Chapter Seventeen
Seventeen
Priya awakened to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the curtains.
For a moment, she lay still, piecing together where she was.
As the events of the previous night rushed back, she became aware of Ethan’s arm resting over her waist, his slow, steady breath against the back of her neck.
Her towel had come undone during the night, and she could feel the warmth of Ethan’s chest pressed against her back as he spooned her.
She closed her eyes, savoring the fit of their bodies, their legs twisted together beneath the covers.
But then, curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to see what he looked like when he slept. Lifting his arm and setting it aside, she untangled their legs, inch by inch. Congratulating herself on her stealthy maneuver, Priya held her breath and rolled over, hoping the bed wouldn’t creak.
Only to find Ethan watching her with an amused look.
“Hey,” she croaked.
“Morning,” he said, his voice husky and low. “Sleep well?” Ethan in the morning was a sight to behold. The contrast of stubble against the soft curve of his mouth was mesmerizing.
“I did,” she replied. “You?”
“Not a wink.”
“Oh?” Did I snore? Did I mumble something embarrassing?
“How could I?” he murmured, leaning in. “When all I wanted was this…”
With a swift tug, he pulled her closer, capturing her lips in a slow, heated kiss. Every sensation magnified. The slide of her legs against his, the whisper of the towel falling away from her completely, the seductive play of his tongue.
Priya sucked in a breath as Ethan’s mouth found the hollow of her neck. Her toes curled. Her fingers tangled in his hair. The sheets slipped away, leaving her bare beneath the heat of his eyes. They burned as they traced every inch of her.
Priya squirmed, even though he’d already seen her naked in the shower. This felt different—more raw, more intimate. Her hands rose instinctively to cover herself, but Ethan caught her wrist.
“You’re stunning,” he said, his gaze holding hers. “Let me see.” He guided her hands away. “Let me touch you.” His lips brushed against her ear. “And taste you.” His tongue dragged along the sensitive spot just behind her ear. “And feel you…”
A soft sound escaped Priya as she melted into the sensation. Ethan drew in a sharp breath at the way her body pressed against his. His hand slid down, claiming her waist. “I’ve waited long enough, Pri.” His eyes met hers, full of raw, restless hunger. “Tell me you want this just as much.”
“I do,” Priya whispered, her voice breathy and thick with desire. “I want you, Ethan.”
“That’s my girl,” he said, his lips brushing the hollow of her neck, breath scorching her skin and sending a tremor through her.
“Tell me where you want my tongue,” he said, voice gravel and smoke. “Here?”
Her hands twisted in his hair as his mouth found her nipple, teasing in slow, deliberate swirls.
“Here?” His lips wrapped around the other, sucking until it tightened against his tongue.
“God…everywhere,” she moaned, hips shifting restlessly.
His hand slipped between her thighs, and she tipped her head back, muscles coiling. But Ethan was in no rush to go straight there. He teased her with his fingers, circling. Slowly. Softly. Drawing it out. Priya felt herself melting, opening to him in ways that left her raw and exposed.
“Ethan…” Her voice was raw, nearly breaking.
“Not yet,” he murmured, lips brushing her skin as he moved lower, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses along her inner thigh. Just when she thought she couldn’t take another second, his tongue flicked over her clit.
Priya gasped, her back arching off the bed.
Ethan’s mouth devoured her with bold, unrelenting heat.
Every time she got close, he withdrew just enough to make her whimper, to make her crave more.
He controlled every wave of pleasure, building her up piece by piece until she was breathless, aching, and shaking beneath him.
Sliding over her, eyes dark and fixed on hers, he dragged his thumb across her mouth, tugging her lip down to toy with the soft flesh inside. Her lips parted for him, and she drew his thumb into her mouth, slow and deliberate.
“Fuck…you’re going to make me come right here…” Ethan growled, his voice thick with restraint. “All over this beautiful, filthy mouth.” He grazed her lip with his teeth before pulling back just far enough to meet her eyes.
“Don’t hold back,” Priya murmured, her nails trailing down the sculpted lines of his chest.
