“Did you want Hale’s fangs here? Penetrating you?” Moving closer, he lifts his hand. Heat and tension overwhelm me before he even touches my neck, his strong fingers pressing against my hammering pulse.
A shiver races up my spine, making my nipples pucker even more visibly under my dress. I can barely answer, overwhelmed by the most demanding arousal I’ve ever felt. “No,” I finally rasp.
Bale’s gaze holds mine, his hand still on my neck. “Good.”
My breathing shallows. My senses burn. I want him to yank up my dress and touch me between my legs so badly that I barely hold back a moan. “Why?”
His voice is low and dangerous, simmering with violence. The rough rumble washes over me like summer thunder as he stares at me with stark hunger in his eyes. “Because if he touches you, I’ll rip off his head.”
My knees weaken. I tilt toward him. “That wouldn’t be very diplomatic of you.”
“You’re more important than diplomacy.” He curls his hand around my neck, gripping my nape. “You know that, don’t you?”
I gaze up at him, dazed. “You don’t break a kingdom over a woman.”
His eyes drop to my mouth. “I’ll break whatever the fuck I want. I’m done playing by the rules.”
“Bale.” His name whispers past my lips. “Why are you doing this?”
His other hand rises, his fingers twining into my hair. “Doing what we both want?”
“Changing things.” My voice wavers, betraying my fears. My body heats, betraying my desire. I’m split down the middle, and I don’t know which part of me should win.
His brow creases. “Are you worried about your position? Your birds?”
My hazy eyes focus. He never answers questions, only asks them. So I do the same. “How can I not?”
He gently grips my head, his features suddenly serious enough to rival the death of stars. “I will never separate you from Fyrestar, Rimblaze, and Embersol. Whatever you do, wherever you go, if they want to follow you, that’s their choice. I swear it on my kingdom. I swear it on my life. They are yours, and you are theirs. That’s all there is to it. Forever.”
My breath catches. Tears sear my eyes. Forever…or until death. I think Sol’s rebirth will be the last for the warbirds. “You promise? Even if”—I motion between us—“this goes wrong?”
“The last thing I want is for this to go wrong, but I swear it. No matter what,” he vows.
Tears on my lashes, I do what was unthinkable just weeks ago. I lift up on my toes and kiss Bale.
He kisses me back with a low groan. All the heat in me rushes to the surface in a blaze of desire. He deepens the kiss, slanting his mouth over mine and exploring with heady, savoring intensity and heated strokes of his tongue. We move as one, pressing closer and pulling each other in. My head spins as Bale devours me like he’s never tasted anything so divine. I kiss him back just as passionately, sliding my body against his. I want more, harder, now. I want this dress off me and Bale in. My body aches for him.
His hands drop to my waist, his fingers clamping down. He holds our hips together, and I grip his shoulders while our breath mingles and our tongues spar. His hard shaft presses against my lower belly, the significant promise of it amplifying my desire. Sensation rushes through me, and I press back, desperately craving more.
With a low sound of need, Bale locks me tightly against him, his mouth never leaving mine. He’s in control of how we move, how soft or savage we are, and his dominant, starving-for-me ferocity is shockingly thrilling. I gasp in air between kisses and touches that leave me hot and slick at my aching core. His thigh slips between mine, lifting a little, and the sudden pressure where I already throb for him pulls a ragged moan from me.
“Bale.” I claw nearer, kiss deeper. Now that I’ve surrendered to my feelings, I can’t get enough, and I grab his shoulders, jump, and hook my legs around his waist. He holds me up, his big hands sliding around my thighs. I push my heated sex against the hardness settled right between my legs and kiss him with years of secret longing and pent-up lust.
His hands glide toward my ass, my dress now bunched around my waist. A guttural sound tears from his throat. “You’re bare underneath.” His breath pounds my lips. His voice is rough, wrecked. Exploring fingers lightly graze my slit, and I shudder in pleasure.
“No time to get dressed.” I breathe as hard as he does. His big, strong body trembles, and I feel like we’re two shooting stars hurtling toward an explosive collision. “This works out better anyway.”
His deep groan is a chasm opening in my world. I fall straight in. “I want you naked under my bed furs for weeks.” He roughly palms both my ass cheeks, and I quiver in anticipation. “I can smell your wet heat,” he rasps. “It’s driving me insane.”
“It’s all yours. All for you. Just take me to your lair.” I glance over his shoulder toward my open window. “I don’t know how long we’ll be alone here.”
He backs toward the window, his fingers teasing the damp outline of my folds. I gasp into his mouth, arousal jolting me and need shivering all the way to my toes.
“Anyone could see us fly up the mountain,” he cautions.
I draw back. “Do you care?” If he plans on keeping me a secret, then I don’t plan on giving him a secret to keep, no matter how desperately I want him right now.
“Only if you don’t pull that dress down enough to cover your beautiful ass.” He squeezes me possessively, and I exhale in a rush, growing even wetter and more aroused. He scents the difference, and his eyes ignite. “Fuck, Idallia. I’m so hard for you. I want you. I’ve wanted you for so long.”
