TWENTY-FOUR #2
“I need you, Amara,” he says again, his voice stripped raw of every defense he’s ever tried to hide behind. “Not just tonight. I need you like air . . . like the blood in my veins. And if I lost you . . . ” His breath comes unevenly. “I don’t think there would be anything left of me afterward.”
Emotion burns thick in my throat. I squeeze my eyes shut briefly, overwhelmed by the depth of it. By him.
This is what we both needed tonight. Something tangible and solid to hold onto after everything nearly fell apart.
I open my eyes.
“Then stop looking at me like you’re afraid I’ll disappear,” I whisper against his lips. “I’m still here.”
I press closer, my fingers curling into the fabric of his tunic.
“And I’m not going anywhere.”
He exhales a low, ragged sound—half growl, half sigh—barely holding himself together.
His hands move to the clasps at my shoulders, unfastening the ruby-red dress with practiced ease. The fabric slips slowly down my body in a whisper of silk before pooling around my feet. His palms follow its path, skimming over newly bared skin, each touch sending sharp waves of heat through me.
“You’re driving me insane,” I manage, breathless enough that the words dissolve into a shaky laugh.
Thane’s mouth curves slightly, desire flashing through his smoke-gray eyes. “Likewise.”
Then he kisses me again. Harder this time, the last of his restraint snapping.
And I want it—all of it.
I tug impatiently at his tunic, needing the barrier between us gone. He pulls back just long enough to drag the garment over his head and throw it aside.
He smiles. “No magics this time?”
A breathless laugh escapes me as memory rushes back instantly.
My magics surging wildly out of control, stripping us both bare before I even realized what I’d done.
The shock of it had barely registered before he was pressing me into the soft earth beside the lagoon, his body covering mine as he whispered, Let’s figure that out later.
“No,” I murmur, trailing my hands across his bare chest, savoring the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips. “I want to enjoy every moment of this.”
Something darkens in his gaze at the words.
“Good,” he says, his voice rough enough to send another wave of heat through me. “Because I plan to make this last.”
Firelight and moonlight conspire together, tracing every hard line of his body in silver and gold.
I knew he was strong, but seeing him like this .
. . it’s breathtaking. My hands spread across his chest, savoring the feel of him beneath my fingertips.
Down the firm planes of his stomach. Over every contour until my fingers reach the laces at his waist.
He hums in approval as I loosen them, his head tipping back briefly, exposing the strong line of his throat. Then a raw, unrestrained sound tears from his chest as my hand wanders lower, wrapping my fingers around him, feeling the hardness of him against my palm.
“Fuck,” he breathes, voice tight with strain. “I’ve told you before that you’ll be the undoing of me, right?”
A shaky laugh escapes me. “Promise?”
Our eyes meet, a promise reflected in his, before his mouth finds mine again, fierce enough to pull a soft sound from my throat. He lifts me effortlessly, and I wrap my legs around his waist as the world narrows to nothing but him.
His lips trail along my neck.
“By all the gods,” he murmurs against my skin. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“Then don’t,” I whisper, threading my fingers into his dark waves, surrendering to the raw hunger burning in his eyes.
He pivots sharply, sweeping an arm across the desk behind us. Papers and books crash to the floor without either of us caring. A wild thrill rushes through me at the way he doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t second-guess.
He’s strength, heat, and raw power—and right now, every inch of him belongs to me.
He lowers me onto the desk, his mouth closing over my breast with desperate intensity. A broken sound slips from me as sensation races through my body, sharp enough to leave me trembling beneath his touch.
“You feel so good,” I whisper unevenly.
And gods, I need this. To feel something other than fear and death pressing against me. To remember there is still warmth in the world after everything that happened tonight.
And Thane—strong and fiercely alive beneath my hands—feels like the only thing keeping me from breaking apart.
Thane lifts his head, his gaze dark with hunger and stripped raw with emotion, pinning me beneath the magnitude of everything he feels.
“You’re mine, Amara, darling.”
His fingers tighten at my waist, holding me firmly against him, and the possessiveness in his voice sends another rush of heat through me.
“And I’m going to show you exactly what that means.”
He draws me closer to the edge of the desk, and anticipation coils tightly through my body, every nerve alive with awareness of him. The air between us feels impossibly heavy now, charged with everything we’ve been holding back all night.
