Chapter 34 #2
Once they were excused, they walked back towards their rooms without talking.
Emmeric wasn’t quite sure what to say, but he knew Iyana would come to him when she needed to talk through this whole ‘next in line for the throne’ business.
Her hand was warm on his arm, and Emmeric relished the time alone with her.
In moments like these, it was easy to forget that they weren’t two normal people.
That she wasn’t only a woman he was trying to court, but instead the mighty and powerful Aztia, and he was her Kanaliza.
And that, together, they were responsible for banishing a great evil from the world—a burden that sat heavily upon Emmeric’s shoulders.
Before he was ready, they reached their rooms. Iyana’s was to their left, his to their right.
They stood awkwardly in the middle of the hall, not quite knowing where to go.
It had become such a habit to sleep with Iyana at night, but he would typically slip in after she had fallen asleep and leave again before she awoke.
Would she still want his company? Now that he’d had a sliver of her body, would he be able to stay away?
Emmeric opened and closed his mouth several times—whether it was to say goodnight, invite her into his room, or invite himself into hers, he wasn’t sure.
“Can I stay in your room?” Iyana muttered.
Emmeric turned his head. She was still clinging to his arm, looking anywhere but at him. Was she worried he was going to say no? Or was she ashamed of the things she had let him do to her body before? His own emotions were in such turmoil that Emmeric couldn’t get a clear read on hers.
“Of course you can,” he heard himself say.
Iyana was still avoiding his gaze, but he led her into his room where she detached herself from his arm and sat on the same divan as before. Emmeric stood in the middle of the room, not quite knowing what to do with himself now. They hadn’t been alone like this since the inn.
“I’m just going to go change,” he said hesitantly.
Iyana nodded, so he gathered his sleep shorts and shirt and went into the bathing room.
After changing, Emmeric stared at himself for a minute in the mirror.
His shaggy dark hair had grown slightly longer and was threatening to hang into his vision—he’d need to get it cut soon.
He stared into his bright blue eyes—they were always his favorite feature on himself—and thought about the man he had been only a few moons before.
A man who had a job and friends, but hadn’t realized how unhappy he had been until he’d met Iyana.
A man who had known grief, but didn’t know how deeply he could care for someone.
A man who hadn’t had something—someone—he would willingly die for.
Someone who was waiting for him in the other room.
After splashing cold water on his face and taking a deep breath, Emmeric walked back into his bedroom, then stopped short.
Iyana stood gazing upon a painting on the wall that Emmeric hadn’t noticed before.
Not that he noticed it now, either, because Iyana was wearing one of his shirts.
She was small enough that it fell to the middle of her thighs, leaving the rest of her bare legs on display.
Iyana finally realized he was there and turned to him, toying with the hem of the shirt.
“I hope this is okay. I wanted to take off the dress, but I didn’t feel like going to my room to change.”
Emmeric didn’t stop to think. He stalked across the room, closing the unacceptable distance between them.
Iyana’s lips parted as he framed her face with his hands.
Sliding one hand behind her head, he threaded his fingers into her silky hair.
They stared at each other for several seconds, an unspoken question hanging between them.
And when Iyana didn’t say no or pull away, Emmeric kissed her.
Lightly, so lightly, still asking that question. He drew back only an inch. Iyana’s eyes stayed closed, her lips parted, and a soft sigh escaped her. That was Emmeric’s undoing.
He crashed his lips into hers. This was primal.
Hungry. It was a clash of lips, and teeth, and tongues.
Her hands gripped his shirt to keep him close.
Iyana moaned when he nipped at her lower lip, then scattered kisses along her jaw and then back, claiming her mouth again.
Emmeric found he couldn’t stay away for long.
One hand stayed in her hair while the other grazed down her arm, then lightly on the side of her breasts.
His thumb was a ghost over her nipple, causing Iyana to shiver.
Then his hand moved lower, over her waist, her hip, then finally to her bare skin where the hem of the shirt laid.
Skimming his fingertips underneath the shirt, he lifted it slowly, then stilled his movement and groaned into Iyana’s mouth. He pulled back slightly, breaking their kiss.
“No underwear?” he rasped.
“I wasn’t wearing any under my dress,” Iyana said, breathlessly, “and I didn’t want to go back to my room.” She opened her gorgeous, caramel-brown eyes and smirked. “I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
Emmeric found himself incapable of responding, so he nipped at her earlobe instead, his hand still trailing up her thigh to the roundness of her exposed ass. He tucked his face into her neck and chuckled lightly.
You’re godsdamn right I don’t mind, he said through their bond. In fact, I may just get rid of all your underwear.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Iyana said.
Emmeric smacked Iyana’s ass hard, making her gasp. Lifting her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist was a test of his restraint, as he found both of his hands on her warm, bare skin. He nipped her lower lip again.
“I would dare.”
He threw her onto the bed, and she squeaked in surprise.
