by AJ Nuest
Ah. He slumped. And then was once again caught between baffled amusement and the urge to shake her so she would see reason.
That she would ever suppose she was anything less than the utmost beautiful, compelling woman Helios had ever gifted his world caused a black stain to spread across his heart. “No, my love. You are everything they believe and more.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Her lips met his shoulder. He gritted his teeth as her breath hitched and warm tears dotted and traced down his skin.
By all the nine goddesses, she’d traversed realms for him. She’d stormed into the very bowels of hell and bartered for his soul.
She’d brought him to a place spun from dreams and yet, even now, she harbored uncertainties. Oh, that their time apart had ever caused her to be so misled.
“I have done you a terrible disservice. For you to squander even one moment unaware of how important you are is a grievous offense. You are the most captivating creature to have ever graced our kingdom. The strength and convictions of your heart spared us all and continue to do so even at your own expense.”
Her arms loosened as she sat back from him, her hair like strands of gossamer slipping through his fingers.
“The entirety of the Austiere Kingdom should take a knee and revere you with bowed heads. Not one person in all our lands is worthy of you or the sacrifice you have made. On my honor, you shall never again be treated with anything but due respect.”
Fresh tears coated her lashes. Turning away from him, she clamped her hand over her mouth.
No. Tugging her arm, he pried her fingers aside and nestled her cheeks his palms. Exactly where they belonged. “Do not doubt me, Rowena. Sorceress, goddess, it does not matter the title. From the first I beheld your lovely image, I knew then as I do now. You are the savior of this realm. Touched by the Nine and a part of it sound and true.”
“That’s not it, I…” A glance at him, and she shook her head, clearing the tears from her chin. “I realize this might sound strange, but…” She locked her gaze to his and then rolled her eyes in the way he’d come to adore. “God, Caedmon. I really missed you those two years you were gone.”
His brow twitched. Some unnamed force seized him by the throat. Despite the loss of her memories, the distance or time long spent without him, she’d still suffered his absence. Deep in her soul, she’d still longed for his presence at her side.
Spearing his hands in her hair, he wrenched her forward. Her slight intake of breath relayed her surprise as he brought her to his lips and devoured.
Gorging on the sweetness of her. Lapping and sipping. For her to confess such a thing left him awestruck. Never again, never again would he allow for the two of them to be parted.
She applied the sharp nip of her teeth to his bottom lip and his cock pulsed. A whimper hummed in her throat, and he cinched her in his arms as her tongue soothed the slight sting.
Pressure tingled at the base of his spine. She squirmed against the barrier of the blanket.
Wrapping his fingers around her bent legs, he seated her knees in the centers of his palms.
The width of her thighs spanned his thumbs and forefingers. He ran his splayed hands up her ivory skin and her nightdress buckled and gathered at his wrists. The fabric tumbled to his forearms. He clenched her hips, dragging her forward and back over the ridge of his cock.
The heated friction mounted, and he gritted his teeth. The need to be buried inside her sent blood pumping straight into his throbbing shaft.
Rising to her knees, she tugged the blanket down his thighs. His cock sprang into the cool air and her eyes widened as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Okay, wow. We’re gonna have to take this slow.”
He smirked. Then chuckled. “Imagine my utter satisfaction to learn I possess the one thing which gives you pause.”
Her jaw dropped a moment before she tossed her head back with a throaty laugh.
Sliding his palms up her ribcage, he lifted her chemise until she raised her arms and her nightdress left her hands for the ground.
His mouth dried at the sight of her. Naked on her knees in front of him. She was a beauty sculpted by the goddesses and cast into human form. Cupping the graceful slopes of her shoulders, he stroked the delicate line of her collarbones. Her pulse stuttered through the thin skin and her lashes fluttered then closed.
He clenched his jaw against the unrelenting desire to take her hard and fast and deep. Thinking only of himself would not be best for her. He would commit her to memory first. Consume every feature until he’d learned which pleasure points would wring the most pleasure from her body.
