Chapter 19 #4
I reach for him again, dragging my hands over his chest, down his stomach, greedy for the feel of him—mapping every ridge, every line.
And gods help me—I want more.
When I pull him back down to me, there’s nothing left between us.
Thane groans my name into my mouth, his voice low, rough—wrecked. “Amara.”
It’s not just a sound—it’s a confession. A release. A breaking point.
His hands move slowly, sliding up my stomach, fingers dragging over my skin, leaving fire in their wake. Then—he cups my breast, his palm warm, his thumb brushing. Teasing. Testing.
I gasp, my body arching instinctively into his touch.
“Fuuuck,” Thane growls.
His forehead drops to mine—just for a beat.
Like he’s trying to hold onto something.
Restraint, maybe.
Then, against my lips—his voice low, rough. “Gods, Amara. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted you. How long I’ve wanted this.”
I don’t know if I breathe or whimper or whisper his name, but it doesn’t matter because Thane is done waiting. Done with the pull and push.
And so am I.
Thane kisses me until I’m dizzy, his hands exploring my body, his body all heat and strength pressing into mine.
But then, he pulls back for a moment to look at me.
A pulse of energy bursts from me, unbidden, rushing outward. For a split second, I don’t understand what I’ve done. Not until I feel the air against my bare skin.
And all of him.
Every inch. Every breath. Every heartbeat, wrapped in magics and fire and need.
I freeze.
Thane does too.
His eyes go wide as realization slams into both of us. We both whip our heads to the side, taking in the sight of our clothes—strewn about, as if they had never been on our bodies at all.
Silence stretches between us—stunned. Disbelieving.
“Amara.” Thane rasps it, caught between a groan and a laugh.
“I—” My mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. “I didn’t mean to.”
A beat.
Then Thane laughs. Low. Wicked. Delighted. His gaze rakes over me—every bare inch now completely exposed.
I stare at him, still processing. “I just—how?”
Thane laughs again, the sound rough with desire. “Let’s figure it out later.”
I barely have time to protest before his mouth is on my neck again, kissing, teasing, working his way down. I gasp, my head tilting back as his lips graze my collarbone.
Then, his mouth covers my breast.
A low sound escapes me, my body arching into him as he teases with his tongue, his teeth, his hands. My fingers tangle into his hair, gripping tight as a wave of pleasure coils through me.
And when I rock my hips against him—I feel it. He’s thick, perfect, and right where I need him—teasing me. Testing us both.
Thane groans against my skin. I clutch at his shoulders, my breath ragged, heart racing.
“Thane—gods, please. I need—”
I gasp.
“I need you.”
Thane growls, a deep, visceral sound that sends a shudder through me. His hand tightens on my hip, his other bracing beside my head, his breath hot against my skin. I feel the hard press of him against my entrance, making me squirm with anticipation.
His forehead rests against mine, our breath tangling. And in that single second—he waits.
Just to be sure. Just to be mine.
“Gods, you’re so wet,” he murmurs, reverent.
He shifts, then presses.
I gasp—my body stretching, taking him in, inch by inch. My breath catches—between delicious pain and need and—
Gods, yes.
Finally.
My fingers dig into his back as pleasure slams through me—raw, aching, hot enough to unravel my bones.
Thane lets out a shuddering breath, his jaw clenched, his grip tight. And nothing else exists.
Just heat. And him.
And I never want it to end.
Thane starts slow, his movements deliberate, like he’s savoring the feeling of finally being inside me.
But then, his pace shifts, his grip on my waist tightening. The rhythm turns punishing, and I welcome it.
Gods, I need this. Need him.
While still inside me, with one swift movement, he flips us, pulling me up, over, straddling him. I gasp, hands bracing against his chest, thighs shaking—gods, he’s everywhere.
Deep. Hard. Perfect.
A low, satisfied groan rumbles from his chest as his hands grip my hips, guiding me over him, setting the rhythm. Every movement roots deeper. Like he’s trying to brand something into me.
The friction builds—tighter, hotter, spiraling.
Then he sits up and his mouth is on me.
He tastes my breasts, his tongue flicking, teeth grazing, sucking just enough to make me moan.
“Fuck, Amara,” he murmurs between kisses. “You’re so perfect.”
I shudder, fingers threading through his hair, pressing him closer, needing more.
“So beautiful,” he breathes against my skin. “I could spend all day here.”
His hands tighten—and then he nips. Once. Twice. Right over my nipple. The sharp flicker of pain and pleasure collide—and a cry rips from my lips.
