He laughed into my neck and gently pinched the aching tips of my breasts. ‘‘Then I shall taste the rest of you, all of you, taking my time to explore your sublime belly, your perfect hips, and the sensitive flesh of your inner thighs.’’

I quivered against him, positively quivered at the combination of his words, his touch, and the feel of him as I stroked the hard muscles of his back.

‘‘I look forward to licking every inch of your legs, little bird. I want to find every little spot on you that makes you tremble with passion. I will lick my way up until I can savor your true essence upon my tongue.’’

I just about saw stars, and dipped my head to take one of his pert little nipples into my mouth.

Gabriel gasped, froze for a moment, and then the next thing I knew I was on my back, the cold grass pricking uncomfortably into my bare flesh. My pants, shoes, and underwear had gone flying, whipped off me at such a speed that it took me several seconds to realize Gabriel had removed them. I lay stunned for a moment, and then sat up.

Gabriel knelt next to me, his face twisted in agony. He was aroused—very aroused—but didn’t seem to be able to move.

‘‘Are you all right?’’ I asked, reaching out toward him.

He trembled as I placed my hand on his thigh. ‘‘Don’t touch me. Please, Mayling, if you have any mercy in you, do not touch me.’’

‘‘Gabriel, what on earth is the matter?’’ I got to my knees next to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. ‘‘Are you hurt?’’

‘‘I’m trying to control this overpowering, insane, undeniable . . . need I have for you,’’ he said, his eyes opening to pierce me with molten light.

‘‘I thought that need was part of you being a wyvern, and me being your mate.’’

‘‘In certain circumstances, yes. But you have not been taken from me recently. I should be able to control this overwhelming drive to possess you.’’

‘‘I think we’d better just give up on the idea of foreplay,’’ I said, laughing at his tortured expression.

Irritation filled his eyes. ‘‘We will not! Dammit, May, I want to do this! I owe it to you—not just because you are my mate, but because you would like it. And I would like to see you liking it. The thought of doing it is in the top five of my sexual wish list. It’s just that when you’re not around, I can think about all of the many and varied ways I would like to love you, but then I see you and smell you and taste you, and it’s so hard . . .’’

I wrapped my hand around his penis. ‘‘Possibly hard enough to break a concrete block.’’