Page 59 of The Curse of Eternity
Drake placed one hand on my shoulder to steady me while the other held the nape of my neck, his fingers threading through my knotted hair. Any semblance of uncertainty between us wasforgotten when he didn’t hesitate to press his soft lips against mine.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as I straddled his lap. The ends of his hair were still damp under my fingertips, the strands soft beneath my caress. His hold on my shoulder relaxed, drifting lower to sweep down my spine. Sensations followed his path, pinpricks of need growing stronger in the wake of his gentle touch.
A moan climbed my throat, exhaled against his mouth as I pulled away just enough to shrug out of the jacket that suddenly felt too warm. Unspent passion reflected in his heavily-lidded eyes when I met his gaze. Drake licked his lips as his hand drifted over my hip, rising up my waist with tentative patience.
My head tilted aside as he leaned in, his needless breath brushing my throat as his hold over my ribs tensed, tugging me closer. A chill tip-toed up my spine, and I shuddered as Drake’s bloodlust surged over me.Damn, that never felt so fucking good. Heat pulsed to life below my navel, and I nearly purred when my tangled hair was pulled taut as his grip tightened.
“Keep going,” I mumbled, my voice thready with want.
“Are you certain?” he whispered against my neck, and my ears warmed from the decadently rich tenor of his accent. There was only one more thing I needed to say, and I dipped my chin to capture his gaze.
“I’m in love with you, too,” I murmured, and my heart thrummed when the despair that lingered behind his eyes vanished. A small smile curved up the corner of my mouth. “And if you want this, then I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life. But if you don’t—”
Drake cut off my rambling with a kiss, and my shoulders relaxed. Venom had bloomed in his mouth, tasting sweet on my tongue. When he withdrew, mere millimeters separating us,his pupils contracted against the firelight before expanding to reflect mine.
“Oh, love,” Drake breathed the words, and my chest heaved. Pressing into his as he caught a stray curl before tucking the strands behind my ear. His palm touched my jaw as he stared into my eyes, and I could’ve lost myself in the depths of his. “Never have I craved anyone more.”
I inhaled a moment before his mouth returned to mine. His intent was clear as he leaned into me, cradling the back of my head with one hand while the other supported my back as I reclined. My shoulders touched the thin scraps of cloth laid over the stone floor, and our kiss hastened in time with my rasping breaths. Cool fingers dipped below the waistline of my sweatpants, and then he grasped my hips before lifting my ass high enough to pull the material down.
Goosebumps rose along my bare thighs, and Drake’s mouth abruptly abandoned mine so he could drag the sweats over my knees. Next he unlaced my boots, his hands a blur before tossing both my shoes and borrowed sweatpants aside. I sat up, hauling my sweatshirt off in one fluid movement. There hadn’t been any spare bras at Winston’s.
Drake’s attention slowly rose, drinking in every detail from the curve of my hips to the swell of my breasts. A breath shuddered from my lungs as I reached closer, my fingers trembling with anticipation as I unbuttoned his shirt. Callused palms traced up the shape of my legs, and my eyes nearly fluttered shut when his knuckles skirted my inner thigh.
Dark eyes met mine, his pupils blown until barely any dark brown remained. My breath seized when I managed the final button, and the rain-drenched fabric parted to reveal the hard lines of his abdomen.No wonder he’d been so heavy to carry at the Cneaz’s manor, the man was all muscle.Not to mentioncoveredin scars.
Grooves of toughened tissue were scattered across his chest and stomach, with more lines disappearing beneath the fabric at his shoulders. One of them must have been responsible for his death, but how many wounds had he been forced to heal without stitches when he was still alive? My ogling was cut short when his lips touched mine, and I redirected my focus to pushing his shirt free from his broad shoulders.
Before I could start on the button of his jeans, Drake shifted us. My back touched the floor, and I gasped as the cold seeped through the thin material separating my flesh from the stone. Except I quickly warmed as his kisses drifted from my mouth to the curve of my jaw.
Following down my throat to my collarbone as his forefinger and thumb teased my nipple. I arched closer, running my fingers through the silken strands of his hair while the path his lips took trailed lower. He’d reached my navel by the time my mind caught up with his actions, and I took his face between my hands to raise his gaze.
“There’s no time,” I rasped, desperately wishing that wasn’t the case. We only had until morning light, and then reality would crash down around us. If this was it for us, then I wanted all of him, for as long as this could last.
Seeming to understand, Drake nodded, repositioning himself over me while I reached low between us. The button and zipper of his jeans were quick work between my fingers, but my hands stilled when his mouth encircled my nipple. Fervor surged to my core, and I bit my lip on a murmured moan as my eyes closed.
Blindly, I shoved the waistline of his jeans lower. Then I grasped him—
Holy shit.
My lips parted as I stroked his hard length from tip to base, and Drake groaned a soft sound against my breast. Warmth hit my face tenfold. Was it going to fit?It had better fucking fit.Istartled, inhaling a gasp when Drake suddenly hiked my thigh up, opening me fully, and my eyes flew open. Raven-dark eyes bore into mine, but Drake’s expression softened as the barest smile quirked up the corner of his full lips.
“You are incredibly beautiful,” he whispered, so close that his breath touched my lips.
My voice quavered with a heady sigh as I said, “You’re not so bad, yourself.”
A full smile graced his striking features while firelight flickered shadows across his face. Then he kissed me, his mouth moving tenderly over mine as a shiver caressed my spine. Bracing myself, I let my legs relax as I lined us up. Rough denim brushed my inner thigh, but the fact that his jeans were still mostly on became trivial as he slid inside me.
My next breath caught in my throat as my eyes squeezed shut tighter. Heat swelled where my center stretched, throbbing with need while my toes curled. On instinct, I held him closer, my hands drifting over the scars across his back. Soft lips grazed my jawline, and his groan was exhaled across my cheekbone.
His palm flatted over my hip, fingers gripping hard. I yelped when he hauled me closer, deepening his thrust until our bodies were flush. At my unintentional squeak, Drake stilled.
“Are you alright?” he murmured, and I nodded.
“Keep going,” I urged, biting my lip when he obliged. A moan escaped me in a sigh when my body relaxed around him. Another chill climbed my spine, and the spasm of his bloodlust reverberated below my navel. My back arched as a thrill spiked through me with his relentless pace, steadily increasing alongside the pitch of my strangled voice.
The touch of his lips over my neck sent me over the edge when a wave of his bloodlust echoed the satisfaction that swelled to a fever pitch at my core. Molten bliss washed over me, and I clutched him closer. Every ridge of muscle acrosshis shoulders was hot to the touch, warmed from the fireside and our continued proximity. I exhaled a breathy moan as the aftershocks faded one heartbeat at a time.
After wanting him for longer than I’d dared to admit to myself, being with him was better than anything I could’ve imagined. The way he moved against me, filling me so completely as his body trembled under the sweep of my tracing fingertips while pleasure coiled low at my core. A tremor shivered up my spine as Drake suddenly slowed, and I blinked fast to bring the dilapidated ceiling back into focus.
