Page 31 of A Blade of Lies and Spirits

He kissed me as the teasing words left my lips, a brush of lips. “We’ll see then, won’t we?” His voice, low and dark, held promises I hoped he could keep.

He settled behind me, his erection not quite inside me. Lazily, his hands drifted over my breasts as he nuzzled my neck. I pushed backwards, but he circumvented my attempt, shifting so that he didn’t enter me.

“Always in such a hurry,” he breathed in my ear, then licked the sensitive spot behind it.

“So what? I can have multiples,” I pointed out. One hand cupped my breast, long fingers tugging and pinching my nipple every pull sending bolts of pleasure to my core, as the other hand drifted agonizingly slowly down my belly.

He took his time working his way down, and when his fingers finally settled and stroked he entered me. I was torn; light as the touch was, if I pushed back to make his stroke harder I’d lose the fondling.

“I could do a lot more with my hands free.” I tilted my head as he nibbled on my neck. Maddening, the butterfly touch in front and his slow deliberate movement behind—he was large enough that the pleasure from the stretching and motion was equally balanced with the shivers of delight from his fingers.

“I know.” He used his nails on my breast, just a bit, and I felt myself clench around him. Even with him playing, I could feel the first flutters building in my belly. I trembled.

“Oh, no. Not yet.” Lust and determination rang through me like a bell. He very much wanted something, though at this moment I didn’t care what.

His hand slid upwards as he continued thrusting. Leisurely, it wasn’t quite enough by itself to fuel the incipient climax. He rolled both nipples in his palms. I arched backwards, my fingers digging into the headboard, and he yielded to the movement.

“Something you want?” he asked, his low voice warm and teasing.

“Hand, front and center,” I answered.

“Not this?” Harder thrusts, his pace quickened, and I braced on the headboard as my heart-rate quickened. His hand rested on my belly, anchoring me in place, and I stiffened, close to the edge.

He stopped.

I snarled, “Payback for this will be a bitch.”

Walker laughed, the hard length of him still buried in me. His hand hadn’t shifted, so I couldn’t keep moving; I didn’t have any leverage. He was good at this.

“Just making sure that when we’re done, you’ll let me sleep. I don’t seem to be satisfying you.” He nipped my ear as the hand not holding me still began circling again.

He seemed to have a sixth sense when I was on the edge and kept backing off just before I could finish. His mouth roamed the sensitive areas of my neck and ears, while I clung to the headboard. Possibly keeping the decision in my hands made the teasing denials sweeter, the need sharper.

Words fled, and I lost count of the stops and starts as he continued. I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped when he paused again. At this point, I didn’t even have the concentration to figure out how much of the desire was his and how much was mine, only that the wanting was sweet torment.

“Ready to turn around?”

I turned my head, thoughts scattered, and his tongue entered my mouth hard and deep as he pulled free of me. I let go of the headboard and turned, burying my hands in his hair as he tugged me on top of him. I looked down at him, his face intent with need as I lowered myself onto him.

The combination of the deeper penetration and the gentle, steady pressure of his thumb triggered an explosion of pleasure. He didn’t stop moving, and it went on and on until I collapsed on his chest. At some point he’d finished too, and I hadn’t noticed, buried under the avalanche of sensation.

No sound other than his heart thundering in my ear. His hand stroked down my back. His emotions, satisfaction and pleasure, echoed mine. Another echo in me too. I liked him in a way that I hadn’t ever liked a bedmate before. I’d put some thought into that and figure it out later.

“Now we sleep, right?” The drowsy humor in his tone held me as tightly as his arms.

I relaxed and let darkness sweep over me.

SEVEN

Alys

When I woke,muted sunlight shone through the window. I slid away from Walker’s warmth and sorted through the clothing on the floor. I pulled the skirt back on when realization hit me like a blow. I was in Capitol. The dream—the wards should have kept the elven voices quiet. If I could hear them, then Dmitri might have too. He might try to communicate with them, which would be bad for him and everyone around him, especially if an elf showed up in person.

“We need to go, now.” I stuffed my feet in my boots.

“Go?” Walker asked, his voice filled with confusion.

“Yes, right now.”

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