Page 96 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

I relax the muscles on my neck, and let him fuck me like this. At least this way, even if I don’t get the orgasm I crave, I can touch him all over. A salty drop touches the back of my throat, but it’s gone too fast.

“Archer,” I plead when he releases me.

“Promise me you will never try to escape again.” He slides the pad of his thumb over my lips.

“I promise.” I’m on my knees next to him. “I want you.” I plant a kiss on his chest and then his neck.

He sits up and pulls me to him, so I’m straddling his thighs…just the way we began. I tunnel my fingers through his hair and kiss his lips. I’m tender because I don’t want him to push me away.

“I love watching you come.” He thumbs my nipple, tugging it into a peak.

And that’s all it takes for my core to ignite all over again. I rub against his abs. I’m so turned on by his body, I feel like I’m losing my mind. I reach between my legs and rub my clit.

“Just like that.” He teases my pussy with his shaft, sliding it up and down before plowing into me. “Let it go.” He wraps his arms around my waist, his mouth on my neck, and finally fucks me until I come.

I’m still coming, when he flips me onto the bed without losing our connection and thrusts even harder. He fists the side of the mattress, relentlessly charging into me, while chasing his own climax. His muscles strain under his skin with the effort. He’s beautiful the way he comes. Because in that moment, I see all of him—the torture in his eyes, his need for me, and something else I don’t quite recognize.

I’m a puddle of want beneath him. I hold on to him, letting him take from me what he needs. But Archer is a force of nature. If he’s going down, he’s not going down alone. My body reacts to the rise of his desire. And I meet him there. Just in time to jump off the precipice with him.

“Fuck.” The word echoes in the room.

I’m coming again and it’s just as powerful as the first time and just as all-consuming. Heat rushes through me and leaves me absolutely breathless. When our release is finally complete, we lie there in each other’s arms, covered in sweat, and unable to move.

“You’re going to be the death of me.” He murmurs, kissing my neck and shoulder.

“We could have this all the time.” I scrape my nails down his side and the hard obliques there. “Why do you fight it?”

He presses his forehead to mine. His lips part, but after a while, he lets out a breath and pushes off me. I reach for his body but catch nothing but air.

“Don’t go.” I sit up, then crawl to the edge of the bed. “Please.”

He stands there, towering over me with his semi-erection on full display. I bite my lip. And even I recognize the greed and obsession building in the pit of my stomach. Is that what he’s afraid of? Is he scared to be consumed by what we have?

“Are you scared of me?” I ask.

He chuckles, cradling my cheek. “If I were a smart man, I would be. I would’ve run the day I met you.”

“You don’t mean that.” I pull him back toward the bed. “You want me too. You want me as much as I want you.”

“That wasn’t the question, was it?” Slowly, as if his body weighs a ton, he lowers himself on to the bed, resting his back on the pillow.

When he puts out his arm to the side, I take it as an invitation to climb on his lap and lay my head on his chest. I’m not ready to let him go. His heart drums fast beneath me. With every beat, a wave of warmth engulfs my body.He feels like home.

“Even if you don’t want a marriage, we can still have this.” I snuggle closer to him.

“What is this, Little Dove?” He kisses the top of my head and wraps his arms around me.

“Sex,” I say.

His chest rumbles with his laughter. “If it were just sex, I would’ve taken you the day you found me in your bedroom.”

“I would’ve let you.” I sit back to look at him. “I wanted you then too.”

“I know.” He touches the tip of his finger to my chin. “There’s so much you don’t know.”

“Then teach me.” I place my hand on his hard chest.

“I don’t mean about sex.” He glances upward for a breath. “You don’t know anything about me.”

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