Chapter Seventeen #4
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, caressing my chest and gliding a finger down my ribs. He took hold of my cock. “Be a good boy and come for me.”
Holy fucking shit.
In my past life, I had devoured smutty romance books. Definitely a guilty pleasure. But I had often rolled my eyes when one guy ordered the other to orgasm on command. Who could even do that?
Me. That’s who. Because the moment he said those words in his silky voice, I was butter in his hands. Completely done for.
I came with a raspy cry, my ass clenching and cock dribbling.
He spread the cum around my tip and watched me in the throes of my orgasm, his gaze darkening.
The intense pleasure went on and on, the waves crashing one after the other instead of receding.
He continued fucking me, pounding that delicious knot that had my brain going dumb.
Onyx groaned and tipped his head back, lips parting again. And then he was coming too, his hips jolting and abs trembling. I ran my hand across his stomach, then reached down to where we connected, feeling the jerks of his cock as he spilled into me.
I wanted every drop. Wanted the moment, and the closeness, to last forever.
Afterward, neither of us moved. Our heavy breaths mingled with the taps of rain against the window.
A log faintly popped in the hearth. Slowly, he lifted his hand to my face and stroked my jaw, then my bottom lip.
Almost as though he were memorizing every piece of me: the soft planes of my face.
Each light freckle that speckled across the tops of my cheekbones.
Words bubbled up inside me. The long silence made me feel like I had to break it with a witty remark or at least tell him how amazing the sex was. But I held those words back, instead choosing to stay in that silent moment with him.
To savor every second of it.
Eventually, Onyx withdrew from me and got out of bed without a word.
I shifted up against the pillows and gathered the sheet around me, watching him walk over to a basin in the corner.
He cupped water in his hand and ran it over his forearms before doing the same to his bare chest. Firelight caught on the planes of his shoulders and the muscles in his back as droplets of water rolled down his naked body.
Something about him seemed so damn sad in that moment. Lonely.
“Do you want me to leave?” I asked, finally breaking the silence. My voice sounded loud in the quiet room.
Onyx kept his eyes on the basin of water. “Yes.”
That one word was like a punch to the chest. Part of me had expected it, but it still hurt. “Okay.”
This is what we agreed on, I reminded myself. Just a night of sex and nothing more.
So why did my heart hurt so much?
I got out of bed and retrieved my clothes from the floor in a daze.
My eyes stung as I fastened my pants and smoothed down my tunic.
Not sure where my shoes went, but I didn’t want to stick around searching for them.
Because I recognized the burning in my throat.
The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of him.
I walked toward the door, my heart like lead in my chest. I stopped when reaching it and turned to look at him. He hadn’t moved from his earlier spot.
“Um, so I guess I’ll see you later,” I said, the wobble in my throat making my voice thick.
He didn’t respond. Just kept staring at the water basin without a trace of emotion on his face.
I opened the door.
“Wait,” he softly said. My breath caught. “You haven’t walked this part of the castle before and don’t know your way back. Follow the shadows. They’ll guide you to your room.”
Although confused, I didn’t question him. Because one tear had slipped free and another wouldn’t be far behind. I stepped from his room and shut the door behind me, then stood in place on the other side, trying to pull myself together.
If I returned to my men with puffy, tear-swollen eyes, Maddox might very well hunt Onyx down. This was the exact situation he’d worried about: my feelings getting hurt.
Dry your eyes, dammit. I wiped at my cheeks.
There was a waft of air beside me.
And then my soul almost left my body.
A shadowy… thing stood in front of me. Probably six and a half feet tall and looked to be made of dark smoke.
The shape was human. Kind of. Proportions were off: massive shoulders and lanky limbs.
It turned and went down the corridor, then, as if realizing I wasn’t following, turned back around and waited. Eerily so.
“R-Right,” I said and stepped toward it.
Stranger things had happened to me, I guess. One thing was for sure: the shadowy entity made me forget all about my achy heart. By the time we reached the door to the room I shared with my men, my eyes were bone dry.
“Thank you,” I told the creature.
The shadows of its body swirled before dispersing.
I took another steadying breath, then crept into the room.
Oreo lay on the rug in front of the fire and lifted his head to look at me.
I waved, hoping he wouldn’t woof and wake the others, before tiptoeing to the washroom.
There was the soft pad of his paws as he followed.
Like a guard pup, he faced the door as I shed my disheveled clothes and washed up.
Once I was clean and smelling like citrusy soap, I dried off and crawled into bed. Maddox lifted his arm and welcomed me against his side.
“How long have you been awake?” I whispered.
“For a while,” he answered, just as soft. “Rowan checked on you with his shadows and said you were downstairs making a pie.”
“Cobbler,” I corrected… and then felt a burn in my throat. It reminded me of Onyx. “You can have a slice tomorrow. It’s pretty good.”
“I have no doubts.” Maddox kissed my temple and tightened his arm around me. “Good night, sweetheart.”
“Good night, big guy.”
If he suspected anything, he didn’t mention it.
A small blessing. Lake repositioned himself and found his favorite spot on my lap, while Briar turned over and slid his arm around me too.
Callum snored on the other side of him, and Rowan was kicked back on the window bench, his chest rising and falling with slow, even breaths.
I fell asleep quickly despite the eventful night.
A red spider lily waited for me in my dreams. It bloomed beneath a weeping willow and beckoned me closer. I sat beside it and tipped my head against the tree. The long, thin petals glowed brighter before the branches stirred in front of me.
“May I join you?” Onyx asked, a book tucked under his arm.
I smiled as a tear rolled down my cheek. “I’d like that.”