‘Let the guilt go.’ I kissed the base of his throat, my fingers twining his hair. ‘I swear on Evella, there’s not one single reason to carry it. You’ve saved me in more ways than you’ll ever know. And yes’ – I placed kiss after kiss along his neck till I pulled away and met his hooded gaze – ‘I may not have accepted a proposal, but I’d choose you every damn time, Matthias. Every. Single. Time.’
CHAPTER 35
Millenia have passed since Vyrus failed to destroy Eusis. Millenia. It’s said his pain and loss only multiplies. That when you have found the single thread that binds your soul to another, severing is impossible.
— THE HISTORIES AND PROPHECIES OF THE STAR-CROSSED GODS: CHRONICLES OF VYRUS
My husband gazed into my eyes as though the universe was reflected in them.My husband. My mouth curved upwards, and for the first time, I truly believed I could count myself as one of Evella’s blessed souls.
His fingers ran a torturously slow track across my brow, my cheek, till his hand cupped my jaw with a reverence evoking shivers. Trembling, I reached for him. My breaths shattered at his gentle touch, arms snaking around his neck. A wicked smile lit up my face as I tugged gently on his dark wavy locks, and he released a breathy moan, exposing his neck.
My lips hovered above the rough stubble, his warmth feeding my desire. The months of yearning, heated touches, kisses stolenin haste had persecuted my tattered heart. I smiled as his pulse thundered beneath my breath. His need as all-encompassing as my own.
I kissed below his ear, dragging my lips along his stubbled jaw, warmth pooling in my core as the bristles grazed my dry lips. Smiling, I wondered what sensations that stubble might elicit in other places and pressed my body to his. His hands ran down my back landing on my hips, flesh searing with every burning touch. I shuffled my position, straddling him as his fingers dug into my hips. I shifted, and his length pushed against me, my gasp echoing around the cavern, finding his want matched my own.
As his lips found mine, I grinned against his mouth, shoving myself harder against the body I’d wanted to explore for so long. His tongue pressed against my lips. It was a question I answered eagerly, opening my mouth to his. He swept in, a low moan rumbling through his chest as our tongues met. I crumbled against him.
Matthias’s hands roamed across me, exploring every inch while mine ran over the fabric of his shirt. The need for his skin against mine grew with each frantic heartbeat. I reached down. A breathy laugh escaping as I found his shirt untucked. He shivered as my fingers ran under the fabric, tracing the line of his trousers from the sharpness of his hip to the softness of the downy hair of his toned abdomen.
‘I tried.’ His words spread hot breath across the hollow of my throat. ‘I tried to give you your space.’
I arched against him as his hands ran lower, skimming the skin of my stomach, his kisses growing harder, restless.
‘But I lost, Sorrow. I’m forever lost.’
He pulled back, raising a questioning brow as he tugged on my top. I nodded, and he swept it over my head. I shuddered as he exhaled deeply, his eyes roaming over me. Grabbing his shirt,I dragged it up, throwing it aside and running my palms over the lines of his chest. His arms were deliciously warm against mine. Flesh prickled against the sudden chill of the cavern.
His fingers worked deftly against the buttons of my stays.
‘Fuck,’ he breathed as he took away the soft cotton, exposing my breasts to the cold. I groaned, rocking against his hard length as his fingers skimmed my nipple. Stretching out his fingers, he worked one breast while his mouth found the other. My eyes rolled back and I clutched him. The warmth built too quickly; my mind spun as his tongue ran over my other nipple, sucking, licking, nipping.
My breathing hitched. Our clothes suddenly too heavy, too hot, and I rose, tugging my leggings down. Matthias looked up, his hooded gaze remaining on my lips as he reached forward, his hands shaking as he helped me tug them off, discarding them on the cavern floor. His thumb stroked the inside of my hip, and I jolted forward, the merest touch flooding me as though I were in a storm.
