I sucked in a breath, indignation and lust heating my blood even as they fought for dominance.
I wanted to tell him that I wasn’this— that he’d been overreacting up on the mountain, mating bond or no. And yet, I couldn’t exactly chastise him for something I’d experienced viscerally. I might not have attacked the female who’d touched him, but I’d fantasized about it.
Kaden’s eyes danced with mischief as he studied my face, as if my thoughts were etched across my forehead. Then his gaze wandered lower, to where my thighs were pressed together beneath the water’s surface.
Steam billowed from the tub, making the air feel thick and heavy. Heat throbbed in my core, adding insult to injury. My traitorous body seemed determined to undermine me wherever Kaden was concerned.
I shifted slightly in the bath, hoping to banish the tension that was building inside me, but the friction caused by my movement only made things worse. My bodyachedfor his touch, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing how much his perusal affected me.
“You are the only female I think about, Lyra. Your voice. Your scent. The look in your eyes when you straddle me and put a dagger to my throat.”
I sucked in a shaky breath, my core turning molten under his gaze. Kaden’s lips twitched. His eyes drifted over my exposed collarbones to the droplets of water sliding down my chest. “No matter what I do, I can’t stop myselffrom remembering how sweet you taste . . . or the sounds you make when you come.”
My breath caught as his hand shot toward me — the backs of his knuckles tracing my jaw.
Our eyes locked as he dragged his fingers down my neck, hovering over my racing pulse before skimming across my clavicle.
“I don’t want anyone else,” he said quietly, dipping beneath the water to caress the swell of my breast. My nipples hardened in anticipation, yet I held perfectly still.
“Neither do I,” I managed, my voice coming out as a rasp.
Kaden’s gaze heated at my words, and he didn’t look away as his thumb brushed my peaked nipple. A delicious shiver kissed down my spine, and I arched into his touch.
There was a splash of water as Kaden leaned forward, trailing his hand over my ribs before bringing it between my legs. A soft whimper escaped me as he parted my thighs, finding that tender part of me that ached for him the most.
“Gods, Lyra,” he groaned, those inky lashes brushing the tops of his cheeks as his eyelids fluttered closed. “You have no idea how badly I want you.”
My insides burned as his fingers made torturously slow circles over that sensitive bundle of nerves. My head fell back against the tub, and I squeezed my eyes shut as he wound the coiling tension within me tighter and tighter.
His lips brushed against my neck, and then his mouth was on mine — his tongue nudging for entry. I opened for him with a gasp, and his tongue plunged inside me, stroking my own with purposeful, claiming thrusts.
Fisting my hands in his hair, I tugged him closer anddeepened the kiss. Kaden gently parted me beneath the water, slipping a finger into my channel.
“Fuck,” he growled against my lips, his soft declaration sending tingles dancing over my skin.
He added another finger, and I cried out, bucking my hips to take him deeper.
Water sloshed over the side of the tub as I shifted to my knees, riding his hand as I sought the friction I needed. My hands clawed at his shirt, pulling him closer, but it still wasn’t enough.
As if sensing my need, Kaden withdrew his fingers, wrapped his arms around me, and hoisted me out of the bath.
Water spilled everywhere, soaking through his linen shirt so that the material clung to his skin. Kaden’s hands slid to the backs of my thighs, hoisting me against him. I shuddered at the roughness of the fabric against my sensitive flesh, the heat of his body through the wet shirt.
Then we were moving — his hand shooting out to absorb the impact as he slammed me against the wall. His teeth captured my bottom lip, nipping hard enough that I tasted blood.
He worked his hand between our bodies, circling those skillful fingers until I was a quivering mess of need.
“Kaden,” I rasped.
“Open for me,” he snarled. “Tell me who you come for, little huntress.”
“You,” I choked. “Only you.”
“Show me,” he commanded, thrusting his fingers inside me as his thumb continued to stroke my clit.
I cried out at the sudden fullness, and stars winked in the corners of my vision. With his free hand gripping mythigh and his body pinning me to the wall, he found a place deep in my core that brought my release crashing through me.
My shout of pleasure echoed in the small room as I clenched around his fingers. Kaden’s breath was hot on my neck, his whole body quivering with restraint as he continued to milk my orgasm.
