Eyelids fluttering, I focused on him. Met his stare. He was serious.
And so was I when I answered. “I know. And neither will I.”
Baring his teeth in a vicious but triumphant grin, Tor'rien fulfilled his promise. I cried out as his flesh entered mine. It had never felt this blissful before. Normally, there was some discomfort at first. Not with him. Tor'rien fit perfectly from the very beginning. He eased into me as if he knew every inch of my body and just how to make it his.
“Tor'rien.” I lifted my legs to wrap them around his waist.
“At last.” He kissed me again, his thrusts going deeper and deeper with every sweep of his tongue. Then he pulled back to hold my stare. “Say it. Say it now.”
“I'm yours.”
Tor'rien roared, lifting his head and slamming forward. Going even deeper. He had held himself back until I admitted the truth. As was his way.
But now that I was his, and he was mine, there was no holding back for either of us. I met his thrusts eagerly, hands and hips working to impale myself further on him. Growling and grinning, Tor'rien accepted my offering and took even more from me. He took everything. I knew it. Nevertheless, I couldn't stop it. Nor could I stop him from giving me everything in return.
When Tor'rien reached his climax at last, it was only after I started to crest. One last hold-back for me. But again, as I gave up, so did he, and we cried out together, both of us victorious. Both of us blissful. Both of us bound. Ephemeral? Most likely. Ridiculous? No.
Chapter Eighteen
Post-sex guilt is real. Especially when a life depends on your quick thinking and rapid actions. In short, I had wasted time on pleasure that should have been spent on finding Kun-lo.
“Oh, fuck!” I snarled as I burst up into a sitting position, out of Tor'rien's arms. I scrambled for my clothes, muttering, “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
A strong hand grabbed me and pulled me back against a solid chest. Tor'rien bent his face into my neck and breathed in deeply. “Calm yourself. It's done. I warned you, Tekhan. You belong to me now.”
I shoved him away. “This isn't about you and me! The case, Your Majesty! Someone is going to die because I gave in! Fuck! How long was I gone?” I looked up at the sky. “It must be after noon. Dear Gods.” I ran a hand over my face and when I lowered it, I noticed that it trembled. “Oh, fuck. I've given in to base desire when someone's life was in jeopardy. I'm a terrible person. I may have well as killed them myself.”
I shot to my feet even as the King reached for me. And yes, he was back to being the King. Intimate time was over. I only had a few hours before Hallaxgral would murder an innocent person because of my mistake. Luckily, I hadn't just been thinkingabout Tor'rien during my torture. I had also focused on other things. Other problems.
Pausing with my shirt halfway buttoned, I exclaimed, “Dig!” Then I spun to face the King, who was also getting dressed, thank the Gods. “Oh, fuck me. Dig!”
The King scowled at me.
“Your Majesty?” Sir Vasren called through the wisteria.
Horrified, I slowly turned toward the sound of his voice and then jerked the branches aside to reveal the Dragon knight. Vasren flinched but inclined his head to me.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I snarled. “You've been out there the entire time—listening like a pervert?”
Vasren lifted his chin and a brow. “I've been out here doing my job. If you wanted complete privacy, Claw Shinkai, you should have insisted that His Majesty take you somewhereprivate.”
Grimacing, I pushed past him while muttering, “Fair point, Sir Vasren. Fair point.” Then I stopped, sniffed, and looked him over. “And I could say something similar to you.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you didn't want me to comment on the way you spent last night, you shouldn't be so obvious about it.”
The King coughed to cover his laugh. The other two Dragon knights who'd been guarding us—ugh—didn't hide their amusement.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Vasren snarled.
Oh, that must have hit a nerve. This was the first time I'd seen Vasren react so violently. “My apologies. I didn't know your lover was a secret.”
Vasren's face twitched, and then he stomped around me, leading the way out of the garden.
I ran after him, still buttoning my shirt—my bloody shirt. “Great fuck,” I muttered and glanced at the King.
He came abreast of me. “What is it now?”
