Page 52 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

“Fuck, they’re perfect…so full and round. I bet she’d moan if I so much as brushed them with the tip of the sponge,” he thinks, the ache between my thighs becomes intolerable as I take in the loose, desperate thought.

Sex with any human would be fantastic. The heat and the blood mixing into sexual pleasure? That ought to be good. Sex with Leo…

My stomach squeezes with need. “Touch me. Please.”

Leo knows how to touch a woman like Sebastian did to his first-blood. I bet he’s good at it, too.

Lips curled in a pout, he nods, almost imperceptibly. The sponge scrapes my earlobe, down the slope of my neck and past my collarbone to my breasts. The rugged, textured material chafes my nipples in turn, and I grip both edges of the bathtub.

Leo lets the sponge fall to the water and tests the weight of my breasts with his large hands. “You’ve never touched yourself before, have you?”

A tinge of embarrassment cramps my stomach. “I tried, but—”

“But?” he asks, breathless.

After I read that forbidden novel my handmaid sneaked into my room, I tried touching myself a few times to see how it worked. I never seemed to…get anywhere with it.

“I never managed to finish,” I admit.

He glides his hand down my stomach and plunges between my thighs, below the foam, and my eyes widen when he rubs my sex. It feels…phenomenal. It’s hot and wet and totally overwhelming. Arousal coats my folds, heavier and smoother than the water, and Leo glides his fingers along the sensitive flesh.

Water splashes as I struggle to find the right position, feeling like I could implode at any moment.

“Spread your legs wide. Keep them nice and relaxed for me, princess.”

Biting my bottom lip, I follow his instructions.

By Nyx. It’s too much. Not enough.

“I need—”

He sinks his finger all the way inside me, and I purr.

“Just trust me.” He draws circles with his fingers, slowly, always hitting the same delicious spot over and over again. His brows are bent in concentration, his smooth, golden skin beckoning. I stare at the blood pumping along his neck, obsessed with the hint of a stubble visible below his chin.

I want to lick every inch of him.

I should save myself for marriage, but the need in my belly will not be denied. Leo is mine. No one would have to know, and even if they did, it’s my business. Why does it matter anyway if I’m to marry an old king who doesn’t even want heirs…

The thought of crossing that line with him sends me over the edge. I cry out in surprise as my hips buck, the sensations slick and new. Leo doesn’t stop, but soon, the pleasure is too much to bear, and I jerk away from his talented hands, my whole body shaking. The clench between my legs subsides after a minute, and a smile spreads on my lips.

“Wow. That was the best apology ever. You’re forgiven.” I stifle a giggle with the back of my hand. Gods. My tutors definitely didn’t cover this part well enough. They taught me to think sexual pleasure was an elusive feeling, but this is fireworks and chocolate rolled into one.

Chapter 21

Dead Inside

LEO

Arielle blinks, her red lips curled into a mischievous smile, her breaths quick and uneven in the aftermath of her orgasm. When I saw her covered in blood earlier, it…shook me. I thought she’d been hurt, and the panic that came with that blurred the lines between my head and my heart.

The latter booms in my chest, loud enough to drown-out the wry, dry parts of me that are all about criticism and self-loathing. The snide voice in my head is silent for the first time since I stepped foot back on Hadria and slowly descended into this hell that is my new life.

Water sloshes around Arielle’s perfect body as she shifts in the bathtub to face me, her soft, full breasts bouncing at the movement, her nipples pebbled and dark.

I wince at the pain in my groin, my pants too tight for me to breathe, and hold a towel to my crotch as I stand.

She raises a hand to stop my escape. “I want to see it. Your erection.”

---