The muscles in her arms belied a skill most men envied. Strength under satin. Power and agility masked by feminine curves. He kissed the inner crook of her elbow and she swayed. The dart of his tongue, a steady stream of air, and her lips parted on a breathless moan.
Breasts full and round, topped with ripe berries the same blush as her mouth. He leaned forward and drew the first of her ripe fruits onto his tongue. Her breathing increased. She burrowed fingers into his hair and clasped him tight as he grazed and nibbled her with his teeth.
His cock jerked. A hot bead wept from the slit. Gliding his palms down to her sumptuous ass, he grasped her from behind.
His shaft pounded. The head swelled. He opened his thighs to ease the thick ache and she widened her stance to allow him room.
The scent of her arousal unfurled through senses. The floor pitched as his equilibrium reeled. He flexed his fingers. Her head fell back and she arched her sinuous spine. With the tip of his finger, he circled the tight bud and she took up a rhythm that blotted all sense from his mind.
He was lost in her. Lost, and content to never be found. A flat sweep of his tongue along her other breast and he strummed lower. Slippery skin moistened his fingers and hunger rumbled in the depth of his chest.
She was wet. Ready for him. He dragged his finger along her clit and it hardened. Grew distended. He circled and tapped and her thighs trembled. He fisted his cock and stroked.
Jerking him away from her breasts, she captured his lips and tangled her tongue with his. He rubbed and pinched, increasing the pressure. Coaxing her on, he slid one finger inside her tight sheath.
She grabbed his wrist, forcing his hand deeper. A curl of his index finger and she convulsed.
Her back bowed, face aimed toward the ceiling. He added a second finger and a third as tremors spasmed and coated his hand in slippery cream.
Yes. He would see her like this often. As long and tireless as he could make it last.
Her shaking gradually ebbed and she lowered her chin, her eyelids heavy and set at half-mast. Removing his hand from between her legs, she lifted a brow. One side of her lips curled in an evil grin. “Your turn.”
A shove to his shoulders and he reclined against the mattress, primed for whatever gifts she thought to bestow. The skin of his cock was strained to the limit, engorged and hot resting on stomach. Her slender fingers circled the base and his ass shot off the floor.
The ball of her thumb goaded the slit. The tendons in his neck audibly snapped. A slow stroke, a penetrating squeeze and his head jolted off the pillow as he fought to hang on.
She brought her lips near and her clever tongue darted and jabbed. He hissed as her second hand ran his inner thigh to cup and fondle his balls.
His jaw clenched, muscles screaming as she sucked him into her mouth. A buzz droned in his ears. The light swirled and dimmed. Sweet tits, the pull of her cheeks, the warm cradle of her tongue. She slowly withdrew and the entirety of his body rebelled.
He pumped into her mouth a second time and her low hum vibrated his skin. Pressure coiled in his gut. Another slow pump as she drew him in and sanity fled.
A snarl built in his throat, and he grabbed her upper arms, lifting her to his chest as he flipped her beneath him. The tip of his cock nudged and prodded. Drinking from her lips, he eased the head inside.
He grappled for r
estraint as she flexed around him, a tight band rimming his cock. She guided him down to her lips for a kiss and he was at once torn apart and completed.
Love sparkled in the depths of her eyes. His heart constricted. At last, she looked at him with the same devotion he’d lived and breathed these two years hence.
“Marry me.” He eased back and drove forward, gaining another fraction toward bliss.
“Oh, hell yes.” Arms about his shoulders, she crossed her ankles at his lower back. “Name the time and place and I’ll be there.”
His chuckle faltered as she dug her heels into his backside. She urged him on and he took up a maddening tempo so as not to hurt her. He wanted to build her slowly, until she pleaded and called him by name.
Sweat covered their bodies by the time he’d located the spot which made her writhe beneath him. Their labored breathing mingled as he brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “Is there much pain?”
She blinked and her brows drew together in a small frown. “Um, I would say the one sensation I’m experiencing right now is impatience.”
