His green eyes darkened until they were almost obsidian. “Yes, it is.”

“I love you, Connor. After these past couple days, it’s all the more clear. I realize I haven’t been the best mate but I want to be your bondmate. If you’ll still have me.” Blood rushed loudly in her ears as she waited for him to say something.

She swallowed hard as Connor stared at her. The man looked like a lethal jungle animal stalking its prey. In an instant his demeanor changed from relaxed to hungry. Her pulse tripped like that of a hunted animal.

Except she very much wanted to be caught.

Instead of pouncing, as she’d expected, he clasped the bottom of his sweater and slowly peeled it upward.

Almost involuntarily, she took a step back. The back of her knees hit the bed, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. It didn’t seem to matter that she’d seen his chest before. The man was pure sin in the flesh. All hard muscles just begging to be touched.

Taut, lean lines, and not an inch of fat on him. If it weren’t for the scars nicking his chest and ripped stomach, he could have been carved from stone. She moistened her lips as she drank him in.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m not going to take my time,” he growled.

Her eyes flew up to meet his darkened, predatory ones. An involuntary shiver ran through her.

They stood inches apart and it was all she could do not to jump him. He was waiting for something, though. She couldn’t figure it out, but he was looking at her questioningly.

“Are you sure you want this?” he asked.

Sure? She’d never been more certain of anything in her life. She nodded because she didn’t trust her voice.

Reaching out, he cupped her face. She could feel the primal energy humming through him, but his hold was gentle. He leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to change her mind.

As if.

His lips met hers, softly at first, then more demanding. His tongue probed her mouth. He tasted like coffee and cinnamon. With each stroke of his tongue, her imagination went wild, fantasizing about what was to come. He’d marked her but the scent would eventually fade. This, however, would never fade. It would unite them for life.

Her hands splayed across his chest. His raw power was tangible. She could feel the energy humming from him and washing over her. Feeling almost drugged with desire, she reached between them and grappled with the button and zipper of his pants.

He chuckled lightly as he pushed them down in a slow, sensuous move before stepping out of them. A shudder rippled through her as she stared at him, and before she could take her next breath, he had her flat on her back. The sheets beneath her were cool, but her body seemed to burn everywhere. Especially when he stared at her as if he’d like to devour her whole.

As she stretched out on the sheets, an unbearable heat built between her legs. But she knew he’d give her everything she craved.

His hands shook as he pulled off her jeans. It surprised her. He never lost control. The thought that she could make a man like Connor tremble was a strange aphrodisiac.

Once she was completely bare before him, she reached out and grasped his hard length. She simply wanted to touch him everywhere. Well, she wanted more than that.

She wanted to stroke. Kiss. Lick.

She wanted to do it all. Words jumbled around in her head as she tried to get a grip on what they were about to do. In the dim light streaming in from the windows, his body was perfectly illuminated as he moved on top of her. His eyes glittered with barely restrained hunger. He wasn’t holding anything back from her now.

“You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect, mo chridhe,” he murmured before taking her mouth again.

She wasn’t sure what he said, but whatever it was she wanted to hear it on his lips again. His possessive tone made her toes curl. Wanting to feel all of him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and held on to his shoulders while she kissed him deep and hard. A blistering need surged through her as their tongues and bodies meshed.

Now it was skin on skin.

Aching, sensitive breasts against his rock-hard chest.

Pelvis against pelvis.

He rubbed his body against hers in a sweet caress, and it was all she could do to stop from impaling herself on his rigid length. The more he teased her, the hotter her temperature grew. He was trying to torture her. It was the only explanation.

Deft hands caressed and palmed her breasts. She shifted her hips in an attempt to entice him, but he just chuckled in that maddening way she found she was getting used to. Tonight would be about his domination and her submission.

She traced her fingers down his back until she clutched his backside. His muscles contracted under her touch and his hips automatically jerked against hers. When his penis rubbed against her clit, she dug her fingers into his taut skin.

Breathing erratically, she drew her mouth away from his. She was hot, ready and willing.

His eyes darkened and all traces of amusement left his handsome face. He knew exactly what she wanted without her having to ask. His head dipped to her ear and he sucked the sensitive lobe between his teeth. One of his hands found its way in between her legs, and she nearly vaulted off the bed when he touched her.

