Page 29 of Kissed By the Sun

We found a sheltered spot beneath a large oak tree that hadn’t given in to the blight just yet, its sprawling branches offering some protection from prying eyes. As we settled down, Thorn pulled me close, his warmth a comforting presence against the chill of the early morning air.

"Sleep," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "I'll keep watch."

But even as exhaustion tugged at me, my mind raced with questions. What had I done? How had I done it? And most pressingly, what did it mean for our future?

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had changed. The path we'd been on, the certainty of our destination - it all seemed less clear now. But as I felt Thorn's steady heartbeat against my back, I realized that maybe, just maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Chapter

Fourteen

Senara

My eyelids fluttered open,as fragile as butterfly wings in the pale morning light. I was cocooned within Thorn's strong arms, his steady breath a comforting rhythm against my neck. Despite the fatigue that clung to me like dew on a spider web, there's an undeniable energy coursing through me—an electric pulse of desire that matched the beat of my heart.

I shifted slightly, pressing my back deeper into Thorn's solid chest. The movement stirred him awake and I could feel his own need pressing insistently against me, answering the silent call that resonated within me. It was the desire we’d been fighting for too long, one that I’d wanted to give into for a while now, but Thorn had resisted. I told myself not to move again, knowing that things were untenable between us right now regarding the bond and magic.

Thorn's hand moved then, fingers gently drifting over the contours of my arm before settling at my hip. His touch ignited goosebumps across my skin—each one a tiny explosion of sensation adding fuel to the flame of my desire.

"Good morning," he murmured, his voice rough with sleep and something more primal. It vibrated through me like a tuning fork.

"Morning," I managed to whisper back, afraid that any louder might shatter this precious moment suspended between dreams and reality.

I didn’t move as Thorn's lips found that sensitive spot below my ear—a tender kiss sending shivers cascading down my spine. I couldn’t help but arch instinctively toward him, seeking more of his touch—the heat radiating from him seeping into my skin.

The world outside our embrace faded away as we turned to face each other.

“Thorn,” I began, intending to give him the option to stop whatever he just started, to remind him that this wasn’t what he wanted yesterday.

He didn’t let me say anything more though as his lips crashed against my own in a kiss that told me exactly how much he’d been holding back until now.

Thorn's warm lips pressed against mine, soft and demanding. My heart pounded in my chest as his tongue swept into my mouth, tangling with mine in a fierce dance that sent sparks flying through my veins.

The taste of him was intoxicating—a heady mix of mint and desire—and I groaned into the kiss, unable to resist the pull any longer. I turned to face him fully and moved a leg over his hips, so I was straddling him and pressing myself even closer to him. His hands roamed over my skin, tracing patterns on my back and sides that sent shivers down my spine.

The small sticks on the ground cracked as we shifted and I rolled my hips against his, rubbing myself against him like a cat. He nipped at my lower lip and I gasped into the kiss as his heat enveloped me like a blanket on a cold night.

He moved lower, kissing his way down my jaw and neck until he reached the tender skin above my collarbone. With each feather-light touch of his lips, I melted further into him.

His hand slid up under my shirt and he growled at the contact with my bare skin. We both shivered at the electricity that arced between us at this simple touch.

It had been too long, much too long since we’d been able to be together without worrying about someone catching us. In fact, hadn’t we always been worried except for that first night before we knew each other and what we would become to one another.

His hands gripped me tightly, holding me to him as he devoured me, kissing everywhere he could reach; his rough stubble scraped across my cheekbones as he buried his face in my neck and shoulders while one strong hand skimmed down to my hip before rising once more and settling on my rib cage. He nipped at my earlobe tenderly then trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along my collarbone.

“Thorn,” I gasped as his finger brushed over the delicate skin of my breast. “Thorn, please…” I didn’t have the words any more as his thumb flicked over my nipple making my hips jerk.

I was panting with need and when I looked at him I found him watching me, his pupils dilated with desire and something more, something that made me go a little wild. I reached down between us, sliding my hand over his leathers along the outline of his cock. He groaned and his head tipped back landing against the bark of the tree.

“Tell me what you want, Senara,” he growled, sending a shiver of need through me once more.

“You, Thorn. I want you.”

Both of his hands were under my shirt now, but the leather top I was wearing as armor was preventing him from moving freely. Without asking I yanked at the laces and loosened them,giving him better access before I pulled it up and over my head, not bothering to take it off properly.

It was a bit awkward, but I didn’t care. My desire was too urgent to worry about a little awkwardness. The binding I’d been using for my breasts had come loose a while ago and now, without the leather holding it in place it pooled around my waist, leaving just a thin layer of cotton between my skin and Thorn’s lips.

I was about to remove it when he pushed my breasts up with both hands and took one nipple into his mouth and then the other. His tongue swept over them in hot, languid circles, before he sucked on them, gently scraping his teeth against the tender flesh through the fabric.

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