Chapter 482: Blissful moment

The quiet afterward had a drifting, dreamy quality to it. Viola could feel the sunlight filtering down on her skin, the warmth of the ground beneath her, his shirt pillowing her head now.

A bird sang, and a breeze rustled the leaves and grass. She could hear the faint buzzing of a bee somewhere, and the slowing rhythm of his breathing against her shoulder.

They lay beside each other, his heavy arm draped across her stomach. She might have dozed. The breeze dried the sweat on her body with a gentle, cooling touch that made her want to sleep away the peaceful feeling in her chest.

After a long, long time that might have only been minutes, she turned into his arms and pressed her mouth to his again, kissing him. "Open your eyes." She whispered softly. "Please, look at me..." She pleaded.

Viola felt his arm tighten around her and watched his eyelids twitch before he slowly parted them, revealing the silver beneath. They stared at each other, both of them holding their breath.

A second passed, then a minute, then a few more. Nothing happened. They only stared at each other, seeing each other.

"Sunshine..." he whispered, bringing a hand up to touch her face as though she were some rare, precious jewel. "I can see you now."

His voice was thick with emotion, his eyes taking her in as though he were seeing her for the very first time. His fingers moved through her hair, gently pushing it away from her face before tracing the curve of her cheek.

"You’re glowing," he whispered with a small smile. "I thought you’d look dull and exhausted after everything, but you look even more beautiful."

He touched his fingers to her small nose, then to her lips, seemingly unable to believe that he was looking at her through his own eyes without having to fight for control of them. After all the darkness, the struggle, and the fear of what he might do to her, simply seeing her without the spell interfering felt almost impossible.

It almost felt like a dream.

"It worked. My wolf blood cured you," Viola choked out, her own voice thick with emotion.

She hadn’t expected her wolf blood to accomplish what she hadn’t been able to do all these days. The realization only made her feel more certain that she had made the right decision by reclaiming her wolf, even if it meant giving up her connection to her mermaid side.

Emotion clogged her throat as she looked at the way he was staring at her, with pure, tender love shining in his eyes. She had missed those eyes so much, and now that she could finally look into them again without seeing the darkness fighting to take him away from her, it felt almost strange.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Viola leaned forward and kissed him again, pulling him against her as the kiss quickly grew heated and impatient, both of them overwhelmed by the relief of finally having each other back.

He kicked off his shoes and trousers this time. As rawly frenzied as the first time had been, this one wasn’t much less. The force of his restrained hunger had built until, like a flooding river overwhelming a dam, it broke through and could no longer be held back.

He undid what little remained of her clothing and stripped it from her legs completely; then she parted her thighs and reached for him again, and he couldn’t wait a moment longer.

The sight of those sleek legs opening for him was an image that had haunted his dreams for days that had felt like years. He’d meant to be gentler with her this time, but the instant he entered her, she made a wild sound in her throat and rolled her hips, and he went mad again.

This time, when it was over, he didn’t withdraw, but stayed inside her, continuing to hold her in place.

"Sebastian," she whispered, her fingers sliding into his damp hair. He slid his thumbs beneath her chin and tilted her face up, angling his head so he could drink from her in the long, deep kisses he’d been craving.

He began to grow hard again, still inside her, but there was no urgency now, only steadily building pleasure.

They were both intoxicated by the rush of emotions between them. Sebastian held her close, his hands moving over her with the tenderness of someone trying to reassure himself that she was really there, and that they had finally made it through everything that had tried to tear them apart.

He caressed her breasts, lingering over them as though reminding himself of what she had felt like before everything that had happened between them. He could already feel and see the subtle changes pregnancy was bringing to her body, but Sebastian found himself wanting to memorize every one of them.

He kissed each change with quiet tenderness, moving from her breasts down to the tiny curve of her abdomen where their child was growing safely inside her. His touch softened when he reached the small bump, and for a moment, all he could think about was the life they had created together and how fiercely he wanted to protect both of them, and how much he wanted to make up for lost times.

Her slim hands moved over him like silk, sliding over his broad shoulders and down the taut muscles of his back, finally cupping and kneading his backside.

Lifting himself on his arms, he began a slow, steady rhythm of moving inside her. She rose to meet him too, kissing his throat and chest, licking at his nipples. As her climax neared, she writhed against the twisted bed of clothing beneath her, and he watched, enthralled, as her torso flushed and her nipples tightened.

He caught her hips and lifted them, sliding her along his length, and the sight of her convulsing in satisfaction pulled him to his own peak before she’d even finished.

The hot midday hours slipped away as they sated themselves on each other’s bodies. Nothing else existed but sensual exploration and hot satisfaction, and the feeling of becoming one again, of healing, of reuniting, whole this time.

He kissed her from head to toe, tasting the sweetness of her skin, delighting in how she responded to his slightest touch. When her back grew tender from rubbing against the hard ground, he pulled her on top of him, watching her savor the freedom it gave her to take him at her own pace.

He thought he had to be completely spent, and yet he couldn’t stop. He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to stop. The peaks were no longer sharp and shattering, but slow, strong swells that seemed to last forever.

Viola clung to him, not thinking, never wanting to think. This was the magic she had wanted, the burning intimacy she had always found with him. No part of her body went untouched, unloved by his mouth.

Exhaustion crept in, tangled with pleasure, and at some point they fell asleep together on the forest floor, with only the songs of birds for company.