Savage Exile: Lion Hearts Book Five

by Lane, Cecilia

  She stayed on the edge of the doorway, back against the wall as Rhys poked his head inside.

  “It’s not much,” she rambled. A hand pressed to her stomach did nothing to calm her nerves or quiet her tongue. “The floor could be better, of course. Bars instead of a kitchen stool would be nice. For something cobbled together, it’s not so bad. Not a real studio, but it works.” She hesitated, then admitted, “I know it’s mine and I can make it however I want it to be, but there’s something off that I can’t put my finger on.”

  “There isn’t another exit.”

  She took a step back and jerked her eyes to meet his face.

  “Wherever you go, you always check out the exits,” he continued with a shrug as if it was the most obvious observation in the world. Maybe to a man so invested in watching her, it was. “If one isn’t easy to reach, you put yourself as close as possible to the next. And unless you’re planning on diving through the window, that makes the door leading into a cramped hallway your only escape.”

  “How do you know all that?” she asked, but she already knew the answer. He was a watcher. He’d been watching her since she’d arrived.

  He flashed her a smile, then turned back to the room. “Say the word, and I’ll throw someone through the wall. Lindley’s already fixed one hole like that. You can have him add a door while he’s at it.”

  Sage snorted. “I’ll keep it in mind. I’m sure my brother would love to know you’re volunteering him for extra work.”

  “I do what I can to make his life difficult,” he said with a shrug. “Why here? Isn’t there a place in town?”

  There he was again, picking up on the things she kept buried deep.

  “I’m still working up to that. Still working on a lot of things. Being around people…” she trailed off and looked at him from the corner of her eye. So close, she needed to turn her head to scale the mountain of his muscled arm and shoulder.

  And that wasn’t the only thing she wanted to climb.

  Cheeks heating, she dropped her eyes again. “It’s hard, sometimes. I get overwhelmed easily. Touch is hard because I still expect it to be bad. That doesn’t just disappear when you’re snatched away from the monsters.”

  “You’re safe here,” he said, turning to put his back to the wall.

  Sage mimicked his pose. “You keep telling me I’m safe, but it’s different when you say it.”

  “How so?” he asked.

  She wrapped her arms around her middle to keep her fingers from fidgeting. “They mean physically. I’m physically safe. No harm will come to my body. But you…” She stopped in her tracks. The idea was right there, but the words were harder to find. Partly because she wasn’t sure how to string them together, partly because the concept still felt too big and unwieldy for her to comprehend. Maybe they were the same problem, she didn’t know. She did, however, know her cheeks were beginning to flush under his attention and she’d been quiet for too long and his eyebrows were starting to climb toward his hairline and…

  “Safe, with you, is more. It’s space to heal. It’s time to figure out who I am. It’s this big, full feeling. Of what, I don’t know. Possibility? Potential? Something more, like a yearning.” She dropped her eyes and scuffed her toe against the floor. “I don’t know how else to explain.”

  “You don’t need to.” He brushed his fingertips over her cheek, and Sage leaned into his palm. Heat rolled through her at the connection, riding along her nerves and cutting through all the anxiety that tried to claim her every second of the day. Even her cat, always so unpredictable in her head, brushed and rubbed against her in contentment.

  She slid her eyes closed to deepen the sensation.

  The air pressing against her skin shifted as he closed the gap between them. His fingers curled slightly against her cheek, and she felt a soft whisper of breath right before he slid his lips against hers.

  The kiss was entirely different from the one he’d given her at the bar. He’d been all hard muscle and pure domination then. This one was slow and gentle. The softer brushes of exploration kindled a need deep in her core that threatened to blaze hotter than a forest fire.

  Rhys slid his hand into her hair, tangling his fingers in the strands. The gentle tug tilted her head back and gave him better access to her mouth. He nibbled his way over her lips, soothing over any hurts he might have caused with a swipe of his tongue. Her mouth parted, and he deepened the kiss.

