Page 121 of The Price We Pay (The Path of Temptation 1)

"Talin?" My teeth closed on my lower lip, but I smiled around it. "Yeah. I like that he and Eladehl work. I like that he's strong in different ways than you." I shrugged meekly. "I like that he makes me feel like I'm beautiful."

"Youarebeautiful."

I grunted at that. "Yeah, but when I look in the mirror, I see that my hair's flat, my eye shadow's smudged, my right breast is a bit larger than the other. I see all of my own flaws, and it's hard to forget them."

"No," he said, shifting his hand around so he could hold the side of my face. "You aren't pretty. You aren't cute. You aregod-touched, Nari. After your Choosing? Something changed, and neither Eladehl nor I can quite figure it out. You look like you always have, but better. Your hair was nearly black, now it's darker than Talin's. There's a red shimmer when the light catches it that reminds me of coals, and it makes your lips look flushed from kisses. Your eyes have always been amber, but now they're closer to gold. Just a bit brighter, I guess? Like those lighter flecks are just a bit more visible. Your skin is so smooth, I always want to touch it. I figured it was something Zeal did."

"He said he needed me to take him in. That's why he drowned me." I paused. "Well, not drowned, since he knew I'd be able to breathe, but shoved me into the tears. Think maybe that's it?"

"Don't know, don't care. All that matters is that my girl is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I used to think Amerlee was the epitome of beauty, but you raised the bar."

"And she's getting closer to forty," I reminded him. "She's aged well, but men tend to judge all those minor flaws against a woman."

He smiled. "Nah. Amerlee's still stunning. I kinda like the wrinkles when she smiles. They make her look more real. You? You look like a wet dream, baby. Don't you wonder why people are talking about you and Eladehl? It's not because of your suite! It's because he's the best-looking guy in our class, and you went from this little kid to a complete knockout. It started sometime in sixth year. We all heard about the girl with the lace up her arms, and the next thing I knew, it was thehotgirl with lace up her arms."

"Really?"

He nodded. "So imagine my surprise when one of the hot girls was giving me shit for being nineteen and never having kissed a girl, and then the other hot one kisses me? We guys were already splitting into groups that liked blondes and those who preferred brunettes. And they meant you or Ciella, Nari."

"I didn't know! I just... she bullied me a few years earlier, and I couldn't stop thinking about how much I hated it. And you were this big, scary guy, but I could see that the words hurt. I dunno, it kinda made me even angrier, because you could take a lot, but they wouldn't let up until they tore you down completely, so I figured that kissing some nobody was better than dealing with it, right? And then you said it was ok..."

He laughed once. "I meant it was ok, because you didn't have to."

"Oh. I honestly thought you meant it was ok for me to... like, consent, you know?"

"Kinda glad you misunderstood. Would've preferred my first kiss had been a little more private, but wouldn't change that moment for anything. You realize you're the only person I'll ever kiss, right? The only one I'll hold in my arms. The only one I want to."

"Oh, I love you so much, Wraythe," I breathed, leaning in to press my lips against his.

His mouth parted, and the hand on my back tightened, encouraging me to get even closer. I did, crushing my chest against his, tangling our tongues, and my hips slid into place, locking against him. He sucked in a breath, stealing the air between us, and then kissed me harder. This was my Wraythe. The man whose passion was wrapped around his strength. Being in his arms made me feel wonderfully fragile, and oh so very treasured.

Then he smiled, separating our lips. "I think I need you to lift up?"

"Huh?"

His eyes flicked to his crotch. "Lemme..."

I sat up, shifting my weight to my knees, and his hand dove under his waistband. He made an adjustment, and his eyes slowly lifted to find mine. Without a word, he guided me back down, but this time I could feel the hard ridge. Well, harder. It was definitely getting there quickly.

"It doesn't hurt?" I asked. "I mean sitting on you."

So he pushed his hips against me. "Nah, that does nothurt."

"Tell me if it does?"

He nodded once. "Promise."

I reached down, releasing the button of his pants just to spread the flap open. When he didn't stop me, I kept going, aiming for the band of his underwear to tug that down. Wraythe helped, shifting his hips so it would work. And there, before me, was everything I remembered. The black band was tight at the base, but not too tight. The shaft above it was thick, engorged, and standing straight up. Unable to help myself, I had to stroke it.

"You touch me, then I get to touch you," he said, his voice deep enough to sound like a growl.

"I am so ok with that." And I stroked him again.

He grabbed my shirt at the waist, pulling it up, all but forcing me to let go of him or get tangled in the material. Immediately, I reached for him again. His hands were at my chest, following the straps of my bra downward. Crushing the soft lace of the cups, he guided it under my breasts, causing it to lift them higher. His eyes slipped closed for a moment as if in ecstasy, and then he grabbed my waist, pulling my entire body toward him.

I refused to let go, slowly teasing the parts I knew he enjoyed most, but his mouth found first one hard nipple and then the other. It felt so good. I wanted to grind against his shaft, knowing it was so close to my clit. I could feel my body responding, my panties growing damp, and my heart pounding in anticipation. For a split second, I wondered what it would be like to climb onto him, letting him slide inside me, but I wanted to make sure this wouldn't hurt him first.

Except I didn't want to move, not with his mouth worshipping my breasts. It felt too good to make him stop. He'd always liked my hands, though. Rubbing my palm across the broad head, I felt the slickness of his pre-cum and used that to slide down his length again, repeating the process until my giant of a man moaned.

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