Page 47 of Queen of Legends and Lies
“I’m amazed by how much has happened while I was…not myself.” His low voice rumbles with regret. “You did so much, and I only helped further the destruction of all human and animal life on the planet. Fuck, Lark, I murdered Nick.”
My heart squeezes at the sheer agony on his face.
“Hey.” I cup his cheek as I twist around to peer up at him. “None of that was you, Sterling. You were under Xenon’s control. Under the drachen’s.”
“Still…” He glances away, toward the privacy hedge from where the scent of blooming flowers drifts. “Even though I had no agency over my own mind and body, I have to live with what I did. The guilt.”
“Listen to me.” I press closer, tangling our legs in the water. “The fact that you feel guilty for things you had no control over is part of what makes you such a good man. If you didn’t feel anything, I’d be a little worried.”
A beat passes before he places a soft kiss on my temple. “You are the most incredible woman in the entire world. Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“Hmm,” I reach up, trailing a thumb along the scar on his jawline, “a time or two. But I think it would be better if you showed me. You know, just so I’ll understand.”
The corner of his lips curl up as some of the sorrow eases from his face. “Anything for my queen.” His fingers trail down my arm, then up my ribs. “Even if it’s the third time today.”
I sigh with contentment at his touch, at simply being here with him. “It’s only the third because I’ve been trying to go easy on you.” I struggle for words as his wandering fingers cup my breast. “The stresses of the throne, you know. I need to find some way to relax.”
Sterling’s eyes darken with desire, a wicked grin spreading across his handsome face. “A way to relax? I think I might be able to help with that.” His lips brush the sensitive skin below my ear.
He trails featherlight kisses down the column of my throat as his hands roam over my body, stroking me in all the right places.
I melt into his touch, closing my eyes as I surrender to the sensations.
Sterling takes his time, worshipping every inch of my skin with his lips and hands as if memorizing me all over again. Each touch is imbued with reverence, with the aching tenderness of a man who nearly lost everything.
And, oh, how I understand that feeling.
That desperate need to reassure ourselves of our reality, that we’re truly together again after everything we’ve endured.
As he maps the curves and planes of my body, the smoldering heat builds between us, threatening to consume me. My head falls back against his shoulder, a breathy moan escaping my parted lips.
I groan as his hands roam, kneading my tense muscles. The warmth of the water is almost as intoxicating as his lips on my flesh.
Sterling’s hands drift lower. Then lower still.
He strokes my inner thighs, tracing circles on the sensitive skin. “I’ll never get enough of you. I need you, love, like I need air to breathe.”
My heart clenches at his words, emotion swelling in my chest. “You have me. Forever. I’m never letting you go again.” I infuse every ounce of love, every shred of the boundless gratitude I feel for his return, into the kiss I press against his lips.
He responds with equal fervor, crushing me to him as if he could absorb me into his very being. Then his arms change position, and he slowly lifts me from the warm water. The afternoon sunlight teases my heated skin, and an electric current zips down my spine.
With a hand on my arm, he guides me around. For a moment, I think he might be silently suggesting we take this back to the bed. But then his hand presses on my back, between my shoulders.
And he bends me over the edge of the tub.
I have just enough time to rest my palms on the stone patio floor before he slides his erection over me, teasing his way up and down my slit.
He enters me from behind, his movements measured and deliberate. “Oh, you were right about being stressed.”
All I can do is gasp as a bolt of pleasure shoots through me.
“These muscles do feel tight.” His voice is filled with smoke and shadows as he slowly pumps in and out. “I should spend a lot of time working on them.”
“Gods, Sterling,” I pant, my eyes fluttering shut. “I missed you.”
He groans in response, then nips at my neck. His hands grip my hips, guiding my pace as he begins moving in and out of me with a maddening slowness. My nails dig into the smooth stone of the tub’s edge, my body arching back against him.
“I missed you too. So fucking much.” His words, paired with the possessiveness in his voice, send shivers down my spine.
