Page 127 of Of Serpents and Ruins
There were so many things I should ask. The questions surfaced at the edge of my consciousness, but I thrust them away. Nothing else mattered.
It wasn’t alcohol this time. No giggles rose to my lips. I just remained there, resting, naked beneath the steaming water.
He stripped off his tabard and tunic and tossed them on the coarse rocks. Serpent tattoos coiled along his sides and arched over his stomach, highlighting his chiseled form. The shadows played along his body, drawing attention to the hard lines and long planes.
Ihlkit.
Hold me.
Kiss me.
Take me.
Destroy me.
I wriggled a little beneath the waters, my hand rising to graze my collarbone as I arched back. My breasts teased just at the surface of the water.
Clicking his tongue, he then growled. He slid into the water. It lapped up to his narrow waist then up to his muscular chest as he strode toward me.
Part of me wanted to tease him for not taking his boots off. Or his pants, for that matter.
But the words got stuck inside me. They curled in my mind and evaporated as I remained frozen, simply watching as he approached.
That look in his eyes—oh! His gaze raked over me with rabid hunger. If I hadn’t been sitting, my knees would have buckled.
A dull roar filled my ears as he leaned over me, his arms caging me against the slick stones. A whimper escaped my lips.
Tilting his head, he brought his face to mine, his dark-red eyes searching, his mouth so close to mine we shared breath.
The burning need practically consumed me.
His thighs pushed into mine as he thrust against me. I gasped, then moaned in response. He thrust his mouth against mine, another low growl rumbling through him. A second moan escaped my lips.
I wanted more. More of his hardness. More of his weight. More of him. I wanted him with me, in me. I wanted him imprinted on my bones and soul. This bond of ours had sealed us together years ago. Now I wanted it crushing over me.
He braced himself against the stone and moved against me, ferocious and unrelenting as he unleashed himself on me.
Yes! My voice caught in my chest as I arched up against him, bucking and driving my hips in response to him. My toes curled. I clutched at his neck and his back, dragging my fingernails over him. My eyes slid shut as I gulped in air.
Nothing but delicious heat and wonderful pressure.
Deeper and faster.
His hands cupped, clutched, and grasped. The steam swirled around us both, misting past his face and around my cheek.
Yes.
Yes!
I needed him as much as he needed me.
The tension and friction built between us. Building. Burning. Searing.
Growling, he intensified his pace, setting a punishing rhythm.
The beating pitch of the drums intensified as Brandt climaxed. His guttural moan vibrated through me as I followedswiftly behind. The intensity racked my body and stole my voice. All I could do was pulse and writhe, my eyelids fluttering.
For several breaths, we lay there with each other, his body pressed over mine, my arms still around his neck.
