Shade drew back, his eyes filled with concern. “Adelia?”
My breathing was heavy, and I fought the panic threatening to overwhelm me. I didn’t want to stop, but my body wouldn’t listen to my reasoning. It sent me back to that night, to whenhehad pinched my nipples.
Warm hands cupped my face, and purloe surrounded my senses. I met his silver eyes, and my breathing calmed.
This was Shade,notTerym.
“I’m here, my Solis.” His deep voice was rough and strained, those tendrils of smoke smoothing over my skin in gentle caresses calming me further. “We’ll stop.”
“No!” I blurted before the panic overwhelmed me. I had been enjoying it. I craved more. I didn’t want what the king had done to stop me from having this, from having Shade. “Please don’t stop. I want you.”
Shade’s eyes searched mine, then he nodded. “We’re going to go slow. Nipples triggered you, is there anything else?”
I didn’t want to admit to him what the king had done. He’d seen the worst of it, had emerged from the lamp as witness to his depravity, and I loathed telling him more than that. I had to be honest with him though. We wouldn’t be able to move forward if I didn’t tell him what might be triggering, and I wanted that more than anything.
“F-fingers, I think.”
Shade’s jaw clenched, the muscle ticking, and his nostrils flared slightly. He closed his eyes for a minute, and when they opened again, he was calmer.
“If I use my mouth and tongue? Do you think that will be okay?” he asked, running his thumb along my cheek.
The thought alone sent a bolt of heat shooting through me, and I nodded. He raised a single eyebrow, and the heat spread across my cheeks. “Yes.”
“You’ll tell me if it’s too much or if you want me to stop.” It wasn’t a question; he expected me to do it—ordered me to.
“Yes.”
His mouth met mine again, softer this time, a light caress against my lips. He lingered there, taking his time before urging my mouth to open and allow him entry. When I did, he was justas careful, a slow, sensual dance rather than a vicious claiming. It was still as obsessive and devoted as before.
When I undulated my hips against him, he moved his mouth down my neck, breasts, and stomach, showing just as much care and attention as he’d given my lips. He traveled lower and I whimpered, my body ready to combust when he reached the apex of my thighs.
He knelt before me, head directly in front of where my desire had pooled. I was breathless, the sight of him on his knees again sending a euphoric rush through me. His gaze met mine, seeking permission, and when I gave my verbal consent, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of my pants, eyes never leaving mine as he dragged them down, exposing me to him.
When they were finally clear and his gaze rested between my thighs, he released a low groan. “I’ll never get tired of looking at you.”
He placed those same gentle kisses along my inner thighs. Anticipation built and heat curled low, spreading across my skin and increasing my breathing. Then his mouth was on me, and I saw stars.
He consumed my pussy like a man starving, tongue twirling and lapping as my pleasure reached new heights. The friction was like nothing else, my body building to a peak I desperately wanted to reach.
He devoured me. My hips moved of their own volition, riding his face and hurtling me toward the edge of a cliff. My fingers curled into his loose hair, gripping him for support.
Shade’s eyes locked onto mine, and when he sucked my clit into his mouth, I came apart. I arched my back, wave after wave of pleasure consuming me. He continued to work his tongue while I convulsed, extending my orgasm until I was so sensitive I needed to pull away.
When I finally came down, Shade’s eyes were on me, lips tugged into a satisfied smile. He let my legs settle onto the table, then stood, showing me the outline of his impressive erection. I reached for it, intending to give him the same pleasure he had just shown me, but he grabbed my hand, stopping it.
Rejection, hot and acidic, filled my stomach, and I ducked my head to hide the flush burning my face.
“Look at me,” he said, his still gravelly tone leaving no room for argument. When I met his eyes again, they were dark with desire. “The way I want you is indescribable, but you’re still recovering, and I won’t push you when you’re not ready.”
A smile tugged at my lips. Even now, he was still caring for me, putting my needs above his own. Besides, he was right. I’d already been triggered once today; we didn’t need to tempt it again.
We needed to go slow, make sure I was ready before we took that final step. I would take it with him, though, I was determined to.
I gave Shade my agreement, and he lifted me into his arms, took me straight to the bathing room, and placed me on the counter as he ran the tub, filling the room with steam. He added an assortment of oils Wista left for me, and the scent of lavender and chamomile joined the air.
Once I lowered myself into the warm water, Shade shocked me further by lathering a cloth in soap. He hesitated, hand hovering above my skin.
“Can I wash you?” His voice was deeper than I’d ever heard it, and still high off the pleasure he’d given me, I offered him a loopy smile with my verbal assent.
