Chapter 23 #3
He leans his head back and places a kiss on my chin.
“I’m not too prideful to admit that I want you.
Want to do all the things I’ve dreamed about over the last two hundred years.
You are my partner, who I bound myself to.
I will wait for you until the sun burns out and a new star is born, if I must.”
At a loss for words, I pause, pulling my hands away from his head. What do I say to that?
Mikael slides under the water, and I use the moment to excuse myself from the chamber. I remove the towel and ungracefully plop onto the bed and cover myself with the linens.
Throwing an arm over my eyes, I let out a sigh. This shouldn’t be so hard.
Let it go.
But doesn’t that mean letting go of how my life was defined, how I changed since that day?
I need to talk to Peylin when we get back. She’s my voice of reason, and has always helped me during my darkest days. If she was able to help me navigate that once new reality, she’ll be able to help me now.
The bed dips, and I peek from under my arm.
Mikael’s skin glistens in the firelight, and beads of water cling to his skin as he sits at the edge of the bed. He’s sitting there like a damn god, shaped to perfection. His blond hair is slicked back from his face, and the lines of his angled jaw highlight those gorgeous cheekbones.
Oh, fuck me.
I might as well give into the bond that is now strongly tugging at me to be near him. It’s getting harder to ignore after the last trial. Harder not to give in to the depths of my heart.
I sit up, letting the blanket fall to my waist.
Mikael pulls in his bottom lip, his fangs on display, looking from my breasts to my mouth and back again.
“What are you doing?” His jaw clenches. A hand fists the blankets as his gaze hardens in a warning that’s intertwined with desire.
“Giving in.” I lean forward and grip his neck, pulling him into a kiss.
His tongue presses against my lips the moment our mouths touch. I part for him, and our tongues meet, sweeping around each other.
His kiss is devotion and desire.
Hunger and need.
I take it all, greedy for someone to want me this badly.
I pull his lip into my mouth, nipping at it.
He rips the linens away, pulling me onto his lap.
His hardness presses against the thin fabric of the towel around his waist, putting pressure against my clit.
I moan against his lips, running my hands through his hair and along his back.
He pulls away, then cups my jaw, running his thumb along my cheek as those gray eyes roam over my face. “Dreams cannot compare.”
I open my mouth to speak, but Mikael presses his thumb to my lip, silencing me. He tilts my head to the side, trailing kisses along my neck, fangs gently scraping against my skin.
A shiver runs through me, raising goosebumps on my skin. My back arches into his touch, head falling back.
I suck in a breath, unable to contain my arousal when he pulls my breast into his mouth, tongue sweeping back and forth over my sensitive flesh. He palms my other one, gently squeezing and toying with my nipple.
Pleasure ripples within me, igniting a fire between my thighs.
I want more. Want this. Him.
My fingers trail down his muscled chest, roaming further under the towel, working it loose. I gently grip his shaft, moving my hand up and down its length.
Mikael shudders, and a deep-throated moan vibrates against my skin, igniting a spark of pleasure that spreads through me.
He pulls my hand away, picking me up and flipping me, setting my back against the bed.
With a knee he pushes my legs apart. I’m already liquid beneath him. I bite my lip and nod.
No one was ever able to replicate the way a vampire’s bite—his bite—felt. He grips my thighs and presses his fangs against the soft inner skin. I hold my breath, anticipation spiking.
Mikael’s mouth spreads into a smile against my leg. “The faster your heart pumps, the sweeter it tastes.”
He sinks his fangs into me, pain quickly replaced by the spreading warmth of euphoria. My eyes roll up as my head falls back against the pillow.
“Mikael.” His name comes out in a pant.
It draws a guttural sound from him. He releases his bite and leans over me. “I am going to worship your body. Give you a night you deserve. But it will not be tonight.”
“Wh—What?”
Mikael wipes the corner of his mouth with his thumb, then slides it over his lips, consuming the rest of my blood. “Make no mistake. Stopping is torture. But, I’m not giving in just because you are. I want you to actually desire it—desire me.”
Mikael stands, his erection telling no lie, but he leaves, walking his perfect ass away from the bed and into the bathing chamber, closing the door behind him.
He left me, despite knowing—feeling—through our bond, that part of me wanted what I started to continue.
Yet, he still denied me because he wants me to desire him, the intimacy between us, fully. Annoyance and irritation flare. I try to quiet my brain, telling myself it’s not that important.
I huff out a breath and roll over, throwing the covers over myself, and let the lingering exhaustion lull me into sleep.