“Is that so?” He raised a brow, grinding against her. The hair at his nape tingled and his balls tightened as she squirmed. “And now, my heart?”
“Enthusiasm. Again.”
Bracing his forearms on either side of her head, he withdrew and rocked forward, penetrating from every angle. Ripples traveled the length of his cock and he muttered a curse. She was preparing to milk him dry. “And now?”
“Harder.” She thrashed under his weight. “God, I’m so close.”
The last of his self-control snapped. He let go and was consumed. Nuzzling her throat, nibbling her ear. He twined his fingers through hers and pinned them in place above her head.
She bowed against him and he increased his pace.
“Caedmon…” She gasped and he was flung body and soul into the abyss. A roar lodged in his throat. Spasms detonated down his spine. Shuddering into her, he spurted, pulled back and spurted a second time.
His arms gave and he collapsed on top of her, fighting to find his breath. She chuckled and wound her arms around him. Her contented sigh whispered past his ear.
Peace. For as long as he’d lived, he’d never met a woman who so fulfilled every aspect of his personality. Who challenged him at the same time she granted him release.
Shoving to his elbows, he bumped the end of her nose with his.
She smiled and shook her head, gifting him a chaste kiss. “Three days. Three days and, dammit, I agreed to marry you. Again.”
“Quite so.” He grinned. “Should your memory depart a second time, I shall endeavor to win your hand in two.”
Chapter Twenty
To his way of thinking, nary a thing in all of Helios’ bright reign compared to the distracting temptations of the female backside, and the one sauntering away from him was undoubtedly the most exquisite of all those within the realm.
Linking his fingers, Caedmon propped his hands under his head to better enjoy the view.
Much to his regret, his lady had insisted on reclaiming her nightdress before leaving the tangled result of their love-making. To his delight, the gauzy fabric allowed enough light to seep through it did naught to dampen the hard-riding need of his arousal.
Her shoulder blades shifted like restless wings as she crossed to the Pool of Tears. Shadows darkened the dimples in her lower back, the crease in her ass, the tender skin he would feast on the rest of his days along her inner thighs. She crouched down and the fabric swung loose as she dipped a golden chalice into the water. The silhouette of her breast was topped by a beaded nipple, and his cock thickened and flexed in response.
Goddesses wept. In all his seasons on earth, he would never get enough of her. Mayhap he should have followed his first instincts and torn that infuriating garment to shreds. “Henceforth I may insist that whilst we are alone together, you remain in a state of undress.”
She huffed and lifted the chalice, cupping the base in her palms. Footsteps measured and even, she slowly returned to his side. “Okay. I might be convinced to strip down whenever we’re behind closed doors. But what do I get in return?”
Ah. He smiled. He should’ve known this was where his suggestion would lead them. “Is this how it shall be then, my heart? Our lives filled with bargain and trade, neither submitting to the will of the other?”
“Well, think about it.” The shift billowed as she knelt at his waist and placed the chalice beside his hip. “If I’m gonna freeze my butt off in some drafty castle, not to mention risk starvation since it’s entirely possible we may never leave your bed, you’ve gotta give me something in return.”
Quite right. The woman was a shrewd negotiator. A skill she’d undoubtedly honed during her time within the court.
Capturing a lock of her hair, he wound the silky strands around his finger and feathered the ends against his lips. Yet her worries were unwarranted. There was nothing she could ask of him he would not freely give. “I swear by all the goddesses, not one morsel of your skin shall become chilled whilst I am present. As for our appetites, I shall issue a standing order to have three meals per day delivered to our rooms.”
“And that’s exactly what I’m worried about.” She dipped her hand in the chalice and brought it to his chest.
The droplets seemed comparatively cool as she dabbed the shallow mark left by the hashishan’s arrow. Another dip of her finger, and she traced the uppermost streak wrought by the swipe of a scimitar.
