Chapter 52 #2
As her laughter died down, Kallie pushed herself up, her hair cascading and falling onto his chest. Graeson slipped a piece of hair behind her ear, the tips of his fingers brushing gently across her face like a whisper. His expression turned serious, and Kallie stayed silent, waiting.
"I am yours, and I will always be yours. But…" A deep groove creased his forehead, and Kallie had the strange urge to wipe it away. "But it is killing me not knowing where your head is at. So please, I need you to tell me. What are we doing?"
Kallie’s lips parted, but she struggled to answer him. What were they doing?
She stared down at him, and he watched her. In the silence, she could feel every spot where they touched: her palm on his chest, his hand on her waist, her leg brushing against his. Layers of fabric still existed between them, yet heat emanated in those very spots and blossomed deep in her core.
Graeson had become a safe place for her, and sometimes she believed it had happened too quickly. But in truth, it had happened a long time ago.
They had nearly lost each other, and she struggled to grapple not only with that fact but with what it meant as well.
There were a million things she could say, but none of them were enough. None of them would prove to Graeson how much she cared for him, how much she needed him in her life.
So instead of saying anything at all, she bent down.
Slowly and carefully, she ran her hand up his chest and neck.
Her fingers curled into the ink-black hair at the base of his head.
Time seemed to stand still, as if the world was waiting to see what she would do next. If she would let herself fall.
"I have waited years to have you, Kalisandre. I could wait longer if I needed to."
"But?" she prodded.
His hands tightened on her thighs, his thumbs brushing up and down tenderly, setting her core aflame. "But nothing. Take whatever time you need, little mouse."
She felt his chest rise as he inhaled a deep breath. She waited for the exhale, but it didn’t come, as if he was waiting for her, giving her the power and the choice. Giving her time.
But Kallie didn’t need time. Not anymore.
"I think I’m tired of waiting," Kallie said. Then, without giving him a chance to respond, she eliminated the rest of the space between them and kissed him.
His lips were soft and molded to hers immediately.
Chills spread down her neck and over her spine as he gripped her thighs more firmly.
Yet his kiss remained tender, sweet, and full of unspoken words and promises.
She dug her fingers further into his hair.
She gently tugged him closer, deepening the kiss.
This, this was what she wanted. What she needed. Not simply because of the closeness or the physicality of it all, but the security. The understanding and trust Graeson offered her.
For years, Kallie had thought freedom meant independence. She hadn’t wanted to tie her life to another. But because of her fear of being caged, she lost sight of the beauty of the fall, the weightlessness.
She was done fighting the fall. She was done fighting him.
A golden warmth ignited at every point of contact—where their lips brushed, where her hand gripped his neck, where his thumb grazed the patch of skin at her hip.
It spread like an inferno, traveling through her veins, to her core.
Every limb buzzed with an intoxicating energy that set her body aflame.
Kallie gasped and pulled back. She stared at Graeson, awestruck. His eyes were as bright as the full moon as he blinked up at her with a similar expression.
Her lips parted, but there were no words to describe the feeling that consumed her.
"You feel that too, right?" he asked, voice trembling as if he believed he was imagining it all.
Unable to speak, Kallie nodded. A honeyed-warmth ran through her bloodstream, and her limbs trembled.
Every nerve was on fire, and she wanted to drown in the flames.
She had never experienced anything similar, yet she knew immediately what it was.
The soul bond was snapping into place, wrapping around them and weaving their souls together.
"Are you…are you sure?" Graeson asked, brows knitting together.
She laid her palm on the side of his face and swiped her finger across his cheek. "As far as I know, this isn’t something you can take back once it’s done."
"I mean no, but if it was by accident, if you’re not ready, we’ll find a way. We’ll—"
"Graeson," Kallie said, her smile widening. "I’m yours. I’m done fighting."
"I do not wish to own you, Kalisandre," Graeson said.
"I know." And she did know that, but she also knew her soul was irrevocably entwined with his, soul bond or not.
Graeson smiled back at her, and the emotion in his gaze did something to her.
One of his hands skated up to her hips as his other palmed the back of her head. Before he could pull her closer, she pressed a hand against his chest. "Wait."
