For a moment, he just stood there, dark eyes drinking her in. Then he bent to kiss her again, achingly soft, until tears blurred her vision.
Clothes fell away in careful touches between kisses—her dress first, then his tunic—leaving nothing between them but heat and want.
His weight settled over her, grounding her, his lips grazing her forehead in a soft promise before trailing down her jaw. His mouth traced her throat, her chest, exploring her skin with a purpose that made her ache with longing. His thumb stroked her nipple, sending a shiver racing down her spine.
The world outside ceased to exist; all that mattered was the press of his body, the movement of his lips, the way each touch ignited something fierce and alive within her.
She arched into him, hands clutching at his shoulders, the fire inside her building with every slow drag of his mouth against her skin. She had never felt anything like this—so consumed by desire, so completely in tune with someone else. He kissed her as if committing every inch of her to memory.
When his fingers slipped between her thighs, she gasped, her body jolting at the sheer intensity. But when his thumb brushed the aching peak of her, pleasure tore through her so fiercely she cried out, the sound ragged in the quiet room.
Leukos grinned, unrepentant, a flash of male pride in his eyes that made her laugh even as her bones melted into molten heat. He hovered above her, his dark gaze searching hers, asking without words.
Breathless, heart hammering, she nodded. “I’m sure.”
He shifted, positioning himself at her entrance. A flicker of nerves fluttered in her chest, but it vanished the second he touched her again, fear dissolving into heat. His mouth found her throat, her collarbone, the slope of her shoulder.
Then—pressure. A sting. Her breath hitched, body tensing. Pain, brief but sharp.
Leukos stilled instantly, one hand braced beside her, the other caressing her cheek. “Are you all right?”
She swallowed. “Just… slow.”
He kissed her forehead in answer and moved with deliberate care, his eyes never leaving hers, watching for any sign of discomfort. But there was none—only a growing need for more.
Alena gasped when he filled her completely. The ache dulled, shifting into warmth that bloomed low in her belly. Her breath caught, a soft moan slipping free as sensation overtook hesitation.
Her hands roamed over him with trembling urgency, seeking him out. Fingers traced the hard lines of his chest and the flex of muscle beneath sweat-slick skin as he moved within her.
She could feel him everywhere—breath ghosting her neck, hands gripping her waist, his body sending sparks licking up her spine.
And still, she couldn’t get close enough. Couldn’t stop touching him, couldn’t stop burning in the best way imaginable.
Leukos stilled, chest heaving, lips parting in a half-smile, eyes smouldering. “Keep that up,” he warned, voice taut with need, “and I’m not going to last.”
Alena’s cheeks flamed. “Sorry… I’ll stop.”
He dipped his head, brushing his mouth over hers. “Don’t you dare,” he murmured, teeth grazing her lips. “Touch me all you want, love. I’m yours.”
Her fingers slid into his hair, pulling him closer while he drove into her—faster now, urgency overtaking rhythm. She clung to him, breathless, the world narrowing to the press of his body and the exquisite undoing building between them.
Leukos broke with a low groan rumbling from his chest, his face buried against her neck. Her name fell from his lips like a sacred prayer meant for her alone.
For a long moment, the air was filled with ragged breaths and the shudder of their bodies in the aftermath. He held her tightly, his weight comforting. She wrapped her arms aroundhim, fingers threading into his damp hair, anchoring herself to the steady rise and fall of his chest.
Her body still hummed with the echo of what they’d shared, every nerve alive.
“I love you,” she whispered, unable to hold it back.
She tilted her face to him, and he met her gaze. His hand drifted to her hip, tracing slow, soothing circles.
“But I’m also scared that what we have is too good,” she admitted softly. “That it’ll be torn away from us.”
Leukos lifted his head, brow furrowing. “It won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No,” he said, voice low. “But I know this—” He cupped the back of her neck, drawing her forehead to his. “I would turn the world to ice before I let it take you.” A pause. A breath. “You are my soulmate. My forever.”
