Chapter Four
The fear in his eyes was almost more than she could bear.
Gemma knew about Christian’s nightmares, though they didn’t wake him up screaming in the middle of the night like hers did.
But after a few mornings of seeing dark circles around his eyes, she’d prodded and realized just how much her almost-death had affected him.
She was seeing that same look on his face right now, and she almost wished she’d let him convince Rami to send him with her to the temple.
But then, who could she trust to not kill Nadine on sight?
At least Christian knew that Gemma yearned for a chance to talk to her sister before the Systems sentenced her.
Gemma needed him to be there, in Perileos, more than she needed him with her at the temple.
Christian let out a long, deep breath, her face still in his hands, and his panic-stricken face morphed into resolve.
He stroked her cheek as his gaze bore into hers like he was trying to memorize every speck of color in her eyes.
Supper may have been ruined by her idiocy, but that didn’t mean they needed to waste the rest of the night.
Gemma wrapped her arms around Christian’s neck and eased his lips to hers.
The kiss was slow and deliberate, a far cry from the heated make out sessions they’d had over the past several weeks—which always led to fiery sex that left them both sweaty and breathless.
But right now, in anticipation of being apart for weeks or months, unhurried and passionate was exactly what she needed.
Christian tugged gently on her hair as he opened her mouth with his, sending a hot wave of chills down her spine. She breathed in the musky smell of his aftershave and reveled in the feel of his lips on hers. They were soft but strong, and the things he could do with them . . .
Gemma hastened her kisses, slipping her tongue between his lips and drawing him as close to her as possible. Already, he was hard against her abdomen, and just the thought of the way he felt inside her created a deep longing in between her legs.
So much for slow and passionate. She wanted him now.
Hurriedly, she slipped her good hand beneath Christian’s shirt and into his trousers, but he grabbed hold of her wrist before she got far.
“Not yet. I want to take my time with you,” he purred in her ear.
Her legs weakened, and she couldn’t stop the quiet noise that escaped. When she removed her hand from his trousers, he lifted her off the floor. Gemma wrapped her legs around his waist and nibbled at his neck as he carried her to their bed. His pulse raced beneath her lips.
Christian sat Gemma on the plush white comforter and stood against the mattress between her legs.
Slowly, he took off her shirt, a small smirk on his face, like he knew how much the sluggish pace would drive her crazy.
She was about ready to tug him onto the bed when he gently pinched her nipples, rolling them between his fingers.
Gemma moaned, arching her spine. “You’re such a tease.”
With a mischievous grin, he coaxed her to lie back. “You know you like it.”
Oh, she so did.
Christian tossed his clothes onto the floor, and at the sight of his hard cock, her heart skipped a beat.
With that playful grin still on his face, he massaged her small breasts, flicking his thumb over her nipples. He trailed his fingertips down her abdomen, and fleshbumps followed in their wake. Gemma couldn’t help but whimper.
When his fingers hooked the hem of her trousers, she lifted her hips on instinct.
Christian chuckled as he pulled both her trousers and panties down her legs and onto the floor. She placed her feet on the edge of the bed and opened her legs to him, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
His ravenous eyes roamed down her body. Gemma bit her lip, desperate for his touch. Heat burned every area that his gaze drifted to. She’d never seen such hunger in his stare, and it set her heart on fire.
Eyes bright, Christian skimmed his palms down her thighs. She shuddered at the gentle touch.
“Can I ask you to do something for me?” he said.
“Anything.”
“Touch yourself.”
By the blazes . . . He had never been so forward before.
Stars, it was attractive.
His gaze followed Gemma’s unburned hand as she slid it down her stomach and between her legs. Boldness filled her chest.
“You mean like this?” she asked in a sultry voice, rubbing her clit slowly and savoring the blush that rose on Christian’s cheeks.
He palmed his cock, released a long breath between pursed lips, and gave her a nod.
