Page 194 of Sorrow & Strangers

“Fuck,” I whisper.

He rocks his hips a little, letting out a desperate groan as he coats his shaft in my arousal. “So wet . . .”

“Stranger,” I warn, my voice nothing more than a husky moan.

He closes his eyes, rocking his hips once more before cursing and pulling away from me. Sitting up on the bed, he runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. My chest heaves as I sit up, brushing my fingers over his shoulders.

“Little fae, if you touch me right now, I will fuck you,” he growls, the danger in his voice making my stomach flutter.

“Stranger?”

“Just give a moment.”

I pull the sheet around me and sit back, waiting for him. My desire is painful, and my need for release is almost undeniable.

It takes a few long moments before he climbs out of bed. “Don’t move,” he commands before disappearing into the bathroom.

The shower starts, and I pull my knees up to my chest as I wait. When the bathroom door opens, I look up to see him in a pair of sweats that hang indecently low on his hips. His hair is wet, and when he climbs into bed, his skin is cool like he’s just emerged from an ice bath.

“I can put on clothes or your⁠—”

“No,” he growls, obviously still on edge. “You will remain naked.” He pulls me close, and when he buries his face into my neck, his tension finally melts away.

“Did you . . . ?”

“No. Just had to cool off,” he says, but I can still feel his frustration. The shower may have helped clear his mind a little, but I can feel how hard his cock still is through the thin barrier of his pants. Desire still roils through me, but then my stomach growls loudly, and my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

When the stranger pulls back, his easy smile is back, and he presses a soft kiss to my jaw before reaching for the menu in his bedside cabinet.

“Here, princess.”

I take it from him and roll onto my back, scouring through it, looking at all the options. He pulls me close and curls around me, absentmindedly tracing shapes over the silk sheet covering my stomach.

“I think I want a steak with a side of lobster.”

“Anything else?” He smirks.

“The berry cake.”

“Champagne?”

“You don’t like champagne,” I say absently, still perusing the menu.

“What makes you say that?” he asks, pulling back to look at me.

“I know you better than you think,” I say, brushing a soft kiss to his cheek.

His eyes sparkle with delight as he picks up the phone to order our meals. Even with him distracted, the sexual tension between us is rife, the low timbre of his voice going straight to my core. It takes everything in me not to straddle him and beg for him to satisfy a hunger much more carnal than the one for food.

Knowing I am on the precipice of giving in to my desires, I climb out of bed and pull on his shirt. His attention immediately snaps to me, his gaze following my every movement with intense focus. I turn away from the temptation of him and pad to the window, staring out over the sprawling moonlit ocean. In the distance, I can see the silhouette of what looks like a castle turret just emerging from the surface of the water.

I hear him request a bottle of scotch, and a small smile curves my lips as he finishes the call and hangs up.

“Princess?” he calls softly, and I feel him sidle up behind me. I’m so fucking aware of him. Have I always been? He wraps his arms around my waist, and I instinctively lean back against him. “Paradis is breathtaking in more ways than one.” He glances at his watch and then back out the window. “After we eat, I want to take you somewhere special.” He rests his chin on my head. “Can you ride?”

“Ride?”

“A horse. Not me,” he says, and I laugh softly.