Page 79 of Realm of Thieves

All the while his fingers make the knot inside me grow tighter and tighter, gliding around where I’m so very wet and slippery. He keeps his mouth at my ear, his breath raspy as he tells me how good I feel, how he wants to do this forever, how I belong to him, how badly he’s wanted me.

And I can’t even reply. I’m lost to the sensation of him inside me, of giving myself over to him so completely. At this moment my body belongs to him and I am so thoroughly his that it’s as if his heart beating hard against my back has joined with my own. And maybe after this moment I’ll go back to belonging to myself, I’ll be able to be whole, but right now…

I’m his, I’m his, I’m his.

Not just my body but my soul.

“Oh fuck!” I cry out, suddenly taken over by my orgasm, a crashing wave that makes me feel obliterated, inside out, and trembling on my knees as I lose control. If he didn’t hold my throat just so, I would collapse straight to the ground.

He comes shortly after, with a hiss and a deep groan, spilling deep inside me as he whispers my name.

“I needed this,” he says through a shaking breath as he finally pulls back, letting me go. “I’ve needed you. Just like this.”

I make a sated noise of agreement and collapse on all fours, my head hanging down as I catch my breath and my body comes back to normal.

“I needed you too,” I say, quietly, because the admission feels so raw right now, so vulnerable.

But from the way he plants kisses along my shoulders and down my spine, I know I’m still safe with him.

The question is, how long will that safety last?

Chapter 22

Andor

The world has changed whenthe morning rolls around. My senses have always been heightened because of the suen, but I’m starting to think that Brynla is her own kind of drug. The air smells fresher, feels warm like a midsummer morning, the straw mattress softer; the sound of her steady breathing is like hearing the fairest music. I feel as if I’ve been elevated to a higher state of being and it’s all because of her.

You’re in over your head, I chide myself as I carefully adjust my position on the narrow bed, not wanting to wake Brynla up. Her body is naked, her back against mine, and in the dim light of her room, lit only by a flickering torch that is running out of fuel, her lavender hair spills around her like a sunset turning to dusk. The sight of those scars from all the pain she endured at the convent mixing with her beauty makes a violence rise up inside me so tightly that I can barely breathe.

Fuck. Definitely in over my head. That’s not unusual for me—I always leap before I look—but I’ve never felt so infatuated with anyone before. While I’ve garnered a reputation for loving them and leaving them, I’ve always wanted to feel that heady rush of obsession. Iwanted something more. I just never found it with anyone before Brynla came into my life. It’s like I have tunnel vision and all my focus is sharp and narrowed precisely on her. The rest of the world, the rest of my problems, the very problems that brought her into my life, have faded away. If I could spend the remainder of my days in bed with her, than I would die a happy man.

But nature calls.

I shift beside her and she stirs, letting out a low moan that goes straight to my half-hard cock. Damn, she makes it hard to leave.

“What time is it?” she murmurs in a sleepy voice, her eyes half-closed as she raises her head enough to look at me over her shoulder. I meet her gaze and my heart jolts in my chest.

Calm down, Andor.

I place a kiss on that bare, tempting shoulder, my lips lingering on her soft skin, relishing the taste. “I have no idea,” I admit softly, my eyes closing briefly.

“I think I got used to all the daylight in Norland,” she says with a yawn. “I could sleep for days.”

“Go back to bed, no need to get up,” I tell her, pulling away slowly.

She gives me a sleepy smile before her eyes flutter closed and she lays her head back down. Somehow this makes it harder to leave her.

I get up and survey the dim bedroom, wondering what the time is. We were fucking like there was no end for what felt like the whole night and my body seems to think it’s morning, but without any natural light this far underground, it’s hard to tell.

The rest of the abode is quiet as I make my way to the latrine, though by the time I’m finishing up, I hear the snuffle of Lemi’s muzzle on the other side of the door.

I open it to find the giant dog crouched down, wanting to play. Before I can pet him he bounds off down the hall and disappears into thin air. I then hear Ellestra laugh from the kitchen where he’s obviously reappeared.

The smile fades from my face and I let out a long breath. I suppose this morning is as good a time as any to try to win over Brynla’s aunt. If we’re going to stick to our plan, then she has to understand that we’reallleaving today and heading back to the ship. Not just for Brynla’s own good, but for Ellestra’s as well.

I make my way to the kitchen, pausing in the doorway to assess the scene. Ellestra is over the stove, stirring something in a pot, as the kettle beside her whistles gently. She takes it off the fire and without looking up says, “Are you just going to stand there and stare, or do you have something to say?”

I offer her a smile she doesn’t notice. “I’m known to blurt out the first thing on my mind. I don’t think I’d get very far with you if I didn’t take my time and choose the right words to say.”

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