"What is it, little mouse?" His pupils dilated, and a muscle in his jaw ticked as if he was hanging by a thread.
His slipping control only made her smile even wider.
"Promise me one thing," she said, drawing circles across his chest with a finger.
"For you?" he breathed out. "Anything."
She could have sworn a stream of smoke escaped his mouth. His grip on her waist tightened, his muscles straining, as he waited for her. She had a passing thought that he would wait forever if she asked him.
The thread connecting their souls hummed.
"Do not be gentle."
A wicked smile spread across Graeson’s face, and Kallie couldn’t tell if she was looking into the eyes of the man or the dragon. When he tugged her toward him and their lips met, she decided she didn’t care who it was. They were one and the same.
As Kallie slipped her tongue inside his mouth, she first thought she had made a mistake, for Graeson’s muscles tensed. But the next moment, her back hit the hay. He hovered over her, their kiss never breaking, not even for a second.
Graeson slid his hand up her calf. He took his time with her as if he were exploring her body, wanting to memorize every inch.
Or to torture her. Kallie couldn’t tell at that moment as every muscle, every nerve, craved his touch. Craved more.
"You promised you wouldn’t be gentle," she said, arching a brow.
"Just trying to make this last, princess," he said with a smirk.
His hand skated up her thigh, over the base of her stomach, and her legs twitched beneath his teasing touch.
She hadn’t realized how much she had wanted this, needed this.
And she vaguely wondered why she had fought the bond for so long.
It wasn’t like the last time when they were together.
This wasn’t happening because she needed a release or a distraction. Kallie needed him.
Graeson picked up her hips and slid a hand to her lower back. Her slip dress slipped down her thighs, pooling in her lap. Holding her up, he grabbed his cloak resting beside him and slipped it beneath her. Gently, he placed her back down before lowering himself.
With his gaze still locked on her, he placed kisses down the center of her stomach and made his way down her body.
He bunched the fabric of her chemise higher.
Goosebumps trailed across Kallie’s flesh as Graeson’s breath tickled her bare skin.
His lips brushed the apex of her thighs, and she arched back.
He chuckled against her and blew on the sensitive area, sending another scattering of chills running up her body.
As if of their own accord, her legs widened. "Please," she whispered.
Graeson didn’t make her wait any longer.
He moved the fabric, then his mouth was on her, lapping at the sensitive bud.
Tension pooled in her core as he worked her.
And perhaps it was the heat of the soul bond or something else, but every touch, every kiss, every lick wound her up that much more.
Her legs trembled as Graeson pushed her higher and higher.
But she didn’t want this to be over so soon. She wanted more. She wanted—
"Stop fighting it," Graeson said lowly, his voice vibrating against her.
"But I don’t—I don’t want this to be over yet. I—" Kallie moaned as he nipped her inner thigh.
"We still have the entire night ahead of us, and I have yet to hear you scream my name."
"But the others," Kallie said, her breathing labored.
"Are in the house with the windows shut.
" He licked the place where his teeth had just been, then blew on the damp skin.
"Would it be such a bad thing for the world to know that I am yours and you are mine? For the Fates to know that we have won? That their tricks were no match for the likes of us? Don’t you want to scream out your pleasure? "
With each question, he peppered another kiss on her skin, inching his way closer to her clit. When the last question left his mouth, all Kallie could do was release a soft, "Yes."
"I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you. What was that, little mouse?"
Kallie groaned and dug her fingers into his hair, tugging on the ends, her need too bright, too primal. "Yes, Graeson."
Then he devoured her, worshiped her. And Kallie fell blissfully over the edge. The stars that spread across her vision rivaled those she saw through the skylight.
As she fell down, Graeson looked up at her and gave her a wicked smile as he swiped his bottom lip with his thumb.
"Can you take more?" he asked.
Unable to form the words, Kallie nodded. She was already spent, but she wanted to feel him. She wanted him to feel what she was experiencing at that moment.
He slipped his trousers off, and she looked down as he palmed his full length in his hand. He pressed the tip against her, and she shuddered, her body still sensitive. With his length pressing against her, he slipped a hand beneath her neck and kissed her as he drove inside.