Page 84 of Crown of Iron
The trees swallow the horse and me, and we weave through the maze of bark and stone until the bank of the river comes into view. The horse races upstream, and I giggle with excitement when I spot Samson grazing on a thick patch of grass. I pull the horse to a stop and dismount. After tying the animal to a tree, I stroke Samson's neck, whispering hello. I step around him, and my breath hitches.
A bed of blankets rests upon the flat rocks, and Kyron sits on top with his arms draped over his knees. His boots rest to the side and his jacket and tunic hang from the branch of a tree. Droplets of water glisten on his skin, and his wet hair drips down his naked torso, soaking into his trousers. The colors dancing in the sky reflect in every drop, setting him alight like an ethereal creature. There’s no word that does him justice. He’s unlike any being I've ever laid eyes on. But if I have to describe him, I'll settle for beautiful.
The crunching of the leaves under my feet draws his attention, and he follows every step I take toward him. Once, I would have shied away from his intense gaze. Now, I relish in it. How can I not when I capture his undivided attention? It’s like the way the sun holds the planets in its pull. He studies my fingers as they peel away my jacket and remove my boots, and his body tilts toward mine when I sit at his side.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
Pulling my thighs to my chest, I rest my cheek on my knees and look up at him. “I was tired of being away from you.”
My words are true. It doesn't matter that Ulric summoned me early. I was tired of the weeks and miles that separated us. I missed the sound of his voice and meeting his gaze. My days are boring without him, and my nights dark and lonely. My world is dull without him in it.
I brush the back of my hand down his arm, and his skin responds with goosebumps. He grips my fingers and brings them to his lips, placing a kiss on each knuckle. Turning my wrist to reach my thumb, I stop him and slide the pad against his soft lips. His tongue flicks against the tip and a wave of desire heats between my legs.
“Kyron,” I whisper.
“I didn't go a second without thinking about you. You were in every task I did, the sting of training, the brutality of battles; you even haunted my dreams. I was lost without you, but now, I'm home.”
He presses my palm to his cheek and his eyelids flutter shut. The water clinging to the ends of his hair trickles down my fingers as they tangle with the strands. This man who wears a tough exterior is so soft: his hair, his skin, his heart. He’ll bleed for those he loves, give every last drop if he must. I know now I fall within those privileged few, and I'd sacrifice the same for him.
I lift my head and stretch my neck, pulling him closer. Kyron sighs when our lips touch, and he tenderly kisses me. The warmth of his gift curls around me, luring me closer. I raise to my knees and position my body between his legs. His hands run up my spine, taking my tunic with them. The night breeze caresses my skin, coaxing me to surrender. I reluctantly part our lips and pull my shirt over my head. As Kyron runs his palms over my ribcage, I work free the clasp of my flimsy lace undergarment and toss it toward the rest of my clothes.
His fingertips skim my collarbones, the swell of my breasts, and the valley between. He caresses me like my skin is something delicate and lovely, like it will crumble under his touch. His thumb traces a faint scar at my side, and his voice is thick with emotion when he says, “Even your imperfections are extraordinary. Every inch of you is beautiful, Raelle.”
His mouth trails down the side of my neck, and his words resonate in my head. I tip my face to the watercolors sweeping across the star speckled sky and bask in the feel of his tongue lapping at my collarbone. His handsrun along my spine, his touch is soft, confident, and heated. It surges through me, and every cell of my being burns for more.
My thighs shake as I crawl into his lap and wrap my legs around his hips. When our skin meets, I moan and press my lips to the soft skin under his ear. “I want to give you all of me, and I want to take all of you, Kyron.”
He draws back, searching my face with eyes that rage with a storm of emotion and blaze with an all-consuming adoration. There’s no hiding; everything he feels for me is on full display, and I want to possess it all. Never have I felt as sure about something as I do about this moment. This is where I belong.
“Let me have you,” I say, fisting his hair, meeting his emotions with the fierce hurricane of my own. My dedication is a destructive wind crashing into anyone who stands between us. And my desire is the rain I’d willingly drown in.
Kyron drops his mouth to where my heart beats and adorns it with lingering kisses. He removes my hand from his hair and presses it to his chest. His heart fiercely pounds against his ribcage with a rhythmic drumming that matches mine. “I'm yours. No matter what happens, remember I will always be only yours, Raelle.”
“And I am yours,” I vow.
My world tilts as Kyron clenches my thighs and turns us. My back sinks into the blankets. He hovers over me, and his lips find mine while his cock presses to my center. My hands slide between us and work free the laces of his pants until I can glide my palms inside, feeling the smooth, firm length of him.
Breaking our kiss, Kyron places his lips on the peak of my breast. I arch my back, eager for each stroke of his tongue. He doesn't disappoint, lapping at my skin like he’s savoring every taste. His hand joins his mouth, pinching my nipple before switching his efforts to the other. With quickened breaths, I tangle my fingers in his hair, holding him to me. Every cell in my body is on the brink of exploding, shattering into a million glorious pieces. I crave my destruction, beg for it. I want him to break me, then gather all I am and piece me together again just so he can repeat the process.
He kisses between my breasts and slides his tongue down my stomach. His fingers work loose the leather tie of my trousers, and he eases the leather down my thighs, discovering there are no other barriers keeping him from me. Kissing each of my hip bones, he frees me of the last of myclothes, leaving me vulnerable to him and the stars above.
He soaks me in, his gaze heavy with lust. Ever so slowly he eases my thighs apart and hisses, “Fuck.”
Leaning closer, his breath sweeps over my center followed by his lips. With my chest heaving, I prop myself on my elbows and look down my body at him. Kyron stares at me as his tongue traces the seam of my center, opening me to him in the most delicious way.
I'm lost in every stroke, suck, and bite, his mouth sending liquid heat through me. It sizzles in my veins, awakening every cell of my body. My skin prickles with goosebumps, reacting to each lap of his tongue. He is slowly winding my need for him, working it taut until the ache is too much, and I beg for release.
The roll of his hips draws my attention. The black leather of his pants clings to the swell of his ass, and his back muscles flex with the slight movement of his arm. I bite my lip as a fresh surge of desire sweeps over me. I can't see him touching himself, but just the thought of him pleasuring himself while he does the same to me intensifies the ache between my legs into a steady throbbing. I tilt my head back and press my pelvis against his mouth, chasing after the glorious high only he can give me.
“That's it. Let go,” he says, and the band tightly twisting inside me snaps.
My fingernails dig into his shoulder, and his name flows from my lips. I move against his mouth, praying this feeling never ends. I'd happily spend the rest of my days with him between my legs.
He braces me with his forearm over my hips, but I fight his hold. I buck against his lapping tongue as my release flows from me. I want him harder, deeper. He doesn’t relent but continues to consume every last drop from me until I have nothing left to give.
The euphoric release slowly subsides, leaving me to catch my breath. Kyron rests his head against my stomach. He licks his lips and strokes between his legs in a pure state of satisfaction. The man knows the bliss he has given me, and he doesn’t even try to hide the pride written on his face.
When my heart rate slows, I brush the hair from his forehead, and he looks up at me. “Let me see all of you,” I say.
