“I had to protect you,” he whispered.
I pulled back only far enough to scan his face. “You were gone for days. They—they… hurt you, while I did nothing.”
“You need not bear their crimes.” His voice turned deadly serious. “I will let you scold me for much, but don’t tell me I should have given you up just to maintain my ruse with them. Protecting you is the entire reason I joined them. I regret nothing.”
I swallowed, hoping to relieve the growing tightness in my throat, but to no avail. “We are out of time, Alandris.”
“I know, so let us not waste it.”
He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled my mouth to his, and the kiss was all heat and desire. He slid his fingers through my hair, his other hand snaking around my waist to pull me closer. But it wasn’t close enough, not at all. Just this was enough to send an aching need through my body.
“We need to investigate and search for the traitor. Besides, you’re injured,” I murmured against his lips with the last shred of my logical mind.
Alandris groaned, a paradoxical mixture of utmost pleasure and absolute displeasure at my words. “Not enough to give a damn. As for our traitor, there’s nothing to be done this late in the night. I only want to do one thing. Something that cannot wait.”
I chewed my bottom lip, a war raging in my mind.
“Would it make you feel better if I cleaned and bandaged the tiny little gash?”
I nodded.
He brushed a thumb over my lip. “Wait in my bed.” As he walked towards the washroom, he paused for a moment for one final remark, then spoke over his shoulder. “You won’t need your clothing.”
Oh.Oh.
I unlaced my corset and threw both it and my top on the chair tucked beneath Alandris’s desk. Chill air immediately nipped at my skin, and I wasted no time throwing off my boots and pants before throwing myself under the silk and fur covers to get warm. My heart was pounding with anticipation as I waited, staring at the closed door ahead.
By the time Alandris emerged, fully bared to me, my everything was on fire. His pulling the covers back added a shock of cold to the heat that made my breath catch.
He hummed his approval at the sight. “You listened well. Good girl.” He ran his fingers down my curves, sending a shiver through my body. “I suppose I should reward you.”
Gripping my hips, he dragged me closer to him, sliding my leg over his shoulder. Bringing his fingers between my legs, he swirled circles around my clit before dipping into my heat. He pumped in and out of me, torturously slow. Once. Twice before he brought his glistening fingers to his mouth and licked them clean. “You’re already so wet for me, love. Was it that hard to wait for my return?”
“Yes. It was,” I breathed.
“So, I shouldn’t take my time?” He smirked, dragging his finger down my chest, my stomach, lower, but never quite low enough.
The grumble of irritation I gave him in return was bordering on feral, but he only chuckled.
“I’ll take that under consideration.”
His mouth was between my thighs in an instant, and a strangled moan left my lips at the sensation of his tongue dipping into my pussy. I struggled to close my legs on instinct, but he held me open wide with one forearm pressed against my thigh, and the other held up my leg that was still balanced on his shoulder. Needing something to hold on to brace myself, I ran my hands through his hair, tugging.
His moan rumbling against me nearly shattered me.
“Alandris, please....”
My begging served little purpose. He seemed committed to torturing me with long, languid strokes. I was so, so fucking close to exploding and he knew it. Each time my legs began to shake, my breaths growing short and fast, he would pull away, looking up at me through dark lashes, a glint of humor in his eyes. I think I glared back—as much of a glare as I could give while bordering on a world-shattering orgasm.
“Hm? Do you need something, love?”
I couldn’t manage full words, but that was answer enough.
Alandris finally relented, pulling my clit between his lips as his fingers drove inside me. The combined pressure of his tongue darting against my most sensitive spot, and his fingers curling inside of me was all it took. My vision went bleary and white as I screamed his name, nails dragging down his back. He eased me from my high before crawling over me to bring a kiss to my lips, the taste of me still on his tongue.
“I think you healed me,” he mumbled into the curve of my neck before nipping at the skin there. “Though, perhaps we should take extra measures to ensure…”
I bit my lip, holding in a laugh. “It’s the right thing to do.”