Every nerve in her body fluttered as she continued to massage her clit, and the sight of his building arousal made her feel sexier. Powerful. She tipped her head back, closed her eyes, and focused on the pleasure her own touch elicited.
Several moments passed before warm lips kissed the inside of her thigh. Gemma opened her eyes to the sight of Christian kneeling on the floor. He pulled her hips forward until they were barely on the edge.
“Stars, you are so fucking sexy,” he said, slipping two fingers inside her.
Gemma moaned and moved her hand away—
“No, keep going. I want this memory burned into my mind for the rest of my life.”
She obeyed, resuming a steady rhythm on and around her clit.
Christian pressed his fingers against her upper wall, moving them in sync with her pace. The ecstasy was instantaneous and overwhelming. Her head pressed hard into the mattress as tingles started in her toes and propelled up her legs. Heat flooded through her; her breaths grew loud; her legs shook.
She came around Christian’s fingers as a visceral moan tore from her body.
He growled against the inside of her thigh before removing his fingers.
Seconds later, she was in the middle of the bed, and Christian was on his elbows and knees, between her legs, kissing her lips as if he could freeze time.
Gemma wrapped her legs around him, drawing his hips closer to hers, but he shifted just enough that his hard cock hit her thigh instead of entering her like she’d wanted. She groaned into his mouth.
Christian smiled before kissing along her jaw to nibble on her ear. “Not so fast. I want to take my time with you, remember? Cherish you.”
She whimpered, fleshbumps rising over every inch of her skin.
Christian’s lips trailed down her neck. Gemma dug her fingers into his upper arm when he sucked at the skin where her neck met her collarbone.
She moaned loudly, lifting her hips and looking for some kind of friction to satiate her untamable need.
The tip of his cock brushed her clit. Breathlessly, she reached down to guide him inside—
He kissed from her sternum to her abdomen, shifting down the bed so his hips no longer hovered over hers.
Gemma almost screamed. Her pussy was throbbing. With a frustrated growl, she stuck her fingers in his hair and nudged his head down between her legs. He laughed against the inside of her thigh.
His fingers spread the lips of her pussy. “I take it you want me to do this.” Christian licked up her center.
Gemma grasped her breast with her good hand and moaned.
“Or maybe this.” He gently sucked her clit, and any control Gemma had left evaporated.
She pinched her nipple as her hips writhed beneath his touch. Loud cries of ecstasy ripped through her, and Christian groaned against her clit. The vibration sent a thrill up her spine. She tugged on his hair; she was so close again—
Christian moaned when she came against his mouth and yelled his name. Torrents of exhilaration erupted from between her legs to her head, her toes, her fingertips. Blazing lightning and roaring thunder filled her veins.
He licked up the center of her opening after her legs ceased trembling. “You always taste so good.”
Gemma tried to catch her breath as he placed soft kisses up her stomach and between her breasts. Then with a wink, he said, “Hopefully that’s a memory that’ll help the nights you need release, and I’m not there.”
She knew he meant to be playful, but her heart sank at those words. She’d gotten so used to having him around, holding her after her nightmares, teaching her how to fight . . .
She hated to admit how much she needed him, but she really did feel better whenever he was around.
How was she supposed to do this without him? To survive without him?
Christian’s brows furrowed. As usual, his keen observation skills must’ve picked up on her shift in emotion, but before he could speak, Gemma pulled him onto his back and straddled his waist.
“Don’t think you’re getting out of this so easily,” she said. “It’s my turn to see how hard I can make you come.” Where the boldness came from, she had no idea. But blast, it felt good to give him a memory worth holding onto.
Maybe even forever.
His hazel-green eyes creased in the corners as a massive grin spread across his face. “Blazes, love. If this is your version of revenge, remind me to misbehave more often.”
Gemma snorted before kissing him softly, focusing on the feel of his lips on hers and the taste of her on his tongue. He and his pleasure were all that mattered right now. She would savor him and every precious moment they shared until the sun came up.
