Page 71 of Midnight Whispers

“You’re good, princess. I’ll never let you fall.” He meets my gaze as he slides my pajama bottoms over my hips, allowing them to fall to the floor. Then I do the same to him.

We stand completely bared to each other and somehow it feels soul deep, not just physical. But how could it be when I’m still keeping something from him?

With great effort, I push that thought from my mind. This is about the here and now.

Nero takes my hand and leads me to the large chaise. Because it’s the middle of the night, the birds are quiet, and only the sounds of our breathing echo around us.

I lie down, and Nero moves over me, holding himself above me, but I wrap an arm around his neck and tug him down, wanting to feel his weight on me. Our mouths meet again, and we sink into the kiss, unhurried. His hard length sits snug between us, and I spread my legs so that he can tuck himself between my thighs. He pushes at my entrance, and I stretch around his girth, sighing into the kiss.

He gently rocks into me at a leisurely pace. Neither of us is chasing an orgasm. We’re both content to enjoy each other’s body and the connection we share.

Nero pulls away from our kiss, and I want to drag him back, but our eyes meet and hold, blue on blue. A vast well of emotion fills his. I don’t need any more words of assurance from him. He feels the same way I do.

We continue to watch each other as he slides in and out of me.

“Touch yourself, princess.” He leans down and kisses me before pulling away again.

I slide my hand between our bodies and sigh when I connect to my clit. I keep my efforts at the same pace as he’s moving, and slowly, my orgasm builds.

My breathing picks up as we continue to watch each other. The swell of emotion between us grows larger and more intense, mimicking the pace of my impending orgasm. When it finally hits me with full force, I stifle my cry, my back rising off the chaise.

Nero holds himself inside me and groans quietly into the curve of my neck as he rides out his own climax. Then he cups the sides of my face, and his gaze lands on mine, almost as though he’s taking me in, capturing this moment to examine at some point in the future.

“That was…”

“Yeah,” he says in a soft, gentle voice. “It was.”

He bends and kisses me.

We stay wrapped in each other’s arms, neither of us wanting to disentangle from the other. I fight to keep my eyes open, not wanting this moment to end.

As my body relaxes and my eyelids fall closed, he says, “I love you, Cinder.”

Maybe it’s a dream, because fate has always destroyed the people I love most.

Chapter

Thirty

CINDER

The past couple of weeks with Nero have been magical. Ever since the night we spent in the aviary, something shifted between us, brought us closer emotionally.

No longer do I sleep in my own room. In fact, Nero had all my belongings moved into his room, so every night we fall asleep after sex in a sweaty, exhausted heap tangled around each other. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. He hasn’t said the three words since, so I’m not sure if I dreamed them or not that night, but I’ve never felt so loved in my life, except by my parents.

Another thing that changed is that we eat our breakfast in the dining room with the other two couples and Sid. Though Kol and Rapsody are missing this morning.

“Where did you say Rapsody is?” I ask Anabelle seated beside me.

She passes me the plate with pastries on it, knowing by now that I add one to my plate every morning. “There’s an art dealer in New York interested in some of her paintings, so they flew up there last night to meet with him today.”

“That’s so exciting. I hope everything goes well for her.”

Rapsody brought me to the conservatory last week to show me some of her work. It’s beautiful. Erotic as hell, but beautiful.

“Yeah, me too. I’m sure it will though. She’s very talented.”

“If it doesn’t, I’m sure Kol will use his persuasive powers to make sure it goes how she wishes,” Asher says wryly before taking a sip of his coffee.

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