Chapter 5
Crystalia's heart pounded in her chest as Jackson's lips met hers, sending a rush of conflicting emotions through her.
His touch ignited a fire that had long been smoldering inside her, a mix of desire, anger, and regret.
She felt the intensity of his kiss, the raw passion simmering beneath the surface.
As their lips moved together in a dance of longing and turmoil, her mind raced with memories of their past, of the love that once bloomed between them before withering away. She could taste the bittersweet essence of what could have been, of the choices that had led them down separate paths.
But in that moment, wrapped in the embrace of the man she had once cared deeply for, Crystalia felt a flicker of something new stirring within her.
It was a spark of hope, of second chances and redemption.
The icy walls she had built around her heart began to crack and it scared the hell out of her.
She could almost hear them splintering and as he slipped his hand into the hair behind her head and held her panic swelled in her chest.
She’d been done with this, done with him and males in general.
Never again did she plan to let her physical needs overcome her common sense.
Males were dangerous. Once they gained the upper hand you might lose yourself in the passion they inspired.
You might find yourself making reckless decisions based on their needs and not your own.
Jackson could do that to her. She’d sensed it immediately when he pulled her body tightly to him.
Weakness washed over her like a heavy wave, taking her under as her toes curled and the blood sang in her veins.
She had to stop this, stop it now before it was too late.
No rush of passion was worth another broken heart.
No night of unbridled love would make her whole again.
Who did she think she was kidding? Once he tired of her she would return home in shame, cast aside and broken.
He’d made it clear he desired revenge, payment for the wrong she’d done him.
Not once had he mentioned love or commitment other than his intention to keep her in his frozen castle until he was done with her, until she’d paid her debt.
Crystalia began to struggle in his arms, pushing against his chest.
“No, Jackson, no,” she panted out. “This is wrong for so many reasons.”
“It’s not wrong,” he growled back, his mouth nipping her ear. “The timing is wrong, I’ll give you that. It should have happened decades ago.”
She thought he was going to push it. His arms trembled and the hand buried in her hair tightened painfully.
Then he took a deep breath and let her go.
Stepping back, her chest heaving she stared at him, caught the look in his eyes, nearly silver now with anger and frustration.
Taking a step closer she reached out her hand, but he batted it away.
“I’m sorry Jackson, so sorry,” she whispered.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
“What are you sorry for, Chrissy? For running out on me with no explanation?” he asked with a snort. “Perhaps you’re sorry that your human dream man let you down and you were forced to raise his child on your own.
“I was here, Crystalia, all the time, waiting for you and yet you chose to continue living a lie, isolating yourself on Snow Capped Ridge like a heartbroken widow when you were never a bride at all.
“You had a brief, passionate affair with a human who never put you first. That’s nothing new in the Elven world. Elves have dozens, perhaps hundreds of affairs in their lifetimes. Why couldn’t you put it behind you and move on, why can’t you now?”
She gasped, a hand flying to her throat. Did he have to lay all her secrets out as though each one was one of a thousand tiny cuts to his pride?
“I never promised you anything,” she hissed in self-defense.
“But you did,” he countered, “maybe not with words, but with your eyes, shining with desire for me. You craved my touch. You teased and tempted, flirted and taunted me until I nearly lost my mind. I could have taken you any time, but I held back, waiting for the right moment, the right setting. I wanted it to be perfect, beautiful, and enchanting, so glorious you would never have even a tiny regret,” he stated, running his hand through his hair.
“Now, because of my unbelievably inane sensibilities we are both filled with regrets.”
“We shouldn’t be,” she insisted. “We made choices and…”
“You made choices,” he barked out angrily. “I was forced to live with them.”
The air between them crackled. Crystalia's heart raced with a mix of fear and a dangerous thrill at the unpredictability of the situation. She knew Jackson was not the same gentle, patient male she once knew, but the intensity of his current demeanor was unsettling.
“What are you going to do?” she asked weakly, slowly backing away from him.
For a moment he was still, incredibly motionless as though enduring a deep internal struggle.
