Page 96 of Of Shadows and Blood

Cedric begins pressing kisses down my neck and all over my chest. He squeezes my hip, causing me to buck against him. And do I feel him, indeed.

I’m holding him down with my legs, which have undoubtedly found their way around his body. We’re drifting together on this cloud, he and I.

“Is this okay?” he says against my skin as his hand softly rests upon my breast.

I nod again, biting my lip.

“I need to hear you say it,” he says, planting another kiss in the valley of my chest.

“Yes, Cedric,” I manage to moan out.

“Good, girl,” he says as he grabs my chest with as much ferocity as a lion finding its prey. He tears my dress down, exposing my top half to the warmth of the flames.

By tear, I mean Cedric tears the straps from my dress.

I finally look to his eyes and the red glint in them seems to glow as he grinds into me, his erection pressing into my core. It’s impossible to hold back my moans. My legs lock him closer, harder. My hips betray me and press against him even more.

“You have no idea,” he says as his head dips down, closing the distance between our faces. “How much you tempt me.”

My chest rises and falls suddenly, like I’m being pulled into another dimension and falling aimlessly. My eyes won’t move from the man above me.

Cedric.

“Say my name again.”

I focus and think of his name in my mind, the space within my head where our souls connect. He heard me. My heart lurches.

Cedric.

He grinds into me kissing my neck, my face, my chest.

“Please,” I say softly, my lips burning for his. He pauses his movements, his heart beating an intense rhythm above me.

Cedric slams his lips to mine as if they were air and he was breathless. It’s neither gentle nor delicate. It is fierce and demanding, as if he was afraid of missing the opportunity. He grinds against me again, this time groaning with me as he moves. He drops his lips down underneath my jaw as he squeezes our hands together. The feeling of Cedric against me, clothed, is intoxicating.

Imagine him without.

The king presses into me again, my skin prickling with anticipation. Stray black locks fall onto my face as we explore each other’s mouth. His tongue urges its way in and I moan in response. Cedric makes work on toying with my nipples. His fingers roll and twist, causing my core to lighten with sensation. A spark pops between our hands and Cedric laughs into my mouth, his smile leaning against my face.

“You deviant cess,” he murmurs, dragging his teeth across my lips. His hand travels down my skin towards my aches.

Pausing, Cedric pulls up and looks to me. Our eyes seem to lock instantly. His face is softened yet driven. My heart jumps as I look at this man, this king.

Fighting the emotions swirling in my head, I pull his head up with my hands. Cupping his face, I press my lips to his so deeply I feel I could explode then and there.

I’m not ready to come to any firm admission or decision yet on what this means. I shudder and my stomach flips as he rubs his body right where I wanted to. I buck under him but he holds my hands in place and picks up his kissing down to the hem of my dress.

Retracting one hand, Cedric finds my core. I moan at the feather touch of contact. Everything is too much. This moment, him, the drugs.

Speaking of the drugs…

The room spins, though it doesn’t disorient me. Colors melt together and I feel lighter than air. Together, it feels like we are alone in the space. No Baron, no kingdom, no Elivienne or Liv.

Cedric draws my attention back to him as one finger rubs small circles on my apex. I nearly jump beneath him.

This is all new.

He pauses momentarily. Too much?