Page 87 of A War of Ruin and Reckoning

He pinned her wrists over her head, reaching beyond her cape to rest on the lawn.

“What are you doing?” She tried to look up, arching and twisting to catch a glimpse.

“Testing your gift.” He smirked, sending the water to bind her wrists with the lawn before turning it to ice.

Nova gasped at the temperature. Ice manacles bound her to each blade of grass, making it difficult for her to move. Difficult, but not impossible. She could break free if she truly wanted to, but he knew this was exactly the kind of bedroom treatment she had been talking about. Anticipation skipped through their connection, silently begging him for more.

Leaf held her gaze, undid the studs on his Guardian jacket, then tossed it to the side. His shirt came next. A breeze tickled the wetness the berry juice left behind, so he knew exactly where the stain was without glancing down. He planted his elbows beside her head and presented his sticky neck.

“Clean me with your tongue,” he ordered.

She pretended to fight him, thrashed a little, and then her freckles flared as Spanish words spilled from her pretty little mouth. He somehow understood every filthy syllable uttered, and his lips curved. He lowered his lips to her ear and said, “Calling me a jackass will only make this…test… last longer.”

“Yes, please,” she begged.

A bolt of heat hit his groin. His erection jerked against his leather pants, and he groaned, “Lick it off, Freckles.”

Nova poked out her tongue like a petulant teen. He lowered his jaw, and she licked him from chin to ear. It started off reluctant, but soon, her tongue lingered on his skin. Every lave sent shockwaves of arousal skipping through his body. He trembled and almost collapsed his arms. But he made her lap every last drop of juice that had run down from his jaw to his throat. When she circled his ear, he almost snarled with his need to take her.

“Mmm,” she murmured, twirling her slick tongue around his lobe. “I like this test. What’s next?”

It felt as though that single point of contact was all of him. With ragged breaths, he straightened and stared down at her, his hair spilling around her face. She was so fucking beautiful. From the bee-stung lips, to the smooth skin, to the curve of her bosom pressing against her dress. He hooked a finger into the neckline and tugged, exposing one of her breasts until her nipple popped out, and she whimpered. Watching arousal capture her face, he circled a finger around her areola, feeling the bud tighten to a stiff peak. Didn’t take long, after all, he mused.

Her eyes glazed. Her cheeks flushed. He pinched until her gaze sharpened again. She arched into him, already panting.

“What’s next,Papi?” she prompted.

“Next?” he muttered, letting his gaze travel south. “I’ll have to think of something creative, won’t I?”

Her dress was buttoned down the center, all the way to the skirt’s hem. He glanced at the bubble still hovering nearby, then back at her, devising a plan to use the water to wring pleasure from her body. He could bring her to orgasm without lifting a finger.

ChapterThirty-Eight

One look into Leaf’s eyes made Nova feel safe and cherished. One look said he would burn the world down to be with her. But she felt other emotions through their bond—confusing ones, like determination.

“What are you thinking?” she asked huskily.

He answered in a deep, ponderous tone. “I’m thinking you said you were afraid to lose me, and I’m thinking that’s because you’ve never seen the full extent of my power. I’m thinking you need a demonstration to set your mind at ease.”

Had she not seen the full extent of his power? “Obliterating an army wasn’t enough?”

“That was instinct. It was messy.” Self-disparagement ghosted over his face. Then he locked it away and crooked a finger toward the bubble. A thin ribbon of water separated and floated down toward Nova. “It was lucky,” he said, aloof eyes watching the stream slither closer through the air. Her pulse spiked. What was he going to do with it? “And it was undisciplined.”

The ribbon brushed her cheek, leaving a cold, wet path that sent a shiver down her spine. It curled along her jaw, lovingly caressing down her neck where it wove along the dip of her décolletage. She gasped as it burrowed under her neckline, its head hardening to ice.

Now watching intently, he murmured, “I have skill—” Movement beneath the fabric tickled, and thenPop!Her button was released from the buttonhole from beneath. “Finesse.” She gasped as it continued south.Pop!“And power.”Pop! Pop! Pop!

Nova’s body was a bag of sensations. Icy slides, cool air, hot breath, and scorching tingles. He straddled her hips, grasping her thighs.

“I know you’re all those things, Leaf. You don’t need to prove it to me.”Yes, please. Show me more.

He shuffled backward, widened her legs to kneel between them, then separated her unbuttoned dress. His gaze heated as the ribbon of icy water trailed circles around her belly button. Every inch of skin covered caused a seismic reaction in her blood. She whimpered, needing more, but he retained that bored look.

No, not bored. This display of magic was child’s play for him. He’d probably seen something like it a million times. Being as old as he was in body, if not in mind, the Well had likely granted him much power. She recalled how he’d confidently moved when fighting Grung by that river. Worry had rarely entered his mind. Adrenaline was his disciple.

Was he holding back?

A curl of lust shot through her.

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