Page 67 of Between Smoke and Shadow

“I-I don’t know,” I admit. “I’ve never…I don’t know how to do this.”

“You’re doing so well,” he says. His lips tickle the bottom of my ear. “So fucking well. So perfect for me.”

My entire body tingles, whether from his hands or his lips or his whispered praises. Nerves tumble through me, but they’reovershadowed by deep, demanding arousal. I don’t just want him to make me feel good. I want to makehimfeel good too.

“Tell me if I should slow down,” he murmurs. He’s kissing my neck, softly sucking the skin above my collarbone. “Tell me if anything doesn’t feel good.”

“Okay,” I say. I bring my hands back to his hair, weaving my fingers through the thick locks. “It feels good, Harrick. Please. I want more.”

TWENTY-TWO

HARRICK

“It feels good, Harrick,” she says, curving toward me. “Please. I want more.”

I can’t process how I went from worrying Rune wouldn’t wake up tothis, and I decide not to try. Instead, I push away any fear or doubt until I’m focusing only on her and the way she lays beneath me. Her legs shift as she chases her relief, and I swear, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, so fucking perfect, as her stretched across my bed.

I suck on her neck, grazing her skin with my teeth and chasing the sting with my tongue. With one hand cupped behind her head, I use the other to undo her zipper. Only once I’ve reached the end, exposing a sliver of her smooth, pale skin, do I pull back to look at her.

She blinks up at me, blue eyes darkened with desire. Though she doesn’t say a word, I can almost hear the demand on her lips.

More.

I separate her top with excruciating slowness, and she watches, biting down on her lower lip. She’s every bit as beautiful as I pictured and more, slipping out of her sleeves until she’s bared to me from the waist up. With my eyes intent on hers, I run my hand over her soft skin and the slopes of hersmall breasts. I circle her nipple, and her hips jolt upward, as if searching for my cock.

“Gods,” I say.

I replace my fingers with my tongue, tracing her breast, sucking her nipple and drawing out her moans. I trail down her body, until my hand disappears beneath her coverall and between her legs. She’s bare and wet, and when my thumb brushes her clit, she cries out again.

“So wet for me,” I murmur. I memorize every angle of her face, all the colors in her eyes, while my fingers touch everywhere but the spot she needs me most.

“Is that bad?” she asks. Her voice hitches, and she tries to move away.

“No, it’s good. Really fucking good,” I say, catching her hip. Once she loosens beneath me again, I roll my thumb against her clit in small circles. “Just relax, sweetheart. Not a single bad thing about you, all right? Spread your legs for me.”

I’ve never called a woman sweetheart. I don’t think I’ve ever used an endearment at all. With Rune, it rolls off my tongue, as if the word was invented with her in mind. She parts her legs, and I press a finger into her tight heat. I suck a breath between my lips, my cock so hard it’s difficult to think straight.

She’s fucking tight, barely accommodating a single finger. I move slowly at first, letting her adjust, but soon she’s rocking against me, her sweet moans filling the bedroom. My erection is painful against my stomach, and I realize I’m dangerously close to coming in my pants. I could, I realize. Watching Rune Ealde come apart on my hand could easily be my undoing.

And she’s close. Her hands fist the sheets and her eyes fall shut. I want her to look at me when she breaks apart, but I’m too afraid it’ll take her from the moment. I suck her nipple into my mouth instead, teasing her with my teeth.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I say. I press my thumb back to her clit, curling my finger inside her. “Come for me.”

When she finally does, she cries out, louder than I would have expected. It’s the prettiest sound I’ve ever heard, but it seems to startle her. Before she’s fully come down, she’s pulling away, a vibrant blush on her cheeks.

“Gods, you’re so beautiful like that,” I say. Because I can tell she’s in her head, and I desperately need her to stay here with me. She looks down at herself, top fully exposed, glistening pussy visible at the bottom of her coverall. I’ve never seen such a stunning view in my life, but she looks nervous.

If she bolts now, I don’t know how I’ll recover.

“Breathe, Rune,” I tell her. I draw imaginary circles over her hip, smiling when she does as I say. After a few moments, she relaxes against the mattress. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, sorry,” she says. Her voice is quiet, and she’s flushed from her chest to her ears. “And, um, thank you.”

I should tell her she doesn’t need to thank me. I’ll give her an orgasm any time she asks, and I’m already hoping she will…a lot. For now, I just grin at her. I’m sure I look stupidly happy, but I don’t care. Iamstupidly happy, and I want her to know it.

“You’ll have to show me what to do,” she says. She’s staring at my pants, where my cock strains against the fabric. She rolls her lips into a flat line, fear straining her features. “I’ve never done anything before, Harrick. I don’t…I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

She leans toward me, but I capture her hands before she attempts anything. I guide her onto her back again, using one hand to hold her wrists above her head and the other to keep my weight off her. Then I kiss her jaw before nipping at her bottom lip. Three soft kisses, and then I suck her tongue into my mouth. She gasps in surprise, but she’s quick to arc into me.

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