Page 16 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

"Oh gods, Gray," Lea cried out, the sensation of the rain pelting against her bare chest along with the kneading of Gray’s strong fingers causing warmth to build inside her that was separate from her magic. It was a deeply rooted passion—a carnal need. It was a love that could only come fromhercommander.

Lea tried to twist toward him, but Gray’s arms pinned her in place as a long thread of darkness snapped across her chest.

"There will be time for that, Little Flower." The shadows crept higher, wrapping across her neck and up to the back of her head, pulling it backward. "Let me savor this. I need to feel your heart beating. I need to feel my mate writhing beneath my hands." With those words, he lowered one hand, pulling her dress up to her waist and exposing her completely. He ripped her underwear off in his fist, tucking them quickly into the saddlebag at his side.Was he saving her panties?

As if he could read her mind, he laughed darkly. "A reminder. Of the night we escaped. The night I took my mate, knowing she has seen all of who I am and accepts every dark part of me." He slid his fingers against her already throbbing clit. "Tell me, Little Flower, is it the rain drenching you between your pretty thighs?" He squeezed her nipple, a zap of electricity stealing her breath from her lungs.

"It’s you, Gray." She nearly wept at the pleasure building inside her. "Only you."

"Fuck," Gray cursed as he slowly swirled his fingers in circles, his shadows pulling her legs further apart to give him access to her throbbing core. Her body clenched, her hips grinding down against his fingers as her head rested back against his shoulder. He continued circling his fingers against her, increasing his speed and speaking words of love and praise into her ear as she squirmed. His other hand caressed her breasts, her nipples, the cold air and sting of the rain against her bare chest causing a bite of pain that only intensified her pleasure.

They continued forward, racing through the darkness toward their safe haven, her body exposed to the elements and under the total control of the Fae behind her. Pressure built inside her and he slowed.

Lea groaned in protest, leaning forward in an attempt to push against his fingers harder, to find release.

"Patience, my love," he rasped.

"I need—"

He increased the pressure of his fingers, his rhythm torturously slow as his shadows caressed her inner thighs. "Do not believe for a second that I don’t know exactly what you need." Biting down on her shoulder, he pinched her nipple, hard. "You have no idea how I have burned, how long I've needed to feel this with you. For you to know what I have been working toward, to join me. My queen by my side." He leaned her backward, his mouth finding the hollow between her neck and shoulder. Sucking gently, he circled her swollen nipple, soothing away the sting.

In the back of her mind, Lea realized that she should feel embarrassed. Her beautiful dress was around her waist, her entire body exposed as they fled the kingdom under the cover of night. They were likely being hunted by Alaric at this very moment, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Despite the danger, she’d never felt so protected.

Gray lifted her head to meet his eyes. "I’m glad you feel safe with me again. It’s all I’ve wanted."

Her expression must have betrayed her, the confusion at him knowing her thoughts.

"Did you forget that I feel what you feel?" He placed a hand over her heart and her pulse thundered.

"And what do I feel?" she asked breathlessly.

"Safe," he repeated as he kissed her deeply. "Passion and fire." Gray sent a cool burst of electricity through his fingers, a zap that caused her to cry out in surprise. "Love." He continued to move and Lea felt as if she might burst, her need too great.

"Please, Gray," she cried out, and a rough laugh laced with desire and darkness vibrated against her back. Lea felt Gray look up, taking in the path before them.

"Whatever you need.Always." His movements changed then, less teasing and more intentional. Rough with need, with a singular purpose to push her over the edge. Lea arched against him, pleasure filling every inch of her body, building and crescendoing until she exploded into a million pieces, her mate's name ripping from her throat as her body spasmed. Gray continued to coax out her ecstasy, her orgasm spreading down her legs and onto his fingers.

As she came back down to earth, Lea noticed absently that they’d stopped moving. Wordlessly, Gray led Obsidian into a small circle of trees before sliding off the saddle. Magic passed over her skin, and she shivered, her body singing with its touch.

"Can you stand?" Gray’s voice was rough—deep and full of lust. She nodded her head, and he placed her feet onto the soft grass, leaning her against a tree. She looked around, realizing that they were safely inside one of the pockets of the forest that Gray had warded. She relaxed against the tree, breathing a sigh of relief at the knowledge that they were once again tucked inside a magic barrier and undetectable.

A rumble left Gray’s chest, and Lea sucked in a breath at his fierce expression. He looked starved, his eyes wide and his breaths ragged. She reached toward their bond to find a searing heat unlike anything she’d ever felt before as he took slow, predatory steps toward her while removing his armor. Despite her bones feeling like gelatin, her stomach clenched.

Her breasts still exposed, Gray hooked his fingers around the dress at her waist and pulled it to the muddy ground. Yanking his shirt overhead in one fluid motion, he wrapped it around her shoulders.

Lea bit down a smile as the fabric stuck to her back, and Gray gave her a questioning look. "I don’t think your wet shirt is going to offer me much warmth, Gray," she whispered, her body still on fire for the man standing in front of her. He slowly unbuckled his belt, and Lea’s eyes drifted down to the sprinkling of dark hair beginning just below his belly button, at the V of his abs as they disappeared beneath the waistline of his trousers. She felt her breaths growing shallow as she took in the veins in his strong, thick arms. He pushed down his pants, his eyes drinking her in, never leaving her naked body.

"It’s not for warmth, though I do hate to see you cold." He stepped forward, pressing himself against her, the feel of his naked body and the heat of his skin instantly causing her blood to boil as need built within her again. Gray leaned down, his fingers caressing the side of her belly, her hip bone, the side of her breast. "It’s to protect your beautiful skin as I fuck you against this tree."

Gray grabbed Lea around her waist at the same time he lifted her leg, wrapping it snugly around his hip. She felt his impressive, hard length against her as he pushed her back into the tree, her skin stinging from the rough bark despite his shirt behind her.

His chest heaved with each ragged breath, his cock pushing at her entrance. Lea moaned his name, lifting her other leg and wrapping her tighter around his waist as she tried to pull him closer.

"Say it again," he rasped, his taut body trembling as his love for her overwhelmed their bond. "I need to hear you say it."

Lea looked up at Gray, cupping his face gently in her hands. This fierce Fae, the king of the rebellion, whispered about and feared throughout the kingdom, was baring his soul before her. "I love you," she whispered, trying to push every bit of her feelings toward Gray’s magic coiled in her chest. Hoping he could sense that she was done fighting him, that she forgave him for keeping the knowledge of what his father had done from her. That she was accepting him as her mate, fully, here under the stars and moon.

Gray’s mouth crashed against hers as he thrust inside her in one swift movement. Lea opened her mouth to cry out but his tongue found hers immediately, swallowing his name from her throat as he kissed her in a way that she’d never experienced before. It was overwhelming—desperate and frantic. His hands squeezed her ass as he plunged in and out, stretching and filling her, claiming her fully. She could feel their bond pulling tighter, twisting around itself like a golden chain that could never be untangled. Not without being consumed by fire.

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