Page 30 of Forked Tongues Are Fun
“I heard that,” Tavis called from the next section over.
I pressed my laugh into Vance’s shoulder. It felt good to do that again, to let myself just exist in the moment like this. I wondered if I’d ever laugh again after my coronation and officially became queen. Probably not. Not if I was to rule over the shifters on the rooftop who looked like they’d never laughed a day in their lives.
“Here’s one thing I do know about you. When you worry, a little wrinkle forms right here.”He touched his lips to the bridge of my nose.
It was a sweet thing to notice, an intimate look inside his head while he tried to examine the inside of mine, and for some reason, it made the backs of my eyes burn that he’d cared enough to notice. “I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more of that wrinkle.”
He shook his head. “Let us carry some of your burden.”
Sighing, I cupped his cheek, stroked his strong jaw with my fingertips. “You’re not a stovetop that hordes assholes.”
He grinned. “No?”
“Not even a little bit.” I leaned in and whispered, “Not even Tavis.”
“I heard that,” he called again.
“Then there’s only one thing left to do.” He swept me up into his arms with zero effort and then climbed the few steps up to the hot tub while I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck. “Drop the queen.” His grip on me loosened.
“What?” I screeched, practically strangling him.
He clicked his tongue, which was back to normal size, with a wide grin as he stepped us both slowly into the hot tub. “First thing you need to know about me is that I would never do that.”
I huffed, not even a little bit mad, just enjoying his company, this sense of freedom, if only for a little bit.
He set me on my feet with a kiss to my cheek, then dunked himself under the water. I did the same, squeezing my eyes shut while I let the water jets and rose petal scent do their thing. Not exactly a real bath, but it felt amazing and peeled off the layers of sour stress sweat I’d bathed in for the last twenty-four hours. I came back to the surface feeling renewed and whole again, especially with my other nine-year-old half just part of a limo away.
Vance surfaced, too, every naked inch of him blushed from the hot water, droplets of it tracing over the perfect cut of his pecs and abs. He slicked his white-blond hair back as he gave me a knowing glance. “Checking out the goods?”
It was kind of hard not to. Not with the beads of water sticking his eyelashes together or how the hair trailing down to his rigid cock shone with a silvery sheen when wet.
I licked my lips, and his eyes fevered as he watched the movement.
“Human or not, you look like a dragon shifter queen.” He moved through the water, took my face in his hands, and tilted it so he could set my soul ablaze with his kiss.
I circled my arms around him and slung my legs around his waist, and then he was sliding inside me again. He shoved me backward to the other side of the hot tub. Our wet skin slid against each other as he sat me down on the ledge. He shifted between my legs slightly so he could ground in deeper, and the water slapped higher against his hips and my thighs with each thrust.
When he trailed his kiss down my jaw, I tilted my head to provide better access and wrapped him up even tighter between my legs. His wet hair felt like silk between my fingers. He scraped his teeth along my neck at the same time his roughened fingers pinched my nipples.
With a loud moan, I bowed into his touch.
“You like it rough, Your Highness?” he rasped.
“I like everything you’ve got. And please don’t call me that.”
“What would you like for me to call you while I fuck you?”
I dragged his mouth back to mine and kissed him deeply with so much passion I didn’t even know I was capable of. And he kissed me right back with twice as much—me a lowly human thief. It burned me up, balanced me on the edge, and then cut me loose. I fell at the same time he did, an explosion of sensations that filled me up to the brim while we rode each one out, together.
While aftershocks still hummed through my blood, a laugh burst out of me. “My Thief. That’s what you can call me.”
He laughed too.”Accurate.” His pale eyes sparkled with humor as he leaned in for another kiss. “My Thief.”
I could taste myself on his tongue while he danced it with mine. “What does a queen look like?” I asked between kisses.
“Fearless. Smart. Runs toward danger instead of away from it.” He pulled back and grinned. “Sometimes carries a vacuum.”
I laughed.