Nothing else exists except Thane’s lips on me, his hands guiding me, the delicious sensation between my thighs.
Pleasure builds and coils, not like a wave, but like the surge of power before a strike. Pulling me higher, closer, to the edge of something devastating and all-consuming.
But there’s something underneath the pleasure. Magics stirring, not at my call—but on its own.
A pulse of heat. A flicker of power beneath my skin. Coiling. Twisting. Not separate from the pleasure—but entwined with it.
I gasp, fingers digging into Thane’s shoulders, my body trembling—not just from him—but from something deeper. Something ancient. Elemental.
Mine.
It’s there—awakening, rising without being called.
I don’t know if I say his name or just think it, but Thane groans beneath me, his hands holding me tight against him.
I’m so close. The pleasure builds like a rising tide—relentless, cresting, ready to break me. I can’t stop it, my magics rising with it. I feel it crackling beneath my skin, unfurling like a storm, surging with every movement, every kiss, every desperate pull of my body against his.
And I’m afraid.
What if I can’t stop it? What if it hurts him again? What if it levels this entire lagoon?
My breath hitches, panic threading through the pleasure, my body trembling with more than just need. I try to hold it back, to pull myself from the edge.
I’m about to say his name—to tell him something’s wrong—but when his mouth finds mine, I lose myself in it.
And let go.
Every thought. Every fear.
All that’s left is him: his body; his hands; the heat of his skin against mine. The way he moves, takes, gives.
It’s too much. Too sharp. Too fast.
Pleasure crests—then breaks—splitting me open.
“Thane!”
His name rips from my lips, a cry of release, my head tilting back as the first stars blink through the twilight sky above.
And then, my magics erupt.
Fire flickers over my skin, glowing embers trailing in the air like falling sparks.
Wind whips around us, stirring the trees, sending leaves spiraling into the sky.
The lagoon ripples outward, waves shivering across the surface, glowing faintly with reflected starlight.
The earth beneath us trembles, a deep, resonant hum—like it feels everything I do.
It’s too much, too raw, too powerful, but Thane holds me through it. His arms are strong, his body still moving against mine, carrying me through the storm—riding it with me instead of resisting it.
I feel his breath against my skin, grounding me even as my magics spiral outward, unfurling in waves of fire, wind, water, earth. His voice comes low. Rough. Reverent.
“I’ve got you.”
Three simple words, but they anchor me, pull me back from the edge, hold me together as I shatter completely. His hands tighten, fingers pressing into my skin, his lips brushing my neck as the last tremors of power fade.
And as my power settles, the echoes of them linger like a whispered secret. All I can do is collapse against him, breathless, boneless and completely undone.
He searches my face, brushing damp strands from my cheek, his gaze intent—like he needs proof I’m still here. “You still with me?” he murmurs.
I smile and nod, my body weightless.
Thane moves again. With a swift, fluid motion, he shifts us—flipping me onto my back, his body covering mine, pressing me into the blanket beneath us.
I gasp, my limbs still trembling from the rush of pleasure and the magics humming beneath my skin.
His eyes find mine, dark and molten, golden flecks dancing in the twilight.
I bite my lower lip, anticipation coiling tight all over again, my fingers digging into his sculpted arms.
And then he moves again.
He thrusts—controlled, hungry, like he’s staking a claim deeper than skin. My hands clutch for purchase—his arms, the blanket, anything that will keep me from floating away. His grip tightens, his muscles flexing beneath my touch.
My powers begin to stir again as I arch my back, welcoming the release with a shuddering gasp.
This time, the magics fuse.
They coalesce around us, swirling in delicate tendrils, a shimmering blend of fire, water, air, and earth. It doesn’t explode outward—it dances, twists, fuses together into something new. Something radiant.
This is what true balance must feel like.
The magics sparkle in the air, glimmering like stardust, spinning around us before dissolving like mist in the night. The energy lingers—warm, electric, but controlled. A breathtaking, intimate display of power that ebbs as my body relaxes beneath him.
I collapse, my chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. I don’t know what just happened—I only know I’ll never be the same.
Thane groans, his head dipping to my shoulder, his movements slowing as he rides me through it. He lifts his head, eyes heavy with hunger—but now lit with something else. He watches me, completely wrecked.
I reach up and brush my fingers along his cheek, tracing the line of his jaw, before cupping his face.
Then—his mouth stretches into a wicked grin. “We’re going to burn this lagoon down. And I’m not letting you go until you beg me to stop.”