Chapter 14 Audryn
AUDRYN
Col didn’t falter for even a moment as he ascended each step at a steady pace; I settled into the side of his neck and breathed in his heavy, addicting scent.
His breath stuttered the second I lost all restraint, letting my mouth explore his skin.
He fumbled for the knob, carried us into his room, and kicked the door shut.
“Are you sure?” Col set me on the bed with such gentleness, he must’ve thought I might break.
“More than I’ve ever been,” I breathed and arched my back slightly, letting my hand slide down between my legs. I kept my focus on him and watched as he tracked the movement before drawing his attention back to my face.
“You’re not too tired?” He frowned, his gaze scanning.
“Do I look too tired?” I brought my hand up to my mouth and seductively swirled my tongue around a finger. Diving my other hand behind the material of my waistband, I found my clit.
Half a breath later, his lips were on mine, tongue soft and slow, taking time to roam my mouth.
Kissing him was something I wasn’t quite used to.
There was need and passion, but it wasn’t frantic and full of lust. With each flick, it felt as if he were pouring his soul into me rather than just taking what he wanted.
I flexed to reach for his length through his black leather pants.
But with a quick, deliberate motion, he grasped my wrist and pulled it above my head.
His hand slid down, searching for my other arm.
When he found it, he guided it up to meet the other.
Gripping both wrists in one hand, he pulled away and gazed down at me.
Seeing his eyes flash black, I gasped as fear overtook my desire.
“Please don’t be scared.” He slid the back of his free hand over my cheek and winced. “My magic is tied closely to my emotions, and I can’t suppress my feelings for you. We can stop if you’d like.” Col looked away, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the impact of rejection.
Taking in a deep inhale, I shifted up and pressed my cheek against his. “Don’t stop,” I breathed. “I’m not scared of you.” His gaze returned to me as I let my head drop back onto the bed.
He lowered his mouth onto my neck, sucking gently before sinking his teeth into me.
My core went molten as he tugged, sending the most delicious bolt of pain soaring through me.
Lining my jaw in gentle kisses, he moved to the other side, carefully paying attention to every piece of my body.
When he moved to the nape of my neck, I let loose a giggle from the tickle.
“That’s my favorite sound in all of Crofea,” he whispered. Tugging my shirt up and over my head, he sat up and assessed. “You’re absolutely stunning, and I’ll savor each second I get with you.”
A moment later his mouth was on my breast while his fingers gently stroked the other nipple. I ran my hands through his thick locks of hair and moaned.
Loosening the ties of my pants, he pulled down the material, stopping to envelop my thighs in his mouth. The heat of his lips stayed against my skin as his hands removed my boots and then stripped me, leaving me completely bare in the shadows of his room.
“Fucking beautiful.” His fingers stroked over my outstretched leg before he ran his tongue from the top of my foot, up my thigh, and continued until he stopped at my waist where he’d last left off.
He continued down, and when his mouth made it to the apex of my thighs, his glazed eyes looked up—dark globes watching my every move.
His tongue flattened and pressed into me, the pressure glorious with the friction of his skin.
Flicking and twirling over my clit, I relished each sweeping pass.
When it was too much to bear, I pushed back on my elbows, creating distance to delay the inevitable release.
Before I could scoot far enough away, he grabbed my hips and pulled me down into his mouth and moaned like he was consuming the most wonderful dish.
His fingers swirled around my center, and when they dipped inside, I was gasping for air with each magnificent plunge.
He beckoned me to the edge of my pleasure, and I panted from each stroke of his finger.
My mind was swirling with bliss and a cacophony of emotions; his touch threatened to pull me apart.
There was no rush in his pace—he remained slow and steady.
And when I told him not to stop, he didn’t; the tempo of his tongue stayed fixed and reliable.
As I tipped over the edge, my legs shook, and I pushed away, but he followed me with a pressured tongue.
His mouth worked me through each crashing wave as my body ignited, then slowed to a hum.
“Kiss me,” I breathed, reaching down, but he was still sopping up my pleasure.
