Page 105 of Song of the Dark Wood

The words broke his restraint, and his hands gripped her hips hard enough to bruise as he pulled back and thrust into her. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he did it again, but her eyes showed only desire and not a hint of pain.

He pulled her into a scorching kiss, swallowing up her moans as he moved rhythmically. She tried to meet his movements, but he held her in place, exactly how he wanted her to take him. The shift in power made her wild. Her hands gripped his arms, and she tossed her head back, sitting right on the precipice of release.

Conor kissed her neck as he moved, dragging his teeth over her skin. He was still holding onto the gentler side of himself, but barely. If his restraint slipped, he wasn’t certain he wouldn’t take too much from her.

“Conor,” Rowan whimpered. He met her gaze. “Let go.”

He shook his head.

“Fear is poison. Don’t let it steal the joy from this,” she whispered.

He remembered the day he’d first looked at her deepest fear when she’d said those words. She was right. Every time he feared losing control, he gave that fear power. He, of all people, understood that.

The ravenous, unrelenting desire took over as he let go, his hips churning faster. His hands were everywhere. He couldn’t touch enough of her, even with the soft curves of her body pressed flush against the hard lines of his, even with her clinging to him just as tightly as he did to her.

Conor was absolutely starved for her—for love, for touch, for life itself—and Rowan was every single one of those things. His movements became frenzied, jerking, relentless, and she archedinto him. A sound between a scream and a moan ripped out of her as she came undone. It was so beautiful, but even the animal in him needed to see her eyes, needed to know she was okay.

He slowed and sat back on his heels, drawing her up to straddle his lap. He had all the power, but he was handing her control.

Her eyes lit up as understanding dawned on her. She covered his face in kisses. In all of Conor’s years, no one had ever been so sweet with him.

She paused, tentative as she rolled her hips. Her eyes were glued to his face, watching every reaction. He didn’t expect to ever find anything he liked as much as control, but at that moment, he liked Rowan being in control more than anything else in the world.

Her back arched, and her breasts thrust forward as she moved her hips. She looked wild and lovely, and he wanted to lay the world at her feet.

It’s just sex, he reminded himself.Don’t be desperate, Conor.

But in the back of his mind, he knew it was more than that. He was falling for this wild, magical woman. He liked her sharp edges and her rage as much as her humor and warmth. She wasn’t afraid of wounding the same way she wasn’t afraid of the wounded. There were moments when she seemed untouchable, even to him. Parts of her would always be unknowable, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to know them.

He shoved those thoughts away. He tucked the feelings deep inside him as she curved into him and squeezed so tight around him that he followed her over the edge. He devoured her mouth with a passionate kiss and she let him, smiling breathlessly when he finally pulled away.

“That was more like it,” she laughed as he laid beside her.

Conor laughed in disbelief. “You’ll be the death of me.”

Her smile faltered momentarily. “That’s impossible,” she mumbled.

Conor was about to lob a comment back when he licked his lips and tasted burnt sugar.

Rowan waslying. She somehow knew it was possible for him to die. Through their bond he sensed a slight buzz of nervousness buried under heavy fatigue.

“Rowan, what do you know?” he asked. He needed to know exactly what she was planning so he could save her from herself.

“Hmm?” she asked as her eyelashes fluttered, sleep carrying her away.

She curled into Conor, and against his better judgment, he let her. He tried to kiss her back to consciousness, but she stayed asleep.

He smiled at how sweet she looked asleep beside him. The feeling of soft skin against his was a sensation he’d all but forgotten.

Rowan might have been exhausted, but Conor felt wired, powerful, energized. He extracted himself from her arms, worried he would wake her, but she remained heavily asleep.

Conor hadn’t had true companionship in years. Though he was surprisingly desperate to connect, he had no idea where to begin. He feared that everything he’d held back was bound up inside him in a hopeless knot. If he let any part of it free, it might all unravel at once, and he could not abide a loss of control.

Pulling on his robe, Conor felt better than he had in years.

A knock on the door drew him away from the bedside. He opened the door and found Charlie holding a tray of tea and biscuits.

“Thought you could use some refreshments.” Charlie stopped suddenly. “What did you do?” he demanded, his wide eyes looking through Conor.

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