Chapter Twenty-One
Ryker
The moment we reached our chambers, I slammed the door behind us and whirled to face her.
Cadence backed away from me, sensing the dangerous edge clinging to me like a second skin.
I was enraged, apprehensive, but most of all, aroused.
My Temptress went toe-to-toe with the council, my father, and me, never backing down despite the scrutiny. She’d demonstrated exactly why she deserved to rule at my side and fuck me if that wasn’t a turn on.
My hand darted out to grip her throat. The delicate column of her neck fit perfectly in my palm, and her pulse hammered against my thumb.
“On your knees.”
I didn’t allow her to disobey, lowering her to the ground while maintaining my hold on her throat.
Her eyes flashed, but there was no fear in her gaze. Only challenge and desire that mirrored my own. She glared at me with the same defiance she had shown in the throne room.
She might be on her knees, but she was far from conquered.
“Do you have any idea what you did in there?”
She narrowed her gaze, but her quickening breath gave away the state of her arousal. “I won. I survived.”
“You declared war.” My grip tightened, feeling the rapid flutter of her heartbeat.
“You best pray to whatever gods will have you that you are victorious, because if any harm comes to you, I will decimate this entire realm without sparing a second thought.” I leaned down, my breath fanning across her face.
“You have no idea what you have unleashed.”
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t cower. Instead, her hands fisted the fabric of my tunic, pulling me closer.
“You stood before them like a godsdamn queen. My queen.”
My thumb traced the elegant line of her jaw as my grip tightened just enough to make her breath catch. The power surging through me was intoxicating.
“You want to know what I think?” she said, her lips curving into a maddening smirk. “I think you’re finally seeing me for who I am, and that terrifies you.”
I chuckled, the sound dark and ominous in the quiet room. “On the contrary, Temptress. I fucking welcome it.”
My free hand tangled in her hair, the silken strands wrapping around my knuckles as I yanked her head back, exposing more of her throat. The sight of her, vulnerable yet unyielding, sent liquid fire coursing through my veins.
There would never be a time when I didn’t crave the way my Temptress came alive under my dominance. The air between us crackled with tension, heavy with unspoken promises.
“Unbuckle my belt.” There was no mistaking the command in my tone.
Her fingers moved with deliberate slowness, maintaining eye contact as she reached for the leather at my waist. Her every touch was rebellion, carefully disguised as compliance.
She would obey, but on her own terms.
“You think this makes you powerful?” she said, her voice honeyed venom as the belt came free. “Having me on my knees at your feet?”
I tightened my grip on her hair, forcing her to tilt her head to look up at me. “I think you’re about to find out who holds the power in this room.”
Her mouth curved into that infuriating smile. She pressed her palm flat against my abdomen, feeling the tension coiled there.
“Maybe I am. But don’t mistake my desire for submission, Ryker. I bow to no one.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Her laugh was soft and husky. “Will we?”
I released her throat only to trace my thumb across her bottom lip, pressing into the plush softness. She opened her mouth, taking the digit between her teeth.
Her fingers continued their torturous path, working at the fastenings of my trousers. Each brush of her fingertips against my skin sent a jolt of electricity racing through my veins, making my cock painfully hard.
When she pulled my length free, a bead of pre-come glistened on the tip.
“Open,” I said, and her tongue slid out, ready and waiting.
I fisted my length, squeezing tight as I forced a drop of my come onto her tongue. She licked her lips as if she had just tasted the most exquisite meal, and my balls tightened at the sight.
“Lick it clean, Temptress.”
Cadence didn’t hesitate as she leaned forward, her lips wrapping around the head of my cock. The wet heat of her mouth engulfed me, sending a riot of pleasure through my body. Her eyes never left mine as she took me deeper, her tongue sliding over my shaft with practiced precision.
“Fuck.”
She hummed around me, and the vibration made my thighs tense. Every one of her movements was deliberate, meant to push me to the brink of madness.
My Temptress knew exactly what she was doing. I was her conquest as much as she was mine. Even on her knees, she commanded. Even in submission, she ruled.
“Look at you,” I growled. “So eager to please.”
