Page 123 of Peasants and Kings
Hadrian Rhys had scrambled my psyche, pulled apart my soul, and rearranged it to fit tightly into his.
We made it as far as the living room before he had me naked and bent over the couch. A Shetland tempest was nothing compared to us. We were cataclysmic, like an unstoppable storm.
When we collapsed to the floor, spent and shaking, Hadrian grabbed a woolen blanket and covered us before pulling me tight against him.
“Has it ever been like this?” I asked dreamily, my fingers stroking his chest. “With anyone else?” I closed my eyes and breathed in the perfume of pleasure in the air.
“No. It’s never been like this with anyone,” he said softly. “And I knew it the first night we spent together.”
“Knew what?”
“I knew you were different.”
After we recovered, we showered. We took our time, lathering each other’s bodies, lingering with our touches and kisses. Then we laid in bed, facing one another as the rain beat against the balcony doors.
My hands wandered over his skin, lingering on his scar. His other fresh wound was bandaged again after our shower, but the pain of it hadn’t slowed him down at all.
“Do they bother you? My scars?” he asked, his brogue rumbling like looming thunder.
To answer his question, I pulled back the covers so I could see him. And then I pressed a kiss to his healed mark before snuggling into his embrace.
His fingers plowed through my damp hair. I closed my eyes and gave into his pampering touch.
I slid my leg between his, angling to get closer, and when I did, I sighed in contentment. His fingers circled my neck, reminding me that I hadn’t worn my necklace in days. Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen it.
“Have you seen my necklace?” I asked.
“Aye. It’s in my bedside drawer.”
“How long has it been there?” I asked. “I don’t remember losing it.”
“You didn’t lose it. I took it off of you on the yacht while you were asleep.”
I smiled into his shoulder. “Of course you did.”
“I kept telling myself that I only wanted to keep the necklace safe for you until you left, but I was lying to myself. I knew that bringing you here was the beginning of the end.”
“The end of what?” I asked, propping my chin up to look at him.
His gaze softened. “My solitude.”
He braced an arm underneath his head. Hadrian stared down at me with languid eyes, but another part of him seemed ready and eager for my attention. The sheet above his lower half was tented.
I reached underneath the covers and grasped him.
Hadrian closed his eyes, his jaw clenched.
He was like hot granite and my mouth watered in anticipation. I wanted to feel him at the back of my throat.
I removed the sheet so I could see him in all his naked glory. I glided my lips over him, causing him to groan. I strung out his pleasure and his hands clenched at his sides. Watching the big, brawny man lose control made me feel powerful in a way I’d never felt before.
I owned a part of him like he owned a part of me, and when he came in my mouth, I swallowed every bit of him.
His skin was flushed and damp, and I kissed his taut belly before resting my cheek against him.
“Have you forgiven me?” he asked.
“For what?”