“I love the way you glisten in the moonlight,” Col muttered as he brought his tongue back to my center again and again.
I pulled back more forcefully than before. “Get up here and get inside me.” Our eyes met and stayed locked as he stalked up, keeping his fingers buried.
My hands scrabbled for his shirt, not stopping to unbutton the center and sending the silver adornments sprawling across the room.
It didn’t matter how quickly I removed each article from his body; it wouldn’t be fast enough to sate my need.
Using his free hand, he assisted me in my endeavor and pulled off one sleeve, letting the other stay hanging around the arm of his still-moving fingers.
Standing at the side of the bed, he untied each boot with one hand and kicked them off while keeping his fingers buried inside me.
I sat on the edge of the mattress, working my mouth over his abdomen as he tugged his pants off and let them drop to the floor. When my hand met his length, a low and graveled groan sang from his mouth. My lips worked downward, but he stopped me just shy of his cock.
“Another time,” he whispered and withdrew his fingers. He shook off the remaining sleeve and wrapped a hand around each of my hips, shifting me up until our faces met. “I want to feel your pussy wrapped around me.”
He leaned in and kissed me deeply, letting a grasping hand roam through the hair at the base of my neck, sending my senses into a flurry. One of my hands stroked him while the other grabbed at his back. He didn’t pull away as my nails dug deep into his flesh and instead only gave a throaty moan.
Steadying me with a firm arm, he guided me down and let his weight drop on me in the most delicious way.
The kisses he drowned me in were created with passion, yet were laced with a gentle caress, and I’d happily go without air if it gave me one more minute wrapped in his arms. The feelings rippling through me were foreign; something devoid from any prior sexual encounter.
His cock nudged my entrance, and I begged, “Please, Col.”
One corner of his mouth pulled up just before he dropped onto my neck.
Biting down, the sting of pleasure and pain created the perfect sensational juxtaposition.
His hips thrust forward, and he pushed into me in a smooth stroke.
The stretch and fullness sent every nerve vibrating.
He stilled and kissed me thoroughly, claiming every last inch of my mouth.
If he thought I had any self-control, he absolutely overestimated me. Pushing against the headboard, I thrust him into me further, taking in his full length.
“Audryn,” he groaned, “you can’t—”
I pulled back just before I pushed against him again, taking him from the tip to the hilt in one swift movement. There was no way I would waste a moment with that beautiful man on top of me.
“Fuck me, Col,” I moaned as I prepared for another thrust.
He pulled back and looked at me, stroking his thumb across the ridge of my chin. “No.”
And when I was nearly broken with confusion, his hips rolled and his cock reassured me from the inside.
“Later I’ll fuck you,” he hesitated, and rolled into me once more. “Right now, I’m going to show you what it’s like to be loved and cherished.”
His words struck me as he tucked one arm behind my back and clung to the top of the mattress with the other.
I’d expected things to be rough and dirty, but hadn’t expected feelings to be our foundation of pleasure.
Caught by surprise, tears pricked the corners of my eyes and threatened to betray my hardened exterior.
Thrust after painstakingly slow thrust, I’d nearly found my end. Not wanting my time with Col to end, I clung to the last piece of reality. But feelings spilled over as I remained connected to someone who’d unabashedly exposed themselves to me time and again.
“You’re right on the edge, I can feel you,” Col groaned, his breaths becoming ragged. “Let go.”
His words reverberated through my body. Into my soul. And just like that, I found my peak and came crashing down around him.
“That’s right,” he continued, rolling his hips as I grasped at the bed. “Let it all out, Love.”
Tears streamed down my face as I let go of everything I hadn’t realized I’d been holding onto.
The guilt of my mother’s death. The guilt of failing to find my brother’s executioner.
I let go of all the impossible self-imposed standards I had set and found myself entirely present with emotions coursing through my body.
Col found his own orgasm with a deep rhythm that only continued the pleasure rolling through me. I fisted his hair, and his body shuddered to a halt as he flexed himself into me and pressed his forehead against mine.