He shifts his pants just enough, and I feel him press against my entrance.
When I think I will finally feel him, he steps back long enough to rid himself of his clothes.
Firelight dances across bare skin and hard muscle as he straightens again, all restrained strength and devastating focus. My gaze drinks in every inch of him.
And gods—he’s beautiful.
Thane steps toward me again, his eyes turning ravenous when he catches me staring at him. A shiver rolls through me as he presses into me, my body stretching around his glorious tip.
My arms slide above my head against the desk, my back arching instinctively toward him. He folds over me, flicking his tongue over my nipple. A tease. A promise. When he straightens, his glazed eyes trail over every inch of me.
“I’ve imagined this for weeks,” he groans as his tip pushes deeper into me. “You spread out before me and completely mine.” His hand tightens against my thigh. “Letting me have you.”
A ragged moan tears from my throat as he thrusts into me. My fingers tighten against the edge of the desk as I brace myself beneath him, feeling every inch of him.
Behind him, the firelight glows, painting gold and shadow across the hard lines of his body. His eyes stay locked on mine, intense and searching, as though he’s trying to memorize every reaction I give him.
“You feel like fire,” he groans, his hands tightening at my hips. “Like I’m burning alive.”
I grip the edge of the desk harder, hips tilting instinctively to meet his thrusts. “Then burn with me,” I whisper.
A low groan rumbles through his chest.
His pace stays unhurried, unbearably deliberate, but there is nothing gentle about the force building beneath it.
Every movement pulls me tighter, my magics stirring in tandem with the pleasure rolling through me.
A familiar hum rises beneath my skin, quickly sharpening into a crackling pulse of power.
I should stop it.
I know I should.
But every drag of his body against mine pushes me closer to that dangerous edge. Pleasure sparks through every nerve, every breath, every frantic beat of my heart. The magics inside me swells in response, desperate for release.
Thane feels it immediately. His eyes darken further as another pulse of heat ripples through the room, the candles along the walls flaring brighter.
His rhythm slows, deliberately teasing, until I’m writhing beneath him, desperate for more.
Then, he folds over me, his chest pressing flush against mine, his breath hot and uneven against my ear.
“Don’t hold back,” he murmurs, his lips grazing my ear. “Let go. Let me feel all of you.”
His words melt into me, into my bones, into the fire already consuming me. He straightens, grips my hips, and thrusts deep.
A shudder tears through me.
Part of me wants to keep control, to rein in this storm, but his words strip away whatever restraint I have left. The pressure builds, and I don’t know if I can—or want—to keep it contained any longer.
He grips my breast with one hand, his thumb brushing over my nipple, and I cry out, the pleasure sharp and beautiful. And with every thrust, my control frays further. The Elements surge in response.
Wild.
Restless.
Hungry.
I stop fighting them.
I let the walls break.
Suddenly, the air around us shifts. Wind coils through the room, stirring loose papers across the desk as warmth floods violently through my body, too powerful to contain any longer.
Even after nearly burning out, the way Thane turns me on unlocks a fresh surge of magics, awakening a deep well of need I didn’t know I still possessed. This time, I don’t fight it. I let the magics rise freely, answering the desire coursing through me.
Golden sparks dance across my skin, illuminating the walls, the scattered books, and Thane’s face as he watches me with open awe.
A rough, victorious sound leaves him.
“Yes,” he murmurs, his voice ragged with desire. Shadow flickers briefly through his smoke-gray eyes, darkening them further. “I knew you had this inside you.”
His hands tighten on me instinctively as another pulse of power ripples through the room.
“So much power,” he breathes, staring at me like he can hardly believe what he’s seeing. “Gods, you’re beautiful.”
I arch against him completely, surrendering beneath the wave crashing through me.
But Thane is not finished.
With effortless strength, he pulls me into a seated position, holding me tightly against him as another pulse of magics ripples through the room. I gasp softly, my arms locking around his shoulders, my fingers digging into the tense muscles of his back as he holds me there.
“Thane—”
His name breaks from me helplessly, tangled with pleasure, emotion, and the raw power still surging beneath my skin.
The room hums around us.
Wind spirals through the chambers, rattling loose papers and stirring the flames along the walls until gold light flickers wildly across stone and shadow alike.