“Tell me to stop,” I rasped across her neck. “Tell me.”
She shook her head.
“Eyes on me, Wildfire,” I growled, too far gone now to pull back. “Use your words and use them now. Or else.”
Her breathing hitched as I brushed my thumb across her lower lip, soft and trembling beneath my touch. I felt the crack in her resolve widen, exposing the same vulnerability floundering within me. Fates curse us both, but any semblance of control I had shattered.
I closed the sliver of distance separating us and growled when her legs went around me.
My lips found hers in a rough, desperate kiss that only heightened the howling storm in my chest.
I'd fought in more battles than I wanted to count. I’d navigated courts ripe with treachery. I’d seen men damn themselves for less than what I stole from this woman. But I was willing, eager even, to face oblivion if it meant tasting her this one time.
Her mouth met mine with the same fever, fiery and unyielding. Not hesitant. Not one bit. She didn’t just accept what I was giving. No, she claimed it. She wanted this as much as I did. The depth of that realization hit me harder than any punch, and I kissed her with more heat, slanting my mouth across hers, making her give me everything she’d buried deep inside.
Her lips softened, yet her kiss was anything but gentle. It was a tidal wave, surging toward shore, as if she was determined to drown herself in me as much as I was in her.
A groan escaped my throat as her hands found my chest, her fingers curling around the fabric of my tunic. She tugged me closer, and I tightened my grip on her ass, pulling her hard against me until there was no space between us.
Let her feel how much I craved her. Let her realize what we were doing and pull away.
Her fingers latched onto my shoulders, and she clung.
I threaded my fingers into her hair and fisted it at the nape of her neck, holding her to me as if I could keep her there forever. It was selfish, but it was vulnerable and true, and I didn’t care anymore.
Her taste . . . fates, it was intoxicating. Her tongue slipped between my lips, and I met it with my own. Each slow, deliberate stroke of our tongues sent heat coursing through me. I had to fight to keep whatever semblance of restraint I had left from crumbling entirely.
My hand slid from her waist, down the curve of her side, my palm running over her hip. I reached back up to cup her breast, feeling her gasp against my mouth before she pressed harder into my touch. I ran my thumb over her nipple, drawing a moan from her that sent fire blasting through my veins.
We were lost, both of us. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not Merrick. Not whatever sense of duty I clung to. Not the rising chaos that was waiting for us at Evergorne.
Just her.
Just this.
23
REYLA
Where was my shame? That should be the first thing I think of, not how amazing it felt to kiss Lore. I was lost in the storm of sensations his mouth dragged from deep inside me. Just hours ago, I'd fallen into Merrick's arms, whimpering as he claimed my mouth, as his hand roamed my body.
Something deep and powerful stirred in my core, a connection that both thrilled and terrified me.
As Lore pressed me against the wall of the ship, I wrapped my legs around his waist, fisting his hair, knowing I’d drown if I let go. His ravaging kiss demanded everything, and I answered his need in the same feral way and with the same desperation.
My guilt lay buried beneath the roar of desire bolting through my chest, hot and relentless. I couldn't think, couldn't process the whirlwind of emotions that raged inside me. All Iknew was that I craved this, craved this man with an intensity that left me breathless.
His hand moved to my thigh, spreading me wider. He stepped closer and held my ass tight, as if he worried I’d slip away the moment he blinked. He rocked against me. The feel of his erection, even through the fabric of our clothes, gave exquisite torture. Each deliberate thrust sent shivers spiraling through me, building a fire that threatened to consume me whole.
It had been too long since I'd felt anything other than grief and duty. I'd locked up my needs along with my memories of Kinart. Now those walls were crumbling, and I was helpless to hold them back.
Tension built within me, a coiled spring about to snap. His mouth left mine, and he trailed heated kisses along my jawline and down the sensitive skin of my neck. I arched against him, my breath coming in short, furious gasps as he continued his relentless assault on my body.
His hand slid beneath my tunic, his fingers blazing a path up my side until they found my breast. He cupped it, his thumb gliding over my nipple, each stroke sending jolts of electricity to my core. Heat pooled between my legs, and an aching need for release grew stronger with each passing second.
His movements became more insistent, his groin thrusting hard against mine in a rhythm that was both familiar and maddeningly new. His length butted against my clit each time, the friction driving me wild. My body moved in sync with his, chasing the bliss beyond my reach.
“Lore,” I gasped, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears. It was a plea, a whisper of need I couldn't contain.