  Not breaking the kiss, he took a step down the hall, pulling her with him. One step turned to three, and when she cracked her lids to peek, they were standing in the middle of her living room.

  Rhys let his hands fall to her hips. His thumbs slipped under her shirt and rubbed slow circles against her skin. Heat flared to life up and down her body, under his thumbs, where their knees bumped together, right in her very center.

  She wanted more. More of him. More of his taste on her tongue. More of his hands on her body.

  But deep in her head, the familiar skeletal hand of panic crawled forward. The warmth he’d bathed her in died under that cold touch.

  Rhys wasn’t Jasper.

  The hands on her weren’t going to claw and maim.

  She wouldn’t be locked down by silver.

  She slammed her eyes closed and tried to will it away. She wanted to be normal. She wanted to be there, in that moment. His arms wrapped around her, his body pressed against hers…

  Head spinning, she pushed him away.

  Rhys staggered back and took a heavy seat on the couch. Forearms on his thighs and tips of his fingers pressed together, he let his head hang as he dragged down one deep breath after another.

  “I’m sorry,” she panted. “Not yet. I tried, but not yet.”

  “Breathe, Sage. Just breathe,” he answered in a strained voice. “You decide what you want and when you want it.”

  She’d let herself start to believe she could be as fierce as Rhys’s lioness carving, only to have those brief flashes of bravery ripped away when her father demanded her return. Not to mention her little freak out over his kiss!

  She could still feel the words he’d whispered in her ear. Did you like what you saw?

  Her heart thundered in her chest, the same as it’d done while she watched him don his clothes in her own private reverse strip show.

  He was there for her. He gave her all the pretty words she wanted to hear. But they weren’t just words with Rhys. He gave her the actions to back them up. He offered his hand, set her back on her feet, and let her find her way.

  He didn’t get frustrated when she needed space, either. Rhys backed off and let her breathe.

  And now… she wanted more. Craved it. Needed it from the man who made her lioness perk up and make sense for the first time in months. He had her entire attention, even if she couldn’t give him everything she wanted.

  Yet.

  She unglued her tongue from the roof of her mouth. “What would you do? If you could?”

  Only his eyes moved. Deep, dark blue flicked up and pinned her in place as a low, rumbling purr vibrated the air. “What would I do?” he repeated. His purr turned to a groan. “Whatever you’d like me to do. Whatever you’d let me do.”

  She swallowed hard. Her stomach shot straight to her toes with the same excited trepidation of the first sudden drop on a rollercoaster. “Which would be?” she urged.

  This wasn’t her. The words were channeled from some alien being, not the scared, powerless creature she’d become.

  Rhys cocked his head, a slow smile ticking up the corners of his mouth. “I’d loop an arm around you and pull you close. Run my free hand up your arm and over your shoulder until I caught your chin between my fingers. Your heart is pounding so hard, Sage. It’s louder than anything I’ve ever heard.”

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered. She prayed she wouldn’t suffer a heart attack.

  “I’d lean in close enough to feel your breath on my lips. A fraction of an inch closer, I’d brush my lips over yours. J
ust a tease, just enough to make you lean forward. I want to know you want to kiss me.”

  Wanting wasn’t the problem. She’d wanted it at the bar. She wanted it right then. Keeping the panic at bay was the difficult part of the equation.

  Still, her head swam and heat prickled along her limbs. She could just about feel his breath hitting her skin.

  “There’s no holding back when I taste you, but I’d try. I’d slide my hand from your cheek and tangle my fingers in your hair the same time I dig my fingers into your hip and haul you closer. That’s absolutely not a roll of quarters in my pocket. I am that happy to feel you pressed against me.”

  Sage huffed a laugh. Of course he’d make jokes. As big and heavy as he could feel with his lion in control, this was a different side of him. More relaxed and at ease, even though dominance still washed off him. All the power he possessed was focused and grounded—on her.

  “I’d break the kiss only when I knew I’d leave you panting and trembling for more. The hand on your hip slips under your shirt and skims up your side the same time I tug your head back and nibble my way down your throat.”

