Chapter 34 #2
And then his lips were on hers, hard and demanding.
His tongue brushed against hers, sending a rush of lightning through her veins.
Thea arched into him, savouring the weight of his hands at her waist, at her lower back, pressing her to him in a quiet hunger.
More than anything, she longed to feel his blazing skin against hers, to shed the final layers between them.
But she broke away, her chest heaving, his shirt balled in her fists. ‘Show me,’ she said, unable to stand it any longer, the ache for him was all-consuming. ‘I need you to show me you want this, that you want me .’
Wilder searched her face, his intense gaze softening.
Thea stared back, determined, her whole body singing out for him.
His throat bobbed as he glanced around the dark forest. ‘You’re sure?’
‘I’m sure.’ The words came out low and husky, and Thea’s heart pounded mercilessly, for she had wanted him from the first moment she’d seen him. She undid the clasp of her cloak and let it fall from her shoulders into a puddle on the ground.
‘Thea…’ Wilder said quietly, his fingers finding the buttons of her shirt, the first coming undone. ‘It won’t be gentle.’
Another button. ‘I don’t want it to be.’
‘You’re certain?’ He leaned in, the question tickled the crook of her neck as the rest of her shirt came apart. The night air was crisp against her skin and she gasped as Wilder tore through the band of fabric that covered her breasts, exposing her to him.
He gazed upon her hungrily, his silver eyes hooded, his huge body tense.
‘Yes,’ Thea told him.
Whatever restraint he’d shown so far snapped, and he shoved her back into a tree, trapping her beneath his powerful torso.
Thea’s hand reached up, gripping the shaft of the arrow he’d once shot at her.
His mouth claimed hers again, hot and insistent, his tongue exploring her as his rough palms closed over her bare breasts.
Thea pushed herself into his touch, demanding more, moaning at the contact she’d been craving for so long, her nipples hard and wanting. But it wasn’t enough. It was merely the surface of what she needed so deeply, and she had never needed like this before, never been so insatiable.
She fumbled with his cloak, discarding it without a thought. Then, his shirt. He pulled back, only to yank it over his head impatiently, throwing it aside.
Thea’s mouth watered. Gods, she had seen enough before to know that he was glorious and littered with scars.
But up close, when she could run her hands over his naked sculpted chest and the rippling plane of his abdomen, his skin hot beneath her touch, Thea swore he was carved by the Furies themselves.
The moonlight revealed the whorls of black ink trailing from his hand to the right side of his torso and lower, the V-shaped groove that pointed to exactly what she wanted.
‘Did you come here just to look?’ he murmured.
‘No.’ Thea palmed the hard length of him straining against his pants.
‘Fuck,’ he barked, before brutally taking her once again with his lips and tongue.
Thea smiled against his mouth and went for his belt.
They were ravenous, hands stripping away clothing in a frenzy, fabric tearing, buttons popping and still it wasn’t fast enough. Thea needed to feel him against her, needed the weight of his body on her.
Thea’s mouth went dry, and every thought emptied from her head as Wilder’s cock sprung free, his pants bunched around his knees.
She reached for him, but he caught her by the wrists and pinned them above her against the tree. ‘I’m not done with you yet,’ he growled.
Warmth spread from Thea’s spine in a wave through her whole body, her heart hammering in her throat as Wilder held her in place with one hand, and peeled her undergarments down her legs.
Then she was naked, completely bare before him, her skin flushed and aching, her legs spread of their own accord.
Wilder used his knee to part them further, not taking his eyes off her as he ran his fingers down between her swollen breasts, past her navel, lower.
She writhed beneath his touch, almost panting with need.
A heady moan escaped her as he splayed her wide, circling the wet heat of her with his fingertips. A rush of pleasure pulsed through her, the crisp night air forgotten, the initiation test forgotten. There was only Wilder, his hand, his mouth, his cock.
His lips closed around her nipple, teeth scraping and she bucked from the tree as he worked her still, heat slick between her thighs.
Wilder’s finger slid inside her and she cried out, pushing against him. It wasn’t enough. She needed him.
He drew away to survey her writhing body, his gaze lingering where his fingers now filled her. He seemed to hold himself in check, drinking in the sight of her and the pleasure that rippled through her.
Pressure built and built, and he pulled out, only to circle that sensitive spot, nearly sending her over the edge.
‘Wilder,’ Thea gasped. ‘This isn’t what I want.’
He stopped at once. ‘No?’
