Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SASHA
Iwoke to sunlight streaming through Dominic's bedroom window and the weight of his arm across my waist.
For a moment, I lay still, cataloguing the sensations I’d become used to over the past few days. The warmth of his body against my back. How the steady rhythm of his breathing soothed me. And the flash of heat spiraling through me.
We’d shared the same bed since that first night, but nothing more had happened. But we were tired at the end of the day and stressed about the drain on the court’s emotional magic.
And we were still getting to know each other better. This didn’t need to be rushed.
I’d spent my entire adult life sleeping alone, alert even in rest, ready to jump out of bed to soothe one of my sisters. So many nightmares. We’d all suffered, but I’d done my best to make sure they suffered the least.
Sleeping with Dominic felt different.
This was trust and sharing the night.
We’d spoken with the gardener before going to bed, and first thing today, he would travel to other greenhouses to replace the plants that had been killed in the greenhouse.
We’d set guards and the festival would continue.
The plants might be slightly limp from being transplanted today, but they’d still emit emotions.
Our court would be renewed, and we could hunt down the person responsible before they could do any further harm.
Dominic stirred behind me, and his hand slid up to rest over my heart. “You’re thinking too loud.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“Your breathing changes.” His lips brushed my shoulder. “You get this little crease between your eyebrows.”
“You can’t see that with my back faces you.”
“But I know it’s there.” The humor shining in his voice nudged aside my worry and softened the memories of the way I’d grown up.
I turned in his arms to face him. Morning light caught in his dark blond hair and made his leaf-green eyes glow. He looked rumpled and content, nothing like the charming king who performed for his court.
This man was mine. All mine.
“Better thoughts now?” he asked, tracing the line of my jaw with his fingertips.
“Getting there.”
He smiled and kissed me, slow and thorough, like we had all the time in the world. Like the start of festival wasn’t looming ahead of us with all its potential disasters.
When he pulled back, I could tell he was thinking the same thing.
“We should probably get up,” I said, though I made no move to leave the circle of his arms. “Plan our strategy for today.”
“We should.” His hand slid down my side, leaving heat in its wake. “Though I’m having trouble remembering why that seems important right now.”
“Because someone’s trying to destroy your court’s emotional magic?”
“Right. That.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “See, this is why I need you. You keep me focused on the actual problems instead of getting distracted by how beautiful you are in the morning.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “That’s not focus. That’s flattery.”
“It’s observation.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “An accurate observation based on extensive field research.”
I laughed despite myself. “Extensive?”
“I’ve been conducting a thorough investigation.” His lips moved to my jaw, then down to my throat. “Very thorough. Very scientific.”
“Dominic—”
“Though I may need to gather more data.” His hand found the curve of my hip through the thin fabric of my nightgown. “For completeness.”
My breath caught as he pulled me closer, our bodies aligning in ways that made thinking impossible. “We really should—”
“We should,” he said, and he kissed me again, less desperate, more deliberate. Like he was savoring every sensation.
I let myself sink into it and stopped analyzing and planning. For now, I only wanted to feel his warmth. His strength. And my magic rising to meet his, creating that resonance we’d discovered that could counter the dampening effects shadowing his court.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
“I want you,” Dominic said, his voice rough. “Not because we’re running out of time or because we might fail tonight. But because being with you like this feels right in a way nothing else ever has.”
The vulnerability in his admission made my chest suddenly feel too small for all the emotions rushing through me. This wasn’t performance or charm. This was real.
“I want you too. It does feel right.”
He cupped my face, stroking my cheekbone. “Are you sure? Because we can wait if—”
“I’m sure.” I kissed him to prove it, pouring all the certainty I felt into the press of my lips against his. “I’m very sure.”
Something shifted in his expression, heat mixing with tenderness in a way that made my pulse race. He rolled us so I was beneath him, his weight settling over me.
“Tell me what you want,” he said.
“Just you. Always you.” I traced my fingers through his hair, savoring at how soft it was.
His smile turned wicked. “Good.”
He kissed me again, deeper this time, his tongue sliding against mine in a rhythm that made my toes curl. He reached down to the hem of my nightgown and slipped his fingers beneath, skating them across my belly.
I arched into his touch, wanting more.
He took his time, though, exploring every bit of skin he uncovered as he worked my nightgown up and over my head. His mouth followed the path his hands had taken, kissing my collarbone, the curve of my breast, and the sensitive skin below my ribs.
When his mouth closed over my nipple, my cry of need escaped. He looked up at me through his lashes, satisfaction written across his face.
“You’re smug,” I strangled out.
“I’m thorough.” He switched to the other breast, lavishing the same attention there. “There’s a difference.”
My fingers tangled in his hair, holding him close. The pleasure building inside me felt almost too intense, like I might shatter. But I didn’t want him to stop. Didn’t want to miss a single sensation.
