Page 85 of All the Chaos of Constellations
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
For Asher, there was only Novalise.
When she’d tumbled off that damn cliff, it was the first time he’d known true fear. His soul left his body, his world shattered.
He saw the look in her eyes before she leapt into his arms, the flash of need and longing. Her mouth was on his a second later, hot and hungry. Because Novalise was the embodiment of his every desire. He would fall to his knees if only to see her smile, take a blade to the heart if it meant she would never look upon another the way she looked at him. He’d been wrong to assume she would bring chaos to his life, not when she was the reason his heart continued to beat. She was not some prized jewel or treasure to be claimed. She was layered and complex, full of fire only he could coax to life.
He relished in it, reveling in her, and when she kissed him, there was a twinge in his chest. Like an emotion he couldn’t quite place.
Their tongues meshed in a dance, exploring and tasting. She squirmed in his arms, rocking her hips, grinding against his cock as it strained for release from the confines of his pants. He palmed her ass, fingers digging into her soft, round flesh, and she broke their kiss, her head tilting back in a gasp of pleasure.
Drops of luminous water slid from her shoulders to the valley of her breasts, gathering like a necklace of turquoise diamonds. She arched, her nipples hard and protruding against the fabric that shielded them from his view. She was decadent, and he ached for her. Their magic spiraled, then crested, waves of power crashing into one another in a culmination of falling stars and sparking flames. With her wet hair plastered to her cheeks and her dress clinging to her like liquid nightfall, she resembled a water nymph. A siren of the seas.
And she belonged to him.
Asher buried his face in her neck, breathing her in. Gliding his hands up her back, he wrapped his arms around her completely, embracing her.
Novalise went pliant, melting into him. “Are you alright, my lord?”
Her voice was like a song, one he would gladly follow to his death.
“You fell off a cliff,” he grumbled, speaking the words into her damp skin.
“But you came in after me.”
“Because I…” He clamped his jaw, every muscle seizing with dread. Those three words almost spilled from him, but fear gripped his heart, squeezing until he thought it would burst. “Because you are mine.”
Asher shook his head. “You fell from a fucking cliff…”
Her fingers caressed the underside of his chin, angling his face so he looked directly into her eyes. “Are you angry?”
“Furious,” he muttered, swiping a few damp strands of hair back from her face. “But mostly at myself for not ensuring your safety.”
“Well, I’m safe now.” She dug her heels into his lower spine, rubbing herself against him. The friction of heat between them sent his cock pulsing. “Though I must admit, tumbling from the waterfalls was quite the rush.”
His gaze shot to hers, catching a glimpse of amusement. He cupped the back of her neck, dragging her face close to him. “Don’t ever do it again.”
Novalise’s lips curved into a seductive smile. “Yes, my lord.”
There was that strange twinge again, except this time it cut deeper, yanking violently.
He bent down, slashed his mouth across hers, scraping his teeth along her bottom lip. She sighed and tangled her fingers in his hair, her kisses growing more frantic with each passing second. The air between them sizzled, crackling with magic, magnifying every movement, so each touch sent pulses of heightened awareness coursing through him. He carried her through the faerie pool toward the bank along the edge as water sloshed between them and fire sprites swooped overhead.
Asher didn’t care if they had an audience.
Let them watch.
Wading closer, he pressed Novalise’s back into a smooth, moss-covered stone positioned along the water’s edge, pinning her. He hooked his fingers under the thin straps of her silk gown and tugged the fabric down so it billowed around her waist. Her rosy pink nipples were already hard and he bent down, sucking one into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tiny bud. She loosed a harsh gasp, her nails digging into his back for purchase.
“Ash,” she cried, whimpering his name.
He moved from one nipple to the next, showering each of them with affection, sucking on them, teasing them with his teeth, until she was feverish and writhing.
Asher fitted himself between her legs, stroking his bulging erection against the apex of her thighs, fully aware the wet fabric of his pants and the warm water against her swollen slit would create almost unbearable friction. Up and down he guided her, content to draw out her pleasure as long as possible. His cock throbbed, desperate to be inside of her, to fill her completely. It took every last shred of his strength not to rip open the seam of his pants and bury himself so deep within her that she screamed for him until there were no stars left in the sky.
Novalise squirmed in his hold, shoving her hands between them as she furiously tried to unbutton his pants.
“Are you in need of something, Starlight?” he asked, swallowing hard to keep the edge out of his voice.
