Page 46 of Beneath the Thorned Crown

I shed the last of my clothes, and her breath catches as she takes me in, her gaze wavering between hesitation and hunger.

A flash of worry crosses her face, but I catch it, my hand moving to cup her face, my thumb brushing over her cheek as I lean down and press my finger on her lip, sliding it in. She surprises me by sucking it, her eyes rolling to the back of her head like she wants to do that to my cock and the sight makes me harder than I thought was possible.

“Trust me,” I murmur into her ear, my voice a low promise as I position myself at her entrance, the head of my cock pressing against her, stretching her.

I hold her gaze as I push in slowly, and I feel every inch of her as she takes me, the sensation intense, almost too much.

A flash of pain makes her tense, her hands clutching at my shoulders, but I pause, my eyes dark and focused, watching her, grounding her.

She nods, her expression replaced by a deep, pulsing pleasure as I inch deeper, her tight heat surrounding me, drawing a low groan from my lips.

I thrust slowly, each movement deliberate, my gaze locked onto hers as I watch every reaction, a dark satisfaction settling in my chest.

“You feel that?” I murmur, my voice a low growl as I thrust deeper, my cock sliding in and out, each movement slow and deep, reaching places that make her gasp, that make her body tremble with need.

“Yes,” she breathes, her voice barely a whisper, her hands clutching at me, needing more, needing me to take her harder, deeper.

I pick up the pace, my movements growing more intense, each thrust sending a fresh wave of pleasure through her, building her up, pushing her closer to the edge once again.

I can feel every inch of her, the way she wraps around me, her body gripping me like she was made for this, for me.

“You’re so tight,” I groan, my hands gripping her hips as I thrust harder, my gaze dark with desire. “I want you to feel every inch of me, Isabella. I want you to know exactly who you belong to.”

The words send a shiver through her, and I feel the pleasure cresting, building to a point of no return.

Her body clenches around me, and then, finally, she comes again, her body shuddering, pulsing, the release overwhelming as she cries out my name, her hands clutching at me, pulling me closer.

I let out a low groan, my grip on her tightening as I thrust one last time, deep and hard, and then I shudder, my cock throbbing inside her as I release, spilling hot and deep, filling her completely.

The sensation leaves her trembling. A deep satisfaction settles over me as I feel her body pulse around me, drawing every last drop from me, marking her as mine in a way that feels raw, unbreakable, like a promise neither of us can take back.

I close my eyes, letting myself sink into the feeling, the sense of her surrounding me, inside me, filling every part of me.

I hold still, buried deep, my chest pressed against hers, my breath hot and ragged against her neck. For a moment, neither of us moves, lost in the aftershocks of what just happened.

Slowly, I pull away, the absence of her warmth already unsettling. My muscles resist the motion, but I force myself to shift, rolling onto my side until I’m lying beside her.

I feel my body tense suddenly, as if I’m remembering the unspoken danger that lingers just beyond the walls of this room, the threats that can’t be silenced by the quiet between us.

I turn my head, looking at her, catching the shadow of something deeper in her gaze.

It’s as though she, too, realizes that we’re clinging to a stolen moment, one that feels fragile, teetering on the edge of everything we can’t outrun.

Chapter 15 - Isabella

Two days pass, but it feels like an eternity.

Dominic has been nowhere to be found. Or maybe he’s been everywhere but nowhere near me. The silence is deafening, but it’s not unfamiliar. I don’t know why it surprises me. Him keeping his distance when he chooses, shutting me out without explanation. But this time, it’s different.

This time, we crossed a line that can’t be undone. Sex doesn’t change things. But it did.

I don’t know what I am to him now. A game? A mistake? A weakness?

I wish I could say I don’t care, but that would be a lie so bold I wouldn’t even believe it myself. I crave him. The rough edge of his voice, the heat of his skin, the way he commands everything—including me. And the worst part?

He knows it.

I don’t see him at all during those two days. No stolen glances, no hushed conversations, no accidental brushes of fingertips. He’s busy, I remind myself. Preparing for the auction. Setting a trap for Samuel Delgado. Risking his life over a painting. Over power.

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