Chapter 10 #5
I kissed her again, slower this time, while my hands explored—the curve of her waist, the softness of her stomach, the swell of her breasts.
I took one nipple into my mouth, sucking gently, then harder, feeling her back arch off the bed.
Every touch drew a new sound from her, every caress made her scent spike higher, and I catalogued each response like I was memorizing a map. This body. This female. Mine.
When I finally slid my hand between her thighs, she gasped, her hips lifting instinctively. Her cunt was hot and wet, her clit already swollen beneath my fingers. I stroked her slowly, deliberately, watching her face as pleasure rippled across her features.
"Easy," I murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth. "We're not in a hurry."
But she was already trembling, her body wound tight with need, her thighs spreading wider to give me better access.
I felt the heat of her, the slickness coating my fingers, and it took everything I had not to bury myself inside her right then.
I stroked her gently, learning the shape of her, the places that made her gasp and the touches that made her moan.
When I found the spot that made her entire body go rigid, I focused there, circling her clit with deliberate pressure.
"Kael, please—" she gasped, her hips rocking against my hand.
"I know." I hooked my fingers inside her, feeling her clench around them, and pulled my hand away. "I know what you need."
I shifted lower, settling between her thighs, and the scent of her arousal hit me like a physical force.
It was intoxicating—sweet and musky and uniquely her—and I had to close my eyes for a moment, fighting for control.
My cock was throbbing, desperate, but this was about her.
About worshipping her. About showing her exactly how much I wanted her.
When I finally let my tongue lick along her slick folds, she cried out, her hands fisting in the blankets.
I licked her slowly, deliberately, savoring every drop of her arousal.
My tongue traced the length of her slit, circled her clit, dipped inside her to taste her deeper.
She was perfect—sweet and slick and responsive, her body arching into every stroke of my tongue, every deliberate exploration.
"Oh God," she breathed, her voice breaking. "Kael, I can't—I don't—"
"Yes, you can." I looked up at her, meeting her eyes as I continued to work her with my mouth. "Let go, Sarah. I've got you. Come for me."
I returned my attention to her, my tongue finding the spot that made her whole body tense, and I sucked her clit into my mouth, applying steady pressure as my fingers pumped inside her.
I felt the moment she shattered—her back arching off the bed, her thighs trembling around my head, my name falling from her lips like a prayer, like a curse, like the most beautiful thing she'd ever said.
I gentled my touch, drawing out her pleasure, licking her through the aftershocks until she was boneless and gasping, her hands still tangled in my hair, her body still trembling with the force of her orgasm.
When I finally moved back up her body, she was looking at me with something like wonder in her eyes, her chest heaving, her skin flushed and glistening with sweat.
"That was—" She stopped, swallowing hard. "I didn't know it could feel like that."
"That was just the beginning," I said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Your body is capable of feeling so much pleasure."
She reached for me, her hands finding my chest, and I saw the question in her eyes. "What about you?"
"This wasn't about me," I said, catching her hands and bringing them to my lips. "This was about you. About showing you what you deserve."
"But—"
"Sarah." I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose. "I'm fine. More than fine. Watching you come apart like that was—" I stopped, searching for words. "It was a privilege."
She looked like she wanted to argue, but exhaustion was already pulling at her, the combination of alcohol and pleasure making her eyelids heavy.
"Come here," I said, pulling her against my chest.
She curled into me without hesitation, her head resting over my heart, her body soft and pliant in my arms. I pulled the blankets over us, cocooning us in warmth, and let my hand trace lazy patterns on her back.
"Kael?" Her voice was drowsy, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
My chest tightened. "For what?"
"For caring enough to say no. And for caring enough to say yes."
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her—vanilla and steel and something new, something that was just us. "Always, Sarah. Always."
She was asleep within minutes, her breathing deep and even, her body completely relaxed against mine.
I lay there in the firelight, holding her, feeling the weight of what we'd just done settle over me. We'd crossed a line tonight—maybe not the line she'd wanted to cross, but a line nonetheless. And there was no going back from this.
In two days, Dr. Atkins's report would clear my name. In twi days we'd head back to reality and have to figure out what came next.
But for now, in this moment, with Sarah sleeping in my arms and the fire crackling in the other room, I let myself pretend that we had more than borrowed time.
I let myself pretend that this could be real.
And when sleep finally claimed me, I dreamed of a future where I didn't have to pretend at all.