Page 75 of Winds of Darkness
He’d been settled in the bed beside her for several minutes when he said into the fading dark, “Ashtine?”
“Yes, Briar?”
He smiled at his name on her lips. “Can I kiss you, or would you prefer to sleep?”
“I enjoy kissing you,” she answered.
That was all he needed to roll onto his side, moving closer until his lips met hers. A contented sigh came from her when he deepened the kiss, parting her lips and seeking her tongue with his own. For a long time, they lay there, tuning out the world, until Ashtine murmured, “Am I still to decide the intimacy?”
“That choice is always yours,” he answered, pressing another kiss to the corner of her mouth.
“If I tell you I wish for more this night?”
He smiled against her skin as he pressed a kiss to her jaw. “I will ask if you are certain.”
To his pleasant surprise, she pushed his shoulders, nudging himonto his back and climbing atop him, settling against his already hard length. “I rarely speak unless I am certain,” she said. “But I will ask if you are certain as well. I will understand if you change your thoughts on the matter.”
“I am not changing my mind, Ashtine,” he answered, his hands sliding up her bare thighs and slipping under the shirt she wore. His thumbs made idle circles along her hips as he added, “But should I ever question things or feel differently, I will tell you. And I request you promise the same transparency.”
Her smile was soft and tender as she leaned down, brushing her lips along his. “I can agree to such terms.”
“Good,” was all he said before he gripped the hem of the shirt and pulled it over her head. Then he was rolling them over so she was lying beneath him. Her silver hair fanned across the pillows, and her body bared to him had him swallowing down the possessive growl that rumbled in his chest.
He didn’t feel worthy of seeing her like this, let alone having the privilege of touching her, but he wasn’t about to question it now. Not when he’d wondered about this moment for months. Not as her winds wrapped around him in a gentle breeze, making his entire body shudder with want.
He dragged his fingertips along her throat, across her collarbone, and down until he was cupping a breast in his hand. Then he was sucking her nipple into his mouth, unable to help himself when she arched into his touch. Her hands were roaming too, gliding along his back and arms. Fingers tangled in his hair, and he let his magic rise to the surface, turning his touch cold and making her gasp at not only the contrast, but his magic seeking out her winds.
For a long while, he was content just to feel her beneath him, stealing all those touches and kisses he’d told her about. It wasn’t until she was moving beneath him, hips seeking more, that he finally pulled himself away long enough to remove his pants. Seconds later, he was settling between her thighs.
“Ashtine—” he started. He was going to ask her if she was sure,give her one last opportunity to tell him to stop, but then she was reaching for him, dragging his mouth back to hers. People had been second-guessing her her entire life. He wasn’t about to do the same when she had made her desires clear.
Her hips rose again, grinding against him, and he groaned when he felt her already ready for him. If there was still any question about whether she was sure, it was gone now. Sitting back, he slid his hands beneath her, lifting her ass and angling her hips before sliding in, and by the gods. She had said she hadn’t taken many lovers, but he hadn’t been prepared for exactly what that meant. She was so godsdamn tight and warm around him that he was biting down on a curse.
Ashtine reached up, her thumb smoothing along the crease between his brows. “Are you well?”
He nodded, choking on his huff of laughter because it was such an Ashtine question in this moment, and he was more than all right. “I just need a moment. Areyouall right?”
She smiled, her fingers sliding down his torso and making his stomach cave at her touch. “I am happy with my choice to both stay here and share a bed with you.”
Fuck, he couldn’t focus on what she was saying or how she was saying it with her fingers tracing the indents of his abdomen, let alone his cock being buried inside her. He hoped this wasn’t one of her veiled sayings with layers of meaning because all he could do was say, “I’m glad you stayed too, Ashtine,” before he curled over her, covering her body with his and kissing her slowly.
Another groan clawed up his throat when he moved excruciatingly slowly, but if he moved too fast, this would be over just as quickly. He could feel the perspiration on his nape and chest, and it had nothing to do with the summer heat. This was all the princess beneath him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer still and rolling her hips in a way that ground her center against him.
Briar buried his face in the crook of her neck, kissing and sucking as she stroked her nails down his back. He thrust into her lazily, giving her the time needed to get to the same place he was. When her movements started growing desperate, he reached between them, circling and rubbing at her center until her breaths were short gasps and her nails were digging into his flesh. That was when he finally let himself take what he’d been desperate for.
It didn’t take long when his thrusts were deep, fast strokes, and she buried her face in his chest as he held her close, finding his own release. He’d expected this to be good. Their odd connection was too intimate for it not to be, but he hadn’t expected …
He simply hadn’t expected this.
That was all he could think after they’d both cleaned up and were back in bed. Ashtine curled into him, her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, tucking her in impossibly closer and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Briar?” she asked in a sleepy murmur.
“Yes, my dear?”
“The winds …”
She sighed into him, her breath coasting across his bare chest, and he traced his fingers along her arm.
