Page 118 of Heir of Illusion

His jaw is clenched so tight I’m sure it’s going to crack. Tension radiates through him as he speaks again. “I need to you to say it out loud, Angel. Am I causing you pain?”

For the first time in my life, there isn’t an ounce of ugliness in the truth.

“No,” I promise him.

Guided by instincts I don’t bother to question, I lift his hand and bring it to my face. A guttural noise rises in his throat, but I ignore it. Shivers coast over every inch of my skin as I nuzzle my cheek against him, marveling at how soft he is.

“Don’t,” I beg as Thorne tries to pull away.

Watching him closely, I keep my eyes locked on his as I slowly release my grip and force my arms to my sides. I need him to choose this too. Completely frozen, he holds himself rigid as if he believes one wrong move will ruin everything.

“Touch me,” I whisper.

His mouth falls open in a gasp. He hesitates only a moment longer before his fingers begin their soft exploration over my cheekbone, leaving tingles in their wake. He wipes away something wet, and it’s only then that I realize I’m crying. His progress halts as questions fill his eyes.

“Continue.” I nod. “Please. It’s perfect.”

Spurred by my assurances, his touch becomes more confident. His fingers move to my mouth, tracing the bow shaped lines of my upper lip. His eyes are focused, as if he’s utterly entranced in his task. Tingles erupt over my skin, and I can’t stop the shudder that racks through me.

His gaze finds mine again, full of fire now. An instant later, he’s reversed our positions, his body now pushing mine into the wall. What started as pure becomes wicked, turning from want to need as desire burns in my core. Restless and desperate, I pull him closer, reveling in the feeling of his hard length pressing against my stomach. He brings our foreheads together, and his eyes blaze into mine with a swirling mix of hunger and awe. His hand finds my leg, hooking it around his waist to bring us closer together.

As he presses featherlight kisses over my cheeks, something inside of me cracks into a thousand pieces. The move is so tender that I want to cry again. His lips continue moving over my skin until suddenly they hover right above my own. We stay that way for several seconds, nose to nose, as we breathe each other’s air.

“I don’t want to let go,” he admits, his voice rough. “What if this was just a dream?”

“Do you dream of me often?”

“Every night.”

The earnestness in his eyes gives me the strength to speak my next words.

“Don’t stop,” I whisper, causing him to go completely still against me. “You don’t have to stop.”

Without hesitating a second longer, he closes the gap between our mouths. His lips move against mine gently as he gives me the sweetest kiss I’ve ever known, but I’m so desperate for him that I need more. I bite his bottom lip before running my tongue against the seam, begging for entrance.

His response is immediate. His tongue is in my mouth, tasting all of me as he pushes us harder against the wall. The kiss turns hungry and desperate. The ache deep in my stomach increases as my other leg comes up around his hip and he grinds into me.

His hands are everywhere, cupping my ass, squeezing my breasts, feeling all of me. I do the same, greedily trying to touch every inch of his body. My fingers brush against his feathered wings, finding them softer than anything I could’ve imagined. I moan and squirm, wanting more. I know we should stop, but I can’t. His skin on mine is an addiction I’ve only just begun to indulge.

My hands move to the laces on the front of my tunic, needing to remove every barrier between us. He pulls at the material until it comes down, exposing my heavy breasts to the night air. His eyes are hungry and focused as he stares at me, utterly enraptured. One hand glides up my stomach and cups my flesh in his palm. Taking my nipple between his fingers, he squeezes it gently before increasing the pressure. I inhale on a breathy gasp as a bolt of pleasure shoots through me. A satisfied smile plays at the corners of his mouth as he immediately repeats the action, eliciting the same response.

His gaze finds mine, a thousand emotions swirling there. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

With the way he’s looking at me and touching me so reverently, I believe him. His lips trail over my shoulder, sucking on my skin as I grind against him. One of his hands moves to cup my core, and I groan into his neck.I need him.

“Please, Ivy,” he begs. “Please let me taste you.”

“Yes,” I gasp, unable to deny him anything right now.

Setting my feet back on the ground, he quickly kneels before me. His fingers immediately get to work undoing the laces of my breeches, and he pulls them down, exposing me. There’s no time for embarrassment because his mouth is on me in an instant. His tongue pushes through my slit, gliding from my entrance up to that pulsing bundle of nerves.

A startled moan falls from my lips as sparks shoot through me.

“You taste even better than I imagined,” he murmurs, licking his lip to savor the flavor before returning to his task.

His tongue teases my clit mercilessly, moving against me with unrestrained enthusiasm. I had believed he hadn’t done this before, but I must have been wrong because the skill he’s displaying is astounding. Our gazes connect again as he sucks me into his mouth.

“Thorne,” I gasp as I writhe against his face.

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