Page 127 of His Darkest Desire

Kinsley squeaked, but a moan swiftly followed as he lavished that bud with his tongue. She settled her hands on his head, slipping her fingers into his hair, and in a breathy voice said, “Vex…”

She is tender from mating, you arse.

With great reluctance, he released her nipple, placed a soft kiss upon it, and looked up at her.

Kinsley chuckled as she grasped the edges of the bath and rose to her feet. “You are insatiable.”

“And you are irresistible.”

Vex stood up quickly. Water sluiced down his body and splashed over the sides of the tub, but he barely noticed as he hooked his hands behind Kinsley’s thighs and lifted her, drawing her against him with her legs to either side of his waist. She let out a gasp and threw her arms around him, locking her calves around his hips.

He stepped out of the tub and onto the moss-carpeted floor. As he strode toward the door, magic swirled around their bodies, teasing their skin with cool air that carried away the moisture. Kinsley’s shiver nearly undid him, but he somehow maintained his resolve.

Vex carried his mate into the bedchamber, lit the fire with another spark of magic, and walked to the bed. With barely a conscious thought, he willed the blankets to draw back. He laid his mate down and climbed on beside her. Slipping his arms around her, he tucked Kinsley against his side with her head resting on his arm and settled the covers over their bodies with a final flicker of magic.

He pressed a kiss to her brow. “Sleep, so morning will come swiftly and I may have you again.”

Kinsley laughed and pushed up onto her elbow to look down at him. Her soft hair fell to brush his shoulder. “I suppose you have centuries of abstinence to make up for.”

Vex caught a lock of her hair and curled it around his finger. “I knew not the slightest yearning for carnal pleasures. Not until you.”

Smiling, she hummed and lightly traced his brow with her fingertips before stopping them at his scars. “Do these have meaning?”

“We goblins are fae creatures, but few of us possess true magic. Those who do are believed to be destined for greatness. In my clan, children who demonstrated magical ability beyond the usual were marked with such scars. I was told my talent with illusions was apparent even before I could walk. I was expected to one day bring prestige and power to our clan, and these marks were meant to signify the blessing I had received, and the blessings I would one day bring.”

“Did anyone else have those marks?”

“A few in my clan, though they were my elders. Most goblin clans I encountered boasted at least one such individual. Sorcerers, shamans, mages…though their titles varied, they all commanded similar respect and recognition.”

She traced one of the swirling scars. “It must’ve been painful, especially for a child.”

“I imagine it was,” he replied with a soft smile, gently tugging her hair until she brought her face closer, “but I remember it not.”

Vex lifted his chin and kissed her lips. She leaned into it, opening to him, and he groaned at her taste. Slipping his fingers into her hair, he pulled Kinsley deeper into the kiss. Their lips caressed and nipped, and their tongues flicked and danced. He relished the feel of her soft breasts against his skin, the teasing press of her hardened nipples, the brush of her leg as she raised it over his, the heat of her sex against his thigh.

He craved more of her. He longed to sink his cock between her thighs, to feel her cunt around him, to thrill in the flames of her desire and passion.

But for now, he would content himself with naught more than this kiss. For her.

Kinsley broke the kiss, but she didn’t pull away as she stared down at him, silent, searching his eyes.

“You said no more secrets between us,” she finally said.

“And I meant it.”

“I have one I want to confess to you.”

His brow furrowed. “What is it, my moonlight?”

She spoke after a brief hesitation, and there was a rawness in her voice, a vulnerability. “When you found me, my heart was broken, and I was barely holding the pieces together. You saved my life. That was your part of our pact, that was all you had to do. But…you’ve done so much more for me. You’ve been mending my heart, Vex. The cracks are healing because of you, and for the first time, all the pieces are right where they should be. And I don’t understand how they’re staying together, because I just feel so, so…full.

“So, I’m giving my heart to you for safekeeping. I know you’ll protect it as fiercely as you’ve protected me.” She brushed her lips over his and whispered, “I love you, Vex.”

Those words flowed into Vex, and everything within him stilled—his heart, his lungs, his thoughts. Warmth blossomed in his chest, spreading a little further with each thump once his heart resumed beating. And with that warmth came a growing sense of fullness. Of…completion.

Love.

Was that the word to describe all his elation, his fear, his yearning, all the jumbled emotions lodged within him? Was that the word that encompassed his adoration and devotion to this female, his need for her? Did it explain why the thought of losing her made his chest ache and his heart race?

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