James was happy to see that Cornelia's attitude softened. He knew that she could feel the pull of their bond and that she needed only a bit to give in.
"Let me take you out so we can officially start dating." Actually, he previously promised her a day out, just the two of them, but things with Marcy happened, and the Council of Alphas, and the pack run, and even though they were inseparable, they didn't go anywhere like a couple.
"What does dating mean?", Cornelia asked.
James smiled. She didn't refuse.
He wanted to talk about romantic candle-lit dinner and dancing, but what he really wanted to do was just for them to get naked and he decided not to give specifics at this point.
"It means that we get to spend time together, and…" His heart thundered wildly as he inched closer carefully while gauging her reaction. She didn't pull back and he decided to go for it.
"I get to…" His breath splashed on her lips and then he kissed her right there, on her full lips that were soft and velvety, and he was quick to wrap his arms around her and deepen the kiss because she definitely kissed him back and she tasted divine.
Cornelia gripped James' bare shoulders to steady herself. She didn't expect that he will kiss her like that in the middle of a sentence, but she didn't hate it, not even a little bit.
Every stroke of his tongue against hers made her feel like another layer of an invisible cord was tied around them, and she wondered if they will ever be able to separate.
This intimacy was new to Cornelia, and it made her tingly all over.
The scent of her arousal hit him hard, and he chanted internally that they needed to take this slow.
James cursed himself for messing up the first evening when they met. If he didn't act like an idiot, he wouldn't push her away and she wouldn't be so reluctant to lower her defenses around him. Due to that, gaining Cornelia's trust was more difficult than anything he faced so far because he couldn't risk making a mistake.
The kiss ended, but James and Cornelia still stayed like that with only a fraction between them, inhaling each other's breaths, obviously wanting more.
He relished the feeling of Cornelia's arms around him, and he could feel the rise and fall of her breasts against his chest. Damn, he really wanted her to remove that pesky t-shirt she was wearing.
James licked his lips to collect any flavors Cornelia left behind as he didn't want to waste any of it. He kissed females before, but this was a kiss that shook his core and even his wolf stirred, and James knew that they crossed a line after which there was no coming back.
The idea of her returning to her Coven without him was making his heart tighten painfully but he also understood that she had her reasons to be reluctant.
Cornelia grew up in a realm without men, and since coming here she heard about witches being used for breeding, and James told her about his father sleeping around even though his Luna was right there, and Cornelia heard how misogynic Alpha Magnus was, and she even saw Damon mistreating Talia… Cornelia really didn't have many good examples to go with.
"You are mine.", James said possessively. "I am not like others." He didn't mention names, but he knew that she understood what he wanted to say. "I won't look at other women and I will treat you like what you are, the most important person in my life. We will stay together, and I will put my life on the line to protect you. Whatever comes, we will deal with it, and you are not allowed to leave me. Do you understand?"
Cornelia blinked once, twice, and then she responded, "Yes."
James' heart soared. She said yes! He had no idea how he will deal with his father or with any other challenge coming their way, but for the first time in his life, he was selfish, and he knew that life without Cornelia in it would be meaningless. He was confident that they will come up with a way to make it work. They had to.
"Now that we are dating, how does that change things?", Cornelia asked. She didn't understand the whole dating concept.
James wondered how far he can push this.
"I get to hold you like this…", he tightened his hold on her. "And I get to kiss you, and for anything else, we will do it when both of us are ready. Will that work?"
She barely nodded when he kissed her again.
James pushed her down on the bed with his body and they held each other and kissed, her sweet scent of wild berries tortured him, and he realized that this will be the biggest test of his control. Ever.
But no matter how much he tried to control himself, his hands started wandering over Cornelia's body that somehow melted into him as their legs intertwined and her fingers dug into his back.
"James… James…", Cornelia called breathily between kisses.
"Hmm?"
"Your hands."
"What about them?"
"They are under my t-shirt."
He chuckled. "They are where they want to be. You have no idea how badly I want to touch you. Keeping them on your back is fine, right?"
"How much I know, that part of my body is called a breast."
While his hands were on her back she didn't say anything, but little by little his right hand moved and now he was cupping her breast.
James didn't want to move his hand. That part of her flesh was round and tantalizingly soft with a hard bud at the peak, and it filled his palm perfectly.
"I thought we were talking about my left hand." As if to prove his point, the fingers of his left hand moved along her spine, and she shivered.
"The position of that hand is also questionable.", Cornelia said. Everywhere he touched her was electrifying.
"But you are touching me without obstructions. It's fair that we are equals.", James protested. Her hands were on his back.
"You could put a t-shirt on.", Cornelia said.
James was not discouraged. "Aren't I the considerate one? I don't have it on because I want to make things easier for you. Admit it, you love touching me. It feels good, right?"
Cornelia stared at the cheeky young man who didn't look like a teenage boy. He reminded her of a hungry wolf who wanted to eat her up.
James stared into her deep brown eyes. "You have no idea how happy I am that I get to hold you, Cora. Your scent, your flavors, your everything is out of this world, and the fact that you are holding onto me is making everything several folds better."