Emmeric followed her down, kissing her roughly, then sitting and shedding off his own shirt.
Iyana’s appreciative gaze roamed over his chest and arms, and he sat still, straddling her, to let her look.
The way it made him feel…it was beyond words.
But when she met his eyes again and bit her lip, he was lost. So fucking lost he couldn’t remember his own name.
Instead of peeling the shirt from her body like he normally would—the sight of Iyana in something that belonged to him was too good to waste—he bunched it up around her hips and dropped light kisses to her thighs.
Emmeric slowly traversed up her legs as Iyana squirmed beneath him, making sweet little noises that made his cock twitch.
When he made it to the apex of her thighs, he paused, again waiting for her to tell him to stop.
“Emmeric,” she moaned. “Please.”
He wanted to devour her, but he forced himself to lick up her soaking center as slowly as he could to savor every second.
Iyana gasped and bucked her hips, her hands flying into his hair.
Emmeric relished the small bite of pain.
Using a hand to hold her down, Emmeric set about slowly unraveling the gorgeous creature underneath him.
As he licked, sucked, and nipped at her clit, making Iyana writhe in his grip, Emmeric inserted two fingers and curled them forward.
“Oh, fuck,” Iyana breathed, her grip tightening in his hair. Emmeric doubled his efforts, sucking hard and flicking those sensitive nerves with his tongue.
Come on, Mouse. Let me hear you scream.
He spoke the words into her mind so he wouldn’t have to stop worshipping her. Iyana’s body tightened and her breathing stalled. Emmeric scraped over her gently with his teeth, pushing her over the edge.
Iyana cried out and her sweet pussy spasmed around his fingers.
Emmeric coaxed her through her release, then planted gentle kisses to the insides of her thighs and trailed his lips up her body.
Hovering above her, he gazed upon this wondrous woman.
He’d never thought he would be here. He had dreamed of it so many times, but never thought it would be a reality.
Emmeric caressed her lips with his own, kissing her slowly and thoroughly.
Iyana dragged her hands down his chest to his waistband. He pulled back.
“Iyana, we don’t have to go any further. I’m fine with where we’re at.”
She ran her hand over his hard length, and Emmeric hissed in pleasure.
“I want to.”
“Mouse…” Emmeric tried to draw away from her, still sensing an underlying current of uncertainty beyond her satiated lust. He didn’t want her to feel as if she owed him anything, and he definitely didn’t want her doing something she would regret.
But, quick as lightning, she had her hand in his shorts and her fist wrapped around his cock, effectively stilling his movement.
“Emmeric Sullane, don’t you dare pull away from me. Altair did that all the time—controlling every aspect of when I could touch him.” Her grip tightened around him. “Don’t tell me what I want or don’t want.”
“Okay, Mouse,” he said, settling down atop her again. Emmeric loved this fierce side of her. “You know what you’re doing, and I won’t stop you. Just one favor, though?”
“What?” she snapped at him, clearly still annoyed.
“Please don’t ever say his name again while my cock is in your hand.” He kissed her again before she had a chance to respond, and Emmeric thought he might die when Iyana began to stroke along his length. Gods, he’d dreamt of this moment, and now he wasn’t sure how long he would last.
Especially when Iyana shifted him onto his back and tugged his shorts off.
She sat there for so long, simply looking at him, that he began to quiver in anticipation.
Emmeric was about to tell her to either touch him or tell him she wanted to stop when she leaned forward and ran the flat of her tongue along his entire length.
He stopped breathing. His eyes closed, and his hands fisted in the sheets.
Iyana was in control—he wanted her to set the pace, but Phaedros take him, it took all of Emmeric’s willpower to stay where he was.
Iyana flicked her tongue over the sensitive tip before licking her way back down. Gods, her slow pace was tortuous.
But she gave him relief when she finally took all of him into her mouth.
“Fuck!” he cried.
She gripped him at the base and used her hand in time with her mouth, and she used her tongue to drive him to the brink of insanity.
Emmeric couldn’t help it—he grabbed a handful of her hair and used it to leverage himself, making her movements faster.
He felt himself hit the back of Iyana’s throat, but instead of gagging, she moaned.
All sense of control and restraint left him.
Emmeric jerked his hips faster, Iyana matching his pace.
That wave of pleasure soared ever higher, and Iyana hummed against him in encouragement.
That small vibration tipped him over the edge, and he spilled himself down her throat.
Iyana swallowed down his release, then gave his cock another little squeeze, making the oversensitive skin twitch in her hand.
Emmeric was in disbelief that any of that had just happened. Even more so as Iyana crawled back over the top of him with a cocky smirk on her face, obviously pleased with herself. And she was still wearing his shirt.
Words seemed impossible, so instead Emmeric turned on his side, drawing this impossible woman close to his chest. He kissed her brow gently, and as he drifted off to sleep, he prayed to all the gods that he wouldn’t wake up in the morning and realize this had all been a dream.