Page 35 of All the Pain of Promises
“I hate the way our magic chose each other. I hate how you know exactly where to touch me.” Narissa sucked in a ragged breath when his mouth melded to the side of her throat. Her voice was scarcely audible as she said, “I hate how you weaken me.”
He pushed two fingers inside of her and she almost came undone right then. It had been far too long since the last time she’d experienced any sort of pleasure. Weeks, maybe. Months? She could no longer recall.
“And?” he taunted.
And…Solarius was asking her a question.
Narissa blinked, struggling to remember what she was supposed to be doing.
He nudged his fingers a little further.
Ah, yes. Listing things she hated. About him.
“And I hate that you’re my husband.” The lie was bitter on her tongue, but his touch was an aphrodisiac, better even than the most well-blended mixture of purple moon lotus. No herbal remedy or potion would ever leave her so aroused, so positively stimulated, so perfectly sated as him. So, in a pitiful effort to earn more of his attention, she spewed another lie. “I hate that we’re bound to one another for eternity.”
A low chuckle rumbled through his chest, and she never realized how much she enjoyed the sound of it.
“Is that so?” He pressed another kiss to her neck, bit softly, then swiped his tongue to ease the sting. “Because I think you’re lying to me.”
The carriage dipped on another gust of wind, and a spike of fear pierced Narissa’s heart. She shrieked, clutching at him, but Solarius was quicker. He shoved those two fingers deep inside of her, curling them slightly, then withdrew, repeating the motion over and over. His other hand continued to firmly hold her in place on his lap and each time the howling wind jostled the carriage, he pumped her faster. Harder. So she was caught somewhere between the crippling edge of panic and the soaring heights of sexual gratification.
His tongue flicked the lobe of her ear, toying with the hoop dangling there, and his raspy voice caused her nipples to harden until they ached. “You’re so wet, Rissa love. But I thought you hated me?”
“I do,” she cried, bouncing on his hand, needing more. She was so, so close.
“Then say it.” He dragged teeth along her jaw, moving to nip at her lip, and his movements slowed inside of her. “Because if you tell me you love me, I’ll never believe you.”
A grievous emotion seized her then, twisted around the bond and yanked, so she thought her soul would be ripped from her chest. Tears spilled down her cheeks, blurring her vision. His torment knew no bounds.
“I hate you.” Narissa choked the words out, leaving her throat raw. Solarius caught one of her tears with his tongue.
His fingers stilled completely and his gaze darkened, a line harboring between his brows. “Saltwater.”
“Sol, please,” she begged. “Please don’t stop.”
Seconds ticked by before he spoke. His face was a mask of indifference and his mind was silent. He angled his head to one side and his throat worked. “Are you lying to me?”
“No.” She shook her head violently, frantic for him to continue. Throwing her arms around his neck, silent tears continuing to fall, she looked him in the eyes and lied again. “I h-hate you.”
Solarius clicked his tongue. “That’s what I thought.”
Narissa couldn’t see his face. The moon had vanished behind a blanket of clouds, and though the night sky was a hazy shade of sapphire ink, the carriage was swathed in darkness. There was only the two of them, their shared breaths, and the feverish beating of their hearts.
He didn’t make her wait anymore, he drove her straight to oblivion. His fingers slipped in and out of her with practiced ease, his thumb applying the perfect amount of pressure, so in the next moment she fractured, splintering into a hundred pieces. The orgasm rocked her and she collapsed on top of him, sucking in greedy gulps of air. Her body thrummed as she recovered, and she tried not to notice the way Solarius adjusted her skirts, or the way he smoothed her frizzy waves. The way he seemed to genuinely care.
The carriage rumbled to a stop as it landed on solid ground, but the air between them was still ripe with tension, with everything she had said and everything he had not. Narissa eased back as the lights from Windsong poured into the carriage, drenching them both in a golden glow. Yet she couldn’t make herself climb off his lap.
And to her surprise, he did not remove her.
Instead, he leaned his head back against the leather seat and reached for her face, wiping away the dried saltwater upon her cheeks.
Solarius said nothing, but the look in his eyes was filled with a thousand emotions she couldn’t quite place. The bond was eerily silent, save for an overwhelming knowledge, a profound understanding. He knew she was lying. Those tears she’d let fall were not tied to a true emotion.
Because Narissa didn’t hate him.
Not even a little bit.
Not at all.
