Page 69 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

Bastian’s mouth found mine, swallowing the sound. I tried to touch him everywhere, desperate for the feel of him, desperate to explore. I wrapped my fingers in his wet hair, searched for purchase on his broad shoulders. When his hands gripped my ass, I brought my legs up and wrapped them around his waist. His cock nudged between my folds and we both groaned, breaking away from our kiss, panting.

“I want to see you without your glamor,” I breathed, barely able to formulate thoughts. His hands on my hips pushed them far enough away that his length was no longer pressed so perilously close to me.

“Not sure I want to do that,” he said, his voice a warning.

“Why not?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Not to me, no.”

He sighed. “Sugar, the last thing I want is to frighten you.”

“I’ve already seen your goblin form…sort of.”

He hesitated. “It’s not just the visible aspects. When I submit to my form, that side of me comes out to play.”

“I want to play,” I quipped, then felt my cheeks flame hot. Really? Had I just said that aloud?

His rumbling laugh resonated low in my belly. “That so? Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

His glamor fell away, like pulling a sheet off old furniture after sitting in wait. His ears sharpened to points, revealing twice as many piercings. His features turned more angular, sharp. A piercing appeared on his lower lip, near the corner of his mouth. His eyes turned entirely black, no white, no green iris. They were also a little wider. His hair, though wet, showed shiny strands of deep green. His skin turned a color of dark aluminum, stealing my breath at the sight of it. And where he held me, I felt the sharpening points of his nails.

I didn’t dare pull my gaze from his as I said, “You’re beautiful.”

He made a sound in the back of his throat, more growl than anything. “I was hoping for dashing, or hot, or sexy…” In this form, his voice was lower, rougher. It sent chills across my skin, made my muscles quiver in anticipation. “But, beautiful works too.”

I laughed, the sound bursting from my chest before I could help it. Bastian growled, his hands tightening on me, pulling me more firmly against him. The tips of his nails bit into my skin, but not enough to hurt.

“I like that sound,” he purred, mouth moving against my ear. My laugh died, breath catching in my throat. “I must warn you now, Eleanor. Goblins are fiercely possessive creatures. We greedily hoard treasure without shame. We are not to be denied. We allow nothing to come between us and that which is ours. I will allow nothing to come between me and that which is mine.”

The pulse between my legs pounded. “What are you saying?”

A long silence and then—“I’m not sure you know what you’re getting into, little female.”

The next words out of my mouth surprised me. “I trust you.”

Bastian blinked, surprise morphing his features. “Hmm. Well, in that case⁠—”

I yelped, as he moved with superhuman speed, wading the couple of steps to the edge of the pool, lifting me up and over. My bare ass came into contact with cement. My breasts on full display. Bastian parted my thighs. His face was suddenly so very close to my exposed pussy.

“Shit…” I breathed. That had escalated fast. He held inhumanly still, looking his fill. His black eyes darted over me, over my folds, like he was trying to memorize what he saw. He inhaled then, drawing in my scent, and heat spread up my neck.

“Now this—this is beautiful,” he growled. A desperate mew escaped my throat. His eyes finally lifted to mine. “May I?”

My pulse thundered in my ears. I swallowed, then nodded, not trusting my voice. At my permission, his hands wrapped around my hips and slid them forward, slipping me across the wet cement. My thighs parted wider to accommodate his shoulders. A hand came to my stomach, fingers splaying wide as I was pushed back.

“Bastian!” I half yelped, half scolded. I tried to lift to my elbows, to see what he was doing, but the low growl and firmer press of his palm had me accepting. I laid back against the cement. It was still mildly warm from a day in the spring sun.

Fingers pressed at my opening, spreading me wide, immediately followed by the warmth of a wet tongue and⁠—

“Oh!” I jerked as the ball of Bastian’s tongue piercing sent a zing of pleasure straight to my core. His hand slid down my stomach, coming to rest low on my abdomen, pinning my hips. “That feels…so good,” I moaned, still trying to squirm.

“You like that, baby girl? Makes your pussy come alive for me, hmm?”

A shocked gasp fell from my lips. His words made me blush more furiously than the mouth between my legs. I simply could not respond.

But he didn’t expect a response.