Page 24 of The Scattered Bones

Kaid released my hand, pulling his fists into his lap, and I read fear in his rigid stance. We’d done more than that priestess, and the consequences of our actions terrified him.

“I shouldn’t be here.” He stood, but I captured his wrist with both my hands before he could run.

“She may not let me leave. She won’t allow me to renounce my devotion, but she cannot steal my mind. Hreinasta will consume my flesh, but this?” I pointed to my heart and then my head. “They’re mine, and they belong to you.”

“I don’t want her to punish you.” The heartbreak on his face was enough to rip me to shreds.

“She already has,” I answered solemnly. “She’ll inhabit me sooner than I’m ready for. I’ll disappear for decades. I’ve already been punished, so don’t deny me the only thing in this life that’s mine, and mine alone.”

Kaid turned around and knelt before me, his elbows digging into my thighs as he cupped my face. “I won’t, I promise.” He kissed me reverently, worship in his touch as he remained on his knees. “I don’t want to risk your safety, but I won’t be like your family or this temple. From now until you disappear, every choice and decision are yours. Whatever they are, I’ll obey.”

“Then love me, Kaid.” My fingers laced through his hair. “Love me enough for a lifetime.”

He groaned, pushing further between my thighs until his chest pressed against mine. I gasped at the contact, my legs instinctively tightening around his ribs, and I drank every ounce of pleasure he offered me. The kiss was holy. It was destruction, and I burned in its desire.

“Sellah,” he moaned into my mouth before biting my bottom lip softly. “Did you mean it? Do you really want a lifetime of my love in these next weeks?”

“Yes.” I could barely speak as something foreign and wickedly delicious curled in my belly.

“Gods be damned,” he cursed. “I want to taste you.” He pulled away, holding my jaw firm as he studied my face, searching for hesitation, but I was his, body and soul. “Please let me kiss you the way you deserve.”

“Yes.” I nodded, and he must have read the resounding consent in my eyes because he gripped my chin harder and slammed his mouth back to mine. The kiss was rough. Hungry and full of aching desperation. He uncurled his fingers from around my face and placed them on my thighs, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth. His calloused palms rubbed my legs for a moment as if to prepare himself, and then he settled on his heels. With slow movements, he bunched up my skirt until the hem sat on my knees.

A shocked gasp escaped my mouth as his fingers brushed against my bare skin. No one had ever touched me there. No one other than myself had seen my legs since my childhood, and he stared mesmerized at my heaving chest.

“Do you want me to stop?” His deep voice was low and harsh, as if it struggled to escape his throat.

“Never.” It was the truth. I would never ask him to stop.

He smiled at my answer, his scarred lips so intoxicatingly beautiful, and he shoved my skirt up further to rest his palms on my bare thighs. I felt drunk on his caress, and I swore the room was spinning, glowing, floating. Or maybe I was the weightless one, my spirit soaring as my heart raced. Kaid watched my chest heave at the sensation, and then he leaned forward as if unable to resist my gravity and kissed my clavicle.

“Remember.” His moving lips tickled. “I only take what you give willingly. You’re in control. Promise you’ll tell me if you need me to stop.”

“I promise.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, clutching him to my chest as I buried my nose in his hair. He responded to my tenderness with a soft kiss pressed against my flushed skin, dragging his lips down until they reached the top of my dress.

“Good girl.” He smiled like I’d granted his every wish and slipped his hands behind my thighs. In one swift movement, he hoisted me off the bed and slammed me against his chest. “You’re so beautiful. No one should be this perfect.”

My legs instinctively wrapped around his hips, our bodies so close, not even air could pass between us. I gasped at the contact, pulling a groan from him at the sound, and he slid his hands further up my thighs, making it impossible for me to escape. He didn’t kiss me. He simply held my gaze, watching my reaction.

“My goddess,” he growled, capturing my palm and shoving it against his thundering heart. “Do you feel what you’re doing to me?”

“Yes.” His roaring pulse forced a smile from my lips.

“Good.” He released my wrist, his hand returning to my thigh, and I thought I might pass out from the feel of him so dangerously close to my center. “I can’t wait any longer.”

He sank to the mattress, shifting me so that I straddled him. His hands left my legs and slid up to my hips as his mouth captured mine. His body was impossibly strong, every inch power and grace, but I could barely concentrate as he used my hips to yank me close. I was naïve and innocent, and the feel of him between my thighs made me want to scream. Not in fear, though, never in fear, but in desperate desire. I didn’t understand my body’s reaction, but I craved it all the same. It was overwhelming, but I wanted to drown in it.

“Touch me,” Kaid demanded as he nipped at my lip. “I want your hands on me. I need to memorize your caress.”

I chose to ignore the heartbreaking reason behind his request and slid my palm up his chest. We were both fully clothed, and while I was curious to see how beautiful my thief was bare, I was thankful for the barrier. The sensations were too great as my fingers found every hard line and soft curve of his form. He was a work of art, a priceless jewel in my eyes, and I didn’t think I would survive anything more intense than this kiss.

“Open for me.” Kaid brushed his thumb against my mouth, and I pulled away in confusion. I instantly regretted my movement because seeing his face undid me. His expression was pure obsession, a devotion not even the gods experienced from their faithful, and he looked like he wanted to devour me, body and soul.

“Come here,” he coaxed, realizing he needed to guide my movements. He kissed me gently before continuing. “Open for me, goddess. I want to taste you.” His tongue licked the seam of my mouth, and I couldn’t stop the obscene moan that escaped me. Kaid smirked against my lips before slipping his tongue against mine, and I froze at the foreignness of his affection. I’d seen my parents kiss in the courtyard below my room as a child, so I understood the concept, but this? This felt dangerous, and I wanted more.

I fumbled through the movements, but Kaid graciously guided me. His tongue explored every inch of my mouth, pulling pleasure from me I didn’t know existed, and I tentatively brushed my tongue against his, savoring the exhilaration.

Kaid cursed violently at my touch and wrapped his arms around my waist. His control evaporated, and my sweet and gentle thief disappeared with it. His kiss turned primal, and I surrendered to it. I let him take everything with that kiss, and within minutes we were sweating and moaning and writhing together. Desire fueled us, but beneath the passion, beneath the arousal, was a love forceful enough to alter my destiny. Our romance wasn’t based on lust, but friendship. I’d spent seasons learning every fiber of this man’s being, growing to trust and care for him, and even though his longing was thick between my thighs, it was his love that undid me.

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