Page 58 of Court of Wolves

“It fits so fucking exquisitely.”

“Saints, Bryon.” The lump in her throat was unwelcome, but the reverence in his voice played havoc with her emotions.

He reached the end of the bed and prowled onto the soft mattress, water from the bath making his skin shine, accentuating every arch and bulge of his body until she couldn’t hold back a groan. There was something about seeing a man as primal and masculine as Bryon among all this finery, framed by gauzy curtains as lust-darkened eyes fixed on her. She wanted them to destroy this pretty room, wanted to break the bed.

“I’m trying to focus on this divine body under me,” he said as he crawled over her, making herveryconscious of the thin robe she wore, “but what put those tears in your pretty eyes?”

Maia made a sound in her throat. “I’m not sure I can handle all this… niceness. The compliments.”

“Tough shit,” he grunted, kissing her hip as he rose over her, then kissing her stomach, the swell of her breast, the slope of her neck, the arch of her jaw. “I have a dozen compliments on the tip of my tongue, so you’d better get used to it, princess.”

Her throat bobbed. “I swear I used to be better at accepting them. Before all this shit.”

“Forget about that for now,” he murmured, scorching a hot palm over her waist as another sank into her wet hair, his lips brushing her forehead. Maia’s chest caved in. “None of that exists in this room, right this moment.”

“Like I can just switch my brain off and forget,” she laughed, dismissive.

“You’re right.” Bryon tilted her face up using the hand moulded to her head and hot lips found her throat. With a sigh, Maia wrapped her arms around him, exploring the planes of his back with eager hands. God, he was so hot, in more than one sense. His skin burned against hers, so delicious that she groaned when he tugged the closure of the robe, pressing their chests skin to skin. “You can’t switch off your thoughts. ButIcan.”

Great, now Maia was smiling and crying at the same time. “Be honest. Do you think I’m completely mad for crying?”

“I think you’re traumatised, and your soul is starved for care, and I’ve been a piss poor excuse for a mate until now, so the excessive adoration you’re now experiencing is overwhelming your emotions.”

“Stop using big words, it makes me horny.”

“Princess, I’ve got you naked under me. Horny is my intention.”

Maia’s grin was swift. She tugged on his shoulders until he moved closer and then kissed him hard, dragging her nails lightly up his back as she took control of his tongue, sucking it into her mouth. His cock jumped against her hip, begging for attention. Everything inside her became hot and molten.

Maia began to ask him if he was sure about this, but before her mouth had even parted, she realised she trusted him. He wouldn’t shun her afterward, wouldn’t let his guilt push her away again. So she trailed her lips along his jaw, the roughness of his stubble giving her butterflies. She wanted to fear it against her thighs, wanted to feel it everywhere.

“We don’t need to rush,” she said instead, slowing her kisses even as her heart raced.

“Maia—” he began to argue, gruff and deep, bringing a smile to her face as she kissed the underside of his jaw.

“I’m serious. This isn’t a fling or a meaningless one night stand, so I know it can’t be easy. This is the only time I’ll ever speak about another woman while in bed with you, because I’mextremelypossessive—” Maia shuddered at the deep growl of pleasure that shook him above her. “But are you sure you’re ready for this? I know it must—must feel like you’re cheating on your wife.”

“No,” he replied calmly enough that Maia dropped her head back, a frown tugging her brows together. “It doesn’t feel like I’m cheating on her. That’s not why I pushed you away last time, either.” His head lifted, forest-green eyes catching hers, sending another ripple through her belly, this time a mix of nerves and excitement. “I was afraid, plain and simple. I don’t like to admit that I’m a person capable of fear, so I’d rather never acknowledge it.”

“Sure,” she agreed with a smirk. “No fear at all. But, hypothetically speaking, if you were afraid… what would you be scared of?”

“Not being able to protect you like I couldn’t protect Nimara and Col. Watching you die like I was forced to watch their deaths.” He laughed bitterly. “Being captive doesn’t fucking help. You dying is ninety percent of what I think about now.”

Maia brushed a kiss to his cheek, then the corner of his mouth. “I’m too valuable to them to kill,” she whispered, a truth she’d known for a while but preferred not to think about. “You should worry about yourself.Iworry about you.”

Dark forest eyes held hers, peering directly into her soul. “They’ve left me alive for a reason.”

“Because you’re deadly, and they can—use you against me. To get me to agree to whatever they command. It worked with Az. I slaughtered everyone at Eosantha.”

Bryon’s expression was unreadable, his eyes endless and dark. “You would do that to protect me? Decimate a whole town.”

“Bryon,” she laughed, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I would decimate the whole world if it kept you safe.”

His eyes flashed, nostrils flared, and then he moved so quickly she startled, her heart knocking into her ribs. In seconds he’d slid down her body, pushing the robe the rest of the way off, and parted her thighs so he could settle those huge shoulders between them.

“Fuck,” Maia gasped, her hand shooting down to curve around the back of his neck. His tongue dove into her, swirling around her entrance before dragging to where she was suddenly pulsing for him, her clit aching, pleading.

Hot hands settled on her thighs, keeping her spread for him as his mouth stroked every part of her, the wet sound of his tongue caressing her sensitive flesh so obscene, Maia’s face burned. She sank her other hand into her own hair, needing something to grip onto as his tongue obsessed over her clit, licking circles until she was panting and swollen and whining.

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