I did, moaning into the salty taste of his skin, my eyes rolling back, toes curling, as my entire body tightened and then exploded with pleasure. Rhyan groaned and slowed his thrusts, still pushing into me as I rode the waves of my orgasm.
My eyes closed in bliss. A second later, he’d flipped me onto my back, and slid down my body, his mouth covering my core as he dragged what remained of my pants and underwear off.
“Need to taste you,” he said, voice guttural.
I cried out the second his tongue made contact.
“Shhhh.” He reached up, clamping his hand over my mouth, and then he slowly lowered his lips, my sex writhing helplessly and desperately against his lips and tongue.
I’d barely recovered from my first orgasm, and already I could feel another one rising, the pleasure cresting and ready to consume me.
Some unintelligible sound came out of my mouth, smothered by his hand, as he unleashed himself on me, licking and sucking, his fingers sliding in and out.
I kicked as I started coming again, my hips bucking, back arching off the ground. With a growl, I bit down on his palm. He didn’t relent, his fingers only pressed into my face with more intensity as I shuddered.
Without warning, he crawled back over me, and shoved his pants below his knees. Holding my legs up, he lined me up with him and thrust inside, sheathing himself with one push. This time, there was no warming up, no going slow. His eyes met mine, wild, and on the verge of losing control.
“Fuck.” His pace quickened, his rhythm leaving me breathless. I couldn’t do anything but lay there as he fucked me, watching him, and realizing how safe I felt, even like this. I loved him like this. Beautiful. Raw, and uncontained.
And mine.
His good eyebrow lifted suddenly, a cocky grin spreading across his face, his neck flushed with red. “One more?”
I whimpered again. I didn’t know if I could. He pressed his palm between my legs, adjusting his angle, and I barely stopped myself from crying out, shocked to feel myself tightening again. And then …
My eyes rolled back, my legs shaking, as Rhyan buried his face in my neck, cursing and growling as he shuddered, and shook, spilling into me.
I sucked in a breath, barely recovered as I tangled my fingers in the soft curls at the nape of his neck, holding him against me. My heart was still pounding, but Rhyan’s weight felt delicious over mine. I didn’t want him to move. Didn’t even want him to pull out. I loved being this closeto him. Loved this new level of intimacy we’d added to our relationship.
Ilovedhim.
He lifted his head, his lips finding mine kissing me with far more gentleness than he’d shown my core, his fingers now tangling in my hair, as our bodies remained joined. “Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
“You didn’t.” I kissed him back. “I’m good. Really good. Might be a touch sore tomorrow,” I said with a wink, and wrapped my legs back around him.
“Mmmm. I can apologize for that,” he teased.
I smiled. Last time he’dapologized, he’d left me a sweaty, boneless, whimpering mess on the floor. And I’d loved every second of it.
“Partner,” he purred contently. “So much for being quiet.”
I scoffed. “I hope you’re talking about yourself. Because I was following the rules,” I said primly.
He chuckled, playfully biting my chin, before peppering my neck with kisses. “I think I’m going to need,” he kissed my pulse point, “to explain,” he flicked his tongue, “the rules again.”
I laughed even as my toes curled again from his ministrations. “Well, you are my apprentice.”
“Not being a very good one tonight, am I?” He licked the spot he’d been kissing, then tugged my ear between his teeth. “I’m breaking all the rules now.”
A moment later his lips found mine again as I tried to pull him even closer to me. His familiar scent of pine and musk was heightened like this. My heart rate started to calm down to something in the range of not-quite-normal, but no longer imploding. Rhyan’s aura pulsed around us, forceful with feeling. The sensation reminded me of heavy snow falling at night, and a full moon making the frozen ground glitter.The rawness of his emotions was everywhere, and his heart was still pounding voraciously against mine.
“What woke you?” I asked at last.
He lifted himself up onto his elbows, messy curls falling over his forehead, a frown on his lips. I cupped his cheek, finger stroking the scar, and pushing his hair back. Leaning into my touch, he sighed, silent for a moment before he confessed, “A dream. I dreamt of being Auriel.”
I stiffened. “A memory?” He’d had two memories of himself as Auriel that I was aware of. One of me when I was Asherah, walking toward him on the beach before the Drowning. And then one at Asherah’s tomb. He’d hinted to Mercurial that more of his memories had returned, but he hadn’t shared those with me yet.
I hadn’t wanted to press. My own memories of being Asherah so far were vague. Nothing more than small flashes, like looking at my hand on a beach. Seeing myself running into battle, a sword in my hand. Auriel walking toward me. But just those impressions alone had felt overwhelming to me. Rhyan’s memories had been vividly intense, and much more detailed.
