not maybe, definitely

The more Venom relaxed and melted into his side, the more Maverick's heart began to thump strong and fast against his chest, pulsing fire through his veins that collected in his core. Having Venom, the empress of Ashen, in his arms in such a manner was a thrilling experience. In his travels and trysts, Mav had shared a fling with a number of lovely young ladies, but never an alpha, and never one that was anything like Venom. The Abraxas woman was wholly unique in who she was, how she behaved and carried herself as if she knew everything the world had to offer her. So when he found a way to get her to look at him with those twilight eyes as if he was showing her foreign things for the first time in her life, it was a rush of delight and entertainment. Pressed into him like this, Venom made Maverick feel positively masculine next to her smaller, slender feminine form. She fit so easily and perfectly against him, nestled into the curve of his body while he practically wrapped himself around her to share their combined warmth. Every shift of one of their bodies would brush their coats together, leaving little tingles across his skin, the sensation heightened by his high state of mind.

From the first touch, he had felt Venom's body go stiff, and then with each subsequent affection he felt her relax more and more as she gave herself up to him, surrendering herself to his insistent touches. He listened to the shifts of her breathing whenever he did something, making little mental notes of what made her gasp, what made her sigh, what brought a sharper breath in and what took the breath from her lungs. He was making a mental map of Venom's body, highlighting the parts and spots she liked the most based on her reactions and sounds. In a way, Maverick was playing with her, not too far off from how he had played with her with their rope swing or the chase through the forest. This time just happened to be much more adult and carnal in nature.

By the time he was whispering his words to her, Venom's breath had quickened to a near panting while his had deepened, breathing in the white-gloved woman's scent as if it was all he wanted to smell for the rest of his days. Her natural perfume was delicious, and Maverick found himself wanting to ravage every part of the lovely empress from now until dawn, kissing and tasting every part of her he could. Venom rolled her head to grant him access to her cheek and jaw, and Maverick exploited it, shifting to press his lips in a slow yet firm kiss right where her jaw connected to her cheek. It was the first kiss of what he hoped would be many he'd get to cover the beautiful she-wolf's body in tonight. Venom whispered his name then. Maverick stopped where he was with his lips brushing against the side of her neck, pale turquoise eyes glancing up while she spoke in fragmented sentences to him, voicing her worry. She wanted to know if she was chasing a high that came with a crashing low, lower than she was to start. In her eyes, Mav saw a vulnerability that hadn't been there before. This was the real Venom. He was getting to see behind the mask, beneath the armor. He could see nervousness, fear, caution. She had been badly wounded by someone she deeply trusted and she was left scared and guarded.

Maverick uttered a quiet growl of appreciation against the side of Venom's neck, then ever so reluctantly pulled his lips from her skin. He shifted a bit more so he could better look her in the eye, a little smirk that never truly ever left his face still painted on his visage. Venom was revealing a part of herself that he doubted many ever saw. He could see her for who she was: a woman in such need of healing and validation because of how raw she'd been left by the cruelty of men and reality. Taking the empress more easily into his strong forelegs, Maverick began to carefully yet insistently nudge and roll Venom in his embrace, turning her while also being careful not to irritate her injury. Once he had her positioned on her back in his arms, Maverick shifted to gaze down to hold Venom's sunset eyes. "I don't think you are, Ven," he whispered back to her, reassurance keeping his deep baritone voice even. "I can't say for sure. Life is unpredictable. I could die tomorrow through no choice of my own. That's why I can't say yes for sure."

The paw that had been roaming over the planes of Venom's body continued to do so, moving over her lower belly and underside now as he stroked from her fluffy chest down over her smooth and toned belly to pause just about her waist before looping the cycle again. "But I can tell you this..." he began, bringing his free paw up to gently brush over Venom's cheek while he gazed down into her eyes with a rakish grin just barely touching his lips, eyes half-lidded in his relaxed and high state but also from sultry desire for the woman in his arms. "If I died tomorrow, I'd be glad I spent my last night like this, with you." Maverick was an incorrigible flirt, but everything he said he meant. He saw the pleading look in Venom's dazzling eyes, seeking some reassurance from him. Shifting again, Maverick lifted to drape his upper half over Venom, half lying over top of her with his paws on either side and their chests meeting while he gazed down into her eyes, their muzzles meager inches apart. They were so close that the dire brute could feel every one of the voluptuous fae's breath's against his nose. "We can keep this high going for as long as you'd like, Ven." Maverick leisurely moved to within an inch of their mouths meeting, still losing himself in Venom. "How long would you like it to last?"

"Maverick"