‘No,’ she panted. ‘I want you . All of you. Now.’
His gaze travelled over her wet and wanting body, her cheeks flushed, her legs still spread.
‘Then you’ll have me,’ he said.
He released her wrists, only to pin Thea with his whole frame, the rough bark of the tree biting into her back. He positioned his cock where his fingers had been moments before and looked at her, waiting.
Thea wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him to her.
The hot crown of his cock nudged against her and then he moved, sliding deep inside her.
Thea’s head tipped back, knocking against the tree, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was this, him .
Wilder swore against her mouth and fucked her hard and deep, sinking in to the hilt, his fingers digging into her hips.
The storm within her surged and Thea moaned as he pulled out slowly, torturously, before slamming fully into her again, filling every inch.
Wilder was exactly as she had imagined. Better. Rough and raw and intense, and she met every thrust eagerly, matched every bruising kiss with one of her own. She clawed at the taut muscles of his back, riding every movement with him, their bodies slick with sweat.
‘Furies, what are you doing to me,’ Wilder murmured as he wrapped her messy braid around his fist and pulled.
The sharp pain only amplified every other intoxicating sensation and Thea gasped as the wave of pleasure that had been building took hold.
‘Wilder, I —’
‘Come for me, Thea.’
Thea gripped him harder with her legs, clenching around him, wanting him melded to her. ‘Come with me,’ she said breathlessly; she refused to go over the edge without him.
Those silver eyes fixed upon her, and he thrust into her with a renewed ferocity. ‘Thea…’ he groaned.
At her name on his lips, she came undone.
Her climax erupted in tidal waves crashing through her whole body, pleasure shuddering through every part of her as she stifled her cries against Wilder’s shoulder.
He swore as he found his own release, slowing his thrusts as though drawing out the last ripples of their pleasure together.
For a moment, time wavered, and they remained joined and panting against one another.
Wilder rested his brow against hers and inhaled, as though he wanted to soak up every second.
Thea’s heart pounded, an ache already settling there at the thought of having to part from him.
Then, he kissed her, slowly and deeply, like he needed to savour the taste of her, commit her to memory.
Thea laced her fingers through his hair and she kissed him back, taking her time because she knew they had very little left before dawn was upon them, before reality came crashing down.
Too soon, Wilder broke away and lifted her from him, placing her gently on the ground.
Her legs buckled, but he caught her, his eyes lingering on her once again as he tore a scrap of fabric from his shirt and handed it to her.
Thea cleaned herself up as best she could, her body still trembling.
They were quiet as they found their clothes and dressed, ignoring the rips and missing buttons. Wilder helped her tie the band he’d torn back around her breasts, his fingers lingering on the soft skin there.
Already Thea craved his touch again.
Wilder seemed to sense it, or perhaps he felt it too, for he wrapped his arms around her, the weight of them warm and reassuring.
‘Are you alright?’
Thea nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet, still processing what had happened between them and how she felt.
Wilder tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before gently gripping her chin, tilting her face to his. ‘This thing between us…’ he said slowly, cautiously. ‘It’s real… Isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Thea whispered, the ache for him already sparking anew.
‘I didn’t want it to be,’ Wilder admitted, still gazing into her eyes.
‘Nor did I. Not at first,’ Thea told him. ‘What about now? What do you want?’ she asked.
‘I want you.’
‘You’ve had me.’
His mouth grazed hers and he took her bottom lip between his teeth before flicking his tongue across the small hurt. ‘Once was not enough, Thea…’ he groaned. ‘Not nearly enough.’
His words, her name, the timbre of his voice, sent a lick of longing to her core, but Thea needed to know. ‘So, what now?’
Wilder drew back, heat radiating from him. ‘If you pass your initiation test and are apprenticed to another Warsword… We’ll have the freedom to… explore what this is,’ he said quietly.
‘Explore?’
‘Yes.’ He kissed her again, already hard and grinding against her in a way that relit the fire of white-hot need within her. ‘I’ve denied myself for long enough. I want to be with you, Thea.’
Thea returned his kiss fiercely, her fingers tangling in his hair. ‘The initiation test…’ she murmured against his lips. ‘I have to go.’
‘So go,’ he replied, his hands tracing her curves. ‘And when you come back to me…’
‘We’ll do this again?’
‘And again, and again,’ he said, a wicked smile revealing his dimple.
With that promise lingering between them, Thea tore herself away from her warrior and made for the armoury.
She needed a shield and a sword.