Page 125 of The Sovereign: Part One
We climbed the stairs to the somna, and he waited for a moment while I undressed and stepped into the basin with a long sigh.
“Are you coming?”I asked.
“Thought you’d never ask,” he said, crossing the somna and pausing.He leaned his head against the threshold.“Risking sounding like Roan in this moment, but I can’t believe you’re going to be my wife tomorrow.”
I let my head rest against the ridge of the basin and grinned.“Roan speaks as if he were an insufferable Regency-era Romeo.I can better stomach the language of the Anthropocene Era.”
Maxim hung his jacket over my robe and began rolling up his sleeves, sitting on the tiled floor next to me.He combed my hair away from my face with his fingers, and then submerged his hand, using my body to help guide him to the apex of my thighs.
I arched my back and lifted my chin, my mouth parting with the sensation of his fingers.
“I thought this might help you relax.”
“You were right,” I breathed out.I pressed my knees together, making it somewhat more difficult for Maxim’s fingers to maneuver, but exacerbating the pressure of his fingers against my skin.
I exhaled, my brows pulling inward.The water swished with our movements, and I reached for him, pulling him toward me.Once his lips pressed against mine, I slipped my tongue inside his mouth, and then moaned involuntarily.
“Maybe… you should… stay the night.”
He chuckled against my mouth.“I would love nothing more, but I’d loathe myself in the morning.I can promise you that what I’m planning for tomorrow night will be worth the wait.”
My entire expression compressed and as his fingers and movements shifted, fluid and instinctive, my hips responded before I could think.
“Maxim,” I gasped against his mouth, trembling on the edge.Tension curled through me, wound so tight I thought I’d split apart in the best way—and then I did.The release tore through me, wild and exquisite, my body pulsing in frantic waves.He didn’t stop, only slowed his movements, his cheek grazing mine, breath hot at my ear, as I melted—wilted and dazed—into the water, every nerve still singing his name.
I was still catching my breath when he brushed a kiss to my forehead.I glanced up to find his expression drenched in triumph.Utterly satisfied, and not bothering to hide it.
“You accomplished what you set out to do.I’m relaxed,” I said with a sleepy grin.
“Ready for bed?”
“Are you joining me?”
His mouth pulled to the side before a laugh tumbled from his lips.“Unlikely that I’ll fall for that one.”
He rose to his feet and then brought me a towel, helping me to step out and onto the tile.He held the towel for a moment, shaking his head in awe.“The rest of my life is breathtaking.”
I stepped toward him, wrapping my still-wet arms around his neck.“Are you sure you can’t stay?”
He let his head fall back as he closed his eyes.“Every night away from you seems like an eternity.Tonight will be much, much worse.”
I burst into laughter as he quite literally swept me off my feet, pausing only to snag the silken sleepset Calyx had laid out before carrying me to the bed and setting me gently on its edge.
I jutted my bottom lip in a shameless pout, utterly unrepentant.
Maxim lightly traced his finger over my mouth.“You know I can’t stand to see you unhappy.Be gentle with my heart tonight.It feels… dysregulated.”
“Dysregulated,” I repeated, pulling on my sleepset.“Once referred to asthewedding jitters.”
“I can assure you, nothing I’m feeling resembles anxiety.It’s something far more volatile, a fusion of need, anticipation, and a yearning so profound it borders on agony.The thought of leaving you tonight feels unbearable.I fear I’ll crumble the moment I step away and won’t feel whole again until I can call you mine.”
I reached for him, fingers wiggling with insistent invitation until he was within reach.At first, it was like tugging on a monument, until, with the barest shift, he allowed it.I pulled him down beside me, grinning as he settled close, giggling as if I’d won, knowing it was a victory granted, not earned.
“Just stay until I fall asleep.Please?”
“I will,” he said, kissing my temple.“Just rest, my love.”
I nestled into him, hugging him once and then crossing my arms against my chest and bending my wrist under my chin.He tucked the covers around me, and then settled in.