I shuffled back, palming him, delighting in how his head rocked back at my touch. Warm fingers dragged down my abdomen, slowly, torturously slow towards my entrance. I tugged the cord on his trousers, needing to see him, cursing as I created more knots in my haste to rid him of them.
Matthias chuckled. I shivered as his hands moved away to work loose his trousers. I moved back, giving him room to shirk them off. He cursed loudly as they caught on the boots he’d forgotten to remove and, laughing, I reached back, slipping them off. They thumped to the floor as he held me in his gaze. He sighed in frustration. I wrapped my hand around his base, twisting gently as I moved my hand along his huge length. My mouth drying as I imagined what it would feel like inside me.
‘Fuck. Sorrow…I,’ he shouted, his head rocking back so far it hit the wall. As he threw his trousers to the side, I pushed mypalm against his chest, his heart thundering beneath my fingers as I trapped him against the damp wall before straddling him.
One firm hand found my waist, while the other tracked up my thigh, and I whimpered, leaning my hips forward, desperate to close the gap further, to feel his touch where I needed it. Where I’d always needed him. Gasping, shudders racked me as his fingers swept along my entrance. I leaned closer, working him slowly, relishing the sounds I elicited from his lips. After a few soft strokes along me, his fingers found my clit. My cry as his thumb circled me could wake the Gods. I’d fucked others, had lovers, male and female, but no feeling had ever come close to this. I’d always worked to finish, whereas every sweep of his fingers dragged me towards the edge far too quickly. I couldn’t stop hurtling towards my end. I wanted to take my time, enjoy every second of our first time, but I was lost, trapped within the moment. My chest rose as his lips crashed into mine once more, all softness lost. His tongue plunged into my mouth as he thrust a finger inside me, groaning at the wetness he discovered. I cried out as he worked me, adding another finger, moving so damn slowly while his thumb circled me.
It was too much. I clung to him, nails digging into his shoulders. Trembling, the warmth burst from my core. I tried to tell him I loved him. Needed to tell him the depth of my love. But words were beyond me as my head spun, my body clenched around his fingers, head collapsing against his shoulder as wave upon wave crested through me, his fingers working me through my orgasm till it ebbed. I gasped, my eyes flying open as Matthias let go and pulled me over him, his throbbing cock nudging my entrance.
‘Please,’ he breathed. ‘Please let?—’
He swore as I pushed down on him, easing him inside me, inch by inch till, groaning loudly, he filled me. For a few moments, we remained still as my body adjusted to him, ourforeheads together, breath mingling as his hands found my waist. Our gazes locked. He raised a brow, a smile tugging the corner of his mouth, as I rose up before pushing my hips down. His eyes rolled back as I moved, so slowly at first, rocking, feeling like a goddess as I watched him unravel beneath me.
There in the fading light of an unknown cave, we finally worshipped each other. The path to this moment had been paved with torture. A dream I’d never imagined could be mine and we worked together, our fingers learning, our mouths exploring.
His fingers gripped me tighter as he thrust into me faster, harder, muttering nonsense under his breath as he worked to his own close. He cried out, biting my shoulder as I clenched myself around him and I trembled, desperate for this fleeting moment to become infinite. Our bodies slammed together as another wave built through me. I rocked quicker, the friction of him driving me towards another climax. Our grips tightened, our breaths fraught as we shuddered violently. The blaze rushed through me, all thoughts lost, and I dug my teeth into his bottom lip. The heat built, each wave stronger than the last till I exploded, his name a cry met with his roar as Matthias came inside me a frantic heartbeat later, his movements slowing as his chest crashed into mine.
We sat there, breathing heavily, my head lowered onto his quivering shoulder as his hands stroked my hair reverently. As our breaths finally calmed, he lifted my chin, placing a slow languid kiss on my lips before he pulled back, his lips curving.
‘We’re definitely not just friends any more,’ he said, his voice laced with gravel.
With a grin wider than his, I fell against him, clinging to him and wishing this could be our forever.
CHAPTER 36
