fingers down his hard cock.

His eyes closed, his lips parting as he breathed deeper. She looked at his erection, fingertips tracing the ridges and veins, brushing over the sensitive head. She needed him inside her. She needed that dream to become real.

Leaning over, she ran her tongue up the length of him, his flesh velvety beneath it, warm and soft. She moaned low in her throat, her hands pressing deep into his sides as she swept them up towards his chest. The chains of the handcuffs rattled and she could feel him straining beneath her. She wondered what it felt like to be tied up, unable to join in and do what your body was begging you to. He couldn't hold her where she was or touch her. All he could do was moan his encouragement.

She explored the head of his cock with her tongue, sliding around it and slipping it into the sensitive crevices. His hips jerked up and she complied with his silent request, taking him into her mouth and sucking him slow and gentle.

He groaned.

There was an edge of growl to it that thrilled her, sending a wave of arousal through her that made her slick with desire. She took him in deeper, turned on by the noises he was making. Her tongue teased and tortured him, licking up the length of his cock as she sucked it. He growled and she whimpered at the sound of it.

She'd never felt so powerful before. She had him at her mercy, helpless and hers for the taking, whichever way she wanted to. Her eyes roamed up the length of his body to his face. He had craned his neck to watch her, his eyes glittering yellow in the soft light of the bedside lamps.

Releasing his cock, she took hold of one of the condoms and tore the packet open. She rolled it down onto his length, doing it slow to tease him a little more, and then moved up so her face was level was his. She kissed him slow, her lips barely touching his. It stirred a heady lightness inside of her, drawing out her feelings as he tenderly kissed her.

She lowered her pelvis, grinding her pussy along the length of his cock. The tip of it rubbed her clit, making her moan into his mouth as tingles of pleasure spread through her.

She raised her hips a fraction and reached around behind her. Taking hold of his cock, she guided it into her, slowly sinking back onto it until it was buried deep. She sighed out her moan and closed her eyes, giving herself a moment to savour the feeling of him inside of her. She'd never felt so connected to anyone as she did with him, and when he was inside her like this, it felt as though they were one person.

Erik stared at her face. It was a mask of pleasure, her lips curved into a wide satisfied smile and her expression content. She opened her eyes as she began to move and he wished he could hold her, touch her, as she rode his length. Her movements were slow and deliberate, emphasising the bond they shared. He locked eyes with hers, looking deep into them and searching them. This feeling was divine, something beyond humanly possible. It was like looking right into her soul, seeing it all there before him and understanding it perfectly clearly. He could see her feelings for him and her fear, could see how much this moment together meant to her.

It was as much as it meant to him.

He'd taken the risk and offered himself to her, letting her do as she wanted with him, and she'd shown him that she had no intention of hurting him. He was floored by her understanding and acceptance of what he was inside, and it touched him deeply to see that she still had feelings for him and she still wanted to be with him.

He swallowed and tightly gripped the poles of the headboard as her muscles contracted around him, squeezing his cock. He began to lose track of the world, lost in her eyes and the oblivion of pleasure they were both heading towards. She pressed her hands into his stomach, her fingertips grasping at him. He tensed and moved his hips in time with hers, thrusting slow and deep into her, filling her over and over again. He wanted this to go on forever so he could always feel this close to her. She moaned and he answered it with one of his own. Her brows furrowed, her eyes betraying her soaring arousal and hunger. She kept it slow though, drawing it out, stirring his feelings for her and pulling them through his heart to his eyes for her to see. He wanted her to see them. She had to know how she made him feel. She had a tough decision ahead of her and if she could see how much he loved her, and that he'd never hurt her, if she could trust him, then maybe it would make mating with him less frightening sounding. The gentle way she was treating him, and the feelings she'd shown him, told him that she wasn't going to leave him, no matter what her decision was.

Kim bit her lip, her eyes still fixed on Erik's, still drinking in the beautiful expression he was wearing. She was drowning in her feelings for him, and the more she moved, the more feelings broke to the surface. She felt as though they were opening themselves to each other, both letting go of their fear, both trusting implicitly and loving unconditionally. It was warm, enveloping, and frightening to a degree.

What she was feeling for him was intense and consuming. If this was what real love felt like, then she'd never known love before because it was nothing like what she had with him. This was so much deeper.

He was the air she breathed, the blood in her veins, and the missing part of her soul.

He was everything.

She was so scared of losing him, of something happening, and she wanted more than anything to be able to voice her feelings to him. She wanted him to hear the words, not just see them in her eyes. She needed him to know.

Her abdomen tensed, her pert nub rubbing against his pelvic bone with each down thrust, sending waves of pleasure breaking over her. She focused on the feeling of him inside her. They were just moving together, slow, sensual and deep. There was no rush. Not even her desire to cum made her quicken the pace. It had to be slow. This wasn't about the sex. It was about the connection and the feelings they shared.

She moaned when he purred beneath her, the vibrations of it adding to the amazing feeling of him sliding into her. She couldn't believe how powerful that sound made her feel. It was her making him purr, her making him content and happy. She wished she could purr back and show him that she was right there with him.

Leaning back a little, she groaned when the change in position made it feel even better. Her body followed her abdomen, tensing and climbing towards her orgasm. She held Erik's gaze, deepening her strokes and rotating her hips to make the most of each thrust he made into her.

