Free Unbound by Sara Humphreys

it.” He nipped the soft flesh of her inner thigh before laving the love bite with his tongue. “Tell me what you want. I fucking love hearing you say it.”
    Annabelle whimpered and her hips pumped toward him, eager to have him fulfill the wickedly sinful promises. It didn’t matter who they were or where they came from. All that mattered was what was happening in this moment. Zachary’s hand clutched her knee to his shoulder, and the other rasped up the slick flesh of her thigh before brushing his thumb along the edge of her pussy.
    Mate . The word scraped along her mind at the same instant his hot mouth covered her pussy. Annabelle screamed his name as his talented tongue flicked her clit in swift stokes and alternately slid between her folds. Her body sagged against the wall and she held his head to her while he continued his assault. Lust coiled deep inside her and the orgasm began to crest with excruciating pleasure. Everything came to a tight, torturous peak when Zachary dipped two fingers inside her hot channel and suckled the tiny bundle of nerves, taking her right over the edge. Annabelle’s back arched, and she cried out his name as a toe-curling climax ripped through her body from head to toe.
    Eyes closed, she struggled to catch her breath and barely registered that the water was still beating over the two of them in a hot, steady stream. Her leg slid from Zachary’s shoulder and a dreamy smile covered her face as she felt him languidly kiss his way back up her exhausted body.
    â€œI told you I’d make you scream,” he murmured. Zachary grinned and kissed the corner of her mouth. “I always keep my promises, and I’ll never lie to you.”
    The smile fell from her face and her body stilled as his words hit her with unintended force. He’d never lie to her, but she sure as hell lied to him, didn’t she? Annabelle’s eyes fluttered open and immediately clapped onto Zachary’s. His brow knitted with concern and his entire demeanor changed when he recognized the shift in her.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, Annabelle?” He cradled her face with both hands and brushed wet stands of hair off her forehead with his fingertips. His voice dropped to a concerned whisper, and he rested his forehead against hers, which only made it worse. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”
    Annabelle fought the tears that threatened to flow and shook her head adamantly. Once again he had shown nothing but tenderness, and his only concern seemed to be for her and her comfort. Zachary still had a raging hard-on, but that obvious need was immediately pushed aside when he noticed she was upset. Annabelle covered his hands with hers and let out a slow breath while gathering the courage to tell him the truth.
    Looking into his earnest hazel eyes, she knew she had to tell him who she was…but she just couldn’t do it. She knew she was being a coward. She wasn’t just afraid of what Zachary would think of her—she was afraid of hurting him too. What good would it do to tell him that she was Caedo? Did it really matter? She wouldn’t be staying with him or being his mate, because it would be too dangerous for both of them.
    No. Annabelle resigned herself to maintaining her silence, if only to protect him.
    â€œIt’s okay.” Zachary pressed his lips to her forehead before reaching over and shutting off the water. He grabbed a fluffy green towel from the shelf just outside the shower and wrapped it around her quivering body with his trademark tenderness. Annabelle gave him a smile and opened her mouth to say something, but he held up his hand, preventing her from uttering a sound. “Listen. I get it. You don’t have to say anything. Things are moving really fast and I’m feeling kind of off my game too. I’ll leave you some clothes and a bathing suit on the bed, and after you get dressed, we’ll head into town and find out if anyone