Page 68 of Wynter's Bite

“Bethany,” he whispered, holding his fingers to her neck. Was it weaker than usual? “Are you all right?”

She grasped his shoulder and sat up, her weight pressing further on his groin, though he didn’t mind. “I’m perfectly fine. I only had a brief faint spell. A little water and a nibble from an apple and I will be right as rain.” Her eyes searched his. “Are you feeling better?”

“I feel completely restored,” he admitted, guilt roiling through him at the cost.

“Are you well enough to make love to me?” she asked, shifting her hips in a suggestive manner.

His cock hardened further. “I always feel well enough to make love to you.” He grasped one golden braid, reveling in its silken texture. “You’re like a drug to me.” And intoxicating she was, he thought as he kissed her, exploring every crevice of her lips before delving his tongue in her mouth to taste her sweetness.

He kissed her long and deep as he unbuttoned her dress, shivering in delight as she reached for his buttons. When she shifted off his lap, he groaned with disappointment until he was treated to the sight of her dress falling to the floor. Her skin looked soft and delectable as a peach, her figure exquisite in only a thin white chemise and stockings.

“You look like an angel wrought of gold and ivory.” He reached forward and caressed her thigh. “And rubies.”

She raised one brow in that quizzical manner he adored. “Rubies?”

“You’re blushing.” He gave her a wicked smile and unfastened his trousers. “Let’s see if I can make you do it more. Take off your chemise.”

Just as he’d hoped, her skin turned the shade of peaches and cream even as she smiled and pulled the chemise over her head. His mouth went dry at the sight of her lush breasts, curved hips, and the triangle of burnished curls between her legs.

Bethany gasped suddenly. “Your burns! They’re almost healed!”

He glanced down. The two charred and red wounds had faded to a pale pink and they were half the size, quickly diminishing as new skin formed. Still, it was likely there would be some scarring.

“You healed me,” he said, and sucked in a breath as she bent to kiss his wounds. The feel of her hair brushing across his chest and belly made an ache flare in his groin. “Turn around,” he said huskily.

She obeyed and he grasped her hips and pulled her back on his lap. From this angle, he was able to hold her in his arms and caress her body at the same time. His hands cupped her breasts, thumbs grazing her nipples until they grew taut.

Bethany gasped and leaned against him, her thighs parting slightly, tempting him to delve lower. A delightful moan purred from her lips as his fingers found her mons and stroked around the edges of her plump, damp flesh.

When he found her tight little bud, she cried out and wriggled her backside against his hard length, filling him with a hot surge of lust. Still, he teased her relentlessly until she was wet and musky with desire, whimpering his name.

“Justus,” Bethany panted. “Please...”

Happy to oblige, he lifted her and poised himself at her entrance. Slowly, she sank down upon his length, making him bite his lip at the sheer bliss of her tightness clenching around him. Everything felt different at this angle, new, exciting, intense.

He rocked her on his lap, reveling in the new sensations. One hand reached up to toy with her breasts, the other plunged back down between her thighs, his fingers circling her clitoris. The effect was rewarding. Bethany threw her head back and gyrated her hips in an intoxicating motion that took his pleasure to more dizzying heights.

When she began to spasm around him, Justus lost control and thrust deeper and harder, his own climax surging in time with her own. The pleasure went on forever, blurring his vision in a euphoric haze.

At last she collapsed against him, leaning against his chest as they caught their breath. “Do you feel closer to me now?” she whispered.

His hand slipped up to press against her pounding heart. “I did not think such a thing was possible, but yes.” Worry filled him at the sight of her pallor and the fact that she still trembled. Damn it, he’d taken too much blood.

With burning reluctance, he eased her off his lap and sought his clothing. “You should eat now to restore your strength from what I took.”

Bethany laughed as she pulled on her chemise, though a shadow of unease flickered in her eyes. “I’m fine. I’m not even all that hungry. I’d much rather explore the book shop.”

“Food first, books after,” he said sternly, not liking the dark shadows of fatigue beneath her eyes. Who knew when she’d last slept? “And then we should rest early.”

She heaved an exasperated sigh and hugged her arms. “Very well.”

Justus watched Bethany withdraw a half-eaten meat pie from one of the packs and felt another trill of alarm when she nibbled on it with disinterest. Especially when he noticed the fine tremor in her hands. At first he’d thought that her bouts of shaking were because she was overwhelmed with being out in the world again, but now he was starting to worry that something else was wrong with her.

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