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An easy task since he desired her above all.
“Alden, please.”
He knew what she begged for. Relishing in the firm grip she had on his head, Alden did not relent until her legs began to shake. Until she cried out, hips thrusting upward. Until she came on his lips, Alden continuing until there was nothing more of her release.
When he finally lifted his head, seeing Elara’s expression, Alden smiled.
“I would ask if you enjoyed that, but I can see the answer on your face already.”
“Enjoyed. ’Tis not the word, precisely.”
He kissed both inner thighs before moving up toward her. Lying beside Elara, head propped on one elbow, he waited as the aftereffects dimmed. As she came back to herself.
“Which word,” he said finally, “would you use?”
“Savored, mayhap.” She turned her head to him. “I did not know. Whisperings at court of ‘sex with your tongue’ meant nothing to me. Until now. I’ve just one question.”
“Anything.”
“Once I spied a woman in a darkened alcove on her knees before a man, who, I shall add, was married. Nonetheless, I moved away so quickly, ’twas hard to tell, but I wondered if I had seen her with his . . .”
Alden knew already where her story led, and so help him, the thought of Elara’s mouth around him was nearly too much to bear.
“This is the first time,” he said, when she failed to continue, “I have ever seen you struggle to find a word, Lady Elara.”
“I am your lady again, am I?”
He kissed her, letting Elara taste herself. When he did pull back, she was smiling.
“You are my lady. As I promised you would be if we began this dangerous liaison.”
She rolled toward him, her breasts moving in a way that made Alden ache to touch them. Feel her nipple beneath his fingertips.
So he did.
“I am yours,” she said.
No three words had ever sounded as sweet.
“But you are mine, as well.”
“I’ve been yours from the start, Elara. As you know. And the word you were searching for,” he said, his hands now roaming, “is cock. Say it.”
“So demanding.” She laid her hand on his shoulder as Alden continue to play with her breasts. “Cock.”
“You do not ever need to hesitate to say something, to do what you wish, in my bed. Ever.”
“This,” she said, her fingers trailing a path from his shoulder to his chest, “is my bed.”
“That it is,” he acknowledged. “And to answer your earlier question—”
He stopped as a bell rang out. Something was wrong.
Chapter
Sixteen
At first, Elara was uncertain if the sound was truly a bell ringing or if she was still in some far-off place where Alden just did . . . that. Except, he jolted from the bed.
