Codename Spring by Aubrey Ross

emotions he needed to feel from her burned within her eyes. And still her being remained hidden, protected, inaccessible.
    Confused by the contradiction, he pulled out of her mouth and scrubbed his face with his hands.
    “Why’d you stop?”
    “It felt too good,” he muttered. “I want this to last. Get on the pedestal.” He helped her up onto the padded surface and guided her hands back to the far edge. It didn’t quite allow her to recline, but it created an intriguing angle for her hips. “Bend your knees.” She did and he pushed her thighs wide, watching as more and more of her pussy was revealed. He placed her heels on the edge of the pedestal and gently traced her slit. His thumb swept up one side, across her hairless mound and down the other. “Was this your idea?” He needed to know if this had been forced upon her.
    “Autumn convinced me that most men prefer it this way.”
    He sighed, thrilled that the Gathosian bitch had nothing to do with it. Kissing his way down her inner thigh, he nuzzled her sex. Her scent intoxicated him and her cream teased his tongue. He lightly licked her folds, intentionally avoiding her clit. She wriggled and groaned, trying to guide his wandering mouth where she wanted it.
    “Be still,” he warned her with a firm nip on the thigh then resumed his meandering caresses. “Oh yes.” He dragged his tongue over her denuded skin, indirectly teasing her sensitive nub. “So soft like this.”
    “You’re driving me crazy,” she whimpered, helplessly bucking against his mouth.
    “I can tell.” He slowly pushed two fingers into her sopping wet pussy, watching her face as he began a teasing shuttle in and out. “You’re already so wet.”
    “Let me come.”
    “Let me feel how much you want me,” he countered.
    Her gaze collided with his, passion-glazed yet angry. “I don’t know how to lower the fucking shields!”
    He pulled his fingers out and moved his hands to her hips. “I think you’re afraid. You’re not sure you can trust me so you’re playing it safe.”
    “How can you say that? I just saved your life.”
    “That proves I can trust you. How do I make you understand that you can trust me?” Moving to her side, he scooped her up and walked across the room. A large four-poster bed formed out of the darkness, bedding conveniently folded down. He placed her on the bed and crawled in beside her, stretching out on his side. “Look into my mind. Our link allows you to see anything you want. My past. My present. My hopes and dreams. Tell me what you see, what you feel.”
    Her touch was tentative and light, and horribly awkward. But he refused to guide her. He wanted her to explore on her own, to discover as she was ready to learn.
     
    Jocelyn moved through Evard’s mind, fascinated as much by the new ability as by the events she was witnessing. His childhood had been so long ago. Four years of Gathosian hell were nothing compared to what he had suffered. The realization gave her pause. Did she really want to know him this well? If this bond had only been formed to facilitate his rescue, then why…
    “Look around, Jocelyn. Answers to all your questions are there within my mind.”
    She pushed deeper, rushing through countless horrors as she searched for the present. Suddenly she was reliving the last few weeks from Evard’s perspective. She felt his utter hopelessness. Then the flicker of hope as he discovered the formula. She knew their meeting had impacted her profoundly but Evard had been every bit as affected by the bonding ritual.
    “I can release the bond if that’s what you want,” he whispered, “but I want nothing less. You are my mate and only for you would I make this sacrifice. I want you to be happy.”
    Warmth spread through her, hope and happiness. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against his chest. The steady thud of his heartbeat made her smile. Coming so close to losing him had shown her exactly how much he meant to