Air of Seduction (Elemental Enforcers #3)

Chapter 36

Payton

I start when my chair suddenly moves. It’s turned around until I see…Ronan.

My eyes blow wide, and I suck in a breath as I stare at him. I shouldn’t be this shocked to see him, considering this is where he’s staying, but all the emotions swirling in my chest are threatening to choke me.

He drops to his knees in front of me and takes my hands in his. “I’m so sorry, Payton. I’m so sorry for being so rough. It was too much, too soon. I was just so… You’re… I love you.”

My jaw drops. I was just getting ready to tell him it was okay, that the sex was fantastic, and I didn’t mind the roughness one bit. But he…loves me?

“I…” I lick my lips, not sure what to say, not sure if I trust his words. “What do you mean?”

“Mean?” He looks confused. Then an expression of determination settles on his face. “You’re the one I love, the only woman in the world I want. No one can compare to you, because you’re so much more than a girlfriend or lover. You’re my mate, my true mate.”

“I’m…” Tears fill my eyes, and I take a shuddering breath. “True mate.” The words are nothing more than a whisper, and then my tears overflow down my cheeks as I let out a sob.

“Payton, what’s wrong? Why are you—”

Ronan’s words are cut off when I throw my arms around his neck and tighten them like I’m never going to let him go again. And perhaps I won’t. He’s mine after all, truly and completely mine.

“I love you,” I whisper into his ear.

But perhaps I wasn’t as quiet as I thought I was, because the room is suddenly filled with cheers and laughter.

“Congratulations.” Erica chuckles. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

“Me too.” Ingrid laughs. “Congratulations, you two.”

When I let go of Ronan and pull back to look at him, there’s a huge smile on his face. “Are you done eating, because I have something else I’d like to do.”

“Go on,” Ingrid says. “You don’t mind staying here with us, do you, Olivia?”

I drag my gaze away from my gorgeous man and turn to look at my friend.

She shakes her head. “No, not at all. As long as he doesn’t plan to stay.” Her eyes narrow, and her lips press into a hard line.

I turn to see Noah standing with his arms crossed by the door. He scowls, but if I’m not mistaken, there’s a hint of pain in his eyes.

Returning my gaze to Olivia, I smile. “I’ll see you later.” I look at Erica and Ingrid. “You as well.”

They just nod and smile.

“Let’s go, little rose.”

That’s all the warning I get before I’m swung into Ronan’s strong arms and carried from the room.

A thrill races through me and settles as a ball of heat in my lower abdomen. I know what’s coming, or at least I think I know.

I couldn’t help but download one of those fated mates romance novels on my phone, even though it was self-torture reading it when I didn’t think I was Ronan’s mate. But it gave me some ideas about the act of mating, that might or might not be how it works in real life. I couldn’t bring myself to ask Erica and Ingrid to confirm.

Ronan’s strides are long, and I almost feel like I’m flying when he races up the stairs like he’s got a rocket in his ass.

“Are we in a hurry? Where are we going, the movies?”

“The movies?” He looks genuinely bewildered until he sees the grin on my face. “Sure. You’re about to become the star of my X-rated production called Completely Fucked . I hope you’re okay with that.”

Laughter bursts from me. “As long as you’re going to be my co-star, I have no problem with that.”

His expression is serious when he looks at me. “There will never be anyone else. You’re mine and only mine.”

“So, mating is permanent then?”

He stops so abruptly, I yelp when I feel like I’m going to be thrown from his arms. His stare bores into mine. “Yes. Don’t you want that?”

My gaze softens. “I do. That’s exactly what I want. I just didn’t know if that’s how it works. We didn’t get to finish our talk about true mates.”

Ronan lets out a sigh of obvious relief. “Fuck, you scared me.” He starts walking again.

I smooth my hand over his hard chest. His heart is racing, and I’ve got a feeling it’s all due to me scaring him rather than the exertion of running up the stairs.

He brings me to his suite, but he doesn’t take me directly to his bedroom like I expected. Instead, he puts me down on the couch and takes a seat next to me. “We need to talk.”

I nod. “We do. I want to know if what I’ve read about mating is true.”

“What did you read?” He takes my hand in his, brushing his thumb over mine.

“That you’ll bite me.” For some reason, my pussy clenches with need when I say those words.

He nods. “I will. And it will make you come hard.”

My clit tingles, and I squeeze my thighs together. “Okay.” I don’t know what else to say. All the other questions I had are suddenly gone from my mind.

“I need to take some of your blood to seal the bond between us, and you need to have a little of mine.”

My eyes widen. “I… What? That wasn’t in the book I read.”

He gives me a gentle smile. “Mating is slightly different for different supernaturals. For elementals, a blood exchange during sex is required, whereas for a shifter mating a human, it’s only the shifter who needs to bite to seal the bond. The human doesn’t need to do anything.”

Wetness seeps into my panties, and I bite my bottom lip. My clit is swollen and needy, and I can barely sit still. Why does talking about this turn me on so much? Nothing involving blood is sexy, or at least it didn’t used to be.

I jump to my feet, no longer able to sit still. “Let’s do this. I…want you.”

Ronan’s eyes start glowing like turquoise embers as he gets to his feet. “Then come.” He pulls me toward his bedroom. “I’ll be as slow and gentle as I can.”

I shake my head, even though he’s facing away from me and can’t see what I’m doing. “I don’t want slow and gentle.”

He spins back to me, his eyes practically molten. “You liked what I did to you earlier. I wasn’t too rough.”

After letting go of my hand, he grabs my thighs and lifts me until I can feel the hard ridge in his pants against my center.

I can’t stay away from him any longer. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I press my lips to his.

“My little rose,” he mumbles against my mouth.

And then we’re kissing. His tongue swipes into my mouth, setting me ablaze, and everything drowns in the sensations of our tongues dueling and our lips gliding over each other.

That’s why it comes as a surprise when I suddenly land on my back on his bed, our kiss abruptly ending.

“Clothes…off.” Ronan yanks his shirt over his head before starting to undo his jeans.

All I can do is stare. All those delicious muscles rippling as he works to get his clothes off. And he’s all mine.

His jeans and boxers are halfway down his legs when he growls at me. “Payton, clothes. I need you naked.”

But I’m too busy staring at his thick erection to do anything. Did I really have that thing inside me? It looks too long and thick to fit. My pussy seems excited at the prospect though. It clenches, reminding me of how empty it is.

As soon as he steps out of his clothes, he’s on top of me, startling a squeal from me. “Do you want me to rip your clothes off, is that it?” He smirks.

I shake my head, my eyes wide. But my clit is throbbing, making me squirm.

He gets up on his knees and grips the hem of my shirt. I wriggle to help him pull it up and over my head. But instead of pulling it all the way off, he uses it to tie my hands together.

“Ronan,” I whine. “I want to touch you.”

He leans down and brushes his lips over mine. “And you will. Just not yet.”

After undoing my pants, he pulls them and my panties down my legs as he backs off the bed. “Fuck. I can smell your arousal.” His gaze settles between my legs.

More wetness leaks from my channel, and I moan. I’ve never been this turned on in my life. “Ronan, please.”

Standing at the foot of the bed, he lifts his eyes to mine. “Spread your legs for me.” His hand wraps around his length, giving it a slow tug.