Page 33 of All the Pain of Promises
At first, there was only deafening quiet, but then he heard the lullaby of her voice.
“Yes, my lord?”
Solarius casually ran one hand up and down her spine in an effort to calm her.“I was merely curious if the bonded mind sharing actually worked.”
Narissa leaned back, her grip on his arm loosening slightly. She arched one golden blonde brow. “Apparently it does.”
“Right,” he agreed, nodding once. She hadn’t smacked at his hand yet, nor had she inched away from him, so he continued with his plan. “Can you see my thoughts?”
Solarius opened his mind to her, and Narissa suffered him a sigh.
She folded her hands in her lap, but he liked her closeness, enjoying the way her thigh brushed his own. “You’re wondering how much longer until we arrive at Windsong.”
“What about now?” he asked, pressing a different thought upon her, showing her exactly what was on his mind.
A pretty blush stained the rosy gold of her cheeks, and she ducked her head.
He wanted her to see their shared kiss in the tide pool from his perspective, wanted her to realize the power she held over him, wanted her to understand his mild obsession with her. That kiss had been his undoing. Her lips were a drug, intoxicating and potent. Had she denied him, he would’ve gladly dropped to his knees and begged her for a kiss. The mating bond snapping into place was the icing on the cake, serving only to amplify his fixation on her. Half the time, the words coming out of his mouth defied those feelings, but Solarius had been unable toquit his mind of Narissa since Ariesian first announced their engagement. It didn’t matter if Calfair had her first, hestillwanted her.
He would always want her.
Solarius cupped her chin, lifting her face, his gaze instantly dipping to where her pink lips parted in surprise. He lowered his voice, then murmured, “And now?”
A breathy little noise escaped her.
This time, he invaded her thoughts with everything he hadwantedto do to her in that tide pool. If she’d let him, if she hadn’t run from him, he would have worshipped her like the moon. Gazed upon her like the stars. Unraveled her like the endless night. He’d wanted the freedom to feel her everywhere, to let his hands explore every soft inch of her velvety skin. With her legs locked around his waist and her arms woven around his neck, it would have been so easy to lift her hips, to slide into her, to claim her beneath the silky shower of moonlight.
Solarius’s blood hummed in anticipation and his magic flared, calling to her.
Her scent overwhelmed him. He wanted to lick the air. To taste her on his tongue.
“Can I touch you?” he asked, forcing each word out with feigned composure. He would lose his damn mind if she refused him.
Narissa’s teeth snagged on her bottom lip, and his cock swelled in response. “I don’t think?—”
Stars above, she would slay him with her rejection.
“Please, Rissa love.” He wasn’t above begging, not when it came to her. “You consume my thoughts. You reign over my dreams. I know I’ve said awful, hurtful things, and despite the resentment between us, I am driven to the brink of madness just by looking at you.”
“Solarius…” The tone in her voice set him on edge, as though she intended to rebuff him. But then she did the unthinkable. Narissa angled herself toward him and that small gesture ignited a spark of hope inside the frozen walls of his chest.
“I beg of you, Narissa.” He searched her face, praying his needs, his desires were not one-sided. In the shrouded darkness of the carriage, with slants of moonlight splintering in through the foggy windows, he caught a glimpse of longing in her eyes. “Let me taste the poison of your lips, let me feel the satin of your skin beneath my palms. One more shared moment is all I ask.”
She pressed her lips together in consideration and his hands stole around her hips as he swallowed a groan.
“Let me kiss you, Rissa love.”
She loosed another pinched sigh. “I hate it when you call me that.”
Solarius grinned. “I know.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. Almost a smile. Stars above, how long had it been since he’d actually seen her smile? Or heard her laugh? He couldn’t recall the last time, and that thought alone caused his chest to heave, the stabbing ache expanding with each breath. His lungs seized, and the erratic beating of his heart echoed in his ears to the rushing of his blood. He needed her like he needed air. Without her, he simply would not survive. “Let us have this moment, then I promise you can hate me again tomorrow.”
Her lashes fluttered like the wispy wings of a tiny butterfly, and she looked up at him. “You promise?”
Solarius nodded in earnest. “Yes. I promise.”
Narissa reached out, tucking a few fallen strands of his hair back behind his ear. Her fingertips feathered along his cheek, lingering at his jaw.
