Page 146 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

“Are you hurt?” I asked softly, though a devilish grin curled my lips. “After I nailed you in the... well, you know.”

He made a tortured noise in his throat. “I’m tender,” he admitted. “Why?”

I reached out, tracing a finger along the waistband of his trousers. “I’ve been thinking...”

He stiffened.

I stroked lightly, letting my nails scrape across the taut muscles of his stomach. “If we can feel when we’re pushing things too far with the Heirloom,” I continued, my fingers dipping lower, “then maybe we can find ways to... work around it.”

Kazimir’s gaze was molten with caution and lust.

I pressed my palm against his erection. “If I feel the Heirloom stirring, I’ll stop.”

When he didn’t stop me, a lazy, thrilling confidence coursed through me. I slid my hand inside his trousers to wrap my hand around his cock. It was hot and hard in my palm.

Kazimir’s head fell back against the wall, his eyes half-closed. “This is a terrible idea.”

“Probably,” I agreed, slowly stroking him. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Fuck no,” he growled.

I smiled, watching his face as I continued my explorations. I varied my grip and pace, noting what made his breath catch or his hips thrust forward. He was magnificent like this—powerful but completely at my mercy.

Wanting better access, I freed him from his trousers. He was thick and long, the head already glistening with pre-cum. I ran my thumb over it, spreading the moisture, and was rewarded with a deep groan.

“Like that?” I asked, increasing my pace slightly.

“Yes,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Tighter.”

I obliged, tightening my grip and stroking him with more purpose. His hands clenched at his sides.

“You can touch me,” I said, voice husky.

He shook his head. “If I touch you, I won’t stop there.”

The admission sent a thrill through me. The powerful Dark Lord, reduced to restraining himself because he wanted me so badly. I watched his face, noting the flickers of pleasure. He liked it when I twisted my wrist just so. And if I squeezed lightly at the base, his hips jerked forward in response. His breathing grew more ragged, his hips thrusting into my hand. A surge of warmth soaked my undergarments as I watched him unravel.

“Gods,” he whispered, his hands clenched into fists now. “Arabella... that’s—shit?—”

I felt it then—a faint stirring at the back of my mind. A distant warning. The Heirloom was responding to the magic that hummed between us.

But I didn’t stop. We were close to the edge, but hadn’t crossed it yet. “Come for me, Kaz.”

His control snapped. With a guttural sound, he grabbed my face with both hands and surged forward to kiss me?—

The warning in my mind exploded. At the same moment, Kazimir jerked back, eyes wide as he felt it too.

“Fuck,” he gasped, even as he came in hot pulses against my fingers. A moan escaped him—quiet, low, and all the more delicious for it. Residual tension rippled through his body as I stroked him through the ebb of pleasure.

When he finally stilled, he tucked himself back into his trousers, and we sat in silence for a moment.

“Well,” I said finally, “I think we’ve learned something important.”

He pinned me with that dark, sated gaze. “That we’re playing with fire?”

“That there might be ways around our... limitation.” I gestured between us. “This worked, mostly. Until you tried to kiss me.”

“Yes.” His gaze then slipped down my body, towards the heat I felt between my thighs, and his eyes darkened with renewed lust. “Let me return the favor?”

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