Tarass took hold of her chin, keeping her eyes set on him, though she couldn’t truly see him, but he wanted her to know that he saw her.

“I won’t poke you,” he said sharply before he softened his tone. “I intend to make love to you. Actually, I’ve ached to make love to you. I’ve thought almost about nothing else but making love to you. And I fear you will grow quite tired of how much I intend to make love to you.”

She brushed his hand away. “What if it is I who demands more?”

He laughed. “Then I have surely died and gone to heaven.”

“Not without me,” she scolded lightly. “I could not bear to live without you.”

His heart felt as if it faltered. He had hoped one day she would love him, if only a little. To hear her say she wouldn’t want to live without him filled him with joy and made him realize she loved him as much as he loved her, since he wouldn’t want to live without her either.

He ran the back of his fingers over her cheek and down along her jaw. “I feel the same. I could not imagine life without you.” He took hold of her jaw and brought his lips to hers to brush them lightly, teasingly.

“I am so glad you came and rescued me just in time,” she whispered.

“I am too or else I would have had to make you a widow.”

Snow yanked her head back again. “You wouldn’t have.”

“When I said you belonged to me, I meant it. No one will ever take you from me.”

His hand went to the back of her neck to hold it firm as his lips came down on hers in a kiss that tingled every inch of Snow’s naked body. It was a strong kiss that demanded and gave at the same time and Snow didn’t hesitate to respond.

Tarass kept a firm arm around her waist as he dropped them back on the bed together, never breaking the kiss. But then Snow wouldn’t let him. Her arms had hurried around his neck and her lips had opened eagerly for him. He thought she’d startle when his tongue slipped into her mouth, but her tongue had quickly joined his and they both were soon lost in the heated kiss.

He moved his hand off the back of her neck down along her body to grip her backside in a firm squeeze and she moaned with pleasure. Her moan grew when his hand drifted up, lightly caressing her soft skin before he reached her breast and cupped it in his hand, his thumb grazing her nipple.

A vicious bark sounded before Thaw hurled himself onto the bed and stood, teeth bared and growling, over Tarass.

“I’m not hurting her,” Tarass said a bit too forcefully, annoyed at being disturbed.