He frowned. The magic of the goddess’ tears had already served its purpose, restoring him to full health. Why would she tend a wound already healed? “What is this task about, my love? You no longer need fear my injuries.”
One of her shoulders lifted near her ear in a shrug. “I used the water on your scars while you were sleeping and they faded.” She smeared a damp trail along the puckered ridge he’d worn below his ribcage since his first season after entering the Royal Guard. “The weird thing is I haven’t gotten hungry. Like, at all. Who knows how long we’ve been here and food’s the last thing on my mind.”
He couldn’t agree more. The light skim she applied to the skin near his groin was an invitation far beyond his willpower. He could no more resist tasting her than he could deny himself air.
Clasping the base of her neck, he lowered her to his lips. He darted his tongue inside and became lost in the smooth, supple sweep of her mouth. Over and again, until the blanket tented and his need to be buried inside her propelled him near madness.
“What wilst you have?” He nibbled the soft spot below her ear, inhaling her deep into his lungs. A parcel of land, a heavy purse. If she fancied a gown made from moonbeams, he would travel to Selene’s realm and plead the moon goddess grant his favor. Anything to have her beneath him, their bodies joined as he drove them toward bliss. “I beg you. Name your terms and I shall move heaven and earth to fill your demands.”
Her breathy laugh warmed the hair on his chin.
Delicious. Mesmerizing.
More… He needed more.
Dotting kisses down her neck, he paid due attention to the alluring dip between her collarbones. Her pulse stuttered beneath his lips. A shiver wound through her body as he eased the strap off her shoulder to indulge in the temptations of her breast.
She sighed and combed her fingers through his hair. “Fine, if you must know, I want us to be partners in everything. Make all decisions together and respect one another’s opinions.”
And rightly so. How easily the woman could distract him from that which he already knew. Her currency didn’t consist of gold coins or glittering jewels. Fancy gowns would never earn her approval.
She dealt in deeds. The proof of conviction through action. He pressed a smile to the tender underside of her breast.
Silly girl. He no more wished to lord over her than he longed to claim a seat on the throne. Indeed, if anything, the more he fell under her charms, the more the scales of power tipped ever farther in her favor
.
“And I want to go after the key.”
He wrenched back on his elbow, a scowl tightening his brow. No. That petition was out of the question. “We cannot, Rowena. We must not.” Fear parched his tongue over the dangers she unwittingly proposed. “I will not allow it.”
She froze. Two heartbeats passed before she returned the strap to her shoulder. One of her eyebrows rose and foreboding swirled a sinking vortex in his gut. “Oh, yeah? Well, I don’t remember asking your permission.”
Springing forward, he clasped her upper arms. “You would willingly risk everything by having us ride straight into the arms of our enemy?”
Determination hardened her gaze. Encircling his wrists, she tugged his hands off her arms. “The night I left the castle? I overheard your conversation with Fandorn. He said a good chance exists my memories are linked to the key. You said so yourself, Caedmon. Stealing it back is the one chance I have at recovering everything I’ve lost.”
Goddess’ tits, the woman had not the slightest indication the unstable ground upon which she trod. The future of every soul in the kingdom hung in the balance of her charging off toward Castle Seviere.
Gaelleod’s lifeless black eyes flashed across his mind and Caedmon fisted his hands. No. ʼTwas one thing to risk himself in order to reclaim her love. Quite another to have her reunited with the key so near the chest in Seviere’s realm.
“Please, Caedmon.” Palming his roughened jaw line, she lifted until he met her gaze. His heart lurched as the same desperation binding his chest stared back at him through her emerald eyes. “You don’t understand what it’s like. I can’t remember my parents. I don’t know how old I am or my birthday.” She winced and placed three fingertips to her temple. “For God’s sake, I don’t even know my full name.”
His resolve cracked and he raked his hand through his hair. What character of man would he be to condemn her to such a fate? Denying her a mother and father she’d grieved not just once, but twice? Abandoning her to a repeated dim lapse where nothing but questions awaited?