“You’re basically the prodigal son,” she argued. “Calum is going to have you on a pedestal. I can tell. I’m the creature he had to make a death bargain with to keep you alive.”
“You’re over simplifying things,” Theo insisted. His voice rose ever so slightly. Not enough to yell or even take a cross tone with Lyra, but just enough that she knew he was serious. “Your sister was being held for ransom. You were blackmailed. That is a pretty serious detail to leave out.”
Lyra said nothing. The rational part of her mind knew Theo was right, but her stomach still churned with nerves.
“We will figure this out,” Theo insisted, pressing a kiss to the top of Lyra’s forehead. “We did it, Lyra.”
He smiled, his entire face lighting up. Lyra had never seen Theo with such an optimistic, carefree expression. If she wasn’t sitting, it would’ve knocked her over.
“Oh my god!” Lyra’s mouth fell open. “Wait, why am I even crying—Theo! The curse. You’re free!” All of Lyra’s concerns and excess adrenaline from the past two days fell away when she realized the magnitude of what they had done. What this meant for Theo.
“I am.” Theo smiled again, his eyes now shining with unshed tears of a different sort. “I’m free. I think you were right, though. I don’t think it was a curse.” Theo pursed his lips. “I think it was a prophecy.”
Lyra said nothing, turning the possibility over in her mind. “It could be,” she agreed, “but either way, Theo, it’s over!”
Lyra let out a happy squeal and threw her arms around Theo, knocking him backwards over onto the bed. He started laughing as she straddled his waist, covering his face with kisses. Lyra could barely keep her hands off of him, roaming over his broad, naked chest.
Theo’s hands tightened around her waist and Lyra let out a soft moan. The atmosphere shifted, and their touch stopped being celebratory and playful, gravitating to something more urgent. Without consciously realizing it, Lyra started to gently rock her hips back and forth. The thin material of her clothing and Theo’s towel were the only things separating them.
“Fuck,” Theo exhaled heavily, his eyes growing darker.
Lyra leaned down over him, trailing her tongue down his jaw. His grip intensified, and Lyra preened, knowing he would leave tiny fingerprint bruises.
“That’s what I want,” Lyra answered, applying more pressure as she dragged her core across Theo’s rapidly hardening erection.
“Yeah?” Theo whispered, his voice low and full of lust. “You want me to fuck you, siren?”
No one had ever called Lyra a siren as a compliment. When Theo uttered the word, she could feel her body start pulsing witharousal. Lyra nodded, scratching her nails down Theo’s bare chest.
“Nope.” Theo grinned mischieviously. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so good, so unburdened, and he was going to savor the first time he was inside Lyra. “Use your words.”
Lyra’s mouth popped open into a surprised expression, once again pleasantly shocked by the subtle dominance Theo exhibited.
“Yes,” Lyra gyrated her hips, “I want you to fuck me.”
The moment the words left her lips, Theo thrust his body upward, flipping Lyra underneath him. She moaned as he pressed his body atop hers, the delicious weight of him sending her brain into overdrive.
“Let’s take this off.” Theo tugged on the hem of Lyra’s shirt. “Show me that gorgeous body. I want to see what belongs to me tonight.”
Lyra shuddered, biting her lip as she gave Theo a teasing expression.
“What belongs to you, huh? You better think again.”
With a predator’s strength, Lyra flipped them around again, returning to her position on top. Theo was about to open his mouth to protest, until Lyra tugged her shirt off in one fluid movement.
“Gods above,” Theo whispered, propping himself up on his elbows as she leaned down to kiss him. “You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”
Theo whispered the words against Lyra’s lips, like a prayer or a solemn vow, and Lyra could feel it settling into her bones. Her entire body was on high alert, the wetness between her legs consuming her thoughts. All she wanted now was relief, in the form of Theo.
She kissed him, their hands tugging at each other’s remaining clothing. They ripped and pulled, a mess of sweatylimbs and tangled sleeves, refusing to stop kissing to take a few minutes to undress. The idea of pulling away from Theo now was unbearable to Lyra. She was surrounded by the eternally pine scent of him, the strength of his body, the undeniable masculinity of a tender heart in a rock solid package.
“Enough of this,” Lyra hissed, her fingernails lengthening into talons. She sliced clean through her clothing and Theo’s pants, freeing his erection. Lyra leaned down and rocked her hips against him, coating his hard cock in her arousal.
“F-fuck,” Theo stuttered, his head falling back on the pillows. “You have to stop doing that, or this is going to be over before I’m even inside you.”
Lyra continued dragging her pussy against Theo’s cock, refusing to listen to him, a knowing smirk on her face.
“No, no, it’s not.” She leaned down, kissing Theo again until they were breathless, panting into each other’s mouths and chasing the embrace more than oxygen. It was messy—teeth and biting, with zero finesse, but the urgency of the moment surpassed any need for delicate technique.
