Page 71 of Throne of Dreams
“No.” Her fingers tangled in the strands of his midnight hair, urging him back to her breast. “Only you.”
“Only me.”
She inhaled the scent of magic, of cedarwood and orange blossom, and he glamoured her leggings away, leaving her in nothing but her necklace and knee-high boots.
“You…are exquisite,” Tiernan rasped and eased back, drinking in every inch of her.
Her blood hummed and heated beneath the intensity of his gaze. He spread her thighs wider, splaying her open like one of her books, and rubbed his thumb over her swollen clit. Maeve whimpered, but once again, she was naked and completely at his mercy, while he was fully clothed.
This time, she would take control. She would be the one to make him ache for her, to make him beg.
Maeve shoved up from the table and hooked her fingers into the belt loops of his pants, drawing him closer. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk, and she couldn’t wait to watch it fade away, until his breathing grew ragged, until he suffered insatiable desire at her hand. With precise movements, she unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants until his cock sprang free from its confines. It was larger than she remembered, but maybe that was because it was right in front of her face. The ladder of gold studs that pierced the length of him glinted in the wash of late afternoon sunlight, and she longed to lick it, to suck all of him into her mouth.
But she would make him wait for that. Instead, she cupped her own breast.
Tiernan’s smile fell away, and he went still, like he’d been carved from stone. He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe. He simply watched.
Good.
She rolled her nipple between her fingers, then slowly let her hand glide down her sternum, over her belly, then lower still. Tiernan inhaled sharply, and storm clouds shadowed his eyes. She didn’t take her eyes off him as she stroked herself, as she soaked her fingers with her own wetness. She let her eyes close and tipped her head back, relishing in the pleasure she gave herself.
Tiernan’s rumbling voice infiltrated her haze of lust.“Mine.”
She blinked up at him and smiled, purely feline.“Wait your turn.”
His chest rumbled like thunder rolling in from the coast. Magic swelled in the air around them, vibrating with an intensity that left her shaken and breathless. Worried she’d lose him if she took too much longer, Maeve reached out, gripped him firmly in her fist, and started to pump.
The fucking faeroared.Books toppled from the shelves, falling like rocks off the Cliffs of Morrigan. The walls shuddered and thunder cracked, and the table she sat upon splintered and snapped. Maeve jolted and Tiernan deftly plucked her off the table.
“Bend over,” he growled and snatched her by the hips, whipping her around so her back was flush against his chest. His throbbing cock nestled itself directly between her legs and then his hands were on her thighs, stretching her wider for him. Maeve reached over, shoving aside the books, pressing her breasts into what was left of the solid wood. His hoarse whisper echoed above her. “Grab the edge of the table and do not let go.”
Her fingers curved over the ledge and her nails bit into the grain. The head of his cock slid against her slick core and the cool metal of his piercings sent a rush of anticipation shivering down her spine. He grabbed her hips and squeezed. His hot breath left a trail along her lower spine, then she felt the sharp bite of his teeth as they scraped her left ass cheek. Maeve gasped, the shock of his bite reverberated through her, and her knees turned to liquid. Then he was molding his hands to her hips, opening her for him. Maeve sucked in a quick breath and Tiernan slammed into her, filling her fully as she stretched to accommodate his size.
She cried out as her cheek pressed onto the table. There was no time to recover, he simply drove himself into her over and over. With every push, the head of his cock and the studs along his shaft reached the deepest part of her. Desire exploded inside her, rippled around her in a flurry of need. The wooden table dug into her skin, but Tiernan didn’t seem to care if her breasts were smashed, if she couldn’t catch her breath. He simply carried her, taking her higher and higher, driving her closer and closer to the brink of collapse. He hoisted her up so that she no longer touched the floor, deepening the angle. Her body convulsed against him, and she squeezed, using her inner muscles to torment him. The full length of him stroked her every nerve, tantalized her, tormented her, until the building bubble of tension quivering with the need to release exploded like an array of shooting stars.
She shook violently as the orgasm overtook her until she was gasping and crying his name like he was the only one who could save her. From behind her, Tiernan groaned—a feral, guttural sound—then he sank into her one final time, emptying himself inside her. He peppered featherlight kisses along her spine while his hands coasted up and down her waist, and when he finally pulled out, the heated mixture of his seed and her own juices slid down her thighs. She heaved herself up from the table, ignoring the slight ache in her breasts, and turned to face him.
He brushed her hair back from her damp forehead, kissed her lightly on the temple. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Maeve shook her head. “No. I’m fine. More than fine.” Her gaze slid to the mess of beads and gems on the floor by their feet. “That’s more than I can say for my bodice, however.”
He smiled, a real one, and it was so devastatingly beautiful her heart nearly fractured. “I’ll get you a new one.”
He glamoured her some fresh clothing and a towel so she could clean herself. As she adjusted the new cropped bodice of rubies and gold beads, she looked up at him and asked, “Am I done with training today, my lord?”
Tiernan laughed. And it was so rich, and loud, and unexpected, that Maeve could do nothing but stare. She’d never heard him laugh before. Not like that. Not like he was actually…happy.
Her gaze flicked to the mural on the ceiling. It displayed a clear night with a starry sky. Endless.
Tiernan took her hand and pressed a light kiss upon her knuckles. “Can I escort you to dinner?”
“I think I’ll take my dinner in the library tonight.” At his look, she continued quickly, “There’s more I need to understand.”
He nodded once. “I’ll see that it’s done.”
The scent of orange blossom and cedarwood surrounded them at once as the library righted itself. The books returned to their proper place; the ones she’d been reading reopened to the pages she’d left them on, and the table replaced by a new one.
He turned to go, to leave her to her books, and Maeve gathered up the last of her nerves to call out to him. “Tiernan?”
