Page 78 of The Sorrow of Shadows

My ass hits the tiled floor with a heavythudand pain throbs in my left cheek, leaving me groaning. That must be the least graceful thing I’ve done in years.

“Thank the gods no one was here to see that,” I mumble, then hear a muffled laugh from behind me.

I whip my head around and look up to find Aurelius in the room behind me, sitting on the bed and laughing at me.

“What the fuck, Aurelius!” I demand from my place on the bathing room floor.

“Still don’t want my help getting out of those leathers?” he taunts.

“No! Well, maybe. How did you get in here? I locked the door.”

“Did you really think a locked door would stop me in my own home? Princess, I’ve been sneaking in and out of here since I was twelve. You’ll have to try harder to keep me away.” He gives me that self-satisfied grin that’s equal parts infuriating and sexy.

“Ugh, you’re incorrigible. As long as you’re here, get these damn things off me,” I demand.

“As you wish,” he answers and prowls across the room to me. I reach up a hand and let him pull me to my feet. I rub my sore ass cheek and wait for him to help.

He drops to his knees before me, a sexy grin plastered on his beautiful face. His thumbs slip inside my leathers and begin slowly pulling them down my thighs. The slow movements areoddly intimate and arousing. Or maybe that’s the sight of him on his knees for me.

He works them past my thighs, easily slipping them over my knees, but his pace is torturously slow. It’s completely intentional, I have no doubt, but I’m not going to call him out on it. As he begins his journey down my calves, I feel him trail kisses down my thighs as he goes.

A sharp jolt of arousal hits me in my core, so strong I bend forward, gasping at the intensity.

“Aurelius,” I pant, “stop using your powers on me. Right fucking now.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” His kisses continue, moving higher and toward my center. I still have my undergarments on, but that doesn’t stop him from laying a kiss right at the apex of my thighs.

My pants have finally reached the floor, and I step out of them, kicking them to the side. I grip the curls at the top of his head and sharply pull his head back to look at me.

The increased thrumming in my clit from his power has spread to my nipples, hardening them into stiff peaks. I nearly moan from the sensation. “I. Said. Enough,” I grit through clenched teeth.

His eyes flare, but he obeys my command and gets to his feet. He’s not touching me anymore, but he hasn’t released his power’s grip on me. I’m nearly to the point of begging him to take me, despite our surroundings and the people in this house. He spares me, though, and takes a step back.

“Have fun imagining me on my knees for you when you slip into that bath and come on your fingers, little demon.”

With those parting filthy words, he finally leaves me.

I’m still unbearably aroused when I slip into the warm water of the bathtub. I slip my fingers below the water, and do exactly as he said I would, finding my release within minutes. It’s his name on my lips as I come undone.

Freshly bathed and dressed in silk sleep pants and shirt, I godown to the parlor to meet my family. It’s well past the time for dinner, so my grandparents have had food brought here, rather than the formal dining room.

Aurelius is already there, standing to the right of the fireplace. Sleep pants similar to mine hang low on his hips, and a loose tunic hangs off his shoulders, untied and leaving glimpses of his toned chest visible. I have to catch myself before I’m caught drooling over him.

“Have a nice bath?” Aurelius smirks at me, knowing in his eyes.

“It was quite satisfying,” I respond without missing a beat.

My grandparents, clearly missing what’s happening between us, call for the servants to place the food on a low table in front of the blazing fire. I take a seat in one of the wing-backed chairs and pull it close to the table.

The savory scent of roasted pork belly wafts my way, causing me to salivate. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I am starving. The plate is filled with roasted vegetables and creamy potatoes. An indecent moan leaves my mouth as I bite into the steaming food in front of me. I pick at the vegetables, moving the carrots to the side, but devouring everything else.

Once the food is gone, my hungry belly satisfied, I look up at the people staring at me.

“I don’t think we’ve seen anyone with such an appetite since the boys were still at home,” Grandfather chuckles.

“I haven’t eaten all day,” I say sheepishly.

“It’s quite alright, dear. Your grandfather was just teasing you. There’s more if you’d like me to fetch you another plate,” Grandmother offers.

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