Page 144 of Lore of the Tides

“Lore, you’ve been so busy these last two weeks, I think I could have hidden an entire camel in here and you wouldn’t have noticed upon walking in.”

“Oh, I have always wanted to ride one.” She scooted over to the wall, allowing Finn to slide in beside her. “Though I’ve heard they bite.”

Finndryl, instead of lying next to her on their bed, pounced on her and wrestled both of her wrists above her head, easily grasping them both in one of his hands. His lips quirked upward into a smirk. “I bite, and you have no qualms about riding me.”

Lore laughed, turning her head in what was—even she could admit—a very sorry attempt to maneuver her neck away from his teeth, which were now nibbling their way down the sensitive skin of her throat to her collarbone.

Her core turned molten at the hot press of his lips.

“That’s different. You are considerably better looking than a camel.”

“I wouldn’t tell any camels you plan to ride that; they would bite you for sure.”

“You know, I’ve never even ridden a horse. How would I ever ride a camel?”

“Easy—I would be in charge, and you would simply ride at my front. That way, I could keep you from falling. Or from steering both yourself and the camel off a cliff.” He sucked on her throat, eliciting a moan from her. “And I could do other things too.” His voice was accompanied by a low, guttural growl as he pressed his kisses down, down, down.

Lore gasped as his mouth closed around her nipple through the fabric of her dress. He was so damned hot, the sensation was delicious. “Oh really? What sort of other things?” She ran her hands over his broad shoulders. They were wearing entirely too many clothes for being the only ones in their room right now.

“Well, it’s common knowledge that anytime the heroine in a story must ride on the same... camel... as the dashing hero, he must slide his hands up her skirt when no one is looking.” He trailed his hand up her skirt now, slowly, thetease.

“Sounds rather—oh, yes, right there, my love—sounds rather like that would be distracting for the two of them as well as their camel...”

“The camel doesn’t mind, trust me; it’s just living its best camel life, and so is the heroine, because she would be making the same sorts of sounds you are right now, love.”

“Stop talking about camelsright nowand kiss me, damn it.”

“Your wish is my command, Lore Alemeyu.”

He granted her wish and kissed her.

She marveled at the way her stomach did a little flip at the feel of his lips on hers; the taste of spice and bourbon and happiness was intoxicating. She deepened the kiss, needing him closer.

He growled when she tried to pull away to lift the fabric of his shirt over his head.

“This isn’t about me right now, this is about you. I’m training you for our first ride on—”

“If you make a camel joke instead of... oh yes, doingthat, harder, faster—” She clinched her hands around his wrist, where it lay between her legs. She rode his fingers, bucking her hips. “I will throw you out of, oh gods, Finn, I’m going to—”

Her release was a cascade of sensations; it trilled through her like lightning from the buds of her nipples down to her core and back. She shuddered with each aftershock as her muscles tightened and released around his long, skilled fingers.

“That’s it, honey, you sound so lovely when you cum for me.”

Lore gasped in little pants, pressing her face into the muscles of his chest and—damn it, why was his shirt still on?—trying to catch the thoughts that had tumbled out of her head when he’d picked up the pace.

“Okay, I’ve given you what you want, now it’s my turn.”

“Your turn?” he asked, smiling over the two of his fingers he’d just pulled from his mouth, tasting the sweet flavor of her release.

“I haven’t felt you inside me since last night, and that should be a crime; in fact, I might add it to our list of laws we are drawing up...”

“No, no need, I think I can comply with this one, no need to threaten me...”

He lifted her dress all the way up past her breasts and slid her underthings down her thighs. She helped by flinging them away with a graceful arch of her foot.

“I will never be tired of the sight of you. So damned pretty, lying beneath me all flushed and ready.” He used one arm to pull his shirt up over his head before he kicked off his pants, throwing them onto the floor, and climbed above her.

She spread her legs for him, all jokes flown out the window, lost to the wind, because the only thing she could focus on was the long,thick length of him. It jerked when her eyes alighted on it, so hard, eager, ready forher.

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