Page 57 of Shielded Heart

He trailed his hand down from her face, his fingertips trekking over her cheek and jaw to the sensitive skin of her neck. It moved lower still, a feather-light touch that sent tingles across her flesh, brushing over her shoulder and arm, and finally stopped on her hip, opposite his other hand. The thin fabric of her dress was the only barrier between his palms and her skin; his heat radiated through the material, but the separation was too much.

She’d never felt so restricted by clothing.

Arcanthus lifted her off his lap and shifted beneath her, turning himself so he was leaning back against the armrest of the sofa. She was facing away from him when he lowered her onto his lap again.

“Lie back, Samantha.”

Samantha looked at him over her shoulder. “But don’t you need to…face me?”

“This is aboutyou.” Arcanthus snaked his arm around her middle and drew her backward until she lay against his chest with her head on his shoulder. He turned his face toward her, running the tip of his nose over her ear. “Don’t focus on me. Focus on my touch, on what it makes you feel. Do not be afraid of your own body.”

How could she not focus on him? His sensual voice filled her ears, his hard body and arms had her wrapped in their warmth, and his delicious scent enveloped her.

He flattened his palms on her lower abdomen and slowly slid them up. His thumbs crossed over the low neckline of her dress first, passing the fabric to touch the bare flesh of her middle. Her belly quivered. He rotated his hands as they continued their journey, sweeping the warm metal of his fingertips over her skin, moving them higher and higher until they cradled the undersides of her breasts.

An involuntary sound rose from the back of her throat, and Sam grasped her skirt in her fists. She stared down at his hands; their black metal was stark against the red fabric of her dress and her pale skin, creating a startlingly erotic contrast. He stretched his fingers, bent them to hook the inside edges of the dress, and slowly peeled them to the sides; the silky, sheer material brushed over her nipples as her breasts were exposed.

She shivered. Her breath grew ragged, and her nipples hardened, aching for more.

“Do you crave more of my touch, my flower?” Arcanthus whispered into her ear as his tail brushed along the outside of her right thigh, which was bared by the skirt’s slit.

Samantha’s cheeks warmed, and she bit the inside of her lip. She couldn’tsaythe words, couldn’t ask him. She nodded.

With the fabric of the dress fully parted, he returned his hands to her breasts, cupping their undersides once more. One of his fingers teased the edge of her nipple, causing another shiver to run through her. Sam arched into his touch.

“Tell me, Samantha. Let me hear your voice.”

“Y-Yes,” she rasped.

He pinched her nipples.

Samantha sucked in a sharp breath. Her body jerked against him, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she tipped her head back against his shoulder. The jolt from her nipples pierced straight to her core like a bolt of lightning. Her lips parted with her panting breaths, and she clenched her skirt tighter.

“Demand it of me, Samantha. Demand pleasure. Demand what you are due, what you deserve.”

She whimpered before she could finally force the words out. “Touch me, Arc. I-I want you to touch me.”

He increased the pressure on her nipples infinitesimally, rolling them between his fingers. “Whydo you want me to touch you, Samantha? What do you want to feel?”

Liquid heat pooled between her legs as her sex pulsed. “Because I want you! I want to feel you!”

Arcanthus chuckled huskily, brushing his lips against her neck. “Then I am yours, my lovely little terran.”

He released one of her breasts to grasp her chin and turn her face toward his. He captured her mouth in a searing, claiming kiss. Samantha moaned as his hand returned to her breast; he kneaded her tender flesh, pinched and stroked her nipples until she couldn’t keep her body still. Arc nipped her lower lip only to soothe the sting away with his tongue a few heartbeats later.

“You are so beautiful, Samantha,” he said against her mouth. “So delectable. Give me your hands.”

Intoxicated by his kiss and drifting in a haze of desire, it took Samantha a moment to process his words. When understanding finally pierced the lust fogging her mind, she released her skirt, stretched her stiff fingers, and held her hands up.

Arcanthus caught her wrists and placed her hands over her breasts before covering them with his own. The action caught her so off guard that she opened her eyes to meet his burning gaze. The thought of touching herself in front of him was shocking, but it was also…thrilling. He guided her hands to caress and squeeze her flesh as though they were his.

The corners of Arc’s mouth curved up in a smile. “Do you feel how soft you are?”

“Yes,” Samantha said.

“Close your eyes. Good. Now imagine my lips upon them, my tongue circling those hard little peaks. Imagine me taking them into my mouth, sucking hard, surrounding them in heat”—he used her fingers to pinch her nipples, eliciting a gasp from her—“before taking them between my teeth.”

“Arc,” Samantha begged, rubbing her thighs together; she was soaked at their apex. Her body trembled in need.

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