“Fine,” she said, brushing her shoulder against his asshe started for the bedchamber door.
The click of the lock was permission enough for him.
Araes rushed behind her, twirling her to face him. Then, his lips were on hers, moving and matching her own voracity. Her body took control. The lieutenant slammed into her with a near savage strength. She felt her back hit the doorframe, and she knew she was at his mercy entirely.
His hands worked their way from her cheeks, to her shoulders, to her breasts. He was delicate and rough all at once as he traced the shape of her nipple beneath the cotton tunic. Her body lurched in response to the delicious sensation. The world ceased to exist outside of him. His touch, his smell, his taste. She wanted all of it—both the darkest, ugliest nightmares and the beautiful, lightest daydreams. She wanted everything. Heat melted through her body sending ripples of anticipation through her very core. The threads of her sanity unraveled for the man that stood before her.
The man thatchose her.
“Do you want me to stop?” Araes’s voice was gravel on her lips.
“No.”
That simple phrase was all it took for him to pounce again. His hands continued their exploration, trailing from her breast to her belly, to her hips. The ache between her legs intensified until Tethys couldn’t take it any longer. Her legs jellied.
If her mind wasn’t entirely consumed with desire, she might think herself pathetic. The man before her hadn’t even touched her yet, and she was a damn near mess.
“You have been a constant thorn in my side, Goddess,” he whispered through kisses. His words crept into her mouth with the tongue that now licked her bottom lip.
“All I’ve wanted is to be free from your torment. All I’ve prayed for is relief from you. And now, seeing you restless and squirming, there’s no place I’d rather ever bethan here. Watching you come undone for me,” he said. His voice was a mere whisper raising gooseflesh on her skin.
“Yes,” she breathed.
Araes unlaced her trousers and slid them down her body, exposing the bare flesh of her thighs to the cool spring air. He pulled the lacy undergarment she wore to the side and traced a finger along the crease of her sex, stopping when she jumped at his touch.
“I love every damned piece of you,” he growled with burning vibrant eyes, his thumb circling the sensitive flesh. Her body went completely rigid as he slipped a finger inside her.
“Eos give me strength,” she pleaded, throwing her head back.
“Your body gives you away, Goddess. You can’t control its reaction to me, can you?” He pressed his thumb harder against her clit, sending her pleasure spiraling higher and higher. She was a hair’s width from her edge, but he held her captive at the brink. Tension ached through her body, like a raging tide rushing through her very center.
“Please Araes, I beg you,” she cried, squirming beneath him. He pressed a powerful thigh between her legs. The feel of his cock twitch beneath his trousers sent another pulse of anticipation over her. She wanted—no, needed to feel him in her hand, to hear his breaths go ragged as she stroked him over and over again.
With shaking hands, Tethys undid the lacing holding him in and pulled the leather pants down his body. His cock sprang free, the enormous length terrifying and exciting her all at once.
No, she hadn’tfreedhim. She’dunleashedhim,uncagedhim.
Before she could take another breath, Araes grasped the back of her thighs and lifted her. Wedged between the strength of his body and the doorframe, she surrendered tohim.
He ripped the lace from her undergarments, his blazing eyes never leaving hers, and pressed into her, filling her entirely. The way her body stretched around him was absolutely villainous. Tethys cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt every muscle in his back ripple as he plunged into her again, and again, and again.
“The way you feel, Goddess…” he growled.
“Yes…” Her reply was a gritty cry she barely recognized. Their bodies connected in a nearly savage way. A powerful way, and suddenly she craved control—begged for it. Araes withdrew from her, trailing kisses down her neck and lowered himself to the bedside. He felt it, too, her need to take the lead.
Tethys crawled on top of him, the head of his cock pulsing against her entrance. Her lips parted as she lowered herself onto him, feeling her body stretch as he again filled her. She groaned letting her soaked plait fall down her back.
Araes gripped her hips, guiding her up and down as she rode him, chasing her pleasure deeper and deeper. He bit his lip, a growl forming in his throat. Tethys’s eyes focused on his, watching the man lose himself in her completely.
“Fuck, Tethys,” he groaned, his head falling back. “Don’t ever stop fucking me this way.” Her body tensed around his cock as she lowered herself again, sheathing him inside her to his hilt. His thumb trailed to her clit, its strokes matching her rhythm as she rode him.
Her thighs trembled as her pleasure reached its peak and when Araes pressed his thumb to her clit once more, everything shattered around them. She cried out, feeling wave after wave of an all-encompassing climax wash through her until nothing but time and space and their bodies existed in this world.
Chapter 48
At dawn’s arrival, Araes and Tethys said their goodbyes to his family, leaving Penelope with a note addressed to Lord Ophis. He would ensure the safety of their escape while keeping the Venians from falling into frenzy over the disappearance of their queen. Tethys suggested that, in the aftermath of the attack, she and her guard escaped to an undisclosed location where they would remain until the culprits were found.
“Are you sure about this?” Araes asked, securing their packs to his horse. Tethys nodded and glanced over her shoulder at the cottage blurring in the horizon. Somber quiet fell over her. Was this the last time she’d look upon her city? She whispered a swift goodbye before tears welled in her eyes.No, it wouldn’t be the last, she promised. She would return. Even if in another lifetime.
