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And then it erupted.

He wasn’t certain who moved first, but they collided, mouths crashing together. Her hands flew to his hips, latching onto the waistband of his trousers. Tongue and teeth and lips battled as a frantic noise cut off in her throat, lost to the drum of the rain.

He gripped her face, angled her so he could deepen the kiss, tongue surging forward. He groaned as her tongue slid along his, just as demanding, just as desperate.

They tore at each other's clothes. It wasn’t easy because now that he’d gotten a taste of her mouth, he was loath to ever be denied it. Her teeth snagged on his bottom lip, and she let out a growl as she tugged violently on his coat’s cuff.

She stepped back, chest surging. “Bugger this bloody skin-tight coat!”

And he couldn’t stop it—he burst out laughing. Her scowl morphed into a satisfied smile, and he had no idea what she was so satisfied over, but he couldn’t say he hated her looking at him that way.

Then that smile turned devilish. Her riding coat dropped to the ground. Waistcoat. Cravat pulled free, fluttering off in the wind. She hopped up on the rail of the gazebo and lifted a boot. He obliged instantly. Boots gone. She gave his own garments a quick tug—a silent demand for him to get moving.

He quickly struggled out of his coat and waistcoat. By the time he’d gotten his neckcloth free, she was—he swallowed hard—she was naked. She ran her thumb slowly over her bottom lip, predatory. She was stunning. A siren in the storm. He was helpless against her call.

She slowly turned, arms going behind her back, and presented her wrists to him. No hesitation. Immediately ceding to him. Emotion welled in his throat, and he frowned against it. He cupped her waist, gently guiding her back to face him.

“Like this,” he whispered.

He carefully tied her wrists in front of her. Then he removed his shirt, folded it, and placed it over the rail. He lifted her and settled her on the shirt, back against the side support. Her legs instantly locked behind him. He ducked his head and arched a brow. A cheeky grin flitted over her features as she obediently lifted her arms up and over his head.

They stared at each other, light flashing and illuminating them for milliseconds before the darkness of the storm fell over them again.

“Like this,” she agreed.

He closed the distance and kissed her again. But he held back, kept it chaste. He had other destinations in mind. Other things he was desperate to taste. He mouthed down her neck, tongue tracing the column of her elegant neck. He grazed his teeth over her collarbone, then sucked on it lightly. Her legs squeezed around him tighter. He grinned.

Just you wait, darling.

He kissed down the center of her chest and paused between her breasts. His eyes slid shut, and he breathed her in. Woman, lavender, and clean sweat. She smelled like hard work and competence. His cock pulsed. Bloody hell, she was delicious. He licked his way over to her left breast, tracing around the nipple without touching it. He groaned as it pebbled before him. He couldn’t resist that invitation. That temptation. He drew her into his mouth, and her fingers scrambled to hold onto his head.

Her thighs held a death grip on his waist as he played with her, tongue toying, occasionally sucking. He glanced up to catch her, head back, neck stretched, lips parted. Stunning.

Fingernails dug into his scalp, and her lust-darkened gaze found his. “Harder.” The demand was lost in the wind, but he heard it loud and clear.

As she wished. She writhed against him, body shaking as he rolled his tongue over her exactly how he would if he were at his ultimate destination. Every squirm, every shiver, sank into his blood and set it on fire. His cock throbbed, aching for the relief only she could give him.

He flicked her nipple one last time before letting go. He glanced up to meet her gaze and gestured above her with a nod of his head. “Hold on.”

Her chest shook on an unsteady breath, and she lifted her arms to grasp the decorative molding above her.

He groaned, a wave of lust streaking through him. God, she was a vision. Breasts thrust forward, long lean body stretched out above him, high cheekbones sharpened by the shadows. She reigned over him. But she wasn’t just a queen. She was so much more than that.

Rafe slid to his knees. Kissed the silken skin of her inner thighs, eyes falling shut. “Empress,” he whispered. That’s what she was. And he her devoted subject. He kissed his way closer to the heart of her. A devoted subject who’d give his ruler anything she requested of him.

He was terrified of how much if she were to ask.

He barely knew her, yet he was close to giving her the one thing he gave no one.

His trust.

She slipped a leg over his shoulder, drawing her foot slowly up his back. A deep moan rumbled through his chest. Taking what she wanted. He pressed a soft kiss just outside of where he knew she needed him. He inhaled, drew in the heady scent of her arousal. Pressure coiled in his groin, a persistent ache taking up in his ballocks. God, this was going to destroy him. But there was no better way to go.

He finally surrendered and gave them both what they wanted. He kissed over her, gentle, nothing but a brush of lips. She jolted, back arching. But he didn’t give more. Just covered every inch of her with open-mouthed kisses.

Her heel dug into his back, her hips pressing into his face. Her eagerness destroyed him. He wanted her out of her wits before he caved and gave her more. He slipped his tongue over her, just a tease, never dipping between her seam. That first taste of her had his fingers tightening. Not yet. He licked his way up to where her pleasure centered. Let his lips rest there, could feel how she throbbed, hot and needy against him. He kissed her, just a fraction harder. A tremor wracked her frame. He did it again, harder. Her hips bucked. Her pained whine reached him even through the storm. Went straight to his cock.

He pressed the flat of his tongue over her, reveled in the way her hips shook at the contact. He pulsed it over her, barely moving but giving her that rhythmic pressure he knew her body wanted. But not enough for it to be what she needed.