Page 96 of Of Serpents and Ruins
His nostrils flared. "Oh, I will make you pay, woman."
I stuck my tongue out at him as I continued to rub against him. "Good. That means you’ll have to keep fighting so we can do this again."
"I will. I will make you pay so much you won’t be able to walk," he promised, his eyes blazing. He chuckled darkly. "I’ll tax every muscle and sinew you have."
"Oh no. I’m terrified."
"You should be." He grinned, pausing as he lowered his gaze to mine. "Do your worst, woman."
Biting my tongue at him, I slipped closer. It was so easy now to dance and tease and play and taunt.
Sliding my hand down, I stroked his length through his black trousers.
He tensed against the chains, a guttural moan rising from within him. "Seems like you haven’t lost your touch," he said, the words far tighter than usual. "Impressive."
I unfastened his belt and then slid him out, my hand wrapping around him. "You’re the one who is impressive." Ihlkit. I stared at him. "Just look at you."
"Look at you," he rasped. "I don’t know why I thought you’d be shy."
"Neither do I. I’m quiet, not shy." I gripped him tighter, smiling up at him.
I’d done this many times before too. Those memories were like echoes, taunting me with what Brandt and I had once had while urging me to make this even better.
His breaths became shallower, nearly panting. "And what exactly are you going to do now, you little tease?" he demanded, baring his teeth at me.
"Is ‘Tease’ my new nickname?" I tilted my head at him as I moved my hand up and down.
"You’ve certainly earned it." His mock glare honed in on me. He shifted his weight as much as he could, straining to push against me.
"Patience, my love." I swished my hips and moved back a bit.
He grunted in response.
He really was quite tall, and that was going to make this next part a little tricky. I rubbed up against him again, sliding down his body with a sensual moan. His body stiffened against me even more. Once more our mouths collided, his tongue pressing eagerly between the seam of my lips.
The heat coiled tighter within me as I ground my hips against his. I could disappear in these kisses, his heat, his scent. Though he could not move far forward and the chains clanked with every shift of his body, his mouth demanded my surrender. He bit at my lower lip and swallowed my moans.
My eyelids slid shut. That heavenly, heady combination of bergamot, smoke, leather, orange, and sweat filled my lungs. This…this was a moment I would always remember, that he would always remember too. This was worth remembering.
Everything in me stilled as I leaned against him. What if this was our last time?
My first time in this life.
Our last time for forever.
I—I couldn’t do this. My body froze.
He pressed soft kisses to my cheek to the shell of my ear. His breath caressed me. "Stella."
My heart lurched. I forced my smile to return, drawing in a deep breath. If this was our last time, I couldn’t think of that. I was comforting him and bringing him release. He had held me and comforted me on that night long, long ago, and those memories had carried me forward, along with so many others.
If he stayed stuck here for the next few days, I would make sure he had something exceptional to look back on. And then—then we’d make more memories. Because we’d be together.
Drawing in a deep breath, I took hold of the anchor rings near his shoulders and gripped them with my hands. Then I jumped so I straddled his waist, my feet braced against the wall as I positioned myself.
His eyebrows arched, genuine surprise reflecting in his eyes.
"I never did anything like this before?"
