Page 52 of Royal Beast
Once Rose is tucked into bed, I stand by the door, unsure of what to say. Kellan’s footsteps approach, and I turn to face him. His gaze softens when he sees me, and for a moment, it’s as if everything else in the world falls away. There’s just us.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice low, but there’s an intensity to it that makes my pulse race. He steps closer, and I swallow hard, feeling the air thicken between us.
I nod, but it feels like a lie. He’s standing so close now, his hand brushing mine as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. My heart is hammering, a mixture of fear and desire colliding inside me. But before I can get another word out, he’s leaning in, his lips warm against mine, silencing the rest of the world.
The kiss is slow at first, tentative, but soon it deepens, pulling me in. My mind goes foggy, my mind coming up short on reasons I should stop this, too lost in the sensation of his arms wrapping around me.
I can feel the urgency building, and for a moment, the world outside this room fades. It’s just Kellan and me, our lips, our hands, and the heat between us.
I pull back just enough to catch my breath, my forehead resting against his. “Kellan,” I whisper, but he doesn’t let me finish.
His lips are back on mine, and the fight in me crumbles. The only thing that matters is what’s here right in front of me, right now. What he’s offering of himself.
He leads me down the hall, and as the bedroom door shuts, all my thoughts fuzz out into the background.
26
KELLAN
Once the bedroom door is shut, I lean down, pressing my lips against Darcy’s once more. Her lips are soft, warm, and everything I’ve been missing. I didn’t realize just how much until now, until I have her close like this. Everything that’s happened over the past few days floods my mind—Rose’s accident, the hospital, the look on Darcy’s face as she held our daughter’s hand and kept herself calm, even though I could see the worry in her eyes.
I’d been trying to keep some distance, thinking it might protect them if I didn’t get too close. Maybe if I just took a step back, they wouldn’t get caught up in the more dangerous side of my life and they’d be safe from the dangers I couldn’t always keep away.
But even with that distance, Rose still got hurt, and I wasn’t there when they needed me most. I kept myself away for no reason, selfishly thinking that I knew what was best for them once again. That’s how it is between us, isn’t it? I always decide I know what’s best and Darcy ends up resenting me.
I want to try to trust Darcy more. She’s shown herself to be more than capable of handling herself in my world, but I knowthat simply telling her what I’ve realized isn’t going to help. I Need to show her.
“I’ve missed you,” I murmur, pulling away to look into her beautiful blue eyes. “I want to be with you tonight. Is that alright?”
I know there’s still distance between us, a tension that won’t be solved tonight, but this is what I can offer her tonight, a respite from the storm of the past few weeks.
“Yes,” she says, reaching up on tiptoe to wind her arms around my neck and give me a deep, searing kiss. “I’ve missed you too,” she hums against my lips.
Our mouths connect, and everything else seems to fall away. Our kisses are slow, unhurried tonight. It’s not about fulfilling a fantasy or sating our lust but about connecting. Tonight is just about us.
My hands roam over her body, my chest aching with a need to be close to her. I kiss her slowly, brushing my tongue against her lips, seeking entrance. I don’t know how I can convey that I want to let her in more, but I’m going to try my best. Our tongues swirl around and around, every pass sending more liquid heat pooling into my gut.
Tonight, I’m going to worship Darcy and make her feel as good as she makes me feel. Moving my mouth to her neck, I start kissing down the long column of her throat. My hands move down to her waist, lifting her so I can carry her over to the bed and set her down, where I pull her into my lap to continue my slow ravishment.
My lips work up to her ear, kissing the soft flesh there before my tongue darts out, tracing a line around the shell of her ear. Her breathy moans are like music to my ears and I find myself wanting to hear more. I stroke her thigh, an ache building. I want to touch her all over, to stroke her skin, caress her body, and hold it close to mine.
I want to make her mine tonight, remind her of where she is and whom she’s with. Darcy’s hands slide down my back as I blow a gentle breeze across the spot my tongue skimmed over, and she shivers, her lips finding my neck as well, reciprocating the kisses.
As my hands brush over her thighs, I hike them up so her legs are spread wide across my lap, the two of us entwined around each other. My hands move down to push her panties to the side, sliding one finger into her folds. She’s already starting to get wet for me, the tender movement earning another moan from her lips.
My fingers explore her heated cunt, skimming over her bud to seek entrance inside her opening, pressing into it and curling upward. She arches her back, lips never leaving my skin as she continues to kiss me, tongue darting out to lick a wet stripe across my flesh.
Slowly, I start pumping my fingers in and out of her, adding a second digit after a moment. She feels so warm here, so wet, so tight. The thought leaves me dizzy, that even after so much distance between us, Darcystillwants me.
Her hips rock smoothly against my fingers, swallowing them up as her hands move down to stroke over my chest, fingers playing with the hair around my nipples.
It feels so good, so perfect right now. I was a fool for letting her get away all those years ago, and I’ve got so much to make up for. Burning desire floods my body, and I feel my cock pulsate inside my pants.
“Oh, Darcy,” I sigh into her skin. “Let me worship you, Wildflower. Let me love your body tonight.”
“Please, Kellan,” she whispers, a yearning look in her eyes as we make contact. “Touch me, kiss me, make me yours.”
Pulling my fingers out of her now dripping entrance, I lick them clean and start taking her clothes off, one piece at a time,starting with her black skirt and navy blouse and ending with her black panties and matching bra. After discarding them, I yank off my pants and button-up, discarding my tie somewhere behind me, and return to the bed, crawling up it to lie next to Darcy, naked skin against naked skin.