“Oh, I won’t,” Ethan rasped. “But you’re going to feel all of it first.” His hand covered hers, guiding her down until her fingers wrapped around him.
A groan rumbled from his chest as she began to stroke him with slow, deliberate movements.
Swearing under his breath, he reached for the drawer, his motions swift and smooth as he tore open the condom and rolled it on.
Priya’s breath caught as she felt the blunt heat of his tip pressed against her entrance, teasing the edge of everything she craved.
She’d never felt so alive, so completely undone by anticipation alone.
Ethan shifted, easing into her with slow, deliberate pressure.
The stretch was exquisite—sharp, overwhelming—and stole the air from her lungs.
She gasped, eyes fluttering shut as he sank deeper.
A soft groan left him as he buried his face in the curve of her neck, lips brushing her skin.
For a moment, they remained motionless—bodies locked, nerves alight, drowning in sensation.
Then Ethan pulled back and drove into her again, deeper, harder.
Priya met him stroke for stroke, lost in the rhythm, the friction, the fire.
This was Ethan—her Ethan—and he was all over her, his body moving with fierce intent, his lips igniting a melting sweetness inside her.
Awkwardness melted, masks disappeared, only want remained.
Priya’s fingers slipped between them, circling her clit in time with their rhythm. Ethan groaned, the sound pure heat.
“Eyes on me,” he said, voice dark and commanding.
Priya’s eyes fluttered open, and the sheer hunger in his gaze made her body quake.
“I want to see you come,” he ground out.
That was all it took. Priya surrendered completely, her body pulsing around him, waves of ecstasy crashing over her—raw, endless, shattering.
Ethan followed with a deep, primal growl, his body tensing before shuddering hard against hers.
For a moment, he remained on top of her, their bodies fused together in the afterglow.
Priya savored the weight of him, grounding her in the quiet storm of what they’d just shared.
Then, with a soft breath, he shifted and drew her into his arms.
As the glow of the morning sun brightened, Ethan laced his fingers with hers and lifted their hands toward the light. Rotating his wrist, he watched how the light illuminated their hands. Then he pressed a soft kiss onto the back of her hand.
“I could stay like this forever.” Priya curled deeper into the warmth of his body.
“Good.” Ethan’s hand slipped to her waist, pulling her closer. “Because I’m not letting you get out of bed.”
“Lucky for you, it’s a comfortable bed.” Priya smiled, her cheek pressed to his chest. The steady rhythm of his breath, the rise and fall of his chest…
everything about this moment felt perfect.
“I thought I’d be wired after everything that happened last night, but nope. I barely remember closing my eyes.”
“That tired, huh?” Ethan brushed a strand of hair away from her face. His fingers stilled for a moment, and he shifted slightly, like something had just clicked in his mind. “Wait…didn’t you say you wanted to tell me something last night?”
Priya’s heart lurched.
Now? He wants to have this conversation now?
She could barely wrap her head around the fact that she was lying next to him after the most mind-melting experience of her life.
She wanted to come clean—but seriously, who in their right mind would risk ruining things with Ethan Knight?
And for what? It wasn’t like he was sticking around forever, so why ruin the time they had left together?
The fire had given her the perfect out. She could have let Moksha burn, and she hadn’t.
Her parents were keeping it, and she’d finally come to terms with it.
She didn’t have to like it, but she’d made her peace.
So, what was the point in telling him? Why drag them both into a conversation that could tear apart the one perfect thing in her life right now?
“I wanted to tell you that I’m a horrible person because, well…I can be sneaky.” Priya’s hand slipped under the covers, her fingers closing around him.
“Interesting.” Ethan’s lips curved as if weighing her confession. “I think we need to explore this side of you a little more.”
Priya chuckled, then disappeared under the covers. Her mouth opened, warm and inviting, her tongue swirling over him in slow, tantalizing strokes.
Ethan exhaled slowly, his head falling back against the pillows.
Everything was momentarily perfect—the soft white sheets, the beams of light playing through the curtains, the distant hum of the world awakening to a new day.
Around the bed, Priya’s circle of salt marked the fraying edges of their newfound bliss.