Page 71 of An Empress of Fire & Steel

“And why does that make me want you even more?” he rasped.

His chest rose and fell as their gazes interlocked, and something took root in her soul.

This is fated.

He moved quickly, giving in to the intensity of their stares. This time, he wrapped his arms under her thighs and pulled her down to fall into his lap, straddling his hips. He ran both hands up her thighs and past her ass to press into the centre of her back. He rocked her against him and she felt a very solid part of him press into her core.

“You are unbelievable.” His voice sounded hoarse, almost strained with hunger. His lips found hers in a desperate tangle of moans. Emara rolled her hips against him, grabbing on to his strong back. His hands ran through her hair wildly as he lifted his hips to meet hers, finding an intense rhythm. He moved his warm lips back to her neck, nipping and teasing with his teeth, encouraging her to move against him harder.

She was aching.

“More exploring?” he said, his voice so husky she barely recognized it.

She nodded, a slave to whatever this was between them.

He lifted the hem of her nightgown with one hand and splayed his fingers underneath it, settling a palm on her hip. His fingers quickly found the edge of her underwear, playing with one of the few barriers between them, teasing her, sending her heart into a frantic hammering. As if he could hear her blood pumping fast through her veins, he hooked one finger around the edge before Emara heard a soft rip.

Well, that was one way to remove them.

He moved his lips from her neck down to her collarbone, trailing his tongue down until he asked against the skin of her breast, “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” she breathed, unwilling to open her eyes lest it ruin the moment.

He pushed her back, balancing her with one open palm, and softly laid her on the floor of the cavern. In an instant, he was on top of her, and she finally ran her hands over his back, dragging him down against her. She explored his body, running her palms down his chest, feeling the layered muscle tense beneath her touch. It instilled confidence in her that she didn’t know she needed.

Even through ultimate desire, he was patient with her.

He allowed her to drag a hand down to the top of his leathers and she rimmed the soaking waist band with one finger. He moved so quickly, she didn’t have time to register the breaking of his control as he pinned her hands above her head. All she could hear was his ragged breathing and the pounding sounds of the enchanted water hitting stone. He dipped his head to her shoulder, pulling at the straps of her nightgown with his teeth. Emara could barely hear the noise from the waterfall anymore, her pulse drumming in her ears from the scratching of his teeth against her soft skin. He tore the garment down, revealing her feminine curves. The only part of her body not exposed to him was beneath the dress that now lay loose across her midriff.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered as he looked down at her, a dark craving in his eyes.

Ducking down, he took one breast into his mouth, circling his tongue over her nipple and sucking hard. Her spine arched, bucking her hips against his solid centre. She rasped out a pleasured gasp, and a gratifying groan escaped him as he licked and sucked again, grinding against her bare core. Not stopping his assault of her delicate flesh with his tongue, his hands traced down her navel, ghosting over the line where her underwear used to be. The thought of him inside her both thrilled and terrified her. Was she ready for this big step? Could her body handle something so soul-changing? Emara chuckled inwardly; her body knew what it was ready for. She rolled her hips against him, wanting more.

Always more.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice lower than she had ever heard it before.

“Yes,” she breathed, still rocking against his touch. “I am sure.”

She had never been surer.

Wasting no time, his finger found her centre.

“Fucking Underworld, Emara,” he hissed, her wetness coating his hand. He coasted one finger through her as his mouth found her skin again. The world around her sparkled, teasing her into a realm of sheer pleasure. Throwing her head back, she moaned, calling his name. She was sure the enchantment of the cavern echoed it back.

Encouraged, his lips were soft but fierce against hers, claiming her mouth as he worked his fingers just above where she wanted them most in small circles, teasing her most sensitive nerves. Her hips arched against him again, and he pushed one finger inside of her.

She almost crashed there and then.

She gasped again.

He moved them expertly, flexing his fingers in time with her hips as she rode them. Each stroke had Emara’s nerves on fire, goosebumps exploding across her skin.

By the Gods, is this what it felt like?

As he worked her closer and closer to climax, he flicked his wrist, and the sweet tension of pleasure boiling in her blood, swirling over every cell of her being, snapped. Her hands clutched onto his back, gripping at his bare, wet skin. His muscles tensed under her hold as she tightened around him.

She was so close.

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