Page 19 of A Kiss From a Faerie King

A strong male arm rests heavily against my bare hip, and I’m shocked back into reality. This is very much real. From my sore muscles to the heat of another body pressing into my spine. My eyes focus on the room around me. It’s comprised of gold and green fixtures. A gentle breeze blows through the open window and disrupts the emerald curtains. The bedding is made of fine gold silk, and my head rests on the softest pillow.

There are a few pictures on the walls—sketches of the oak trees and the meadow and even a crude portrait of Emrys himself. I’m sure the sprites had a hand in crafting it. There are a couple of wardrobes and a short table surrounded by velvet-covered chairs.

Emrys breathes deep, his breath tickling my ear, and my face heats as I remember our exchange last night. While the faerie wine heightened my senses, I was not drunk in the typical sense. The night isn’t blurry in the slightest. I remember how I had danced with him under the moonlight, how pleasure had slid down my spine at his closeness, especially when his hardness pressed against me.

The same hardness I can feel against my backside now.

I had practically thrown myself at him when we had arrived in this room. Disrobing and grinding against his hard cock, it would’ve been easy for him to take advantage of my desirous state. Yet he hadn’t. How many human men would’ve been so noble?

A woman’s willingness is never of great concern to them.

Yet it had been to Emrys. And if I’m being honest—with fresh morning light pouring into the room—while a part of me is a bit embarrassed at the level of my eagerness, my desires have not changed.

I want him as much as I did last night. He teases these desires out of me. Pleasures and feelings I thought I’d never experience now seem within reach.

It’s in the way he touches me—how his black eyes seem so cold but only fill me with simmering heat. The ache he created inside me has only intensified. The wine may have helped loosen me up to the idea of staying here, but now, as I sit sober in the warm morning light, I only wish to continue my exploration of the king.

To see how deep this well of desire goes and allow him to wade through it with me.

I sigh deeply and twist onto my other side to face him. In sleep, his face is relaxed. I take in his magnificent features. Did I think him a monster before? Surely not. He’s handsome in a way no human man could ever be. Ethereal and otherworldly, and the sight of him has my inner thighs tingling with awareness.

When he tells me he desires me, I believe him.

The taste of freedom I had last night is heady, and I want so badly for it not to be a trick. For the first time in my life, I want to lower my guard and keep it down. I desire him—want him to pleasure me in the way he threatened to, but do I trust him? It’s too soon for me to decide, but I won’t hesitate to explore.

Brushing my curls out of my eyes, I tuck the strands behind my ear and slowly extend my finger toward his face. Gently and slowly so as not to rouse him, I explore the strong planes of his face. I smooth over his brow and each angular cheek. He’s strong and solid. Being naked in his arms should have me blushing and fighting to cover myself, but I don’t want to. I love how his smooth skin feels against mine.

I skim my fingertip down the strong column of his nose. Emrys lets out a breath and tips his head towards my touch. My heart pounds as I trace over the pointed shell of his ear before reaching his crown. While it’s made of twigs and leaves, it pulses with life.

The pure power of it hums under my fingers.

How can someone so strong be so gentle with me? In my experience, the more power a man has, the crueler he is. Could this faerie king be different than all the others? Could I be happy here with him? He’s already claimed ownership of me. My mind wills me to fight against it—to remind myself that I don’t want to be owned by anyone. Yet my heart begs me to give in and enjoy all the entrapments he has planned for me.

Skimming my fingers back over his brow, I’m inclined to listen to my heart. My lips itch to follow the path of my hand. I lick my dry lips and shift closer to him.

Slowly, his dark eyes blink open. We stare at each other for a moment, and I allow his woodsy scent to invade my lungs and cause my body to hum with pleasure. His arm tightens around me before his hand skims up my bare back.

I shiver before whispering, “Good morning.”

“Good morning, my blossom. I feared I would wake this morning, and you would only be a delicious dream.” Emry’s lips twist into a self-satisfied smile. “I’m pleased to have awoken and found that you are very much real and that your sweet pussy is soaking me through my pants.”

I gasp as he shifts his hips, and I realize just how entwined we are. My leg is slung over his hip while his thigh presses against my heated center. He rubs me there once and gauges my reaction. I only moan and grind myself down against him.

This unbridled yearning is headier than any faerie wine.

Emrys slides his hand up my back to tangle in my hair. Gripping my head, he tips it back and stares down into my eyes. His desire burns through me, igniting my own further.

“Do you feel the same as you did last night?” he asks softly.

My cheeks heat despite myself, and I dip my chin. He growls against me, the vibrations rattling my own chest. He forces my head back up to stare at him.

“You will not hide from me anymore, Laurelle.” My breath hitches at his command. “Last night, you were a woman who demanded what she wanted. That is who you shall be here. Let me ask you again, and you will answer me with your words. Do you feel the same as you did when I brought you to this room?”

Meeting his gaze, I shake my head. His eyes fill with disappointment, but his grip on me loosens. Before he can misunderstand me, I wrap my arms around his neck and bring my body flush with his.

“The ache is even worse than before, Emrys. I want you—I need you,” I whisper against his mouth. “I don’t know why, and I don’t care. This desire…it feels too right to deny.”

His groan tickles my lips as his hands dig into my ass and bring me even closer. Pressed like this, I can feel every rise and fall of his chest. Every cut of his muscles presses into my curves.

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