Page 222 of Caelum

The need to Claim this male was so overwhelming, but so was the need to be in control. I knew if I released my hold on him, he could have urged me upright, forced me onto my back, and taken over.

But as I eased my grasp, he didn’t.

And I think I fell a little bit in love with him for it.

“I meant you hadn’t Chosen me,” he rasped. “Not that I want another female.”

Reed snorted. “As if we’d want another.”

They spoke so matter-of-factly, and yet, Father Bryan, the leader of the cult I’d been raised in, had easily added to his coterie of wives whenever a prettier woman came into his line of sight. If someone who pretended to be so pious needed that, then how?—

But Reed broke into my thoughts when he asked, “Do you know how many people could do that?”

I blinked at Samuel, then tilted my head to see that Reed was at the side of the bed with his elbows on his knees as he stared at me.

“What?”

“Could take Samuel unaware and get him on his back?”

“How many?”

“The people on this boat. Probably Damon, but only because he’s an experienced fucker. Samuel is one of the nastiest fighters in Caelum. Even in the graduated ranks.”

But I’d attacked him twice before and scored hits each time.

Reed grinned at me as he saw understanding cross my face. “Exactly. If you think a woman with your particular talents isn’t going to keep all of us on our toes, then you’re not as clever as I thought you were, Eve.”

Was being a freak something that inspired attraction in men?

I stared up at him, unsure why he looked so amused, socertain, but that certainty bled into me. It made me realize that even if I felt unsure of myself, they didn’t. And, I had come to realize, they never would.

Where I was weak, they would be strong.

And when I was strong, they would back me all the way.

A shiver whispered down my spine as the thought resonated with me, hitting me right where it mattered—the place where the souls resided.

The Hell Hound took it down a notch, no longer actively wanting to strangle Samuel for daring to suggest there might be another female he’d have in this position, and instead, the creature induced me to rock my hips.

Both our eyes widened, and our breath hitched as his hardness, which lay flat against his belly and I was inadvertently straddling, ran down the softness of my sex. It hit that place a few of my men had discovered before, which I was learning all on my own was a hub of pleasure.

Because it felt so damn good, I did it again. And again. Until I had to close my eyes and drop my head to deal with the welter of emotions that were sparking through my veins.

Shuddering in sheer delight, I whispered, “You’re mine, Samuel.”

His eyes flashed. “I know it.”

Nostrils flaring, I dipped my chin, accepting his acquiescence. At that moment, I felt like a queen, so gloriously adored that it was a wonder my head didn’t expand.

Hands moved around me to cup my breasts, and I jerked in surprise then moaned in wonder as rough fingers, strong and sure, began to rub my nipples, followed by hard strokes, tight pinches, and gentle squeezes of soft, giving flesh. Torn between sagging into Samuel’s body and reaching back to stretch against Reed’s, I hovered between them both, staggered by the welter of sensation the two could inspire in me.

Samuel’s fingers dug into my hips as he began to urge me to move faster, to be more sure with the way I rocked against him, and Reed made me want to sob as he tormented the flesh that was hardening for him, my nipples turning into harder-than-diamond points at his ministrations.

My childhood taught me that this was obscene. Man and wife, notmenand wife. But howcouldthis be anything other than beautiful? How could it be anything other than a joyous exploration of the feelings we had for each other?

It might have been wrong, but for me, it was right.

So right.

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