“What are you going to do?”she asked weakly, slowly backing away from him.
For a moment he was still, incredibly motionless as though enduring a deep internal struggle.The frosty mask he wore slipped, revealing a vulnerability she hadn't seen in him before.Crystalia watched in silent surprise as Jackson's steely demeanor softened, a flicker of pain crossing his chiseled features.The tension that had crackled between them moments ago left an air of raw emotion lingering between them.
His eyes met hers and for an instant she thought she glimpsed a touch of regret but it was quickly replaced with determination.Before she could run he was beside her, sweeping her up into his arms.Holding her tightly to his chest he finally answered her question.
“Tonight, I’m going to be the one to choose, and I chose you my spoiled, infuriating Crystalia, as I did decades ago, only this time there will be nowhere to run,” he replied as he began to carry her from the room.
Easily he carried her down the hallway and up the wide curving staircase.She did not fight him, having no desire to end up lying in a heap at the bottom.She realized that not only was he incredibly strong and fit for an elf his age, she instinctively understood that in his current state of mind he could and would use magic if necessary.
Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder and placed one arm around his neck.
“You’re not going to fight me?”he asked in surprise as he carried her down the hallway to his chambers.
“No.Did you want me to?”she asked with slight sarcasm tinting her tone.
“Of course not, but I will say I expected it,” he admitted kicking open his door.
“You seem to expect quite a lot of things tonight,” she replied calmly.“Perhaps you’ll be disappointed all around.”
He laughed as he tossed her on the bed, following her down.
Crystalia’s breath caught in her throat.She couldn’t deny the thrill that ignited within her at his bold move.Jackson loomed over her, his eyes dark, filled with desire and something more sinister.
“I always get what I want, Chrissy,” he whispered, his breath warm against her cheek as he leaned in closer, nibbling on her neck.The scent of pine and frost surrounded her, sending her senses reeling.“It might take me a while.In your case, decades,” he continued with a touch of ire, “but here you are, in my bed, finally.”
Her pulse quickened as she felt his hand brush a strand of hair away from her face, his touch sending sparks of electricity through her.Despite the tumult of emotions swirling inside her, a part of her couldn’t help but be drawn to him, to the enigmatic man she once knew so well.
“Is this really what you want, Jackson?”she whispered.
“I want to see you,” Jackson finally spoke.His voice was low and tinged with an intensity that stunned her.
“See me?What do you mean?”Crystalia asked.Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Jackson's lips curved into a sly smile, sending a flood of mixed emotions through her.“I want to see the real you, Chrissy.I want to peel back the layers you hide behind and uncover the beautiful Elven female beneath.I want to feel your body against mine, savor the heat from my beautiful hot star.”
She gasped, a flicker of fear mingling with a strange sense of longing.She had built walls around her heart over the years, protecting herself from pain and disappointment.Hot star indeed, she thought with a grimace.What an awful name to be branded with.She certainly didn’t feel hot, only anxious and a bit frightened, and she’d been freezing for years.
Would he like what he discovered?Would he still desire her in the morning or would he find out she was a hollow shell covered with an appealing body.
It was true that she had once cared for him, maybe even loved him, but would his victory this night turn into bitterness, transforming him into a stranger she barely recognized.Still, faced with the icy determination in Jackson’s eyes and the underlying threat in his words, Crystalia felt a spark of desire dance in her chest.It had been so long since a male wanted her, so long since she’d felt any desire of her own.
The Winter King, they called him, Your Majesty, Your Highness, but who was he really?Was he the Jackson Frost of her youth, a man she’d adored?And he was right, she had teased and tormented him ceaselessly, trying out her female wiles on the one male she trusted more than any other, but did she trust him now?
Tilting her head she allowed him greater access to her neck and shivered.His lips traced from below her ear to the curve of her shoulder, his hands pushing her dress lower.There was a sense of urgency in him that worried her, an intensity that could not be denied.
“Chrissy,” he breathed against her skin.“Give yourself to me.I promise you won’t be sorry.”
Reaching up she grasped his face in her hands and forced him back.Their eyes met in the candlelit room, shadows dancing behind him.Silver and blue orbs met and melted into one another.She nodded her head, nervously biting her lip.
Jackson rose from the bed and extended his hand to her, pulling her up when she grasped it.Slowly he began to undress, tossing each garment carelessly to the floor.Her eyes took in each feature as he revealed it.Strong thighs, a tight flat stomach, thick biceps, even his feet were attractive to her.His manhood was impressive and unconsciously she licked her lips.
“Turn around,” he ordered when he stood proud and naked before her.
Wordlessly, she obeyed, presenting her back.He unfastened her dress from neckline to hip and pushed it down until it pooled around her feet like a black, sparkling wreath.
A slight gaspescaped his lips.She was naked beneath the gown.Had she expected this to unfold?Taking a finger he traced her spine, smiling when she quivered.Stepping up behind her he reached around and cupped her breasts, full and firm.Already hard, he pulled her back, his cock warm against her bottom.
Crystalia let her head fall back, resting on his chest when he began to worry her nipples.She wiggled her hips and he laughed as her long hair tickled his thighs.