The frosty mask he wore slipped, revealing a vulnerability she hadn't seen in him before.
Crystalia watched in silent surprise as Jackson's steely demeanor softened, a flicker of pain crossing his chiseled features.
The tension that had crackled between them moments ago left an air of raw emotion lingering between them.
His eyes met hers and for an instant she thought she glimpsed a touch of regret but it was quickly replaced with determination. Before she could run he was beside her, sweeping her up into his arms. Holding her tightly to his chest he finally answered her question.
“Tonight, I’m going to be the one to choose, and I chose you my spoiled, infuriating Crystalia, as I did decades ago, only this time there will be nowhere to run,” he replied as he began to carry her from the room.
Easily he carried her down the hallway and up the wide curving staircase.
She did not fight him, having no desire to end up lying in a heap at the bottom.
She realized that not only was he incredibly strong and fit for an elf his age, she instinctively understood that in his current state of mind he could and would use magic if necessary.
Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder and placed one arm around his neck.
“You’re not going to fight me?” he asked in surprise as he carried her down the hallway to his chambers.
“No. Did you want me to?” she asked with slight sarcasm tinting her tone.
“Of course not, but I will say I expected it,” he admitted kicking open his door.
“You seem to expect quite a lot of things tonight,” she replied calmly. “Perhaps you’ll be disappointed all around.”
He laughed as he tossed her on the bed, following her down.
Crystalia’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t deny the thrill that ignited within her at his bold move. Jackson loomed over her, his eyes dark, filled with desire and something more sinister.
“I always get what I want, Chrissy,” he whispered, his breath warm against her cheek as he leaned in closer, nibbling on her neck.
The scent of pine and frost surrounded her, sending her senses reeling.
“It might take me a while. In your case, decades,” he continued with a touch of ire, “but here you are, in my bed, finally.”
Her pulse quickened as she felt his hand brush a strand of hair away from her face, his touch sending sparks of electricity through her. Despite the tumult of emotions swirling inside her, a part of her couldn’t help but be drawn to him, to the enigmatic man she once knew so well.
“Is this really what you want, Jackson?” she whispered.
“I want to see you,” Jackson finally spoke. His voice was low and tinged with an intensity that stunned her.
“See me? What do you mean?” Crystalia asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Jackson's lips curved into a sly smile, sending a flood of mixed emotions through her.
“I want to see the real you, Chrissy. I want to peel back the layers you hide behind and uncover the beautiful Elven female beneath. I want to feel your body against mine, savor the heat from my beautiful hot star.”
She gasped, a flicker of fear mingling with a strange sense of longing.
She had built walls around her heart over the years, protecting herself from pain and disappointment.
Hot star indeed, she thought with a grimace.
What an awful name to be branded with. She certainly didn’t feel hot, only anxious and a bit frightened, and she’d been freezing for years.
Would he like what he discovered? Would he still desire her in the morning or would he find out she was a hollow shell covered with an appealing body.
It was true that she had once cared for him, maybe even loved him, but would his victory this night turn into bitterness, transforming him into a stranger she barely recognized.
Still, faced with the icy determination in Jackson’s eyes and the underlying threat in his words, Crystalia felt a spark of desire dance in her chest. It had been so long since a male wanted her, so long since she’d felt any desire of her own.
The Winter King, they called him, Your Majesty, Your Highness, but who was he really?
Was he the Jackson Frost of her youth, a man she’d adored?
And he was right, she had teased and tormented him ceaselessly, trying out her female wiles on the one male she trusted more than any other, but did she trust him now?
Tilting her head she allowed him greater access to her neck and shivered. His lips traced from below her ear to the curve of her shoulder, his hands pushing her dress lower. There was a sense of urgency in him that worried her, an intensity that could not be denied.
“Chrissy,” he breathed against her skin. “Give yourself to me. I promise you won’t be sorry.”
Reaching up she grasped his face in her hands and forced him back. Their eyes met in the candlelit room, shadows dancing behind him. Silver and blue orbs met and melted into one another. She nodded her head, nervously biting her lip.
