Chapter 55
VIVIENNE
Warm water cascades over my head, spilling in a steady curtain from the stone above.
I tilt my face into it, closing my eyes as it rushes down my body in heated rivulets that chase away the lingering chill from yesterday’s storm.
The cavern is quiet this morning. The rain still falls beyond the cave, softer now, no longer the violent roar it had been through the night. Its distant rhythm blends with the steady rush of the spring-fed waterfall, wrapping the space in a kind of hushed intimacy.
Last night we made love three times. Gods, I already want him again, but we should be leaving soon. He and the others decided we should wait until the rain slowed enough to travel safely, but it won’t be long now.
As I stand beneath the water, my thoughts drift back to the way he touched me, tasted me… worshipped me as though I were the most precious thing in the world to him.
Strong arms wrap around me from behind, and desire stirs deep within as I look back at my husband. He’s completely undressed and his eyes are dark with need as he glides his hands upward, slow and deliberate, until he cups my breasts.
A low moan escapes me as he circles his thumbs over the already stiff peaks. Instinctively, I arch into his body as the solid heat of him presses against me, his chest at my back, his breath warm as he kisses my neck.
Reaching back, I run my fingers through his hair as I tip my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes as sensation floods through me as he moves his hands down my body.
“Will you take me again?” he murmurs, voice low and rough against my skin.
Softly, I bite my lower lip, and take one of his hands, guiding him down between my thighs, showing him how much I want him. “Yes.”
I moan as he slides one finger inside me, and he growls low in my ear as I press back against him, asking for more.
Brushing his thumb over the small bundle of nerves at the cleft, he inserts another finger and begins to pump into me. I writhe against his hand, and it doesn’t take long before my body begins to tighten around his fingers, a wave of pleasure building deep within, ready to crest.
I’m balanced on the edge of my desire, so close to tipping over. Without warning, he removes his hand, and I open my mouth to protest but he spins me to face him.
Water beads along his skin, trailing down the thick planes of muscle along his abdomen and chest. His hair is damp, clinging to his forehead as he rakes his eyes over my bare form, full of intense possession.
“Gods, you’re beautiful, Vivienne,” he murmurs and then captures my mouth in a searing kiss. Lifting me into his arms, he carries me deeper into the water until we’re halfway submerged. “Need you,” he rasps, guiding his stav to my entrance.
I tighten my legs around him, lost in the delicious sensation as he sinks deep inside me, filling me completely.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” he breathes.
“Good,” I whisper. “Because I feel the same.”
He kisses me long and deep, his tongue curling around mine.
I run my hands down his back, feeling his powerful muscles flex beneath my fingers with each thrust of his hips.
My toes curl as each stroke of his body into mine becomes longer, deeper, and more forceful. I’m so close to the edge, but I know he’s even closer as his knot swells, locking us together.
His raven-black eyes stare deep into mine as he grinds against me, setting every nerve in my body alight with pleasure.
“Auren, please,” I whisper. “I need more.”
He growls and quickens his pace as I cling to him. Everything inside me tightens a moment before I cry out his name as wave after wave of pleasure crashes over and through me.
His stav pulses within and heat erupts inside me, flooding my core as he fills me with the delicious warmth of his seed.
When he finally pulls back, he drops his forehead to mine.
He’s still knotted inside me, and I love being connected to him like this.
He cups my cheek as his eyes travel over my face, something fierce and possessive reflecting in their depths.
“When you were taken, I thought I’d go mad,” he murmurs. “I was so afraid I’d lose you.”
“You didn’t lose me,” I whisper. “You came for me, Auren.”
“I tore through Thornreach castle and when I saw you standing in the middle of the room, ordering everyone around as though you owned the place, I’ve never been so confused in my life.”
A faint smile curls his lips. “I’d come prepared to wage war on their kingdom to get you back. But when I finally found you… it was like stepping back in time, to the moment I first saw you at the ball. I was simultaneously relieved and still enraged that you’d even been taken in the first place.”
A soft huff of laughter escapes him as he grins. “Even my warriors didn’t know whether to laugh or attack as they watched you commanding the room.”
I grin. “When I realized Branneth wasn’t going to hurt me, I knew if I made his life miserable enough, he would finally give me back to you.”
Something shifts in Auren’s gaze. “Even so, he’s lucky to be alive.” He clenches his jaw. “No one will ever take you from me again.”
I arch a teasing brow. “That sounds very possessive, my dear husband.”
He skims the tip of his nose alongside mine. “It is.”
“And if I say I rather like that?” I murmur against his lips.
A low rumbling purr vibrates in his chest. “Then I will likely become unbearable,” he teases.
I laugh and he does too. After a moment, his expression sobers and he cups my chin as he stares deep into my eyes. “You’re mine, Vivienne,” he says, voice smooth and deep. “Mine to protect. Mine to worship. And mine to love beyond measure.”
I lean in and brush my lips to his in a tender kiss as I whisper, “And you are mine.”