Chapter 3
LILY
Time had no meaning to us in our quiet bubble. The sun rose and set, the amount of light changing from behind the curtains, but we had no grasp of the time of day. We slept on and off at random times.
I’d fallen asleep in bed while he showered, and I woke up to the sound of his heavy body entering the room.
My eyes peeled open to see him at the foot of the bed.
His hair was damp from the way he dried it with a towel, but a couple drops were still on his skin after they fell out of his hair and splashed on him.
A behemoth of a man who still looked like a god even when he was stripped of his powers, he stared me down like we hadn’t been locked away for the last two days. My body was sore from taking his enormous girth nearly nonstop, but I didn’t dare complain.
He wore that intense expression, like the sight of my naked body under the sheets was enough to entice him again. His length was at full mast, ready to impale me and split me in two with his thrusts.
He grabbed the bottom of the sheets and slowly pulled them off me, exposing my naked body to the cold air. Then he moved over the bed, making it shift and creak because of his massive size, and he covered me like a storm cloud and blocked out the light.
He planted his lips on my stomach, and he kissed my belly button and the smooth skin around it before he shifted up and kissed the area between my breasts.
Then his lips latched on to a nipple, and he licked and sucked them both before he smothered my hips in his kisses, hooking my thighs over his shoulder so he could kiss the delicate skin there.
I dug my fingers into his hair, and I watched this beautiful man worship my body with the same reverence that the witches had worshipped my powers.
He sprinkled kisses on the inside of my other thigh before his lips moved to my sex.
The hair was still there because I hadn’t had time to shave, but he devoured me like he didn’t even notice.
He sucked my clit into his mouth and applied pressure with his teeth before he swirled his tongue around over and over, and then he slipped his tongue into my slit.
I started to grind into him, getting lost in the pleasure he gave me with his kiss. “Callum…”
The sound of his name seemed to snap his patience because he straightened and grabbed my hips before he tugged me to him, bending me in place before his narrow hips slid between my thighs and he started to sink into my flesh.
The soreness made it hurt, but I wanted this man so much I didn’t care.
He’d made love to me in the beginning, but now he’d become more aggressive and territorial. He grabbed me by the throat and gently squeezed as he rammed into me like I was a whore rather than the woman he loved.
I loved it.
I gripped his wrist as I watched this enormous man pound into me like he was desperate to take me every hour without exception, to dump another load of seed into me so it would drip out of my entrance in the shower or when I used the bathroom.
It was a dream having him here with me day and night, that he was real, that if someone else walked in the door, they would see him too.
With an intensity that was almost terrifying, his eyes bored into mine without blinking as he pounded me like a hammer on a nail, driving me deep and hard into the mattress, all my joints sore from bending in every way he wanted.
“Xivin.” His fingers tightened on my throat a little more as he fucked me so hard I wasn’t sure how he could keep up the pace so effortlessly without growing tired.
I didn’t think I could come anymore, but my pussy was a hostage to his dick, and it had to do whatever he said.
Otherwise, there would be consequences. So my body burst into a firestorm, and I writhed underneath him, barely able to move because he had me pinned down firmly.
I moaned and whimpered and cried through the explosion between my legs, feeling the pain of the soreness when I tightened around him.
He uttered a sexy grunt when he released, giving his final pumps as he dumped another batch of seed inside me.
He finally loosened his fingers from around my throat before he pulled out of me.
And as if we both hadn’t just climaxed, his mouth was on mine and he kissed me passionately, letting my hips relax from the way they were bent to take him.
His hand hooked my thigh over his hip, and he kissed me, danced his tongue with mine, shared his breaths with me.
Then he grabbed my hand and placed it over his heart… so I could feel it beat.
After I woke up from a nap, I walked into the kitchen to find Callum in front of the oven.
He was just in his trousers, his muscled back turned to me, all the definition around his spine distinct.
He opened the door and pulled out the casserole with a single hand and set it on top of the stove to cool.
I leaned against the wall and watched him, always appreciating the sight of him.
Days must have passed, maybe a week, I wasn’t sure.
