Page 119 of Skyshade
Slowly, slowly, his fingers lightly gripped the side of her waist, thumb rubbing down, and they both watched as the red fabric of her dress gave way to the thinnest gold foil, down her stomach, to the floor. It was an impractical choice. The gold foil was so thin, even the slightest movement would rip it.
He made a primal sound, watching, seeing her in his realm’s color. Just when he was about to reach for her lips again, she said, “Now melt it off me.”
His brows came together. “I’ll hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
Before he could protest again, a Starling shield raced across her skin.
His eyes widened in surprise, then intensified, taking in the gold and glittering silver. She felt powerful. In control.
“Now,” she repeated. “Melt it off me.”
It didn’t seem like she would have to ask him again. He ran his knuckles down the center of her chest, to her stomach, and watched the dress melt down her body like a candle, revealing every inch of her little by little. The gold slipped into a puddle that hardened in a circle around her feet, and she was completely bare in front of him. Her Starling shield fell away.
The way he was looking at her...it made her remember when he said, I wish you could see yourself the way I do. You would never doubt yourself again. “You’re looking at me like I’m something to worship,” she said, nerves swirling in her stomach.
He made a low sound of need as he stepped forward, leaning into her. His voice was just a rasp as he said, “Do you want me on my knees for you, love?”
Her answer was immediate. “Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded, ready. She felt raw, needy, desperate to feel him. “I think I might die if you don’t touch me.”
Slowly, eyes never leaving hers, he sank to his knees before her...and that heat turned to a pulsing, relentless ache. “We wouldn’t want that,” he said.
Then, he gripped behind her knee and hooked her leg over his shoulder.
She gasped. At the first press of his mouth, she bucked against him, making a sound that mixed with a whimper, and he pinned her against the wall with a hand against her lower stomach. She writhed below him, pleading, making the types of promises that made him growl against her.
Her pleasure was a wildfire, razing the world, setting it aflame, flaring with every stroke, every nip. Their eyes were locked when it all crested. She gasped. Her hand hit the wall, and energy spiraled out of it, cracking the stone in several directions. For a moment, they just stared at each other, eyes ablaze. Chests heaving. No one had ever made her feel this way: cherished, like the full force of the sun was upon her, shining, melting all her troubles away. She trusted him fully, and that trust deepened every moment they shared. Every connection.
Oro gently set her on the ground again, and she shook her head, spent and still aching for more. “How are we ever going to leave this room?” she asked. She meant it.
“If it was up to me, we never would.” Then, he reached down, swept her into his arms, and carried her to the bed.
As soon as her body pressed against the silken sheets, she reached for him. Her hand pressed against his chest, and they watched as his shirt burned away, the flames licking his skin. She was using his power.
He looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time, like she was something wondrous and rare, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted everything with him. She wanted it while they still could. Who knew what the next day would bring?
With a burst of energy, she pulled him under her and climbed atop him, straddling him. Slowly, she ground her hips against his, and they both groaned at the contact. Her head fell back, and she balanced her hands behind her as she moved against him, pace quickening.
“I want you,” she said, panting. “I want all of you.”
He sat up, gripped her backside, and shifted them both until his back hit the headboard. Her hands fell to his shoulders, and he reached his own hand between them.
She gave him a look that said that wasn’t exactly what she meant—that she wanted all of him—but when he touched her, she groaned, and her eyes fell closed again. “More,” she said, reaching down to direct him where she wanted him, deeper. When he did, she gasped and leaned down to press her forehead against his. They were both breathing too quickly, sharing breath, and she looked him right in the eyes as she said, “I love you. I could never not love you.”
I love you.
He pressed his thumb where she liked it, and she curled her nails into his shoulders.
She moved on him with abandon, arching her back, wanting it to last, wishing this fire she felt when he touched her would rage forever. He stared up at her, transfixed, his other hand curved around her hip, tightening when she cried out.
“Oro,” she said, eyes blazing into his as her body tightened and he sat up quickly, as if he couldn’t help himself. His hand at her hip curled around the back of her neck, and he pulled her lips to his, tongue stroking her through her pleasure. It was a savage kiss, hard and desperate, like they might not see another night, like he could memorize the taste of her.
“I love you too,” he finally said when she stilled, melting against him. “No world exists in which I do not love you.”
