Page 86 of Court of Secrets and Flames

Pressing my breasts against his neck and upper chest, I reach over his shoulders. I scrub the mud from his back, my fingers working into his muscles with a tenderness that belies the ferocity of prior moments. He arches into my touch, and I lean forward to nip at his ear, tasting the brine clinging to his skin.

Another low moan escapes him. The vibration rumbles against my lips, and I want to catch it between my teeth and hold it captive.

“I don’t want this to end.”

“Neither do I. This is what life should feel like. Out here.” The timbre of his voice is low and intimate. “It’s as if I can finally breathe without the weight of the crown or its expectations.”

I pause, fixing my gaze upon him, inspecting the lines that speak of joy and hardship in equal measure. Is this the unmasked visage of the man I know as Knox, as Sterling, or is this yet another facade? Beneath the warmth of his skin, what truth lies hidden?

“Knox…” The waves swallow my whisper.

“Please, call me Sterling.” His eyes search mine as if he can see through to my inner turmoil. “Away from the palace…here, I’m just Sterling, not Prince Knox.”

His confession hangs between us, and I can’t help but wonder. Does he wear his heart on his sleeve now, or is this a ploy crafted with the same cunning he wields within the palace walls? Why such need for my desire when his bed could host a thousand others?

He senses the shift in my thoughts, the withdrawal of my mind from the present. With a swift motion, his strong arms ensnare me in an embrace that leaves no room for doubt of his immediate desires. His arousal presses against the inside of my thigh, a silent testament to his hunger.

“Where did you wander off to?” His lips trace a fiery path along my neck, delivering a jolt of pleasure down my spine.

“I’m right here.”

I surrender to the sensation. Now is not the time for deeper questions. Whoever this man is, we have an undeniable connection. One I do not want to sunder. I don’t know when the time will be right to ask him who he really is without the orders, the sigil, and the disguises. Or if it ever will.

But today, I want to just feel what we have between us. For now, it’s enough.

No thinking. No worrying.

His teeth graze my collarbone, igniting a heat that flames through my veins. I find myself caring less about the why.

“Then show me.” The words are a raspy challenge against the shell of my ear.

And for a fleeting moment, beneath the vast expanse of the sky and the watchful eyes of the ocean, I let go of the questions haunting my mind, allowing the tide of his desire to sweep me away once more. Every part of me yearns for every part of him.

He lowers us to a sitting position as I face him, the water up to our chests.

I wrap my legs around his waist, my buoyancy keeping me just above him. The water laps at our entwined bodies while Iposition myself. I want to drape my entire body around him, to take him inside me and hold him there. For a second, I stay floating, teasing us both as he slides just at my entrance, barely touching.

The sky is a canvas of fading light, the ocean a rhythmic song, but neither holds my attention like his eyes do. They’re a deep, rich brown, shining with a longing that mirrors my own.

He’s beautiful in his rawness, stripped of armor and title, and for right now, he’s mine.

“Come here.” His low growl stirs the waves within me.

My magic stirs as well. I’ve held it back, keeping the heat along my skin. The salt water swirls around us. His hands slide up my thighs, strong and certain, and press me down. I lower myself onto him, the connection drawing a gasp from my lips. His hips lift to meet mine.

“Perfect.” He lowers his mouth, lips brushing against mine. “You’re so fucking perfect for me. In every possible way.”

My heart sings at his praise. “Sterling.”

“Say it again.” Though he issues a command, his tone holds a plea.

I press a featherlight kiss against his mouth. “Sterling.”

A shudder racks his body, and I thrill at the power granted to me by a single word.

His name on my lips possesses power, a spell woven through the air that binds us together. With each movement, I push away the lingering doubts. This is the man I’ve chosen. The one here with me now. In this space, where water meets land, we exist only for the pleasure we give each other.

His grip tightens, fingers digging into the soft flesh of my hips, urging me on. I rise and fall with the ebb and flow of the tide. My hair cascades down my back like dark seaweed dancing in the current. The sound of the ocean fades against the pounding of my heart, the only drumbeat to which we move.

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