No, you idiot. You don’t love him. You love his shoulders, his jawline. And his cock—definitely his cock. You love his hands, the way he holds you even in sleep. You love how he fixes your hair before you notice it’s come undone. You love that he bought not one, not two, butthreerugs.
You love how he protects you, how cherished he makes you feel.
Oh no.
She felt as if the jug were about to slip from her fingers, so she turned and set it safely on the table. Her hands shook, and more tears welled in her eyes. She kept her back to him for a moment, needing to master herself, needing to keep this feeling at bay.
She couldn’t love him. He was going to leave, and it would break her heart.
His hands caressed her shoulders. “I really didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Velia scrubbed away the tears clinging to her eyelashes and turned to face him. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
He slid a hand up to stroke her cheek, thumb slipping in a teardrop. “It’s only the second most beautiful thing in this room.” He bent his head and brushed her lips with his.
She deepened the kiss, twining her arms around his neck.Thiswas something she understood—lust, hunger, need. She would try to forget her disconcerting realization, let him distract her with the pleasure they could find together. A good bedding could distract from anything, as she’d learned last night.
She pulled back from the kiss. “I have a question for you.” She trailed a finger down his face, over his lips, watching his eyes darken with desire as she did. “Why didn’t you tell me you like being bitten?”
He jumped as if she’d pinched him. “I—what do you—I don’t—” he stammered, cheeks reddening.
She raised her eyebrows. “Last night, I’m fairly certain you climaxed when I bit you. Didn’t you?”
“I…maybe?” he confessed. “I don’t know. No one’s ever done that before. I didn’t—I didn’t expect it.”
“I’d like to try it again,” she murmured. Pushing gently on his chest, she walked him over to the bed, pausing to strip off his tunic. At the sight of his body, desire flared, throbbing and hot between her legs. His cock was already stiffening, but she paid it no mind…for now.
She laid him on the bed, then climbed atop him, straddling his broad torso. His hands came up to stroke her thighs, still covered by her dress. He gazed at her, wariness mingled with lust in his eyes.
“How does this feel, I wonder?” She leaned down and took hold of his earlobe with her teeth—just a light nibble.
He twitched beneath her, choking back a gasp.
His reaction pleased her. She moved down, grazing her teeth over his neck. She found the one spot she knew was the most sensitive and gave him a sharp but quick nip.
“Fuck, Velia,” he groaned. “You’ll be the death of me, I swear.”
She laughed, a trifle smugly. “Imagine being a big, strong gladiator—the emperor’s favorite, no less—conquered by a few little nibbles.” She scooted down his body and took one of his nipples between her teeth.
He let out another deep groan. “You know you can bring me to my knees with barely a glance, Velia.”
She liked the sound of that, though his devotion was dangerous. It intoxicated her, like unmixed wine. She’d lose herself in it if she wasn’t careful.
She moved further down, littering his chest and stomach with alternating kisses and nips. He jumped at each one, the powerful muscles tensing and releasing beneath her.
He hissed as her hand found his cock. She gave him one stroke, and he shuddered at the pass of her hand. Then, she lowered her head to take him into her mouth. He grunted a curse.
She took him as deep as she could, and on the way back up, allowed her teeth to graze against him. His hand tangled in her hair, and he moaned, fingers tightening.
“Careful,” she murmured as she released him from her mouth. “Or I’ll have to tie you up again.” She enjoyed his touch too much to do that, but it was rather fun to tease him.
Velia nipped the head of his cock lightly, and he jerked so hard he nearly threw her off him. She giggled, planting her weight more securely on his legs. She worked him with her mouth again, bringing him to the point where he was gasping, shuddering, writhing beneath her.
Then, she removed her mouth and replaced it with her hand. She nudged his muscular thighs apart and lowered her head to the surprisingly soft skin on the inside of his thigh. As her hand worked him, she brushed her lips over his skin once, a caress, then sank her teeth into the flesh of his thigh.
His hips bucked, and suddenly he was exploding over her hand. She bit him again, just for good measure. His hand shot down to grasp hers, holding her fingers tight around him as the climax tore through him.
When he finally slumped back onto the bed, chest heaving, she surveyed her handiwork. Her teeth left two red semi-circles onthe inside of his thigh. They would fade soon, but for the time being, she liked that he was marked by her.