Jackson rose from the bed and extended his hand to her, pulling her up when she grasped it.
Slowly he began to undress, tossing each garment carelessly to the floor.
Her eyes took in each feature as he revealed it.
Strong thighs, a tight flat stomach, thick biceps, even his feet were attractive to her.
His manhood was impressive and unconsciously she licked her lips.
“Turn around,” he ordered when he stood proud and naked before her.
Wordlessly, she obeyed, presenting her back. He unfastened her dress from neckline to hip and pushed it down until it pooled around her feet like a black, sparkling wreath.
A slight gasp escaped his lips. She was naked beneath the gown.
Had she expected this to unfold? Taking a finger he traced her spine, smiling when she quivered.
Stepping up behind her he reached around and cupped her breasts, full and firm.
Already hard, he pulled her back, his cock warm against her bottom.
Crystalia let her head fall back, resting on his chest when he began to worry her nipples. She wiggled her hips and he laughed as her long hair tickled his thighs.
“Oh how I wish this beautiful ass was still warm from this afternoon,” he sighed as one of his hands abandoned her breast and slid down her stomach to settle between her thighs.
His wicked fingers soon began to roll her clit like a marble in honey and her legs trembled.
“Tell me, my darling,” he whispered bending to reach her ear. “Would you mind terribly much if I warmed your cheeks up again?”
“Huh?” she asked weakly, her mind spinning as she struggled to stay upright.
“I want to spank you. I’m asking for your consent, my darling. It won’t always be so, but for this one night I will accept your decision.”
“Why?” she whispered in shock. “Why would you want to?”
“Because I adored spanking you; have dreamed of it a thousand times over the years. I am convinced that had I been wiser and not so blinded by love, our lives might have turned out differently. Had I taken a firmer stand, applying a hard hand to your saucy bottom when it was called for, you would have soon realized I was the mate for you.”
Crystalia pushed his hands from her and spun around, staring at him with her mouth open.
She said not a word, her mind quickly digesting what he’d just suggested and weighing the value of it.
Was it true? Had she needed a firmer hand, more guidance, more limits placed on her behavior?
Certainly throwing that sculpture at him this afternoon in anger, hadn’t been one of her smartest moves.
The spanking had stung and been highly humiliating.
How could she possibly agree to a repeat?
Then she noticed the look in his silver blue eyes. His honesty was clear to see. He believed everything he’d just said and he was asking for more than her permission. Jackson wanted her trust, wanted her to surrender to him in a highly intimate way, much more personal than simply sharing her body.
After a few moments he used his finger to chuck her mouth shut, a grin on his face.
“I’ve shocked you, haven’t I?”
“Yes,” she admitted, feeling her face heat up.
“Understandable. It comes from decades of you playing the tune I danced to,” he informed her, his voice deep and somehow confident. “Tonight it is I who shall play the tune, and you my darling will surely tremble and dance beneath my hand.”
It was unnerving to say the least and she wavered, wanting, no needing him to finish what he’d started, for he built a fire in her that was startling in its intensity.
Yet, his demands presented a problem, for she was not the kind of Elven female used to submitting to a male.
Her independence had been hard won, and she would not give it up easily.
Suddenly his hand shot out. Reaching behind her head he sunk his fingers into her hair and pulled her body close, his lips claiming hers in a shocking display of masculine dominance. One hand snaked around her waist and she was held firmly to his body, unable to feel an inch of space between them.
His tongue slipped into her mouth, battling for supremacy. His steely hard cock pressed against her abdomen, burning her. She was unable to determine if it was hot, or extremely cold. The thought of that deep inside her was her undoing and her knees quaked.
Jackson lifted his head and pressed his forehead against hers.
“I’ll have your answer, now,” he commanded hoarsely.
Weakly she nodded her head.
“I am yours,” she whispered. “For tonight I am yours, Jackson.”
“We shall see, won’t we?” he answered, taking her hand and pulling her down on the bed on her tummy.