Chapter 30 Lore #3
I wasn’t sure who finally made the first move, but in the next instant, his lips crashed against mine, the kiss all-consuming.
My fingers sank into his hair, yanking him nearer until there was no space left between us. He growled with approval as I tugged his face toward mine and kissed him like my life and soul depended on it.
His tongue swept into my mouth, stroking mine.
The taste of him was intoxicating, but it still wasn’t enough.
His hand inched upward, encouraged by the subtle rocking of my hips, and he groaned against my mouth.
Gods, I wanted his hands everywhere.
A warmth ignited deep in my belly, spreading through my veins as his fingers traced a deliberate path from my thighs upward, gliding over the curve of my hips and the gentle slope of my waist, before slipping under my fluttering tunic and grazing the sensitive skin just beneath my breast.
I threaded my fingers through his hair harder, gripping firmly as I rolled my hips into his, silently begging him to give me more.
He tore himself away from our kiss, then dragged his mouth along my throat.
“I want you. More than I’ve wanted anything.
I could worship you for the rest of my life and it still wouldn’t be long enough.
Your mind.” His right hand was making a slow, torturous path upward, skimming along my silhouette.
“Your heart. You know what you like and don’t care what anyone thinks.
And there’s nothing sexier or more interesting than that. You’re fucking perfect, Lore.”
He finally cupped my breast, kneading it as his tongue plunged into my mouth, claiming mine in a battle I was all too willing to let him win.
His thumb brushed against the sensitive peaks, playing and teasing until I could hardly think straight from the sensations.
“More.”
My demand was met with fervor.
He gripped me by the back of my thighs and began to slowly grind his hips against mine in a tantalizing, rhythmic motion. It was a precursor of how it would feel with him thrusting inside me, and I was already close to the edge.
“Oh, my gods.”
For a moment, I saw the stars and heavens and every realm in between.
And that was with a layer of fabric between us.
When he finally drove inside me, I might combust. But what a way to go.
I clawed at the fabric of his tunic, gripping the woven material as I tugged it upward, inch by inch, over his head. I needed to see him, feel him without barriers.
I tossed his shirt aside and took a moment to drink him in.
His body was a work of art; his muscles were chiseled with precision, each curve and hard line a testament to years of rigorous discipline and dedication.
The gold phoenix tattoo glowed, and I couldn’t stop myself from tracing its realistic feathers. I swore it buzzed beneath my touch, a little warning sign or something more innocent, I wasn’t sure. But then my attention shifted back to the prince’s face, and I forgot to breathe.
He was looking at me like I was his favorite story, and he was eager to read every word on the page.
It was the most unguarded he’d ever been, and I knew it wasn’t an accident. He wanted me to see the depth of his desire, how it surpassed the physical.
I’d never seen someone more perfect; no character from any of my books compared to the prince and the sheer power he exuded in all ways.
But his mind captivated me the most.
Now that he had my full attention again, his seduction resumed with renewed determination.
He continued that slow, maddening movement with his hips, his focus set entirely on where our bodies met.
Every sharp intake of breath I made spurred him on. He cupped my breast and teased my nipples, cataloguing every nuance of how I responded, what I liked.
He was studying me like I was a text he was desperate to learn.
I’d never found something so attractive.
I glanced at his forearm, at the Latin inscription tattooed there.
Books before man.
This academic certainly knew what he was doing, and I sent a silent prayer of thanks to whatever he’d read that gave him an edge in the bedroom.
Then his mouth was on mine again, and there was nothing slow about it. This kiss was a claiming, a branding. A promise of passion untold.
I grew slicker with need.
He gripped my legs and thrust again, harder.
His tongue owning mine.
In a few short minutes, he’d already mastered what I liked and was now employing those tactics to wring pleasure from me.
I’d never had another lover be so in tune with my body, my needs. His desire to learn what turned me on was a seduction of its own.
The friction between us sent waves of heat coursing through me that intensified each time his arousal pressed against my core.
I didn’t care about the hunters, or the Trials, or any other twisted thing coming our way. I was starting to lose track of the woods around us, my senses narrowed to a tunnel that led directly to the prince.
Nothing else existed outside our bubble.
The world was dark at the edges, except for our sliver of moonlight.
Each time his body connected to mine, my focus on him sharpened.
The next time he thrust against me, a deep, primal need rose, eclipsing everything else. It was ancient, demanding, and impossible to ignore.
I needed to claim the prince and be claimed by him.
I broke away from our kiss.
“Take your pants off.” I drew back, panting. “Now.”