Page 78 of Crown of Briars
A low, rumbling sound resonated from his throat. His arm came around my waist, bringing me fully against him so I could feel that delicious hardness once more. I arched into him, andhe growled again. His hands splayed along my back, the tips of his claws tickling my bare flesh. I suppressed a shiver, and a small part of me registered he could easily tear me to ribbons.
But I wasn’t afraid.
I looked up at him with boldness and desire, realizing there was nothing about him that disgusted me or deterred me from the lust boiling through my body.
“Can I touch you?” I asked, overcome by the confidence swelling inside me.
“Yes.” His voice was strained.
I raised my arms and ran my fingers over his full lips, pausing on those large fangs protruding from his mouth. His eyes closed as I traced each one, noting the sharpened points. All of his teeth were like blades, ready to cut and slice open. But they did not hurt me as I brushed my fingertips over them. If anything, the harsh lines of his teeth brought an acute sensation, sending waves of awareness pulsing through my body as they dragged along my skin.
My arms lifted higher, and I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach the curling ibex horns atop his head. I ran my hands over them, feeling their rough firmness. Varius made a strangled sound that hummed through my body.
“Does this hurt?” I asked, withdrawing my hands.
He grabbed my wrist, freezing me in place. “No. Please… keep going.”
I blinked at him. His mouth was open, his eyes dark with need and desire. So, I continued my perusal of his horns, running my hands up and down them, teasing the rough edges and bumps.
Fascinating.I could study him all day. And I yearned to do just that.
My hands moved back down his face, gliding along the firm planes and ridges of muscle along his chest. I traced the charred mark on his shoulder where the deadly shadows had burnedhim, and his breath shuddered. My arms came around his back until my fingers flicked against the barbed points of his tail.
He hissed a sharp breath of surprise.
“Too much?” I whispered.
“Not at all.” His voice was low and husky. I had a sense that no one was quite bold enough to explore his body like this. He was the king, after all.
Yes, he’s the king, Sybelle! shouted a small voice in my head.Where is your sense of propriety? Get ahold of yourself!
I shoved the voice away. My fingers found a section of his tail that wasn’t barbed, reminding me of the stem of a rose in between its thorns. I squeezed, feeling hard bone beneath the skin, almost like a spine.
He groaned, dropping his head to my shoulder, his breath shuddering.
I froze. “I’m hurting you.” The sound he’d just made wasnotpleasant.
“These… parts of me you are touching,” he panted, “are just… quite sensitive. They aren’t… often touched like that.”
“Should I?—?”
“Donotstop.”
I bit back a smile. So he enjoyed my scrutiny.
“As long as you allow me to return the favor.”
I stilled, and heat pooled low in my core.Stones, what am I getting myself into?
“It’s only fair,” he added, “that I inspect your body with just as much care and attention.”
“You already did that,” I said, my voice a bit strained.
“No. My shadows did. I want to worship your body with myhands, wife.”
The dark and seductive promise in his words made my toes curl. Part of me wanted to withdraw from him before he undid me completely.
But the more dominant side of me wanted to lean into himand hold him to that promise, to see just what those clawed fingers could do as they explored every inch of my body.
