His stomach was a plane of ridged muscle, and I skimmed my knuckles down the line of dark hair, rewarded by a low hiss. Below that, my fingers danced along where his waistband lay open, enough for me to brush the swollen crown of his cock.
So fucking big…
“Fucking gods,” he pulled away, body curling, breath punching out of his lungs as I circled my thumb over his slit, spreading the precum that beaded there—so much of it Ididwant to drop to my knees, take him in my mouth, and make him groan my name out like he was dying.
But…first time and all.
This was about him. Not me.
“Let me take care of you, okay?” I murmured, searching his eyes—pupils blown wide, something lost and jumbled in them that made my heart flutter. I slowed down even more as I pressed my palms to his chest and backed him toward the bed one step at a time. “But what about you?” he asked, all concern and doubt.
“We’ll go slow. We’ll take our time. I want you to remember this, Kaden, and I want you to smile when you do. So…please let me take care of you the way you deserve. Can you let me do that?”
“Yes,” he breathed, blue eyes incandescent now, veins of gold running through them like molten rivers, dark power sifting off him in waves, covering the floor around us. I wasn’t worried—not overly, anyway—given how his magiccurled around my ankles, cool and gentle, brushing up my calves in an almost curious way.
“I’m going to undress you now,” I said softly. “Tell me if you want me to stop, okay? I just want to…” I sucked in a breath, running soothing, slow hands down his sides, back up over his chest. “You are so beautiful. The most beautiful male I’ve ever seen. Like one of those statues carved by the master stonemasons in the city.”
I worked open the next button on his trousers, planting a kiss between his pecs, then one over his heart before I went to my knees and worked the rest of them open, his cock right in front of me, hard and ready, his petrichor scent swallowing me as I tugged his pants down, revealing powerful thighs dusted with dark hair, toned calves.
“There,” I murmured. “Too beautiful for words.”
He kicked them away. I ran my hands up those muscled, flexing thighs, over trim hips, pausing over those cut lines on his sides that made me want to lick him all over.
I rose, took his hand instead, and pressed my lips to his knuckles, reminding myself this would be a very bad time to give in to my base urges and traumatize Kaden.
“Lay back,” I ordered. “On your back. Do not touch yourself, no matter what.”
“Lyrae, I need…” He sounded helpless when he reached for me, and I pressed a finger over his lips, unable to stop my smile at his desperate, ruined tone.
“Lay on your back, Kaden, and trust me. I know exactly what you need, and you’ll get everything you want. You just have to be patient.”
I gave him a playful shove and he fell back, scooting onto the bed, lying down, cock sticking straight up, so swollen it looked painful.
I made fast work of stripping—shirt and boots, pants and underthings, all kicked to the side—but I might as well have put on a show, the way his gaze never left me. Transfixed. Possessive. With a dark, feral growl building in his throat.
“May I taste you?” I asked softly. “I’ve been wondering for so long…” I stroked my fingers down his thigh, my gaze never leaving his, letting him decide.
“Only if I can taste you in return,” he growled, and a spark of that old arrogance had my head tilting to the side.
“Okay,” I said softly. “You have a deal.”
I climbed beside him, continuing to stroke his body, loving how his eyes dropped lower and lower, the needy little sounds he made. This was addictive, I thought, pressing my face to his lower belly and taking another inhale of that male scent I couldn’t get enough of.
Then I took him in my mouth—gentle and careful—swirling my tongue around the crown, mind blown at how good he tasted.
Thunderstorms.
He tasted like thunder and rain and wild winds blowing down off the mountains.
I felt powerful and nurturing and—for the first time in my life—gentle, intent on easing him into this. To make him feel good and loved and safe.
“Fuck, princess—fuck, that feels so godsdamned good, I can’t…” he rasped.
I pulled away, laughing softly. Kaden writhed beneath me, one big hand tangled in the silky sheets, the other gripping my braid, shadows spilling off the edges of the bed like a waterfall.
“Please don’t stop,” he pleaded. “It just felt…please,” he begged, looking completely wrecked.
“Control yourself, Kaden. Making this last is the best part. You need to enjoy the ride, so to speak.”
