Page 28 of The Scattered Bones

“No.” I stepped closer, made bold by the fear of losing him to the darkness. Kaid hissed as if in pain, but my one step altered the course of our future. That single movement rewrote our destiny, and he released his pants.

They fell into a wet heap on the floor, and he snatched them up to hang out the window, but I didn’t see his movements. All I saw was him, bare and glorious. So impossibly tall. Chiseled as if made of stone, and when my sight dipped to his legs, I saw just how magnificent he was.

“Sellah,” he groaned, as if he was suffering. “Please, my love, grab me a blanket. I don’t want to hurt you, but if you don’t stop drinking in the sight of me like that, I’ll take you until you know who you belong to. Please don’t tempt me.”

“I want to belong to you.”

“Sellah, stop.” I watched his control snap thread by frayed thread.

“I already belong to you.”

“Sellah…”

“I always have. I always will.”

Kaid's restraint snapped, and he lunged for me so fast that I barely inhaled before his lips crashed against mine. This kiss wasn’t like the others. It was rough and hungry. He was dying, and I was life, and he pushed his tongue into his mouth. I moaned at the claiming, not bothering to stifle my cries. No one could hear us over the war in the heavens, and I finally let him experience my voice.

“Gods forgive me for this request, but will you let me take your clothes off?” he asked against my lips. “I feel a thief for asking, but I need to see you before you leave me. We don’t have to do anything besides look, but will you grant me this memory?”

“You’re here to take and plunder and own,” I said with a smile. “But what you want, you can’t steal. A man cannot steal what’s already his.” I grabbed his hand and placed it on the collar of my dress. “Can you do it, though? I’m nervous.”

“I don’t want this if it scares you.”

“Good nervous, Kaid,” I assured him. “Please, don’t stop. Just help me.”

Kaid kissed me gently and then slipped his fingers below the dress’ neckline. He stood to his full height, smiling at me as he pulled the fabric off my shoulders. I had the sudden urge to fold my arms over my chest, but I took a deep breath and placed my hands atop his. I squeezed him tight, and together we slid the garment off my body. I was too nervous to look down and see my nudity, so I watched Kaid’s awe instead. He studied every inch of me as if I was priceless gold. Love and longing filled his eyes, and after a long minute, he lifted his gaze. His smile grew wider, and the kiss he pressed to my mouth was devoted adoration.

“I’ll never love another woman,” he said. “I’ll wait for you. I’ll swear a vow of celibacy, and when your spirit returns, I’ll be here because I don’t want anyone else.” His fingers drew abstract designs on my clavicle. “Thank you for trusting me. Would you like me to help you put your dress back on?”

“No.” I stepped into his gravity, pressing my bare chest against his as I wrapped him in my embrace. He froze at the sudden contact, but I didn’t let go. I moved until our hips touched, until I felt every inch of him against my belly, and I gazed up at his impossible height with bold purpose. “I want you to wait for me. I hope you’re here when I reemerge, and I selfishly don’t want you with another woman, but don’t swear a vow of celibacy just yet.”

Kaid’s eyebrows pinched at my words, but the second understanding hit him, his eyes widened. He stood frozen in my arms, as if trying to process the moment, and I couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of me. I rose onto my toes and kissed him, and that unlocked him from his shock. He hoisted me up against his chest, capturing my lips with a burning need, and strode across the room until my calves hit the mattress. He released my waist, and I toppled onto the bed, my form gloriously on display for his eyes to feast upon.

“Goddess,” he growled as he stepped between my legs, nudging them wider with his knees. “For that’s what you are,” he continued, his eyes devouring me. “There’s nothing on this earth or in the heavens as perfect as you. Your beauty is unmatched, and it’s mine. Say it, Sellah. Tell me you’re mine.”

“I always have been,” I whispered. “I always will be.” Instinct screamed for me to be ashamed of his brazen lust and my nakedness, but my spirit reveled in his pleasure, drowning out any thoughts of shame. This was how Kaid and I were meant to be. This was what was right. What was good and pure and holy.

Kaid cursed as he knelt between my thighs, but I captured his face, all nerves and resolve. My hands pulled him until he hovered over me. His eyes were wide with nervousness, and the urge to cover myself with a blanket grew stronger. Nothing separated us, save a few inches of air. I was rarely nude even in my solitude, so my unprotected skin not only on display but seconds away from being changed forever terrified me. Not because I didn’t want this, but because I’d finally taken control. After twenty cycles, I decided my body, my life, and my future were mine. I claimed the right to choose, and the beautiful man hovering above me was that choice. He would always be that choice.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“With every fiber of my being.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I don’t care. Hurt me. Love me. Undo me. Take everything because you own me.”

“No.” He kissed my mouth with a fire that would never die. “You own me, and I’ll worship you until your pleasure is so great, you can’t contain it. I want you to scream for me, my goddess. No one can hear you, and I need to know what you sound like when you come undone wrapped around me.”

Kaid kissed me again, hot and desperate, as his hand lowered to my core. His fingers slipped between my thighs, and my hips lifted off the mattress at the contact. He’d never touched me there, and the sensation was overwhelming. It was as if lights and colors and sounds had mixed together, creating a storm of magic in my soul, and I loved it. I wanted more.

“Gods.” His finger pushed inside me as he held my gaze. The pressure was slightly uncomfortable through the pleasure, and if that was how he stretched me with only his fingers, I couldn’t imagine how all of him would feel. The thought should have frightened me, but it only assured me I belonged with him.

“Please, Kaid.” I ground against his hand to increase both the pain and the bliss.

“Eyes on me.” He smiled wickedly as he settled between my thighs. “I want to watch you.”

My breath hitched as he eased into me, and the sting increased. I grabbed his shoulders, stilling him for a second, and he lowered his lips to my breasts, worshiping my body as if I was the altar he prayed upon. Only once I was writhing below him did he push deeper.

---