I bite the waistband of his drawstring pants, pull, then let the band drop back onto him. Thane gasps, his breath stuttering, his entire body tensing beneath me.
His eyes fly open—burning. Pupils blown wide. For a moment, he just stares at me, his chest rising and falling too fast, too uneven.
Then, his hand is in my hair, gripping just enough to still me.
“Amara.” His voice is rough, nearly wrecked. “You need to rest.”
I meet his gaze, unrelenting.
“I’m fine—feeling pretty good, actually.”
His fingers tighten slightly against my scalp, like he’s trying to keep control of himself.
“You nearly bled out two days ago,” he growls, voice low and dark. “You’renotfine.”
I smirk against his skin, pressing another slow kiss just below his navel.
“Valen said I’m healing well.”
Thane inhales sharply, his stomach flexing beneath my lips.
“He also said I can get back to regular . . . activities.” Another kiss. Lower. “Although I’ll be a little sore.”
Thane groans, his grip tightening in my hair, his other hand clenching in the sheets.
“Don’tsay another man’s name right now.”
His voice is strained, low, rough—and gods, I feel the heat in it. I smile against his skin, dragging my tongue over the sensitive spot just above the waistband. His entire body jerks, a sharpinhale cutting through the quiet of the room.
“Amara—” My name is half warning, half surrender. All heat.
I hum against his skin, satisfied. Because now, I know I’ve won. He’s not just losing control, he’s giving it to me.
I keep my eyes on his, watching every shift, every breath, every flicker of restraint unraveling beneath my touch. Slowly, deliberately, I grasp the string of his pants with my fingers and pull.
Thane’s chest heaves, his eyes darkening as he watches me, his fists curling in the sheets. I inch backward, sliding off the bed as I tug his pants down, feeling the slow, intoxicating drag of fabric against his skin.
Sharp pain flares in my ribs but I breathe through it. I’m not done and I won’t be done until he’s mine again.
His breathing fractures, shallow and uneven, his muscles tensing beneath me. I pull them all the way off, letting them drop to the floor, then climb back over him, straddling him, pressing my hands against his chest.
Thane lifts his head, watching me, his pupils blown wide, his lips slightly parted as if he can’t decide whether to stop me—or surrender.
Then, his head falls back against the pillow, a groan slipping from his throat. He surrenders.
“Fuck,” he breathes. “You will be the undoing of me.”
Pain pulses faintly from my side, but it doesn’t stop me. I lean down, trailing kisses along his stomach, feeling the way his body responds—tightening, trembling under my touch.
Thane’s breathing is ragged now, his hands gripping the sheets, his entire body wound so tight I can feel the restraint vibrating through him.
I hover over him, his impressive length erect, and let my breath ghost across the sensitive skin, teasing. Then, I flick my tongue against the swell of his head, slow and deliberate. Hisentire body shudders. I swirl my tongue around it, savoring the way he groans, deep and broken.
“Amara—”
I close my mouth over him, taking him in slowly, inch by inch, until I slide down to the hilt.
Thane gasps, his head falling back against the pillow, his fingers digging into the sheets. His breath stutters as his muscular thighs tense beneath my hands.
