He let go of my hands and I grabbed on to him. Then he slid his hand between us and said, “One more time, wife.”
It was as if he had thrown oil onto a fire. It blazed up inside me, and I became a writhing mess, clawing at his back, my moans drowned out by his hot and frantic kisses.
“I ... I can’t ...” I insisted. It was too much.
“You can. I have you. Come undone for me, Lia.”
Waves of shocks, tingles, and excruciating, intense pleasure burst inside me and ripped a strangled sound from my throat. He tore my soul open and my brain whited out. I threw my head back, arching toward him and canting my hips up. I unraveled, completely shattered, riding a bolt of ecstasy that I couldn’t have even imagined.
He sped up, thrusting with abandon three more times before his hips jerked and he went rigid, shouting my name as he found his own release.
This moment was ours, only ours. Our hearts, our bodies, our souls, our minds. It was everything.
His face was buried against my neck and we were both breathing hard. Just as he’d once promised, he had brought me to completion.
Because I was complete with him.
With his weight pressing into me, I felt connected to him in a way that I had never felt connected to another person. Everything felt right. Even though death and destruction waited for us beyond the city’s walls.
“Are you telling me that we could have been doing that the whole time?” I asked when I was able to speak again. I had been so cheated.
His mouth curved into a smile. “Yes, my beautiful wife.”
“I ... I didn’t know it would feel that way.”
“Nor did I.” He lifted his head and, while still joined with me, braced himself on his elbows to look down at me.
I smacked his side. “You are no novice.”
He kissed me gently, tenderly. “It has never been like that for me before. You made it feel like my first time, too.”
This probably should not have pleased me as much as it did. “Let’s do it again.”
Letting out a soft groan, he slid out of me and rolled over onto his back. “Men need a recovery period before they are ready for the next round. I will need a few minutes.”
I propped myself up on my left elbow. “I didn’t need that.”
“Women don’t.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose that’s proof the goddess favors her daughters.”
He grinned. “I favor her daughter, too.”
Not wanting to be parted from him, I climbed on top of him, putting my hands on his chest and resting my face there. We were both sweaty and hot but I didn’t even notice. This was where I belonged.
He brushed hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear while letting out a long sigh. “You know, you did promise that once I became king, you were going to kill me. I never imagined that you intended to do it in our bed.”
I laughed.
My husband continued to play with my hair, his heart slowing and his breathing evening back out. As if he intended to fall asleep.
Not wanting that I asked, “When did you know that you loved me?”
“When I saw you punch that goose at the library. You captured my heart that night, and I didn’t know what to do. How could a prince love a celibate priestess of the temple? There was no future for us but I didn’t care. I kept seeking you out.”
While it was incredibly sweet, it was also a reminder that there was still something I had to do for the goddess, something that could wreck all this. That we might not have a future.
I decided that was a problem for another day. I would have this night with him and wouldn’t allow anything to get in the way.
