His emotions flow to me freely, and the depth of his longing for me nearly brings tears to my eyes. Until now, I never knew what it was like to be wanted. To be the sole focus of a worthy man’s attention. Yes, worthy. Merak might be a highborn fae male from the Winter Court, but thus far, he hasn’t proven himself to be quite as cold and cruel as I would have imagined. Perhaps it’s as he explained when we first arrived in Ellonnar—the fae from the Winter and Autumn courts usually reserve their cruelty for their enemies.
As he holds me close, it doesn’t feel like we’re enemies.
Once, the lines were blurred, but no more.
I try not to think about the fact that he owns me, that he is my master and the realm will always view me as his slave.
Instead, I focus on the warmth blooming between us, the intimacy that’s quickly developing into something more than simple companionship.
His hands roam over my hips and upward, until he’s cupping my face. He still hasn’t blinked. Not once. And the intensity of his gaze has me ready to swoon.
I want him. Once the thought emerges in my mind, I cannot tamp it down. It’s true. I want him as fervently as he wants me. Iyearn to feel his lips pressing against mine. I ache for… so much more. My face heats at the sensual images that follow.
He leans down until I can feel his cool, peppermint breath on my face.
“You belong to me, Gwen,” he murmurs softly.
Then he finally, at long last, presses his lips to mine.
CHAPTER 10
MERAK
A savage growltears from my throat as I deepen the kiss, but Gwen doesn’t startle or try to pull away. She allows me to sweep my tongue along hers as I clutch her face, and the little whimpers she occasionally makes drive me wild with longing.
My cock thickens in my trousers as I hold her close. Through the bond, I sense her awareness of my arousal. She knows how hard I’m getting. Not only that, but it excites her. Moments later, I detect the sweet but pungent aroma of her feminine slickness in the air.
Gods, yes.
She is growing wet and achy between her thighs.
And that desire is for me.
Though she still harbors many doubts, she is eager for me to claim her. If I sweep her into my arms and carry her to the bedroom, will she resist? Another growl leaves me as I imagine stripping off her nightdress, kissing her all over, and plunging into her slick core until I pump her full of my seed. I imagine taking her again and again, so many times that my male essencedrips from her center and coats her inner thighs. A heated wave sweeps through me, and I clutch her face harder.
In one quick movement, I reach down to grasp the backs of her thighs, lifting her up to straddle my center as I hold her bottom. I immediately back her into a wall and gyrate my cock against her. She whimpers and moans into my mouth, and a shiver courses through her. Through the bond, I sense her growing desire. It outweighs her doubts, and that’s all the encouragement I need to continue.
Keeping her pressed to the wall as I grind my hardness against her, I growl into her mouth as I kiss her. The scent of her arousal keeps heightening in the air, and fucking fires, how it makes my mouth water. Before I claim her, before I plunge my cock into her sweet cunny, I want to taste her. I want to lap at her core and feel her shatter on my tongue. I want to hear her cries of ecstasy as she reaches the summit of her pleasure.
At last, I break the kiss. Still keeping her pressed to the wall, I stare at her, leaving only a breath between us. Panting for air, her face is flushed beautifully, and her hair is tousled.
Gods, she is breathtaking.
And she is mine.
All mine.
Until the end of my days.
I hold her gaze and wait for a spark of awareness to enter her eyes, evidence that she’s paying attention to what I’m about to say.
“I want to carry you into the bedroom and feast on your sweet pussy, Gwen,” I tell her. “I want to bring you to pleasure again and again. I won’t claim you fully, not unless you beg for it, but I intend to make you climax. And gods, I am ravenous to taste you. More than anything.”
Her eyes widen and her face flushes a deeper shade of pink. She opens her mouth and tries to speak, but no words issue forth. I wait and watch, eager for her compliance.
Eager for her surrender.
Ask me, I say directly into her mind.Ask me to take you to the bedroom.