Connor groaned when he felt how wet she was. Ana was absolute dynamite in his hands. He slipped one finger inside her and slowly dragged it against her inner walls. She clenched around him with a long, liquid moan. When he withdrew his finger and clutched her hips, she silently arched her body toward his.

The animal inside him howled in satisfaction. This was his mate. His. She was giving all of herself to him. Flipping her over, he grasped her hips tight and pulled her back against him hard.

Tonight there would be no buildup. This was about their unification and so much more. With one thrust he was inside her. She was so tight, he wasn’t sure how long he would last. He’d been trying to hold off because he’d known he’d be lost once he was inside her. And this bonding had to go right. He was staking his claim. After tonight there would be no doubt to anyone that she was his.

Her neck arched abruptly. “I’m so close …” The whispered words sent a rush of heat coursing over him.

He’d barely stimulated her and she was about to climax. It seemed impossible, but this was what the bonding was supposed to be like. Or so he’d heard.

Moving in slow, steady strokes, he stared at her body beneath his. Her dark hair streamed over her face like a silky waterfall as she ducked her head in submission. Palming her ass, he savored the feel of her smooth skin and the way her body tightened around him.

She milked him tighter, and when he felt her inner muscles contract in quicker successions he knew she was about to fall over the edge.

Like lightning, her orgasm hit hard and fast. Her breathing became more erratic and she dug her fingernails into the sheets beneath her, urging him deeper and faster.

As her contractions started to fade and a sweet, almost whimpering sound escaped her, he let go of his control. There was nothing graceful about his climax. With a loud groan he clutched her hips and emptied himself inside her. He was vaguely aware that he’d probably leave bruises. That pleased him. He wanted to mark her in every way possible.

He came long and hard, spilling himself inside her. As he did, he sank his canines into her neck. Like before, but harder and deeper and this time he drew blood. The small punctures would mark her forever. She let her head fall forward as he marked her.

As she did, he felt a slight burning on the side of his neck. Reaching up, he gently touched it. Though he couldn’t see it, he knew a tiny Celtic symbol had appeared on his skin. Deeper than a tattoo, because it came from the inside. It was different for all male shifters, but his father’s had been Celtic and his would be too. The pain was short-lived and triumph immediately roared through him. Their bonding was complete. She was his and he hers.

Though his body protested, he gently withdrew from her. Instead of collapsing on her, he rolled to the side as she flipped onto her back. He kept a hand on her stomach as he stretched out next to her, needing to feel her. His hand tightened against her abdomen and she smiled at him. Something she hadn’t done in more than two days. It wasn’t a big, toothy grin, but a shy, almost reserved one. And it made him lose his mind. No matter what, he wanted to keep that expression on her face.

Silently, she reached up and traced the side of his neck. Her smile grew a fraction as she ran her finger over his mark. She looked proud, and that touched him in a way he couldn’t find words for. Eventually he’d want to see what the symbol looked like, but for the moment he couldn’t imagine moving away from her warmth.

“That was amazing.” She dropped her hand as she spoke. The words were whispered so low he wasn’t sure he’d even heard her right.

With his free hand, he smoothed back her hair and kissed her again. This time it was soft, almost chaste, but absolutely perfect. Wordlessly he pulled Ana closer. His chest and throat constricted as she snuggled deeper against him. She was like warm silk in his arms, relaxed and trusting.

“Any regrets?” he whispered, not wanting to break the intimacy of the moment.

“No way.” Her voice was just as quiet as his. “I do need to tell you something, though. It’s not a big deal, but …”

“What is it?”

“I was never mated. When you first came to the ranch you said you’d heard about my pack and mate dying, and I never corrected you. I … I don’t know that I’d have ever gone through with it either.”

Something warm constricted in his chest. He’d tucked away the knowledge that she’d been mated before him and forced himself to bury it. To know she hadn’t been set something free inside him. Something he didn’t know had been captive. Connor pushed out a deep breath. “In the interest of full disclosure, I bought your pack’s old land in upstate New York. After your father moved it changed hands a couple times, but once I had the money and it was available I purchased it about a decade ago.” It wasn’t exactly a dark secret but he didn’t want to keep anything from her.

She shifted in his arms. “Why?” There was only curiosity in her voice.