His jaw clenched. "Good, angel." He seemed to want to say something else, but didn’t.
"What is it?" she whispered.
He shook his head, the curve of his horns casting pointed shadows on his cheeks in the flickering, dim light, which made the whole space private and cozy.
The force of his desire nearly made her tumble back as it swept down the thread.
"Do you want to…" Luella tried to remind herself this was Az. But inexperience made her shy, made her words fumble and slip through her fingers. He waited, quiet. Finally, she found the courage—small but there. "Do you want to see?"
He groaned. "Gods, yes."
She felt her limbs tremble with anticipation as he began to slowly roll up her gown. He had seen her nude once before, butshe remembered how he had only stared at her eyes that day, not letting his gaze wander. This time, hedid.
His eyes were stuck to the shape of her hips under his hands, the way each soft slide of the gown up her body revealed more and more of her flesh to him. Cool air shivered over her exposed skin, leaving pebbles of chill in its wake.
"You take my breath away, Lu." He paused with the gown bunched below her breasts, a question in his eyes. She nodded, scared, and he pushed it up further, revealing her small breasts to his gaze. Her nipples were pink and peaked, and a hand skimmed over her waist, stilling just below her right breast, thumb brushing the underside of it. "You’re so soft. So sweet. I could touch you forever." His hand trailed up, and she held her breath just as his fingertip finally made contact with her nipple.
Her chin fell to her chest as she gasped lowly at the sensation. He stroked his finger back and forth over her, making her dizzy and stirring a strange yearning deep in her lower stomach. Urgency nipped at her heels. Unrelenting and desperate. She wanted more.Neededmore.
Luella found her hips shifting of their own accord, seeking out that feeling she had only experienced once before. A plea lingered on her tongue, and she grabbed it, tugging it free with great effort and flushed cheeks.
"Take it off," she demanded brokenly.
In a flash, her gown was over her head and thrown on the wooden floor, leaving her sitting astride him clad in only the thin silk of her panties and the white bandages wrapped around her waist. The muscles on his chest flexed as her fingernails lightly scraped against his stomach as she curled her hands into fists. She was achingly vulnerable, and it took all of her effort not to wrap her arm around her chest to cover herself. He saw every flaw, every misgiving, every way she could be better.
But he only said:
"You are all I’ve ever wanted and more than anything I could have dreamed, my angel. I am not deserving of you, but I will spend my every moment worshipping you like you deserve."
The words made her eyes cloud with tears. "I love you," she sighed.
"Always, I love you," Az vowed.
His hands were reverent as they touched her—worshipped her, just as he had proclaimed. Gentle and soft, he treated her like a fragile egg, poised to crack at any moment.
The stir of need inside her was more than lust—she wanted his heart and body. His everything.
With one hand on her breast, the other trailed over the soft curve of her stomach, lingering at the edge of her panties.
"Can I touch you here?" he rumbled.
She nodded, her white hair brushing her cheek from how fervently she did so.
He smiled, and his fingers dipped below, pressing upon her bare flesh, skimming just over where she ached the most. It was so strange, feeling another’s handthere. His fingers were warm, rough, and hesitant; he dipped lower, and finally, brushed over her wetness, making her gasp and her wings shiver behind her.
Seeing how much she liked that, he repeated the action, making her see stars. His fingers dipped, stroking over where she was warm and aching, light like feathers as he teased an electric spot that sent sparks of pleasure shooting up her spine and out through her wings. Her body clenched around nothing, and it was such a strange, desperate feeling that she gasped, wanting more, but not knowing what more entailed. Not truly.
The room spun as he brushed his fingers over her, again and again. She felt a dampness between her thighs, sticking to the inside of them.
Each new sensation made a soft sort of fear kindle—wouldithappen again? The agony.
"I want this to be good for you. Is it good? Does it feel good?" Az asked her.
She nodded, teeth digging into her lower lip. His hand on her breast rose to her mouth, gently parting her lips to let a soft moan escape.
It was sweet and innocent, the way he touched her. Hesitant. It made her wonder…
Her hands lightly skimmed up the expanse of his chest. "Have you ever…?"
