Page 57 of All the Chaos of Constellations
And Novalise was most certainly in distress.
She crumpled against him, and he scooped her into his arms, her power ebbing, the stars gradually winking out. Outside, the summer storm slowly subsided, the thunder nothing more than a distant rumble. She buried her face in his chest, and he ran one hand down her velvety hair, soothing her. “It’s alright, Nova. You’re safe with me.”
But her racing heart didn’t calm. Her fingers curled into the scorched remnants of his shirt, clutching him like he was an anchor and she was drifting out to sea. Fright bubbled inside of her, and goosebumps pebbled across her flesh. Asher held her tighter, sliding his hands beneath her hair to rub her back.
“Breathe, Starlight.”He spoke the words through their bond to her mind.
A tremor raced down her spine.
“So long as you’re with me, you’re safe. Do you understand?”He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, then cheek. Warning sirens fired through him. He was toeing a dangerous line.“You will always be safe with me.”
“I’m…I’m s-sorry.”Novalise sniffled. When she looked up at him, her beautiful eyes were starlit once again. Puffy, but starlit. Tears stained her cheeks and his skin.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Novalise.” He cupped her face in his hands, wiping away the stray tears with his thumbs.
Her head came to rest against his shoulder, and slowly, her body relaxed, the fight fading from her. “When it storms…I lose control.”
“We all lose control.” Asher sat down on the sofa, cradling her in his arms. “No one is perfect. Though you’re pretty damn close.”
She laughed, but it was a weak, feeble sound.
Novalise tilted her head back and looked up at him, then her gaze dipped down to his mostly bare chest. She collected what remained of the burnt fabric from his skin, dropping the singed clumps of material onto the floor. “Your shirt…”
“Think nothing of it.”
Then her hands were moving slowly over his exposed flesh, exploring. He stilled, surrendering to her touch. There was no scar, no bleeding. No burn marks. Not a single trace of the power she inflicted upon him.
Carefully, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hesitant.
The softest of sighs escaped Novalise and though Asher swore he didn’t love her, there was no doubt he feltsomething. So, he did the only logical thing he could think of.
He kissed those red fucking lips.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Asher’s mouth crashed against Novalise’s and currents of pleasure rippled through her. Cushioned in his lap with his strong arms wrapped tightly around her, coherent thoughts seemed to slip from her mind. With her eyes closed, however, all she could see was him taking every hit of her magic, every agonizing bolt of starfire. He’d simply stood there and taken it all. He should have been dead, would have been dead, were it not for the fact that their magic, their souls, were bonded.
But his chest was unblemished, with no trace of a scar, unlike her brother Nyxian. The last time it stormed, he hadn’t been so lucky to escape her power unscathed.
“You’re thinking too much.”Asher’s voice rumbled through her, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip.
She opened her mouth to respond, but he seized the opportunity to slide his tongue over hers instead.
“No apologies,”he murmured.
Novalise nodded, keeping her arms entwined around his neck. She didn’t want a single sliver of space between them.
Asher ran his hands lazily up and down her sides as he kissed her, his palms coasting along the curve of her breasts to the flare of her hips. The rub of cool satin against her skin sent delightful shivers coursing through her, riddling her flesh with goosebumps. Threading her fingers through his hair, she angled their kiss, desperate for more of him.
His thumbs brushed back and forth across her nipples, pebbling them into tiny peaks. The friction of her gown and his touch worked her into a frenzy. She strained against him, each nerve heightened to a new level of awareness, sensitive and raw. He broke their kiss, moving his lips to her cheek, then jaw, then down the column of her neck. Desire ricocheted through her, straight to her core.
Novalise arched into him to grant him better access, wiggling in his hold until the hardened length of his erection gently nudged her bottom. She clenched her thighs together, squirming, and the overwhelming need simply tofeelleft her nearly breathless. A deep, rumbling noise echoed in his chest. Feral. Primal. He tugged the sleeves of her dress down her arms, freeing her breasts from the confines of the restrictive scarlet satin. His gaze darkened, shimmering with power, those deep gray eyes of his reminding her of midnight flames. He snared her by the hips and lifted her from his lap, leaning her back against one of the soft, feathered pillows.
Then Asher devoured her.
His lips left a scorching trail across her heated body. He grazed her skin with his teeth, biting her breasts just enough to sting, only to soothe the pain away with his hot tongue. Pulling her nipple into his mouth, he sucked—hard—so she arched and writhed beneath him. She clutched at his shoulders, her nails digging into him, relishing the way his muscles flexed beneath her touch. His skin was a golden bronze, like he’d been kissed by fire. She inhaled, breathing in the scent of him. Sandalwood and amber with some tempting kind of spice. He peppered her with searing kisses down through the valley of her breasts, to her abdomen, while pushing aside the long length of her gown. His hands slid beneath the fabric, and he took his time, curling one finger beneath the black lace garter strapped her to her thigh. He pulled it, then let it snap back against her skin.
Novalise jerked, spasming at the shock of the pleasure induced by pain.
