Page 41 of Xara and the Xenobeast

“The pups?”

“Sleeping.”

He approached the edge of the pool, his eyes never leaving her. The bioluminescent light played across his features, highlighting the sharp angles of his face, the ripple of muscle beneath iridescent skin.

“The water’s perfect,” she said, holding out her hand to him. “Join me?”

He hesitated, his gaze dropping to her outstretched fingers, then back to her face. Something vulnerable flickered in his expression—uncertainty, perhaps, or fear of his own desire.

“Unless your wounds?—”

“Healing,” he said, cutting her off, but he still didn’t move.

“Please,” she whispered.

That single word seemed to break something in him and he stripped away the leather cloth that encircled his hips. Her breath caught. He was glorious—all corded muscle and sleek power beneath that shimmering skin. And his cock...

She swallowed hard as it sprang free, already fully erect.

It was longer than a human penis, ridged with thick, raised bands that ran its length. The crown was shaped differently, more like a flat plate than a rounded tip. She had a sudden urge to know what that flat surface would feel like inside her.

He slipped into the water with barely a ripple, his natural grace undiminished even by injury. He kept his distance, watching her warily, as if expecting her to change her mind now that she saw all of him.

“Come here,” she said, her voice gentle but firm.

He moved closer, the water lapping around his broad shoulders. When he reached the ledge where she sat, he hesitated again.

She didn’t wait. She closed the distance between them, sliding her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his. The contact drew a sharp intake of breath from him, his hands coming to rest tentatively on her waist.

“I want this,” she whispered, her fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw. “I want you.”

His silver eyes darkened, pupils expanding. “Why?”

The genuine confusion in his voice broke her heart. Had no one ever wanted him for himself? Had he only ever been a weapon, a tool?

“Because you’re beautiful,” she said simply. “Strong. Gentle when you want to be. Fierce when you need to be.” She brushed her lips against his. “Because you chose to save me when you could have let me die.”

His hands tightened on her waist, drawing her closer. “I couldn’t let you die.”

“I know,” she whispered against his mouth. “That’s why I want you.”

She kissed him then, a deep, hungry claiming, and he responded instantly, his mouth hot and demanding against hers, his arms wrapping around her to pull her flush against him.

His sensory tendrils curled around her shoulders, her waist, her thighs—touching everywhere at once, sending shivers of pleasure across her skin. She gasped into his mouth as one tendril brushed the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, and he swallowed the sound with a growl of approval.

“Tell me to stop,” he murmured against her lips, “and I will.”

She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, her hands framing his face. “Don’t you dare stop.”

Something fierce and possessive flashed in his eyes, and he lifted her effortlessly, setting her on the edge of the pool with her legsdangling in the water. Before she could question the change in position, he moved between her thighs, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts, his claws retracted.

“Beautiful,” he said reverently.

Then his mouth was on her skin—her neck, her collarbone, the curve of her breast. Each touch of his lips sent heat spiraling through her, building a delicious pressure low in her belly. His tendrils continued their exploration, wrapping around her thighs, her waist, even teasing at the sensitive skin behind her ears.

When his mouth closed around her nipple, she arched into him with a cry. His tongue was hot and clever, swirling around the sensitive peak before he moved to lavish the same attention on its twin. His hands meanwhile slid lower, gripping her hips, her thighs, pulling her closer to the edge of the pool.

“Please,” she gasped, not entirely sure what she was begging for, only knowing she needed more.

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