  Heat slithered down her spine and settled right in her core. She pressed her thighs together to ease some of the ache, but it wasn’t enough. Not when he kept going.

  “When I reach your perfect fucking tits, I’d graze my thumb right underneath. More teasing, but this time it’s because I want to, not because I need to know you’re not going to run. I want you gasping by the time I trace the cup of your bra. I want you digging your nails into my skin when I peel it down and roll your nipple between my fingers.”

  Sage let her eyes fall closed as his voice stroked over her. Her own hand mimicked his words, sliding up her waist to her breast. She cupped herself, arching into the squeeze of her hand, lips parting with a sudden exhale. Her nipples puckered against the cups of her bra, the soft glide of cotton adding to the sensation, but it wasn’t enough. She rubbed a knuckle over the tight bud, letting off a soft gasp.

  Rhys growled. “Take off your shirt.”

  Her eyes slammed open, and an edge of her previous panic returned.

  “I won’t touch you. I swear.” He dragged his eyes down her body, then back up to her face. “I just want to see all of you.”

  She froze, breath evacuating from her lungs. Her heart stuttered in her chest, too, and she knew he was aware of every single aspect of her response. He didn’t react. Not an arch of his eyebrows, no steps putting him closer or adding distance. He simply waited for her to get through whatever objections her brain fired up.

  She’d come this far. And he promised not to touch her. Not a damn ounce of a lie weighed on his words or soured his scent. He fully intended to keep his hands to himself.

  She might love him for that alone.

  Sage licked her lips as her fingers found the hem of her shirt. Cool air washed over her skin in the quick second it took for her to yank the cotton of her head.

  All of her, he said.

  Her hands found the button of her jeans before he added to the request. The silver churning in his eyes and the growl rattling in his throat made her feel brave and desired.

  She slowed and turned, giving him her back. The newfound bravery coursing through her made her want to put on more of a show than whipping her shirt over her head. She edged the denim down an inch, then another, until just the tops of her panties showed. Another couple of swaying steps turned her around to him, and she slid her jeans down her thighs.

  She twisted around again, lowering her lids and peeking over her shoulder. The clasps of her bra unbuckled in record time and smoothness, so she dropped the straps down her shoulders. Holding the cups to her chest, she spun back around and bent at her waist, skimming her panties down and letting her bra fall in the same motion.

  He didn’t give her the chance to feel exposed or embarrassed. “Fucking hell,” he breathed. “Do you have any idea how good you look?”

  Rhys dropped to his knees and skimmed his hands up her bare legs, keeping the distance just as he promised. He leaned close, then blew a breath over her skin. “Ass on the chair, little cat.”

  She stumbled back a step and worked her way into one of the chairs lining her kitchen counter. Rhys followed, kneeing his way closer.

  “You smell so good,” he groaned. “I want to lick my way between your thighs and drown there.” He leaned in again and blew another breath against her skin, pebbling goose bumps up her arms and thighs. She shivered as the trail ran up her calf, then across her inner thigh. A jolt shot up her back at the burst of air over her heated flesh.

  Rhys leaned back on his heels and rolled his eyes to her face. “Touch yourself,” he purred. “Rub that ache away.”

  Sage slid her hand down her stomach and between her thighs. Wet heat slicked her fingers as she found her clit. She was already wound up tighter than she could ever remember. His eyes and his words were enough to bring her to the very edge. Adding in her fingers? Pleasure spiked to life under the first circle. Her legs twitched with the second.

  “This is how I want you. I want your scent in my nose, your arousal on my tongue. I want you soaking wet when I rub my cock against you. That’s all you’ll get before I nip your ear and ask if you’re ready for me. I need those words, Sage. Need to hear how much you want me before I fill you up.”

  He pushed to his feet and stepped right between her knees. The distance was another pressure point. He was so close, but stayed just far enough away not to crowd her, a temptation she could reach out and take if she wanted.

  And she wanted. Wanted so bad her chest heaved with panted breaths.