He purred louder, his eyes becoming hooded, and she could sense how close he was. She pressed her hands into his stomach, trying to keep her focus on him but losing it slightly as the feelings inside of her began to spiral beyond her control. She half closed her eyes, her breathing coming faster as she approached her climax. He thrust deeper into her, his strokes a little harder now, and she tightened around him, tensing her muscles to make the most of each thrust.

Moaning with each slide of his cock into her, she begged for a little more, just that one stroke that would push her over the edge into bliss. She kept her eyes open enough to keep eye contact with Erik, watching his face twist in pleasure and thrilled that it was her doing that to him.

She arched her back as the tightness inside her evaporated, exploding in a wave of tingles that raced through every inch of her over and over again as she milked his cock. She continued to ride him, pushing him harder and harder until he thrust up inside of her, spilling himself into the condom and throbbing. She tensed her muscles, loving the feeling of him coming inside of her.

When her breathing had levelled off, she leaned forwards, holding him inside of her as she kissed him slowly. His tongue played gently against hers. She realised that she wanted his arms around her and leaned over to retrieve the key. Undoing the handcuffs, she rubbed each of his wrists in turn and then kissed the red marks on them. He broke free of her grasp and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him.

Her cheek pressed against his chest and she sighed contentedly when he rested his cheek against her forehead.

"I love you," he said softly.

She smiled and held him as best she could.

"I love you too." It wasn't such a frightening thing to say after all. It made her feel at peace and relieved in a way to have it out in the open at last. She closed her eyes when he purred. It rumbled through his chest, lulling her to sleep as he held her. She felt so comfortable.

She felt so safe.

She didn't want to go back to the world. She wanted to stay here forever.

Here, nothing bad could happen.

There, things could go horribly wrong.

And she was getting that feeling again that something terrible was going to happen.

Chapter 21.

Kim kissed Erik slowly, not wanting to let him go. The morning sun was hot on her face and arms. She ran her fingers into his hair. It was warm and soft, heated by the sun. She didn't want to go into the apartment building at her back, and definitely didn't want to go to work. She wanted to stay here on the steps of her building and kiss him all day long.

The drive back to London had been long and slow. They'd left so early that the sun hadn't even started to rise. The closer they'd got to London, the worse the feeling in the pit of her stomach had got.

Yesterday seemed like a dream, a fantasy world that she wished she could have stayed in.

Now she was facing the reality.

She sighed as she pulled away from Erik, looking deep into his eyes and seeing all his feelings in them.

He pushed her long dark hair behind her ear and smiled.

"I'm not asking for a decision straight away. There's still two days until we'll have to wait for you to be in heat again before we can mate." He hesitated a moment and took hold of her hand, toying with her fingers. "I could change you after that, but it's too dangerous and I won't risk you. It would be better to wait for you to be ready again."

She nodded. "I'll think about it. Will you be around tonight?"

"I was going to go back to the house after signing the contract. I've got some business to attend to there, but I'll see what I can do though."

She looped her arms around his neck. He was standing on the step below her and was still taller than her, but her eyes were almost level with his.

"I better go." He kissed her briefly on the lips. "The meeting should be over by midday ... how about you just happen to walk by the room then?"

She grinned. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

She ran her hands down his arms. He did look stunning in a black suit, and the fact that she intimately knew the fantastic body it was hiding only made him even sexier.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her hand. "See you then."

She nodded again and leaned against the black iron railings as she watched him walk down the steps and get into his car. He gave her one last wave and then his car roared into the distance. Sighing to herself, she folded her arms across her chest and frowned.

She really hoped that the feeling in her stomach was just nerves about him asking her to mate with him.

She didn't want anything bad to happen to him, not after his fight with his brother yesterday.

Picking up her luggage, she opened the door to the building and went inside. * * * *

Walking through the halls, Kim kept checking her watch to see what time it was. Simon had caught her at ten to twelve and he'd kept her talking until five past. She'd tried to brush him off with short answers, but he'd asked her repeatedly whether she was feeling any better and had kept telling her that she still looked a little flushed. Of course she'd looked flushed, she'd been rushed off her feet all morning and had been flustered about missing Erik.

She spotted the meeting room door was ajar and was about to push it open when she heard someone talking. She stopped, listening to them and trying to make out who it was. Peeking around the door, she frowned as Alistair paced into view. He was on his phone. She couldn't see anyone else there. Where had Erik gone?

She went to leave but froze when Alistair spoke.

"Yes, yes ... everything is going to plan. Erik signed the contract. I can't wait to get on with the next phase."

Her heart sunk a little to hear that he'd actually gone through with it. She'd seen how much the house meant to him, and could understand him giving up half of his company in order to get a share of it, but she still didn't trust his brother. There was something wrong about the contract, and maybe it wasn't the paragraph about blood, but she still had the feeling and she couldn't ignore it.

She stood casually in front of the bulletin board beside the door, acting normal when a couple of men passed her by. She waited until they were out of sight and then stepped closer to the door. Alistair had piqued her curiosity and she had to listen in on him. She had to know that Erik was safe and that this feeling inside of her was just nerves about what he was asking her to do.