through the spasms until she lay back, spent and shivering.
Then he lifted his head, wiping his mouth with the back of one hand. He mounted her then, spreading her thighs wide.
Jarrett laced his fingers through hers, his heavily muscled body pressing her into the mattress. His penis began pushing inside her.
Slow, gentle thrusts, then retreats. He felt thick and hard as a steel bar, each slide pushing him past her tiny muscles gripping him tightly.
The silky hairs of his chest abraded her nipples as his body slid over her. Ariel grit her teeth, frustrated beyond thought. Enough of this slow dancing.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and forced him deeper. Triumph filled her as he uttered a harsh groan of pleasure.
His hips began hammering back and forth as her nails dug into his shoulders. She threw back her head, flushed with erotic pleasure. The heat built higher and higher. Climax shimmered out of reach, a ball of white sparks fed by her aura.
Jarrett angled his thrusts, pushing past her sensitive bud, and she shrieked, her body taut as she climaxed. Her eyes opened in a daze of pleasure as she watched him throw his head back with a rough groan. Warm seed shot inside her, life-giving seed, as he bucked against her.
Then his shudders slowed, stopped. He looked down at her, and the flare of tenderness there surprised her. Then it vanished, replaced by masculine satisfaction.
âI love watching you come,â he said roughly. âYour eyes grow so blue, your cheeks so rosy. I just want to eat you up.â
He flashed a wicked grin. âAgain.â
Sweat sheened his face, plastering his blond hair to his forehead. She knew exactly how much effort heâd used to leash the wolf.
Slowly, he slid out of her. She winced at the pull of her sore muscles. His expression became tender. He cupped her face in one strong palm.
âYou okay?â
Roughness and male satisfaction edged his voice. She nodded, turning her face into his hand with a small sigh. Ariel wanted to curl up next to him, absorbing his toasty warmth, let the air cool the sweat on his body.
And then she heard it.
She twisted, startling him as he toppled off her. Ariel ran into the living room and ground to an abrupt halt. She felt Jarrett behind her, and his heavy sigh. He placed a hand on her waist.
Around them echoed the sounds of lovemaking, skin sliding over skin, small excited cries mingling with harsh moans. On the floor, several couples were frantically copulating. Their clothing partly shed, as if they couldnât wait. She recognized Sam, jeans down around his thighs as he covered his mate. His hips pumped hard and fast to the rhythm of Dinaâs tiny, excited cries.
Stunned with betrayal, Ariel turned to Jarrett. âYou used me,â she whispered.
Jarrett shifted his hold on her, his jaw tight. âI used the situation to our advantage. They need to have sex. My men have been too wound up. The timing was right. I had to do something to release their tension or risk them getting into fights.â
âAnd me, Jarrett? What about me? What do I get?â
He cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. âPleasure. I promise you, I will take good care of you. Very good care. I need you, Ariel. My people need you.â
Pleasure. Her sensual side pulsed at the word. She felt a mixture of sad resignation and faint hope. If pleasure was all he could deliver, sheâd take it.
For now.
But Jarrett underestimated the power of the Fae. She would dig past his layers to find the shifter sheâd once adored.
Jarrett didnât realize it, but he needed her for more than sex. Ariel suspected he needed her to save him. Because she had a bad feeling about the darkness in the mine.
It had something to do with him.
Chapter Eight
Shafts of sunlight spilled through the lace curtains at the window and speared the hardwood floor. Ariel turned her head toward the sunrise.
Jarrett still slept. One arm stretched above