Page 62 of The Forbidden Fae King

He drags a finger along my cheek, across my lips, then down my neck, chest, going lower and lower. Aldrin stares at me, daring me to stop him, as he reaches my breasts and drags his finger between them, right down my exposed cleavage. A shuddering breath leaves me as my back arches into his touch. I want him to do it again with his tongue.

“Do we care if they do?” I thread my fingers through his hair.

Those eyes rove across my body and face again, searching for something.

My heart thunders, as the most beautiful man I have ever seen looks at me with such open lust.

A wild gleam enters his expression, as he crawls up my body until we are face to face. “Youarewicked.”

Heat rushes through my every extremity and my stomach tumbles with anticipation as his breath caresses my cheek. I run my hands down his chest and the hard ridges of his muscles feel exactly as I thought they would. I want him. Need consumes me, hot and fast.

I came here to embrace this pilgrimage and the experiences it throws at me. To find myself. To put my needs first, and doesn’t that include my own pleasure?

His face lowers toward mine, until I think he is going to kiss me, but he whispers in my ear. “Do you want a fae lover?” His breath tickles my skin.

Everything within me freezes at his boldness. While I take a fraction of a second to consider, he kisses a line down the side of my neck. It almost drives out all rational thought. I snake my arms behind his neck, savoring the feel of his lips against my skin. It makes the muscles of my core tighten.

I didn’t come here for a lover. I’ve taken steps to make sure a magical pregnancy won’t happen. All I know is that I want to experience him. That this is a man who could make me feel alive.

Aldrin pulls himself up onto one elbow as he lazily looks at me. Any hesitation I may have had disappears.

“Yes,” I breathe. “I want a fae lover.”

His entire body stiffens, and he pulls himself off me with an abruptness.

I stare at him with utter confusion at the sudden mood change, while my body prickles from the cold in the absence of his embrace. He gets to his feet and glares down at me as I pull myself up.

“I should have known. You are like the rest of them.” He spits at me and tension coils in his muscled shoulders. “Here to take a lover and sneak off home with the unborn baby.”

“What!” I find myself yelling as all that building passion turns to anger. “Youtried to seduceme! I haven’t made a pass at you”

Aldrin gives me a hard look, as though I am caught in a lie.

“Does it even matter to you humans which fae gets you pregnant?” His voice is low, stone cold, and somehow that feels worse than shouting. “Don’t think you and your sister are the first women to come here. You said it yourself, human women come here for a lover.”

“I said they are enticed by the freedoms here.” I am angry enough I could throw something at him. “We get to actuallylivewhen we are in this realm. But of course, any woman with a healthy sexuality must be a villain right?”

Aldrin’s features darken. “Isn’t this what your family does? Send its women to this realm looking for a lover? How else is your magic so strong? You must be half fae. Was it your mother who went to the autumn realm? Your blood is brimming with their destructive earth magic.”

I hiss. “My grandmother?—”

“Your grandmother. And I wonder which poor fool she seduced, then stole his baby.” Venom pours out of him, so at odds with the man whispering in my ear a moment ago.

“A dead fool who tried to hurt her and keep her prisoner!” I walk right up to him and speak slowly into his face. “If you want to end the prejudice between our people, then you have to learn to trust me. Stop assuming I’m going to do to you any and every bad thing my people have been accused of. Didn’t I agree to trust you?”

His grim countenance doesn’t change.

I don’t drop my eyes from his. “Do I need to make an oath that I won't steal any babies while I’m here? Not even a spare changeling.”

He lets out a barked laugh, catching my ironic joke. For centuries, it was us humans who accused the fae of stealing our babies.

“Fine. Fine.” He throws up his arms. “But I had to know. Ihad to know.And why else did you agree to…”

I raise my eyebrows at him and he swears, looking away from me for a single moment.

“I’m not a complete prude. I just like privacy,” I say softly.

Tension crackles between us and he looks at me differently, analyzing and appraising. “Look I?—”

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