Chapter 38 #2
I tilt my head, letting my hair fall back from my shoulders.
It’s not the first time I’ve heard those words muttered from someone’s mouth.
But the way she says it—the tone rolling off her lips.
It’s as if the words have been restructured, like they’ve been picked apart and pieced together with a new meaning.
Because I’ve never felt more beautiful than I have in her eyes.
Propping myself on an elbow, I hover my hand on my inner thigh, drawing my fingertips in slow, languid circles. She swallows, watching as I trail my fingers down the soft skin and stop just before the apex of my thighs.
“You want me to show you how I like to be touched?” I say, my voice heady. “You want to feel it?”
She nods.
I brush a finger over my clit—a featherlight touch. But it’s enough to pull a low moan from the back of her throat.
I skim over it a second time. “Come closer, then.”
She doesn’t hesitate. Taking a step forward, she lowers to her knees between my legs. She presses a row of kisses along the inside of my thigh, then trails the sharp edge of her teeth over the skin.
My head lolls back, and I press my finger against my center, rubbing in slow circles. She groans and weaves her hands beneath my thighs. She grabs my ass and slides me closer, until her breath brushes over my clit.
A shiver skates down my spine, and I rub harder, faster, until my breaths turn to pants.
She presses her face into my leg, hands gripping me tight as she moans into my skin.
I press my fingers farther down, dragging them through the wetness gathered at my opening. “Like that?”
She nods, and her eyes meet mine. “Just like that.”
Holding her gaze, I press my fingers in. A whimper passes my lips, and she curses under her breath, but her attention doesn’t leave my face.
She grabs my wrist, stopping me. “My turn.”
Heat coils deep in my stomach, threatening to snap as she presses two of her fingers into her mouth. Her eyes holds mine as she pulls them out and leans forward, dragging them over my center. She rubs them against my clit in slow circles, and I lift my hips, begging for more.
She presses a finger into me.
I gasp—stifling a moan, and throw my head back as she circles her thumb over my clit.
Her eyes darken, and her free hand disappears beneath the band of her pants. I roll my hips against her hand, and a cry escapes my lips as the sensation intensifies tenfold—as if it’s not only her hand, but joined with another.
The pleasure she’s giving herself.
I writhe, riding her hand as her finger works my clit. Heat twists through my veins and crests over my bones—threatening to pull me under.
She eases her thumb from my center, and in the same heartbeat replaces it with her tongue.
I cry out as she presses a second finger inside me. My legs tremble, and she groans against me—the sensation vibrating through my core. My pleasure is hers, and hers is mine. We ride it together, and my hands fist the sheets as she flicks her tongue faster and faster.
The heat in my core twists, tightens, and I shudder as it crests over me.
Come for me, my love.
Her voice is a plea—and a fiery haze blurs my vision. She drags her tongue over my center, and I lean forward, wrapping her hair in my fist. I urge her closer, and she presses her fingers deep into me, curling them slightly. Her other hand quickens on herself—sending every motion through the bond.
She pumps her hand faster, and I shatter.
My shoulders hit the mattress as wave after wave of pleasure slams over me. But she doesn’t stop, and each drag of her tongue teases out another shiver down my spine, until she cries out.
She grinds out my name as she comes, and the taste of her releases washes over my tongue, dragging me with her a second time.
The sensation eases, and she pushes herself onto the bed, hovering over me on an elbow.
She brushes my damp hair off my forehead and presses her lips to my temple. “I’d search the cosmos for you.”
I cup her jaw in the palm of my hand, dragging my thumb over her cheekbone. “You don’t have to. I’m right here.”
Wetness gathers in her eyes, but she blinks it away. “Yes, yes you are.” Leaning forward, she presses a featherlight kiss to my cheek. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”
My brows furrow. “I can’t stay in here with you?”
She gnaws at her bottom lip. “My father is already hesitant enough about you being held in my quarters. Should the servants see us in the morning, there’s no telling how fast word would get back to him.”
I watch her expression, waiting for a hint of deceit, but she holds my gaze—nothing but truth to her word.
Swallowing, I shift forward and scoop my pants from the ground. I shove my legs into it, and a weight settles on my chest. I glance at her over my shoulder. “I suppose this is how all our encounters will be. Considering you’re planning to go through with the marriage.”
Her gaze falls to the mattress. “It’s the only way to guarantee I won’t lose you.”
“I wouldn’t call it a guarantee,” I whisper.
I regret the words as soon as they pass my lips, but it’s too late to take them back. The air sours between us, and her shoulders droop as I push myself to my feet.
She shakes her head. “I suppose not.”
I settle my palm against my pocket, and the slight bump of the emerald presses against my hand. Swallowing, I pull my attention from her, and find the open doorway leading into the washroom. My reflection stares back in a mirror, but a flash of gold catches my eye.
My compass, sitting on the vanity counter.
I step forward, but stop myself. I can’t act now. With the emerald on me, it’s too much a risk. She could overpower me, or call a hoard of guards with a single scream for help.
Only one thought floods my mind.
Isolde was right.
Kressa isn’t at all who I thought she was.