His hand slid lower, his fingers dancing across my hip bone before dipping between my thighs. I was already wet, already needy for him, and when he stroked my clit, I nearly came apart.
“That’s right,” he whispered against my skin. “Just like that, love.”
I wanted to tell him to stop talking and just touch me, but then he started rubbing my clit while his fingers glided inside me, and words became impossible. I could only feel as he brought me pleasure, building it higher and higher until I was trembling beneath him.
“You want more, don’t you?” he said. “Like this.” He plunged more fingers inside me, driving them deep while his thumb continued to circle my clit.
I stopped trying to maintain control and analyze every sensation, and rode along with his touch, spreading my legs wide and pumping my hips up to meet his hand.
Heat roared through me, centering in my core, and I gave way, letting everything loose as the world spiraled through me.
The orgasm stole my breath and made stars shoot across the sky. I was sure of that. Dominic’s touch gentled as the intensity faded to something sweet and warm.
When I could finally focus again, I found him watching me with an expression that made my heart stutter.
“You liked that,” he said. “Watching you give in is incredible.”
“You did all the work.”
“You trusted me.” He kissed me. “That’s everything.”
I reached for the ties of his sleep pants, desperate to give him the same kind of pleasure he’d given me. “My turn.”
His laugh came breathless. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to.” I pushed on his shoulder until he rolled onto his back, letting me take control. “Let me.”
“Yes, my lovely witch. Please use me in any way you wish.”
I worked his pants down his hips, revealing him inch by inch. He was big, hard, and ready, his body responding to mine in ways that made power surge through me. This man was giving himself to me completely, and there wasn’t anything better than that.
I wrapped my hand around him, loving his heat and the way he sucked in a breath. When I stroked, his hips lifted, his body seeking more.
“Sasha.”
I took my time the way he had, learning what made him groan and what made his hands fist in the sheets. His control was impressive, but I could see it fraying at the edges. Could see the moment when sensation threatened to overwhelm reason.
“Come here.” He tugged me up his body, his hands framing my face. “I need to be inside you. Need to feel you around me.”
Heat flooded through me at the raw need in his voice. “Yes.”
I positioned myself over him, letting him guide me as I sank down.
The sensation of being filled by him stole my breath. He was large, stretching me in ways that bordered on too much, but his hands on my hips held me steady.
“Alright?” His voice came out strained, like maintaining control was costing him everything.
“Very much so.” I rocked, finding a rhythm that made us both gasp. “This is perfect.”
We moved together, finding our pace through trial and adjustment. This wasn’t the practiced expertise of longtime lovers, but something better. Discovery. Learning each other’s bodies and responses as we went along.
When I leaned forward to brace my hands on his chest, the angle changed in a way that made me cry out. He took advantage, pumping his hips up, driving his cock deeper.
“Yes,” I breathed. “Just like that.”
His hands slid from my hips to my breasts, teasing and caressing while we moved together. The pleasure built again, faster this time, spiraling up from where our bodies joined.
“I’m close,” I said. “So very close.”
“Me too.” One of his hands left my breast to slide between us, stroking my clit. “Come with me. Want to feel you.”
The combination of sensations pushed me over the edge. My second orgasm hit harder than the first, making my body clench around him.
He groaned my name, his own control shattering as he followed me into release. I felt him pulse inside me, warmth flooding through me as his hand tightened on my hip and his fingers continued to glide across my clit.
I collapsed on his chest, and we stayed locked together, both of us breathing hard. I could feel his heart racing beneath my cheek, matching the frantic beat of my own.
I felt boneless and satisfied in ways I’d never experienced. His arms came around me, holding me close while our breathing slowly returned to normal.
I wanted to speak, but I couldn’t find the right words to describe what we’d shared.
We lay tangled together while sunlight strengthened outside the window.
The festival preparations would be starting soon.
We’d need to finalize our plans and position ourselves strategically throughout the celebration to keep the plants healthy.
And stay alert for whoever was determined to destroy the court’s emotional magic.
But for this moment, wrapped in Dominic’s arms, I let myself simply be. I didn’t always have to think and analyze and have all the answers.
For now, I could be a woman who’d found something she hadn’t known she was looking for.
“I love you,” Dominic said. “I know it’s fast. I know we barely know each other in so many ways. But I love you, Sasha. You make me want to be the king my people deserve instead of just playing the part.”
My throat tightened. “I love you too.” The words were both terrifying and absolutely right. “I thought falling in love would make me weaker, would distract me from my responsibilities.”
“And now?”
“I know it makes me stronger.” I lifted my head to meet his eyes. “Because I have someone I trust to watch my back. You see who I am and love me anyway.”
His smile transformed his face. “We’re going to save the festival and protect our people’s emotional magic.”
“Our people,” I said. “I like that.”
He pulled me down for a kiss that tasted of promise and hope.