Page 362 of Halfblood Deceived

Mari gasped at the mind-bending combination of pleasure and the barest trace of pain flooding her veins, shaking her to the marrow. The orgasm that exploded from her core made her see bright points of light behind her closed eyelids. It made her feel very grateful for the privacy wards in the rooms. She wasn’t usually this loud, but there was nothing usual about Andreas feeding on her as he fucked her into a wall.

He drank from her vein in slow, tantalizing pulls and slid in and out of her in hard thrusts. The combination made her feel lightheaded with pure fucking bliss. She didn’t think she could come again, but she did, almost at the same time as he did.

And then he slowed down.

Which was good because Mari was utterly wrecked. Spent. Fucking exhausted. Dead and reborn.

Andreas licked the punctures closed with intense dedication.

She bit her lip not to whimper at the delicious tenderness. I am going to feel that for a whole fucking week.

He pulled back to examine her, eyes hooded and still shifted, breathing faster than normal. “Was that impolite enough for you, sweetheart?”

Mari licked her lips. “Fucking vulgar.”

Andreas huffed, lips curling into a smile of such male satisfaction that Mari rolled her eyes at him. It cost her more energy than she thought possible.

He let go of her wrists.

The return of the blood flow to her hands and fingers prickled and stung something fierce. She was probably going to have bruises shaped like his giant hands.

He placed said giant hands on her waist to keep her steady as he walked back to the bed. Then he deposited her on the firm, soft surface and pulled out.

Mari groaned, turning her face to the duvet. I’m going to feel that for a week too; she thought fuzzily. Her eyelids fell closed of their own volition. Which was… not good. Hookups are supposed to leave after the deed is done, but her body was not listening.

The touch of Andreas’ hands, as he nudged her legs slightly further apart to clean her thoroughly with a gloriously cool, damp, soft towel, kept her conscious.

The aftercare wasn’t surprising. He was a good male. Mari knew that. But there was something far more gentle in his ministrations than she had expected.

Mari must have dozed off, because she woke up to Andreas, wearing his black boxers, and placing her head on a pillow. He covered her with a thick, blue blanket. She forced herself to blink and keep her eyes open. “What are you doing? I should leave?”

“I don’t think you are capable of standing right now,” he said, looking a bit too serious. “Much less walking. Do you need…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, a potion? Paracetamol, or Ibuprofen? Did I hurt you?”

Even fuzzy with bone-deep tiredness, Mari read the tight worry in his eyes. “No. You did nothing I didn’t want, Andreas. You might be stronger, but I can easily fry you from the inside out without moving a finger, remember?”

He cleared his throat. “Right.”

Mari sighed. “I’m just tired. You can deposit me back in my room if you want.”

Something unreadable but decidedly unhappy crossed his face. “We had sex, Mari. How is sleeping in my bed more daunting than that to you?”

She yawned. “You aren’t well versed in the hookup rules, are you?”

He huffed, getting on the bed and laying beside her over the covers. “Right, because you are so well versed in them. You, the hermit who lives in her lab and talks to her potions.”

It took some effort, but she flicked him on the ribs.

He gave her a half-hearted scowl.

Her chest suddenly tightened. This felt intimate. It was intimate. And that was… fucking terrifying.

Andreas arched a brow. “Whatever is going through that twisted mind of yours… Don’t. Just go to sleep already.”

“We’ll forget about this in the morning, right?” she asked.

He held her gaze for twenty long heartbeats. “We will.”

Mari exhaled, relaxing against the mattress, breathing in their combined scents, and fabric softener. “Alright.” Her sight went blurry as exhaustion dragged her under with the force of a tidal wave. But she could have sworn his brow furrowed and his throat bobbed…

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