Page 39 of The Stolen Kingdom

“Will you lie to my face again if I ask you a question?” Valda asked, her eyes moving from those luscious lips to Maris’s gleaming eyes.

Gods…

Valda wasn’t sure what she wanted more: to see those beautiful blue eyes looking down at her as she feasted on Maris’s body, or to have Maris gazing up at her while kneeling between Valda’s legs.

The desire was too much.

How had she restrained herself for so long?

Now, with Maris finally here, within her reach, she could barely hold back. She was touching her, feeling her—and yet, she was still trying to be patient. Sofuckingpatient.

Pressing her sweat-covered forehead to Maris’s, Valda held her in place, trying to control herself. She wanted nothing more than to throw Maris onto the bed, spread her legs, and taste every inch of her. She wanted to hear her mate scream her name.

How dare she make us suffer like this?

“And here I thought you hated me,” Valda murmured, her voice laced with heat. “But you’re desperate for me to touch you, aren’t you, Seashell?”

The faint, intoxicating scent of Maris filled her senses. A soft, keen moan escaped Maris’s lips, betraying her struggle to answer. Maris’s eyes fluttered shut, and Valda knew she wanted to escape her grasp—but not tonight. Tonight, she would claim her.

Her free hand snaked its way around Maris’s nape, her fingers threading the curly blue strands of hair. She pulled on those beautiful curls, moving her head back. Valda’s mouth hovered just over Maris’s, their breaths mingling. She didn’t kiss her—not yet. Instead, she pressed her nose to Maris’s temple, inhaling her familiar, sea-salt scent.

“I don’t hate you. I never did,” Maris whispered, her voice trembling.

Valda’s heart seemed to stop mid-beat. If Maris didn’t mean it, if she took those words back, it would shatter her.

She didn’t hate her?

Then why were they apart? Why was she torturing her by staying away?

Swallowing hard, Valda finally found her voice. “You don’t?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

Maris shook her head, her hand sliding to Valda’s forearm, squeezing it gently yet affectionately. “I don’t.”

She doesn’t hate me. She doesn’t hate me!

A wave of relief surged through Valda. Valda devoured the woman before her. As their mouths clashed together, she released her grip on Maris’s face. Valda wrapped her arms around her, lifting her effortlessly and dropping her onto the bed. Her mate was there with her, and she didn’t hate her.

And by the way Maris’s hooded eyes stared up at her as she pulled her blouse over her head, Valda knew Maris wanted her just as much.

By the Gods, Valda wanted her too.

It didn’t take long until her skilled mouth was over Maris’s chest, then her soft stomach, and finally between her legs. Three months was more than enough to set her desire ablaze. Rough hands hooked to the back of Maris’s knees, spreading her for her hungry eyes to devour. She nearly sobbed when Maris tugged her up, capturing her in a scorching, breathtaking kiss.

It was a dream, but it felt and tasted real. It felt as if her very soul was with Maris in that instant, as if the connection within them had pulled them together into the same realm.

Valda pulled back, only to settle herself between those supple thighs she adored with every fiber of her being.

As she exhaled her desire, she darted her tongue and gave Maris a long-awaited, broad lick to her cunt. Instantly, Valda felt Maris’s trembling hands in her hair, pulling roughly, her nails scraping her scalp. Maris was just as desperate as she was.

Good.

Because if Valda went another month without tasting her, she would dissolve into Umbriel’s sand.

“I miss you, Valda.”

A deep grunt escaped Valda as she continued her fervent assault, her movements unrelenting. She didn’t answer Maris’s words—didn’t say she missed her too.

She didn’t need to. Her actions spoke louder than any words ever could.

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