I was glad that my family hadn’t come by to visit, because I wasn’t done with this man.
I loved my family and knew they missed me, but I’d wanted Callum to be mine for so long.
Wanted this time with him because so much had been taken from us.
My parents had rarely been apart for as long as I could remember, and now I’d found my person whom I wanted to be with always.
Of all people, they should understand the most.
He turned to look at me, six-and-a-half feet of pure masculinity, with bulging muscles on his arms and chest and eyes as dark as twilight. He took one look at me, and the intensity shone bright.
I wanted him to look at me like that for the rest of our lives.
He stared at me for another moment before he crossed the space between us and kissed me, his hand sliding underneath the back of my shirt and grazing over my ass before it reached the small of my back. “Hungry?”
“Yes.”
He grinned slightly as he pulled away. “For food?”
“You and food,” I said as I rose onto my tiptoes and circled my arms around his neck to kiss him.
He continued to wear that soft grin on his face, which was a delight because it was so rare to see him smile. He pressed a kiss to my forehead before he stepped away to prepare our lunch…or dinner…maybe even breakfast.
I watched him scoop the food onto the plates before he carried them to the dining table.
I prepared a bottle of wine, and we sat together in the quiet house, just the two of us having another meal together.
His elbows were on the table, and he leaned slightly forward as he ate, his focus on me nearly the entire time, entertained just by seeing me sitting across from him. “I’m always hungry. Not used to that.”
With the amount of muscle on his large frame, I wasn’t surprised.
“And I’m still not used to being tired.”
“It’s a daily struggle after you turn twenty-five.
” I sliced my fork through the pasta and took a bite, grateful my mom had done this for me.
Otherwise, we’d have to go into the village and get food, but I wasn’t ready to leave the house.
I’d worked hard to protect our kingdom from the Barbarians, traveled the world to save my father with the platinum, and then sacrificed myself to the underworld so Callum would be free.
I was still tired, and that was reasonable.
I wanted to stay cooped up in this villa for as long as I could because I didn’t owe anyone anything.
“We’re about to run out of food,” he said between bites. “I can hunt.”
“I’ll ask one of the servants to prepare stuff for us.” I’d never asked them to do anything for me before the war, always taking care of myself because they served my parents, not me. But I would make an exception in light of recent events.
“I can hunt, sell the meat, and buy us what we need in the market.”
“Another time, Callum. I’m Princess of the Southern Isles, and for the first time, I want to take advantage of that.”
His eyes showed a hint of disagreement, but he didn’t voice it.
We’d spent the week making love—and not much else. Conversations were brief and superficial. It seemed like neither of us wanted to talk about everything that had happened, or we just wanted to enjoy this beautiful peace as long as possible.
He finished his food in a few bites, eating his meal quickly like he was ravenous.
Then he grabbed the glass of wine and took a few sips before he set it aside.
He crossed his arms over his chest, and he seemed content just to watch me eat.
He never forced conversation or needed to be stimulated by a dialogue.
Even now that he was alive, he was still the strong and silent type, comfortable with long stretches of silence and intense eye contact.
“You should probably visit your family.”
“I’m not ready.”
He didn’t press it because he never pressed anything. “I’m sure I can get a job in the village as a carpenter or a painter or a craftsman. Get a place of my own if you need—”
“I want to marry you.”
He stilled when he heard my declaration.
“I want you here with me—always.” I didn’t want us ever to be separated again. He was my person, the love of my life, the man I wanted always. “I don’t ever want us to be apart.”
He gave a slight nod. “I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”
“Then I cleared up any confusion that might have remained.” I turned back to my food and continued to eat. “Unless you feel otherwise.”
“If you knew the depth of my feelings, it would frighten you, Lily.” He declared that with the same intensity in his gaze, confident in his words without a hint of regret for saying them. “You think you know, but I don’t think you’ll ever truly understand.”
I held his gaze for a while, feeling overpowered by the confidence that radiated from his presence. I was the first one to look away and return to my food, still feeling his hot stare on me all the while.