Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he pressed a tender kiss to my lips before whispering against them. “I’m choosing you, wench. Every day. I don’t care what the bond says at the end of this. I want you, forever.”
“Damnit,” I whispered as my eyes burned with the heat of tears. With a sniffle, they fell, rolling over my cheeks to my jaw. “I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in one day before.”
His answering chuckle rolled through me as he relinquished my hands and brought them up to cup my jaw. I stared into the eyes of a dragon and a man, wondering how I’d ever found him repulsive.
“I think I’m falling for you, dragon boy,” I admitted breathlessly as I brushed away the tears before they could hit his hands.
A smirk pulled the corner of his lips up before he answered, “I think I fell for you the second I had to tie you to me on that horse, wench. I just took awhile to come around to accepting it.”
My brow rose as our joint laughter filled the air, causing my tears to abate. I took a deep, shuddering breath, releasing it between pursed lips before I smiled and laughed. “You don’t say.”
Seconds passed and as silence descended, he tugged me toward the tub, helping me in, though he remained standing next to it. A moan fell from my lips at the instant relief the hot water gave my aching muscles, making me all but melt as I sank completely into the warmth. I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was after everything we’d been through. How many hours had it even been since we’d left the safety of our alcove? I hadn’t the slightest clue.
“Don’t offer the water what belongs to me,” Theo growled as his hand moved to my braid, slowly untangling the strands withdeft fingers. “I thought you’d know by now that I won’t share any part of you—including the sounds that come from your mouth.”
Fuck me.
How he had me going from tears to desire roaring through my body in minutes was a magic all its own.
Soon enough, my long waves were released from their constraint and floating around me in the water as I struggled to find the words to respond. My toes curled as his hand sank into the hair at the base of my neck, tugging it back gently and forcing me to gaze up into his piercing blue eyes. “Tell me you understand what it means when you say you’re mine.”
His free hand dipped into the water with a lathered sponge, running it over the tips of my nipples. My body shivered of its own accord at the light, teasing feel of it.
“I understand,” I replied, my eyes rolled back as he changed the trajectory of the sponge, pushing it between my breasts and down my abdomen.
“I don’t think you do,” he said as I focused back on him, my lips parting in anticipation as his mouth drew closer. “But we have forever for me to show you what it means.”
While I truly loved the sentiment that he was choosing me, no matter what the bond told us at the end of this, I held back the doubt rolling around in my mind that he’d be able to make good on that. Could he have the will to deny what his dragon wanted—his true mate—if it wasn’t me?
No, now wasn’t the time to think about that. But the doubt still tickled in the back of my mind.
When he let go of my hair, I was panting and desperate for more, but he seemed to focus in, finding the task of cleaning me a top priority. By the time he’d scrubbed every inch of my skin, I felt as if I would erupt if he didn’t replace that sponge with his hands soon.
“Dip your head back into the water,” he instructed as my hands gripped the edge of the tub.
He had no idea how close I was to launching myself out of this tub and telling him I wasn’t waiting any longer. But this moment was about both of us, and I would be a fool to ignore the gentle reverence he was giving me as he cleaned my body.
By the time my hair was cleaned to his standards, my chest heaved as I pictured what I hoped was coming next. There was a slickness between my legs that even the water couldn’t wash away. He leaned over the tub, pressing his lips to my temple as I felt fingers grazing the inside of my thigh.
“You did so good, waiting as I prepped my next meal,” he praised, pressing two fingers down on my clit and rubbing in a torturously slow circle. My hips bucked in the water. “I find myself suddenly ravenous after such a long day.”
“Gods,” I breathed as my eyelids fluttered shut and my head fell to rest against the edge of the tub.
His pressure increased as he answered, “They aren’t here, but I am.”
Suddenly his hands slid to grab my waist, hoisting me out of the water as if I was as light as a feather before setting me on my feet. A towel was wrapped around me, slowly wiping off errant droplets as his hands traveled over my skin, his heat radiating at my back.
The towel dropped from around me, leaving nothing between our bodies as his cock bore down against my ass. Lips pressed against my neck as his fingers trailed over my arms, pebbling the skin in their wake as they traveled to my breasts.
I couldn’t take this at his pace anymore, needing to feel him inside of me. The weeks of frustration and desire had only been curbed by our time in the springs—not sated. After what we’d gone through today, I would settle for nothing less than taking him deep within me, claiming him as mine.
Turning abruptly, I found him wiping off the soot from his face with the damp towel. Thankfully he wasn’t covered in it like I had been, because I was not going to wait for him to take his own bath. My hands pushed at his chest, demanding, “Get on the bed, Theo. It’s my turn to get what I want.”
His eyes widened imperceptibly before dragging his bottom lip between his teeth and smirking. “Yes, my queen.”
I took in his wide back and toned ass as he turned, muscles flexing with each long stride he took to the bed. Once he turned and settled on the edge, leaning back on his hands, I took slow, measured steps toward him. His cock was long and thick, waiting for me as it strained toward the ceiling, begging for my touch.
“What is it that you want exactly?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow as he brought one hand around to stroke the base of his cock.
