Page 67 of Beyond the Winter Kingdom
Meera
The water shimmered, a luminous, almost electric blue. Perfectly still, as though the world itself had stopped to hold its breath.
Vareck stood in the center of the pool; shirtless, drenched, powerful. He didn’t need to turn around. He knew I was there. I saw it in the way his body stilled, not from surprise, but anticipation.
My voice cut through the quiet. “Have room for another?”
His head turned slightly, enough for me to catch the glint in his icy eyes. “Get in,” he commanded. No hesitation. No polite dismissals or feigned indifference. Just raw want in the form of two words.
That was all the invitation I needed.
I pulled my shirt over my head, slow and deliberate, watching the way his gaze raked over me. My skin prickled beneath its intensity.
“You know this is a dream, right?” I said, kicking off my boots.
His expression didn’t change, but there was something wicked in the curve of his mouth. “I’m aware, yes.” I undid mypants slowly, letting him watch as I peeled them down my legs. Finally, I slid out of my panties and let them drop.
Standing completely bare, my pulse thundering, I looked down at my own body, then up at him. “We don’t have to hold back here,” I murmured, the implication of my words clear.
He didn’t speak. Just stared at me, his eyes fixed on my face like it was the first time he’d ever seen me. It was almost enough for me to come undone.
Almost.
But when he said, “I don’t plan on it,” his voice thick with desire, it lit a fuse inside me.
I crouched at the pool’s edge and slid into the warm water.
The warmth of the water spread across my skin, but it was nothing compared to the searing heat of his gaze. I waded in slowly. The silence between us was no longer weighted with distrust and tension. It was no longer marked by communication breakdowns and relationship flaws. Now it was charged; driven by need and longing.
Vareck didn’t move as I approached. He let me come to him. Let me step into his space until I was close enough that the rise and fall of his chest brushed against my breasts.
“Then what are you waiting for?” I whispered, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. “Claim me, Vareck.”
His hands were on me; frenzied, calloused, and gripping my skin so tightly as though he'd reached his breaking point. Vareck hauled me forward, his mouth crashing into mine with a hunger that made my knees buckle. I clung to his shoulders, fisting my hands in his wet hair as he kissed me.
Our mouths warred. His tongue plunged past my lips, demanding, claiming. And I gave it to him—matched his hunger with my own. Because gods help me, I wanted this just as badly.
He backed me up until I felt the cool, slick stone wall of the pool against my skin. His hand cupped the side of my face, histhumb dragging across my cheekbone before tangling in my hair and yanking my head back, exposing my throat.
“You’ve haunted every dream I’ve had for years,” he growled against my skin. “I wish I could be gentle and make love to you the way you deserve, but I’m too far gone for that.”
I gasped, moaning as his lips moved down my neck. The pointed end of his fangs scraped against the sensitive skin where the curve of my neck met my shoulder. “I don’t want gentle.”
He growled, an animalistic, primal sound, and then his hands slid down my thighs, the water sloshing around us. He gripped the backs of my legs and picked me up before placing me on the ledge. Legs spread and vulnerable to him, I shivered.
His eyes met mine, a shade darker than they should have been. His fury was near the surface. “Keep your eyes on me,” he ordered.
And then he buried his face between my thighs.
I cried out, my back arching, fingers scrambling for purchase against the slick ground beneath me. His tongue was relentless—slick, sinful strokes that had me shaking in seconds. He sucked my clit into his mouth, humming deep in his throat, and the vibration shot through me like lightning.
“Vareck—gods—fuck, don’t stop,” I begged, heels digging into his back as my hips rolled against his mouth.
He didn’t. He pinned my thighs wide, his mouth devouring me. His tongue plunged inside me, curled and stroked, then he shifted—one hand sliding up to pinch and tease my nipple while he worked me toward the edge again.
I shattered for him, clenching and pulsing around nothing. My vision went white.
But he didn’t let up.
