Page 87 of A Kingdom of Shadows

My eyes water and my teeth clench, but I've never wanted this more.

"If it hurts too much, I'll stop," he says, panting.

I shake my head. "I'm not a quitter."

He chuckles. It's hoarse as our hands sink into the mattress. "A competitor even in bed. You're insatiable, Goldie."

I only manage a hum as he stretches inside me and moves.

It starts as a gentle rhythm, soft enough to lessen the pain.

We stare at each other, our mouths touching but never kissing. Thrust after thrust, we pant, I whimper, and he moans my name like a prayer.

Our foreheads touch, each movement becomes deeper, and heat crawls up my spine as pressure builds and builds.

This time we kiss, but it's raw, intense, and blinding as we breathe into each other.

My legs clench around his hips, begging for a release as he continues harder this time. I moan against his mouth, and in one swift movement of his arm, he scoops me up so I'm on his lap.

I'm a mess, drenching in sweat. He's so full inside me as he smooths strands of my hair away from my face.

"Use your hips, not your legs," he orders softly, resting his hands on my lower back.

My breath shudders, and I attempt a nod before tentatively lifting myself up and then sliding back down with a whimpering moan. I keep doing it, slower, then faster, as I rock my hips. It feels even more intense like I have all the control.

Lust coats the air, thick and heavy enough to turn us insane. My lip parts with endless moans, our noses touching as he grinds against me.

"That's it." His appraisal sends me a rush of arousal. "Keep going."

I apply more friction, and our movements become synchronized.

Again, and again.

Harder, slower, deeper.

Pricks of pain and sexual pressure make me whimper. It doesn't feel as if I'm here. I'm somewhere between desire and need, breaking me apart and putting me back together.

Heat coils beneath my skin, my muscles contracting against his length. I hold onto him tighter, positive my fingers dent into his skin as he plunges into me with more force, and I cry out, riding through a torrent of bliss. Trembles travel through my body as I feel him jerk and shudder.

I'm far from recovering. My legs go limp around him as I try to catch a break. He doesn't slide out of me, and I don't move to push myself off him.

I don't want to.

I don't ever want to.

I rest my cheek against him as he chuckles. It's breathless, mingling with dark seduction that makes me want to go again despite me shattering before him.

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and then kisses my temple before whispering, "Happy birthday, Goldie."

Chapter Thirty-Four

I wake up to Darius tracing his fingers along my spine. Up then down. It's the best feeling in the world, after last night, of course. There'd been no regrets, no takebacks on what we'd done. It was indeed a birthday worth remembering because we didn't just do it once. We did it again, then again, and finally, a third until pain meant nothing and pleasure meant all.

The bedsheets hardly cover me as I turn to face Darius. It's vexing how handsome he looks just woken up. His raven hair is ruffled, golden eyes are fresh and alight from the morning sun. He has one arm propped up on the pillow, and a lazy smile spreads across his face as he looks at my nude figure.

Thrill and dreamlike contentment tickle my skin.

"Glad to see you sleeping on an actual bed," I comment, as his fingers lightly skim over my arm, eliciting goosebumps.

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