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He leans in and kisses me again.Slow,lingering, all heat and tenderness. My fingers slide into his long blond locks, nails grazing his scalp. He groans, low in his throat, and deepens the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth with a possessive kind of reverence.

“I want to take my time with you,” he says against my lips. “I want to worship every inch of you, make you forget anyone ever made you feel like you didn’t deserve this.”

“You already are,” I whisper.

He kisses me again, then lays me back on the bed like I’m something sacred. His hands follow the lines of my body – arms, ribs, waist, hips –not to take, but toreassure. Tolearnme.

My scent spirals higher – honeysuckle and storm-kissed fruit – mixing with the sweet-warm spice of him. He groans again, burying his face in my neck, and for a moment we just breathe each other in.

Then he shifts, pushing himself up slightly.

“I need to taste you, Evie,” he says, voice hoarse.

“Then do it,” I breathe.

Xar shifts lower, trailing kisses down my chest, my stomach, his hands wide and reverent as they glide over my hips. Every touch is careful – not hesitant, butmeasured. Like he’s holding himself back.

“Xar…” I breathe, my fingers tangling in his hair. “Please.”

He groans, the sound low and guttural, and settles between my thighs like he belongs there. His palms slide beneath my knees, easing me open, and the moment his breath ghosts over my slick folds, I tremble.

“Fucking hell,” he growls, voice roughened with restraint. “You smell so sweet. So fuckingperfect.”

Then he lowers his mouth to me, and I break.

He’s slow at first, tasting me like he’s savouring his favourite dessert. Each stroke of his tongue is deliberate, unhurried, and maddening. He flicks, circles, then suckles gently on my clit until I’m arching up into him, helpless against the wave building inside me.

My hands grip the sheets. My thighs shake.

“Xar! Please! I can’t?—”

“You can,” he murmurs against me. “I’ve got you.”

He speeds up slightly, dragging his tongue lower, then up again, dipping inside me before flattening over my clit. Iwhimper, hips lifting, and his arms wrap around my thighs, holding me steady as he pushes me closer to the edge.

When I come, it’s sudden –shattering. A full-body, mind-wiping release that makes me cry out his name, trembling as he licks me through it, groaning likehe’sthe one falling apart.

I’m panting when he finally eases off, his face flushed, lips wet. He crawls up over me slowly, kissing a path up my body, leaving heat in his wake.

“You taste like a fucking dream,” he whispers against my throat.

“I want to tasteyou,” I whisper, my voice rough and bold from whatever he’s just awakened in me.

He freezes. Pulls back slightly. “Evie…”

“I did it with Blaise,” I admit softly. “I wanted to. And I want to withyoutoo. Please.”

His jaw clenches. Not in anger – in restraint, I think.

“You’re killing me,” he mutters, then rolls off me, settling back against the pillows and reaching for me with one hand. “Come here, then. Let me see your eyes while you do it.”

I slide down between his legs, my body still thrumming with pleasure. His cock is already hard, flushed and slick at the tip. I wrap my hand around him gently, and his breath hisses through his teeth.

“Fuck, baby…” he groans, eyes locked to mine. “That’s it. Just like that.”

I lean down and take him into my mouth, slowly, savouring the weight of him on my tongue. His hands flex at his sides, muscles jumping in his thighs as I swirl my tongue and hollow my cheeks.

“You’re so fuckingbeautifullike this,” he rasps. “Taking me so well. Look at you, sweetheart. Oh, fuck.”