  “I’ll go slow, little cat. You spied on me. You know how big my cock is. Are you imagining how good I’ll feel stretching you wide? Because I can’t stop thinking about how tight you’ll be wrapped around me, how you’re going to scream when I give you every fucking inch.”

  He’d switched from what he would do to what he planned to do. That sure confidence danced along her nerves, but she didn’t back away. She wanted him. More than just his words and his looks. She wanted everything he had to offer, and he’d give it all the moment she’d allow it.

  Sage rubbed herself, eyebrows shooting together as heat and pleasure and pure fucking bliss lit up every nerve in her body. She let her eyes fall closed and arched against the chair, her other hand coming up to cup her breast. She imagined it was Rhys’s hand plucking at her nipple, his fingers stroking her clit.

  “Look at me.”

  Sage opened her eyes. Silver stared back at her. Hot, hungry silver of a lion powerful enough to take anything he wanted. Right then, the bulge in his jeans, the pant of his breath, he wanted her.

  And he stayed away, just as he promised.

  Her hands shook. Powerful lion. Hers to command.

  “I wish you could see what I see,” he growled. “Cheeks flushed, lids at half mast. You look like a goddess, Sage. A gorgeous, fuckable goddess. I’d give my life to get a taste of you. I’d sell my soul to slide deep into your hot, wet pussy.” He squeezed himself through his jeans.

  Her hand faltered, and he clucked his tongue. “Don’t stop. I want to watch you come.”

  A whimper pushed out of her lips as she chased her release, but it wasn’t enough. She needed something else. Something more. More of him.

  “I want…”

  He passed a hand down her arm, hovering close enough to feel the heat but not break his promise of hands off. “What do you want?”

  “I want to watch. You.”

  One corner of his mouth hitched up. The devilish smirk sent a shiver down her spine.

  “You want to watch me?” He asked, stepping away. Two more brought him to the couch. Even that was a tease. He sprawled, knees wide, arms thrown over the back. Eyes locked on her, he ordered, “Tell me what you want to watch.”

  “You,” she breathed. She caught her teeth between her lip as a tremor passed through her body. She rubbed another circle before sliding a finger
into her core. “I want to watch you get off on watching me.”

  He let off a growl, then reached over his shoulder and hauled his shirt over his head. Sage dropped her eyes to take him in under proper lighting. Tanned skin, abs for days, muscles under every inch of his skin. He called her a goddess? He must have been born to some god high on a mountain before coming down to live among mere mortals like herself.

  He worked open his jeans and shoved them down. Commando. Again. His cock jutted out from his body, even more impressive than she remembered. He grabbed himself firmly, pumping down his length as he kicked his jeans from his ankles. “This what you wanted to see?”

  Sweet skies above, it was even better than she’d imagined.

  Cords stood out on his neck as he let his head fall back. His eyes stayed open and utterly focused on her even as his hand slid down his length, then stroked back up. A tiny droplet of precum moistened his tip; a swipe of his thumb on his next stroke worked it over his silky skin and down his shaft.

  “You like what you do to me?” he asked in a thick voice. His tongue darted out and dragged over his lips. “You like seeing how hard you make me?”

  “Yes,” she whimpered.

  Pressure built in her middle. This was so wrong. So dirty. So damned intimate, even with the feet between them. She almost, almost, wanted to hold herself off just to stretch the moment out even longer.

  But there’d be more. There could be even hotter, even dirtier, moments. She could feel him moving inside her, holding her close, whispering all those damn delicious words right in her ear.

  “Sage,” Rhys groaned. His strokes turned furious. “Come with me. I won’t be the only one to finish. That’s the rule. That will always be the rule. I need you to feel good, little cat.”

  Then she was there. Her toes curled as her back arched. Pleasure shot through her body and she slammed her thighs closed just to keep it going for a second more.

  Her eyes never left Rhys.

  He bit down on his lip, but that did nothing to hold back the rumbling growl that left his lungs. His breath froze, then exhaled in a sudden burst as he painted his stomach with his release.