Page 34 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Just a kiss?”

“You’re welcome to give me more than a kiss, but just a kiss will do for now.” He winks at me with a sarcastic smirk still on his face.

My face heats, and my body suddenly feels too hot. Gods, do I want to kiss him. More than I’ve ever wanted to kiss anyone. Aidan’s the only man I’ve ever kissed, and that wasn’t even something I wanted. The moon bread clouded my judgment. I also didn’t know Aidan was a murdering rapist at the time. What if I’m a bad kisser? Panic surges through my chest for a moment, and Onyx must see it written on my face, because his hand comes up to my cheek, drawing my eyes to him.

“Don’t get shy on me now, Lewis.” I turn away from him, running my hand across my face. “I’m not shy I—”

“Have you kissed many men, Lyra?” he teases, cutting me off.

“No.” My cheeks are on fire, and I hope he thinks it's just from the hot water and not me dying from embarrassment at my lack of experience. I look down.

He moves his hand under my chin, guiding my face up to meet his eyes. Once I meet his gaze, his eyes soften. “You have nothing to be shy about. It’s adorable, but don’t look down. Don’t be embarrassed—ever. Not with me, okay?”

“Okay,” I say softly. He releases my chin and runs his fingers gently down my neck. A thrill courses through my body. I want to kiss him, more than anything. Then his hand comes up to cradle my cheek, and I know that I'm ready. He leans in and never looks away from my eyes until the last second when I close mine.

As his lips brush against my eyelid, a jolt of electricity shoots through my body. His kisses trail down my face, sending tingles over my skin. When his lips meet mine, they're warm and soft, and my heart skips a beat. His kiss is gentle yet passionate, and I find myself opening my mouth to deepen it. His tongue caresses mine, and I feel a rush of heat throughout my body. I can't help but moan as his arms tighten around me, pulling me into his lap. I go willingly, and my legs wrap easily around his waist. His arm wraps around my back, holding my body close to him. I feel his arousal pressing into the soft parts of my stomach, and his touch sends shivers of pleasure through me. I find myself lost in the moment. Our kiss feels like a dance, each of us taking turns leading and following. I don’t know how much time has passed, but I don't want it to end. Finally, we break apart, both of us gasping for air. Looking into his eyes, I know that I want to kiss him again and again.

I close my eyes, savoring the feeling of his touch and the warmth of the rain. The drops pelt against our skin, mingling with the wetness of our bodies. I never knew rain could be so comforting. Nyx’s hand moves from my back to my face, wiping away a tear that I didn’t even realize had fallen. His touch makes me tingle. I open my eyes and look up at him, captivated by the intensity in his gaze.

He leans down and presses his lips to mine once again. This kiss is different, more urgent, as if he’s trying to convey something to me through it. Our bodies press together, and I feel the heat building between us. It’s like a wildfire, burning out of control, and I never want it to end. I don’t know how long we’ve been tangled together or when it started raining. I pull my face away from him for a moment, tipping my head back and letting the warm rain crash onto me, laughing. When I bring my face back, his eyes are glowing. He looks so incredibly sexy and breathtaking. His hair is wet and drooping slightly over his forehead, and his muscled chest and arms are glistening from the warm rain. How could this man ever want me, an inexperienced shy girl with no power? My face must betray me, because he runs one hand through my hair, tucking it behind my ear before asking, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” I smile at him, and he pulls my head down to rest on his chest. He holds me there, trailing his fingers through my hair and down my back in the rain. I rest my cheek on his chest and try to remember a time I felt this good. In his arms, I feel so safe, happy, and content, like I’m right where I belong. Does he feel the same?

“How old are you?” I ask. I know the Fae live longer than any other being and that some live to be well over a thousand years old. Nyx looks like he’s in his early thirties at most, but that doesn’t mean anything. He’ll age a lot slower.

“I am three hundred and thirty years old,” he says into the top of my hair.

Oh my gods, he has already lived more than three times my whole life span. He must’ve been with dozens, no probably hundreds of women in his life. I’ll surely never be able to please him with all the experience he has. My heart starts to race a bit as my mind tries to wrap around this fact.

“I can hear your heart racing and sense your panic. Does my age bother you?” he says, leaning back so he can look at my face.

“No, not at all. It's just you have so much more experience than me in, well, everything. You’ve lived so much life, and I’ve never done anything. It's hard to comprehend. I’m just taking it all in. I’m not panicking or anything.”

“You’re perfect, Lyra, just as you are. Experience will come with time. Don’t ever feel bad about who you are.” He kisses my forehead, causing my heart to pound in my chest again, and this time I seek out his mouth. Our lips collide in a messy, wet kiss. Our fingers tangle in each other’s hair. My breasts feel heavy and sensitive pressed against his chest. His hand trails down my back and cups my ass, squeezing slightly and holding me close to him. His other hand finds its way between us and cups my sensitive center. He pulls his head away from mine, both of us panting.

“Is this okay?” His eyes glow with passion.

“Yes,” I whisper before his mouth descends on mine again. He parts my lips and slides a finger inside me. I hold my breath, waiting for the pain, but Flora really did heal all parts of my body. Instead of pain, a delicious thrill courses through my body. I moan, and the sound only makes him kiss me harder, working his finger in and out and rubbing his thumb in tantalizingly slow circles on my center. He wraps his other arm around my waist and starts coaxing me to move. I ride his hand, and the pleasure it's eliciting from me is almost too much to take. His lips leave mine, and he begins to lick and nibble on my earlobe.

“Come for me, Lyra.” His breath teases my ear, and his words undo me. My body convulses against him, and my head falls to rest on his shoulder. My breathing is shallow as my insides tighten around his fingers in sweet release. He waits for my body to relax before he eases his fingers out of me, wrapping both arms around me and holding me close.

“Are you okay?” he asks, softly rubbing the back of my head with one hand.

“Yes.” I smile. “Better than okay. I’ve never done that before. I mean . . . I’ve been touched like that before, but it didn’t feel like that.”

“Glad I was able to please you, Princess.” Onyx kisses the tip of my nose. “Are you hungry?” he asks, and my stomach answers him by growling. “Let me get us somewhere dry, and we can see what Twig packed us to eat.”

He raises a hand in the air, and our clothes levitate before dropping into the backpack he brought, then the backpack flies into his hand, and we disappear.

Chapter Seventeen

His sweet musky scent envelopes me with the wind, and we appear in a cave. I’m still wrapped around Onyx, and he’s holding me to him. I let my legs drop to the ground, suddenly feeling flushed and a little self-conscious now that we’re both naked without the water as camouflage. It’s not exactly cold out—the air is humid—but my body still shivers from being wet. Onyx releases me and snaps his fingers, drying both of us instantly. I look down at myself and touch my hair in shock for a moment.

“How did you do that?”

“Magic,” Onyx says. He smirks while pulling clothes out of the backpack. “I much prefer you like this, but I’m assuming you’ll be more comfortable in these.” He hands me my clothes, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he does. His eyes linger on my body, but he must sense I’m uncomfortable, because he turns around and gives me privacy. Once we’re both fully clothed, he pulls a couple of blankets from the pack and arranges them near the opening of the cave, then with the flick of his wrist a fire crackles to life.

As we sit there, wrapped in the warmth of the blankets and the glow of the fire, I can't help but feel like I'm in a dream. The rain beats a soothing rhythm on the cave entrance, and the jungle stretches out before us like a never-ending tapestry of green. Nyx's arms wrap around me, and I lean into his embrace. The scent of his skin mixed with the smell of the rain and the fire creates an intoxicating aroma that fills my senses. I feel at home with him.