Christian took both of her breasts in his hands, squeezing gently and brushing her nipples with his thumbs. She shuddered at the delicate touch and deepened her kisses.
Time blurred around the edges as their lips met again and again, each brush of their lips a soft defiance against the distance waiting to separate them.
When he caressed the skin beneath her breasts, she shuddered and nibbled on his lip.
Christian dug his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck and kissed her, hard.
A small whimper slipped through her lips as his other hand grazed down her ribs and between her legs.
Gemma let out a small moan when his palm brushed her clit.
She lifted her mouth off his and pried his hand from between her legs. “I don’t think so, Holm. I get to tease you this time, remember? Hands behind your head.”
He smiled, his eyes sparkling as he obeyed. “I think you like bossing me around a little too much. Not that I’m complaining.”
Gemma bit her lip when the muscles in his arms and chest flexed with the movement, and his smile grew wider. Illari was cruel, making Christian so bloody handsome.
Every nerve in her body quivered in anxiety as she kissed down his neck and sternum. She’d never been bold enough to try this. What if he didn’t like it? What if she was bad at it?
But as her mouth crept lower, his breaths grew louder. Gemma looked up into his frenzied stare, and confidence burrowed in her chest. She was going to make sure he yelled her name too.
She kissed down his body until she reached his swollen cock. Christian seemed to hold his breath; every muscle in his abdomen was tight. Wrapping her hand around his shaft, she took the tip into her mouth and sucked gently.
“Fuck,” he moaned, shutting his eyes and tipping his head back.
Her pulse raced. She drew him deeper into her mouth then ran her tongue along the length of him as she slid her lips up to the tip.
Christian let out a heady chuckle when she circled the head of his cock with her tongue, and heat pooled between her legs.
Again and again, Gemma teased his member with her lips and tongue, and with every soft noise Christian made, the need to have him inside her intensified. The effect she had on him was aphrodisiacal.
He grabbed her braid. “If you don’t stop now, I’m not gonna last much longer.”
She looked up at him. His eyes were wild with need.
She smirked. “I thought I told you to keep your hands behind your head.”
He groaned, letting go of her braid. His head fell back as his eyes closed. “All right, you win. I’ve definitely learned my lesson.” A corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile.
Desire pulsed between Gemma’s legs. Grinning, she straddled his hips and—at a painstakingly slow pace—took him deep inside her. His moan sent a flutter to her core.
She ground her hips against his, leaning back slightly so his cock hit right where she wanted.
Her nipples hardened; every inch of her skin tingled.
She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, picking up the pace, and the sensation of their souls connecting was pure bliss.
He was her heart, her happiness, her home.
Loud, breathy moans spilled from both of them as Gemma continued to bounce and rock her hips, intoxicated on the feel of him inside her.
She opened her eyes to find Christian watching her, his eyes tight in unrestrained emotion.
Then his gaze found hers, and she almost had to look away.
There was so much love and affection and adoration in his stare that her chest ached.
Strands of his light brown hair stuck to his forehead as he massaged her clit with his thumb. A crease formed between his brows. “Come with me, love.”
Gemma fought the urge to look away as euphoria trailed from her scalp to between her legs—
She cried out in ecstasy as her walls tightened around his cock.
Her orgasm tore through her, taking Christian over the edge with her.
Trembling, she fell forward into his strong arms. He slowly thrust himself into her a few more times, letting her ride the ripples of euphoria that had her body quivering.
At last, when her shuddering had calmed, he stilled inside her.
He placed a kiss against her scalp. “You’re amazing.”
She smiled against his chest.
“You know I never would’ve asked you to do that,” he said.
“I know. I wanted to.”
Christian’s fingertips trailed down her spine. She shivered.
“Should I ask where you learned all those fancy tricks?” His voice was light and playful.
Gemma’s face burned white-hot. “I . . . may have read a book. And watched a few videos.”
His deep laugh rumbled against her cheek.
Tears flooded her eyes. She was going to miss that sound so much.