He rubbed a thumb over my tears and moved to lay gentle kisses along the streaks. “Are you okay?” His expression was thoughtful and without judgment.
I nodded.
“Want to talk about it?”
I shook my head, still not fully understanding the source of my tears.
Working his mouth across my collarbone, he landed on my black and gray tattooed shoulder and paused. Tilting his head, he traced his index finger down the serpentine line of smoke winding through a dozen oleander flowers.
“This is beautiful.” He paused and found the single flower where a bee lay resting on the petal. “You really have a thing for bees, huh?” He dragged out of me and shifted to lie on his side; I felt his stare while I remained dazed on my back.
I shook my head. “They’re useful in the garden, but my brother, Kamden, had a thing for them.”
“Kam,” he whispered and nodded slowly, not taking his eyes or finger off the inky bumblebee.
“He used to spit out a bunch of stupid bee facts while working in the garden. It was mostly meant to annoy me—but now, I’d do anything to hear them again.”
Col didn’t push for more and only ran the tip of a neatly trimmed nail up the smoke, making me shiver. Tugging at the oversized blanket, he flipped it over me, creating a makeshift sleeping bag.
“He died a little over a year and a half ago.” I inhaled a shaky breath. “It was stupid. He got caught working for the resistance and was publicly executed for it.”
Col’s eyes drew to mine, but he remained quiet.
I shifted my gaze and stared at the moon through the glass embedded in the ceiling. “It was his choice. We all get to make our own choices, right? Fuck everyone else affected by those choices, I guess.”
If Col had any thoughts, he didn’t share them. He just lay there and listened.
“There was a book at Sutton Castle. It held the name of his executioner.” I paused before deciding to lay everything out there for judgment. “I was going to find the executioner and kill him.”
A low hum rumbled from Col’s chest.
“But Ryder destroyed the records, and now I’m not sure what to do.” I blew out a breath. “Not only with the executioner, but with the king. I was going to kill him too. Oh, and Hunt. He’s a guard who stole food from a child begging on the street.”
“Quite the list you've got there.” Col chuckled and blew out a whistle.
“Well, the king is dying, so I probably won’t get much satisfaction from that death, but he was the one who ordered Kam’s execution.
And the guard is just for my personal appeasement, I suppose.
I even borrowed a dagger from my brother’s friend to kill them all, or at least kill the ones I can get to before getting caught. ”
He laid quiet for several minutes before his voice filled the space between us. “What type of flower is this?” His finger circled my tattoo.
“Oleander,” I mused. “The entire thing is lethal from stem to flower—even the roots are deadly. Burning it is a pretty effective way to go if you’re trying to kill yourself. The smoke will do you in.”
His brows furrowed. “Is that what you’re planning to do?”
“No.” The back of my throat burned. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, I would always struggle to divulge the stain on my mother’s life.
“My mother …” My words faltered, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get them to leave my mouth.
They’d been sitting there waiting to be freed, but some force held them back.
Grief. It was the type of pain that always threatened to split me open at the mention or thought of her.
“You don’t owe me anything.” His mouth formed a thin line. “If ever you want to talk, I’m here. But until then …” his voice trailed, and he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before laying on his back. “We all have our stuff, and nobody is owed an explanation until we’re ready to share.”
A knock on the door made me jolt. If Fisher or anyone else found me in Col’s bed, Ryder would make me pay. Likely with my life.
“Fuck, this better be important.” Col stood and grabbed at the clothes on the floor, exposing the large sigil tattooed across his back. “What do you want?” he called out.
“Sorry to bother you, Brother.” Micah’s voice breezed through the closed door. “But we have a situation.”
Col’s shoulders drooped as he blew out an exaggerated breath. “Yeah, okay, I’ll be right down.” He slid on his pants, drew his attention to me, and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare think of moving from this spot.”
“Oh, I don’t spend the night in anyone’s bed. It’s one of my things, and—”
“I’m not just anyone,” he interrupted, “and neither are you.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Please stay. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Promise.”