“I do like to scream.” Her gaze traveled to my mouth, and I couldn't resist kissing her, sliding my tongue across the seam of her lips until she relented and gave me full access.
I deepened the kiss, and she responded with a feral need that nearly undid me. Her body arched against mine. My cock had become a throbbing, insistent thing, but I reined myself in. Waiting would make this all the sweeter, though it took all my will not to ravage her right then and there.
I tore my mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her neck, savoring how her pulse quickened under my lips. She tasted of salt and sunlight, and I couldn't get enough. Her low-cut leather tunic exposed the tops of her breasts, and I followed the line with my mouth, my tongue darting across her skin. She shivered, her breaths hitching up her throat.
Easing my hips to the side, I thrust my knee between her thighs. She spread her legs wider, opening herself up to me, her eyes never leaving mine. The flames I found there matched the fire blazing within me. With my elbow on the floor, keeping her hands pinned above her head, I slid my other hand along her hip. I watched her eyes, looking for any sign of hesitation, but all I found was heat and desire.
I unfastened her pants, spreading the fabric wide. She lifted her hips as I tugged her pants down. The curve of her thighsheld the promise of what lay between them. My mouth went dry, and my heart hammered against the back of my ribs. She was giving herself to me, piece by piece, and I would soon claim all of her as my own.
I slid my hand between her thighs, feeling her heat before I even touched her. Wet, she was ready for me, and I groaned against her neck. I dragged my thumb up to her clit, that sensitive spot that would drive her wild, and circled it. Her breath came in short gasps, her body tensing beneath mine. I wanted to feel her let go, to watch her as she came. I wanted to be the one who gave her pleasure.
When I slid a finger inside her, her body tightened. She was so responsive, so alive from my touch. I added another finger, filling her, stretching her, as my thumb continued its relentless pace on her clit. She bucked her hips against my hand, her body seeking more, seeking what only I could give her.
Her eyes closed, and her teeth sunk into her lower lip. She was lost in the sensation; lost in the bliss I was giving her. And then she was coming, her body convulsing around my fingers, her cry of release echoing through the empty training room.
When she opened her eyes, I saw everything there.
She was close. If she reached out her hand, I would take it. Take her.
I slowed the pace of my fingers, bringing her back down to the ground and centering her in me.
When vulnerability flashed in her eyes, I knew this was over—for now.
She flitted out from underneath me, appearing near the leftwall, where she fastened her pants and straightened her clothing. Reaching up, she grabbed new blades from the wall and sent me a slick smile. “Stop lounging on the floor and show me what you've got.” Her low, husky voice made my poor cock howl.
“I have everything you need, my pretty little bride. Come back over, and I’ll show you.”
“You already did.”
“Not truly.”
“Hand job, Merrick.”
“Your hand or mine, Wildfire?” I rose onto my haunches, waiting for her to betray her next move.
“Fight me!”
I sprang up withherblades in my hands. “Then come at me, Wildfire. Show me what you’ve got.”
We battled for hours, and while it was clear that my larger body would eventually overcome hers, we were nearly evenly matched. I loved it because it meant she had the means to protect herself.
Finally, we called a truce. She returned the blades to the wall, and I slid hers back into their sheaths at her sides.
“I can see where you get all your glorious muscles,” she said, panting lightly. “You earned them.”
“You as well.”
“I’m smaller than you.”
“I noticed.” Couldn’t help it.
“I wish I was taller, broader.”
“Strength isn’t only about muscles or build.”
“I know that, but if I was bigger, then . . .” Shadows flickered through her eyes, and I knew she was thinking about the man she’d lost.
I waited, silently, while she processed that moment.
