Page 38 of Set In Stone

“I’m okay, angel. I just need aminute.”

I nuzzled my head into his shoulder as he stroked the length of my hair. I felt as though my heart mightburst.

“Let me take your pain away.” I lifted my head up to meet his gaze. Torment swirled within his pools of sapphire, so I offered the only thing I could to erase it. “Be withme.”

He took my chin between his fingers and brushed his lips softly overmine.

“I want that,” he murmured and ran a hand down my arms in quiet tenderness. A familiar warmth spread through me and I tipped my head further back, my silent plea for him to deepen hiskiss.

Pushing my tongue past his lips, I explored the depths of his mouth, tangling my tongue with his. He matched my intensity, pulling my body tighter tohis.

“Take me to bed,Alex.”

His grip on me slackened, creating an unwanted space between us. I ached for him toreturn.

“I’m wound too tight, angel. I don’t think…” he trailed off, seeming unable to find the words to express his thoughts. He began to turn away, but I placed a hand on his arm to stop him. I didn’t understand his hesitation, but I didn’t needto.

“I want you. In this moment, nothing elsematters.”

His eyes met mine, burning with an intense hunger that I had never quite seen before. I reached up and slid one of the beaded sapphire straps of my dress down my shoulder. Repeating it with the other, I let the expensive material fall into a pool at my feet. Pantiless and clad in nothing but my bra and heels, I stepped out of the dress and moved to rejoin him. Bringing my fingers to the buttons of his tuxedo shirt, I slowly worked to expose his flesh. I needed the feel of his skin and his hard abdomen beneath myfingers.

“No. Wait,” he said. He grabbed my wrists, stopping my hands from continuing their exploration. The pain and sadness was back in his eyes and I felt my heartsink.

“Why? You need this, Alex. We need this. Let me take your pain away,” Irepeated.

I searched his face, trying to read the emotions that flashed across his features. I saw more than just pain and sadness. I also saw worry, fear, and anger. When he released his hold on my wrists, I cast my gaze down and saw that his hands were balled into tightfists.

“It’s not what you think, Krystina. Too many things happened today. I’m afraid that,” he paused and looked to the ceiling. “God, I’ll lose my fucking mind if I can’t get inside yousoon.”

I arched a brow in confusion and shifted a little. I struggled to ignore the growing ache between my thighs, as his mention of being inside me nearly caused my legs to turn tojello.

“So, what’s stoppingyou?”

He came to me and pressed his forehead down to mine. His palms splayed over my hips as his eyes found mine. I moved my hands up to trail my fingers over his chest, appreciating every ripple of honed muscle as Iwent.

“I don’t want to hurt you, angel,” hewhispered.

“You could never hurt me. I trust you. Lose control on me,Alex.”

He needed it, but I needed it too. Perhaps it was selfish on my part, but I wanted nothing more than for him to own me, to unleash his dominance and take what he desired. I wanted to be entwined in passion, lost in a world where nothing else mattered except for the power that only Alexander could wield overme.

“Fuck, Krystina,” he growled. His eyes blazed with unhinged desire. “You don’t know what you’re askingfor.”

Perhaps I didn’t, but it didn’t matter to me. I meant what I said. I trusted him with my whole heart, mind, body, andsoul.

He lifted me effortlessly and I scissored my legs around his hips. As he walked us to the bedroom, I swiped my tongue up the side of his throat, relishing in his scent and the subtle saltiness of his skin. When we entered the bedroom, he flipped on the switch for the lights. After adjusting the dimmer so that the lights were only a subtle glow, he spun to pin me roughly against the wall. I felt a hand fist in my hair, tightening as my head was yankedback.

He ravaged my mouth like he was starving and I tightened my legs around him. His teeth bit into my lower lip, the sharp sensation cutting through me and intensifying the ache in my core. I was more than ready for everything he could giveme.

Lowering me to the floor, he reached around and unfastened the clasp of my bra. The straps loosened and fell down my shoulders, freeing my breasts one by one. He captured a nipple between his teeth, teasing the hardened point, before trailing hot kisses down my body until he reached my wetsex.

“Alex,” I whimpered, practically begging formore.

I intertwined my fingers through his hair, encouraging him to take more as a fire began to build. It flowed through me, hot like lava. After the way he kept me on edge all through dinner, it didn’t take more than a few strokes of his tongue to bring me to the point of eruption. Alexander knew I was close and he intensified the pressure of his tongue. Focusing on the sensitive bundle of nerves, he sucked my clit with fervor that took my breathaway.

White-hot flames overtook me, blinding me in a surge of heat as I went over the edge. I shuddered as the climax rocketed through my body and nearly collapsed from the intensity. Alexander caught me, my body yielding against his hard lines as he carried me to the bed. Setting me down, I lay back and melted into the satinsheets.

“I’ll be right back,” Alexander whispered into myear.

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