Page 65 of Wake the Dream

Chapter 16

Kieran

Kieran couldn’t believehow the evening had changed from one end of the spectrum to the complete opposite end, although he wasn’t one to complain and would enjoy every second.

He reared his head back to break their kiss, staring at her.

Illaria was breathtaking, literally stealing his breath until an ache formed in his chest. Part of him fractured out of control, with his heart racing faster than a Thoroughbred in the final stretch of the Derby.

Hers did the same, he noted, brushing the towel with his fingers and watching her pulse leap. He loved the way her skin burned, and he leaned closer to the fire, ready to be consumed.

His hands were on her. Soft and perfect. Magical. Exploring every inch of her. Her mouth scorched a trail along his neck when he bent low to take her in, inhaling her, with his world narrowing until it became just the two of them.

He didn’t want to take herhere. She deserved better. He could hardly bring himself to wait, lifting her easily with his mouth pressed against hers once again. He carried her down the hallway toward the bedroom.

When he walked through the door, he broke the kiss again. Her large eyes were on him. Seeing everything he tried to hide. His world narrowed even further.His woman. Now he saw her for what she was: his true mate. He didn’t need the Sight to tell him.

How had he not noticed it before?

The difference in their ages didn’t matter. Neither did the differences in their social status. They were two lost and displaced souls who had managed to find one another. The emptiness inside of him, which he’d first attributed to his mother’s passing, Kieran now knew was due to something else. In his searching, he’d been looking for Illaria.

He set her down on her feet. Deliberately, he bent his head to find her mouth again. To taste her like an addict and sweep his tongue against the seam of her lips until she opened for him.

There was no going back from this. After tonight she would be his, and the reality of how his life would change became more than he could comprehend at the moment. More than he wanted to waste time and energy on attempting to comprehend.

“Where do you want me?” Illaria whispered, nipping at his upper lip. She arched her back to press her breasts closer.

Dear Heaven...

Slowly, Kieran reached for the towel and let it drop. It pooled in a blue-and-white-striped pile on the carpet. Then he stepped back to take her in, the shape of her curves and the sleek lines of her body. The woman was flawless from the top of her head to her toes. His erection hardened painfully.

“You don’t understand what you do to me,” he began in an attempt to make her understand.

Then he pushed her down onto the bed before admonishing himself to be careful. One look at her, at the swell of her breasts and her indulgent gasp at his scrutiny, and he knew the task to be near impossible.

Kieran ripped his own shirt over his head and went to her, his hands on either side of her body. Loving how she trusted him to care for her.

Finally, he indulged himself, lost himself, lips moving down to her breasts and the tiny triangle of her waist. He knew she was a fairy and made to be beautiful. To capture the attention of men. But she’d been perfectly designed for him.

The triangle of moonlight-colored curls at the apex of her legs drew him. God help him. A soft sound escaped his own throat as he began his exploration. He nipped his way down past her breasts toward her stomach. Past the indent of her belly button. Lower still, heading for her inner thighs.

Without hesitation, Kieran eased her legs apart and brought his hand against her moist heat. Her thighs quivered as he went to work. Illaria groaned when his thumb coaxed pleasure from her.

Determined to take his time, he moved against her, wanting to please her. He sensed her need in the way she twisted her body. The way her knees came around either side of his shoulders to keep him in place.

“Yes,” she whispered, her hands seeking him.

A painful ache brought attention to the jeans keeping his erection confined. Soon. He kept his attention focused on her, on the way her body responded to him. He kept his fingers on her core as Kieran shifted to bring his lips to her breasts. His tongue swirled around her rosebud nipples. Her breathing hitched, her hips rising in tandem with his motion.

He heard her release, sensed it moments before her body reacted, erupting for him with the muscles of her core contracting around his finger. The muscles of her legs became taut as she fell over the edge.

Her orgasm came quick, causing her hips to jerk and the rest of her to pause on an inhale. He’d wanted to take his time with her, Kieran thought, rearing back to toss his jeans aside. The boxers followed until he unleashed himself, bobbing in the dim twilight of the room for her perusal.

“Already?” he heard her murmur. As though anticipating the final show.

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