I thrust forward, testing her limits. Her throat constricted around my length, but she didn’t pull back. Instead, her nails dug into my thighs, leaving marks I’d proudly wear tomorrow.
“That’s it. Take all of me.”
I guided her head, setting a ruthless pace that had her gagging. Her tongue worked the underside of my cock as she hollowed her cheeks, and I saw fucking stars.
I felt myself edging closer to release, and it took everything in me to push her away. She resisted, trying to force my orgasm from me when I wasn’t ready. When she sat back on her heels, a string of saliva connected her to my cock, and I glared down at her as she gasped for breath.
She stared up at me, her lips swollen and her eyes watering. Even in her disheveled state, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
“Stand up,” I said, my voice rough with need.
She rose gracefully, never breaking eye contact. I grabbed her by the waist, spinning her around and pressing her against the wall with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs. My hand found her nape, pinning her cheek to the cold stone.
“Is this what you wanted? To provoke me?”
“Perhaps,” she panted, arching her back. “Or maybe I just wanted to see if you could handle me.”
“Oh, I can handle you, Temptress. The question is whether you can handle me.”
“Do your worst,” she said, taunting me.
I tore at her clothing, desperate to feel her skin against mine. The fabric gave way beneath my assault, and she gasped as cool air hit her exposed flesh. I didn’t give her time to adjust before my hands were on her, mapping every curve, every hollow with my tongue.
She tasted like salt and nectar, intoxicating me with each press of my lips. I marked her collarbone, her shoulder, claiming every inch of her as mine.
Cadence whimpered, and I chuckled against the curve of her neck. “Something you need, Temptress?” She bucked her hips, pressing her ass against my groin in invitation. “Use your words, Cadence,” I said as I took the lobe of her ear between my teeth. “I want to hear you beg.”
“Please, Ryker.”
“Please, what? Please touch my pussy? Please give you my cock? Tell me what you need, Temptress?”
“All of it,” she said as a shudder raced down her spine.
I slipped my fingers between her folds, pushing inside her cunt and finding her drenched for me. “Mmh, so wet for me, Temptress.”
She bucked her hips, desperately seeking more friction.
“I own you. Say it.”
She stiffened beneath my hold, and I waited, another barb sitting on the tip of my tongue.
“You own me.”
“Fuck,” I groaned, hardly believing my own ears. I needed to be inside her more than I needed my next breath.
I withdrew my fingers and positioned myself at the apex of her thighs. The head of my cock slid through her slick heat, and the sensation almost undid me. But I held back, savoring the moment before I claimed her.
“Say it again,” I demanded, pressing the tip against her entrance.
“You own me.”
I didn’t care if it was her desperation talking. Hearing those words from her mouth fucking unraveled me, shattering what remained of my restraint.
I slammed into her with one brutal thrust, burying myself to the hilt. She cried out, her body arching off the stone as she took every inch of me. The tight grip of her walls around my cock was pure perfection — hot, wet, and mine.
“Gods,” she said, her fingers scratching against the stone for purchase as I stretched her.
I set a punishing rhythm, each thrust driving her harder against the wall. The sound of skin meeting skin echoed through our chambers, mingling with her breathless moans.
When I thought she was about to come, I slowed my pace only to slam forward again, hard enough that she was sobbing my name.
Each thrust was a claim, marking her as mine.
I felt her walls tighten, strangling my cock as if she’d never let me go. Then she shattered around me, her orgasm ripping through her with such force that her knees buckled. I caught her, holding her against me as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her.
“That’s it,” I said, feeling my release building at the base of my spine. “Come for me, Temptress.” I pressed my mouth to her neck, biting down and breaking the skin.
Her cries filled the chamber, raw and desperate, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. With a final, savage thrust, I buried myself deep and let go, spilling into her with a roar that echoed off the walls.
We stayed pressed against the wall, both of us breathing fast as we came down from the high. Her body trembled against mine, aftershocks still coursing through her.
I pulled out, watching as my come dripped down her thighs. The sight stirred something primal in me, something possessive.
She turned in my arms, her face flushed and her eyes bright with satisfaction.
I stepped back, tucking myself away.
When I was done, I extended my hand to her. “Come, Temptress, you have a war to win.”