Page 146 of Cruel Tides

A shiver washed over me, because in that moment, it was like his voice had struck a chord so deep that it resonated through my bones.

“Yes,” I breathed out, feeling the weight of his gaze on my lips. “It has.”

The touch of his thumb grazing my cheek, the warmth radiating from his bare body. It was like basking in the comforting heat of sun-scorched sand.

Barren took a step closer, his towering frame making me feel small and delicate in comparison. His thumb traced my lower lip, the look in his eyes almost as if he were bidding goodbye to what we had been, readying for what we were to become.

“Claira,” he rumbled, and my body came to life under the new way he spoke my name.

As he leaned in, I couldn’t help but rise to him until our breaths melded—the bite of salt blending with a robust, woodsy aroma, like steeping herbal tea.Barren. My heart raced as my stoic titan’s gaze bore down at me, every nerve in my body on edge.

I thanked every star I’d ever seen that his bed was beside us. Because I knew with certainty if he kissed me like he had when he abruptly took my lips underwater, I would need it there to keep myself standing.

Like most things between us, Barren didn’t bother with the words. His hand slid from my chin to the nape of my neck, his solid muscles pressing against me as his lips descended, a searing collision that left me breathless.

Barren’s actions spoke louder than words ever could, and his kiss was no different—precise, deliberate, yet exquisitely tender. With my eyes closed, I surrendered to the sensation, reveling in his strength, his presence.

His hand drifted down the small of my back, drawing me closer to him, and I went willingly. Our bodies pressed against each other, the heat of his skin seeping into mine. My fingers strayed to the strap of his brace, tracing its ridges before curling around it, coaxing a surge of energy from him.

The kiss deepened, and in Barren’s satisfied groan, I felt a rush of longing for the unspoken connection we had been denying ourselves for too long.

Barren gently nudged me toward the edge of the bed, and before I knew it, I was lying down, my back flush against the mattress. Cool fabric clung to my back, my wet hair scattering around me, likely sullying the sheets I’d spent so much time perfectly smoothing out earlier. Had our ice shower been enough to wash away the nasty ocean brine?

When Barren came back into view, I realized I didn’t care—and it seemed he didn’t either.

He towered over me, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths, his swollen lips a testament to the intensity of our kiss.

Desire darkened his eyes. “I was going to let Leander have you,” he said, his tongue washing over his bottom lip as he looked me over.

My breath hitched, heat blooming deep in my belly at the way his eyes raked over every inch of me. Like he was readying to pin me to his bed.

Yes, please.

He sank down, propping up on his forearm, and I was barely prepared for the rush of desire that coursed through me as his mouth reclaimed mine.

Yes. This felt right. The passion in his kiss was more than welcome, and my arms encircled his neck. I wrapped around him, my fingers playing with the muscles lining the back of his bare shoulders, the tension between us building with every brush of his lips. His hips canted just enough for his extensive erection to nudge against my thigh, anddamn, he was hard.

I scooted up, needing to feel even more, and Barren followed suit, his legs straddling mine, creating deep grooves where he leaned into the edge of the mattress. Heat from his satin-smooth skin burned right into the sides of my legs, his arousal hot and branding against my inner thigh. But I didn’t mind it. No, I loved it.Neededit. More heat, more of him.

“Barren,” I groaned against his lips when we both came up for air. I tugged on his shoulders, fighting to drag him on top of me, but my statuesque titan wouldn’t budge. The bulk of his massive body hovered well above me, as if he were afraid I might break underneath him.

Okay, he would definitely crush me—but I was okay with it.

Break me, I thought as his relentless tongue dipped, sweeping over mine.Shatter me into pieces.

Because I knew he would reassemble every fragment of me with utmost care. That was who he was.

Barren’s lips cinched, breaking this moment of bliss, and his chest rumbled with humor as he pulled away. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to kiss me,” he murmured, a handsome flush tinting his face.

Desire was a good look for him. He rarely looked his age, and this confident, playful look was something that I could easily get used to.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked with a breathless smile.

He adjusted his position, making sure not to put any pressure on me. “You already have Leander, Kai. Why would you want someone like me?”

I shook my head, my fingers tracing over his strong jaw, hating the way his confidence seemed to dissolve away. “Someone like you?” It was hard for me to even repeat it. I hated this—hated that he thought he was somehow less. “Barren…”

He looked away, but I caught him before he could drift too far. My heart ached at the thought of how much pain he’d been through, and I wanted to show him that, despite what his kingdom had told him, he was more than worthy of being loved.

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