With her free hand, Isabelle reached up and touched the stubble on his cheek. The touch sent a surge of electricity right through him. He tried to hold himself still, tried to let her lead, let her do what she would. But he couldn’t hold himself back any longer.
With a groan of need and longing, he yanked her into his arms and kissed her.
Chapter 15
Oh, yes, it felt just as good as the first time. Better, in fact, than when she’d kissed him yesterday. Because this time, as Magnus’s lips touched hers, there was no hesitation from him—only raw desire and need.
Everything Izzy had kept pent up inside since that moment yesterday, all the frustration, the confusion, the longing, came rushing out. Before she knew what she was doing, she was tangling her fingers in his thick curls and pulling him down to her.
Magnus’s kiss was not gentle. It was hard and insistent, his grip around her waist possessive. Izzy welcomed it all, the fierce intensity matching the need that burned through her like fire. She responded in kind, her own hands threading through his hair, tugging lightly at the roots and drawing a low growl from him that sent a shiver across her skin.
His lips moved over hers with an urgency that made her dizzy, or maybe that was just Magnus’s hand sliding up to cup the nape of her neck, tilting her head back as he delved deeper into the kiss.
She could feel his heart pounding against her chest, matching her own rapid heartbeat. He pulled back for a moment, the look in his eyes intense, filled with desire and something more profound that she couldn’t quite name. And then his lips were back on hers, the kiss deeper and somehow softer as he continued to explore her mouth with a hunger she returned in kind.
Her hands left his hair to trace the lines of tension in his broad shoulders before skimming lower, feeling the solid warmth of his skin through his tunic. Her fingers sought out the edge of the fabric, slipping underneath to find the ridges of muscle that flexed beneath her touch. Magnus’s breath hitched as her fingers explored the expanse of his chest, but he did not break the kiss.
Suddenly, Magnus’s strong arms lifted her off the ground and she wound her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the bed and laid her gently on it, following her down onto the soft blankets.
Izzy’s hands moved to the hem of his tunic, and with a swift motion, she pulled it over his head, revealing the man beneath. Magnus’s muscled body was crisscrossed with scars, each mark telling a story of the life he’d lived. She traced them gently with her fingers, feeling him shudder beneath her touch.
Who was this man who sent her senses into such a tempest? He was a man marked by violence and struggle, a man whose body stood testament to the living of a life that was so far removed from her own that she ought to be terrified. But she wasn’t. There was such life in him, such raw vibrancy and strength, that it lit something inside her that had never been lit before. He made her feel...she didn’t know how he made her feel. Reckless? Spontaneous? Daring? He made her feel everything she’d always believed she wasn’t. Brave. Adventurous. Strong. He made her feel alive.
Izzy felt a rush of daring and bent her head to plant a series of soft kisses along the lines of his scars. Magnus let out a low groan, his hands digging into the soft blanketsbeneath them. She held such power over him—this strong, fierce warrior who had faced countless battles, yet was undone by something as simple as a kiss.
Feeling emboldened, she drifted lower, tracing the hard planes of his stomach with her lips. Magnus shifted beneath her, a soft sound of surprise escaping him. Izzy glanced up at him through her lashes, taking in his expression—eyes dark with desire, lips slightly parted in anticipation.
She saw a question in his eyes, and her answer was in her own—yes, she was sure. She wanted this, wanted him.
Magnus pushed himself up, capturing her lips once more in a searing kiss. His hands moved to the bodice of her dress, tugging at the laces there with an uncharacteristic urgency that made Izzy’s heart race even faster.
Once the laces were undone, she lifted her hips slightly and wriggled out of the cumbersome garment, and then they were skin on skin, a tangle of breathless sighs and heat. Magnus’s hands roamed her body, mapping out each curve and hollow. His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs flicking over the sensitive peaks, causing Izzy to gasp and arch her back. He bent his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking gently while his hand stroked the other breast. A moan ripped from Izzy’s throat and she tangled her fingers in his hair, urging him on.
He trailed his way down her stomach, leaving a line of hot, open-mouthed kisses in his wake that made Izzy squirm with anticipation. His hand moved lower too, finding its way to the apex of her thighs. Her body arched instinctively towards him as his fingers began to explore her with a skill that left her breathless.
The world went hazy and indistinct, her entire existence narrowed down to Magnus and the electric thrum of desire he was evoking inside her. Her hands reached out blindly, fingers fisting into the blankets. What was he doing to her? Oh god. Oh god.
Izzy felt his lips curl into a smile against the skin of her stomach, pleased at her reaction. He pressed another kiss there before moving back up to capture her mouth with his own. His fingers never stilled, continuing their slow, languid exploration.
Izzy’s heart pounded in her chest as he parted her legs wider, his fingers dipping into the moist heat of her. She moaned against his lips as he continued to tease, his thumb circling over her sensitive nub. This was too much. Too much. His hand was between her legs, his lips were on her lips, his tongue was sliding gently into her mouth. How was she supposed to deal with such sensations? She couldn’t.
