Chapter 17 #3
He doesn’t stop—licking me through every shudder, every aftershock—until I’m trembling so hard, I can’t hold myself up, winded and spent beneath him.
When he finally pulls back, he crawls up over me, caging me in with his arms, his voice a low promise against my ear. “You’re mine.”
I try to turn my head, to look anywhere but at him, but his fingers grip my jaw just firmly enough to hold me still.
“No hiding from me,” he says, his tone deep and unyielding.
“I want you to remember exactly who made you fall apart like that.” His thumb drags slowly across my lower lip, and the way his gaze follows the movement makes my pulse kick all over again.
“I want you to think about it every time you close your eyes. Every time you breathe.”
I’m still trembling, my body loose and heavy, but his weight over me, the heat of him, keeps me trapped in place.
“You’ll get used to it,” he murmurs, eyes locked on mine. “Being under me. Coming for me. Needing me.”
His hand leaves my cheek only to trail lower, skimming over my throat, between my breasts, and down my stomach until it’s resting heavily between my thighs again.
I’m still sensitive, the slightest brush of his fingers making my breath hitch, but the look in his eyes tells me he’s nowhere near done.
“Lucian—” It’s meant to be a protest, but it comes out shaky, almost pleading.
“Shh.” His mouth claims mine again, slowly this time, his tongue sliding against mine like he owns the rights to every part of me. “You’re wet enough for me.”
He shifts his weight, one hand bracing beside my head while the other frees himself from his pants. The blunt heat of him nudges against my entrance, and my stomach flips with equal parts fear and raw, dizzying need.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” he says breathily, his gaze locking me in place. “Last chance.”
I can’t. My lips part, but all that comes out is a shuddering breath.
His eyes close, his lips curling in that wicked smile before he pushes forward—slowly, deliberately—giving me no choice but to take him. The stretch stings slightly, more of an ache than anything else, but my fingers claw at his shoulders as I gasp.
“Breathe,” he orders, his voice steady and firm, guiding me through it. “You can take it. Relax for me.”
I try, but my body is tense, trembling beneath him. He stops halfway in, giving me a moment to adjust, his hand massaging my hip in a way that feels soothing despite the iron control in his grip.
“That’s it,” he murmurs, his tone softening just a fraction. “Let me in, Astra.”
I do—my body yielding without my permission—and he slides deeper, inch by inch, until he’s completely seated inside me. The fullness is overwhelming, almost too much, and yet I can’t help the way my legs tighten around his waist, holding him there.
He doesn’t move at first, his gaze locked on my face like he’s memorizing every flicker of sensation. Then, slowly, he starts…with long, measured strokes that pull a sound from me I’ve never made before.
The burn fades, replaced by something hotter, heavier. Each thrust presses deeper, rubbing places inside me that make my toes curl, building pressure. My hands grip his shoulders, then slide down his back, clinging to him as if he’s the only thing anchoring me to this world.
“That’s it,” he growls, his pace quickening. “Hold on to me. Take me.”
Every push of his hips forces another breathless sound from me. I can’t even think; I can’t do anything but feel him filling me, controlling every movement.
“You’re mine now, Astra,” he says against my ear, his tone absolute. “Every bit of you.”
I’m babbling again—his name, broken pleas, fragments of words even I don’t understand—while that strange, wild stirring deep inside me grows larger, demanding release.
“Come for me,” Lucian orders, his thrusts turning hard and relentless. “Do it while I’m inside you.”
It’s exactly what I needed him to say. My vision blurs, my body clenching around him as pleasure detonates in every nerve, raw and unrestrained. My cry is loud, shameless, and my nails bite into his skin as wave after wave crash through me.
He groans against my neck, driving into me with one final, deep thrust before following me over the edge, his grip so tight, it feels as if he will hold me there forever.
When the tremors finally ease, he doesn’t pull out. He stays buried deep inside me, his weight pressing me into the bed. His limbs are still wrapped around me, staking his claim.
I try to adjust myself slightly beneath him, but his hand tightens on my hip—firm, commanding—holding me exactly where he wants me.
“Don’t move,” he murmurs against my ear, his voice low and edged with satisfaction. “You’ll stay like this a little longer. I want you to feel me inside you…to remember it.”
My pulse stutters, heat rushing to my cheeks. “Y–You can’t—”
He cuts me off with a slow roll of his hips, making me gasp, the motion sending aftershocks rippling through my still-sensitive body.
“That’s right. Every time you move, every time you breathe, you’re going to feel me.
You’re going to know you belong here.” His mouth grazes my jaw, his words sinking into my skin like a brand.
“You’ll go to sleep today still sore from me.
You’ll wake up and remember exactly who fucked you like this.
And the next time”—his hand slides up, cupping my throat just enough for me to feel his strength without fear—“you’ll be the one begging me for it. ”
I’m breathless, my mind fogged and my body pliant beneath him, but the steady weight of him—inside me, on top of me—roots me to this moment in a way I can’t escape.
His eyes find mine, and it’s just us—his dominance, my surrender, and the undeniable truth between us.
“Mine,” he says again, the single word threaded with promise. “Always.”