Page 38 of Until She's Mine
With agonizing slowness, he hooks his fingers into the waistband of my panties and pulls them down, discarding them carelessly. His eyes lock with mine as he leans in, his tongue flicking over me in a way that makes me cry out.
He holds me open and devours me with slow, teasing licks of his tongue. I unravel, my fingers tangling in his hair as I try to pull him closer. He hums against me, the vibrations making me arch off the counter.
He increases the pressure, his tongue circling that sensitive bundle of nerves relentlessly. My breathing is erratic, my heartbeat thundering in my ears as the pleasure builds to an unbearable peak. It coils deep within, tightening with each stroke of his tongue and graze of his teeth.
“Don’t stop,” I beg. “Please, don’t stop.”
He doesn’t. He redoubles his efforts, his hands sliding up to grip my hips, holding me in place as he drives me closer to the edge. A strangled cry leaves my throat when the tension snaps. The world blurs around me, my vision going white as waves of pleasure crash over me, leaving me trembling and gasping for air.
Lucian doesn’t let up until I’m spent, my body limp and shaking. Only then does he pull back, his lips glistening as herises to his feet. His eyes are dark with satisfaction, a smug smile playing on his lips as he watches me struggle to catch my breath.
“You’re exquisite,” he says, pulling me into a hug.
His arms are a fortress around me, firm and unyielding, yet there’s an unexpected tenderness in how he holds me. His warm breath is against the crown of my head, his heartbeat steady against my cheek. I sink into him, my body still trembling with aftershocks, my mind a haze of pleasure and exhaustion. His fingers trail along my spine slowly.
“Every time I touch you, it’s like I’m unraveling. Like I’m losing control.”
I tilt my head back to look at him. I see past the man who commands any room he enters, past the lawyer who thrives on perfection and control, and catch a glimpse of something raw and unguarded in his expression, a vulnerability I’ve never seen before. It’s fleeting, but it’s there—a crack in the armor of the man who always seems so untouchable.
My hand rises to cup Lucian’s cheek. “So, how was your day?” I ask.
He chuckles. “Are we really going to make small talk while you’re naked on my kitchen counter?”
“Why not?” I trace lazy patterns on his chest with my fingertips. “I’m curious about the mundane details of your life. What does Lucian Blackwood do when he’s not orchestrating elaborate seductions?”
His expression shifts, becoming more serious despite the lingering heat in his eyes. “Today? I spent three hours in depositions for the Morrison case. Had lunch with a client who thinks throwing money at problems makes them disappear. Attended a partner’s meeting where my father questioned my judgment.” He pauses, his hand stroking along my bare shoulder. “Then I received a text from my investigator saying you looked unhappy leaving the museum early.”
“You have someone watching me.”
“I have someone ensuring your safety.”
I should be angry and violated by this invasion of my privacy. Instead, there’s a dark thrill that curls through me at the thought of being so thoroughly observed, so completely claimed. “How long?”
“Since the beginning.” His fingers trace the curve of my collarbone, a feather-light touch that belies the weight of his confession. “The moment you became Tobias’s, I needed to know you were safe. Protected.”
“Even from your brother?”
His jaw tightens, a muscle ticking beneath the skin. “Especially from him.”
Part of me wants to demand answers—how extensive is this surveillance? What else does he know about my life that I haven’t told him? But another part, the part that’s been starving for someone to truly see me, finds a twisted comfort in his vigilance.
“That’s terrifying,” I whisper.
“Is it?” His hand slides up to cup the back of my neck, his thumb brushing against my pulse point. “Or is it exactly what you’ve been craving without knowing it?”
He’s right, and we both know it. The thought should send me running, should have me demanding he take me home immediately. But I lean into his touch, ignoring the protests my mind tries to form.
“Take me to your bed, then. Isn’t that what you’ve been planning all along?”
His eyes darken at my words, and without warning, he lifts me from the counter, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. “As my highness wishes.”
Am I being naïve? Foolish? Letting the man who has been watching me for years carry me to his bed? Probably. But as hishands grip my thighs and his lips find mine again, I can’t bring myself to care.
All that matters is the heat of his body against mine, the way he holds me like I’m something precious and dangerous all at once.
Chapter 19
Lucian
