Page 164 of Daughter of the Serpent

She pressed into him, searching hands smoothing into the hard planes of his body, into the man that had saved her, carried her, held her together when she thought she might fall apart.

And he let her.

No more walls.

No more restraint.

“I‘ll never get enough of you.” The words left his mouth like smoke, curling around her, drowning her in his spell as he slipped a hand between them. His fingers brushed along the sensitive skin of her thigh, and she shivered. Her heart pounded, a wild, erratic rhythm that matched the heat throbbing low in her belly. Every brush of his fingers sent a shockwave through her, a spark catching kindling, threatening to consume her whole.

She was burning - for him, forthis.

Her hands gripped his chest, feeling the heat of him even through the leather, but it wasn’t enough. Within seconds the armour hit the forest floor with a thud, and she barely registered the sound.

Her gaze devoured him, savoring every sculpted muscle, every glorious curl of ink, every jagged scar that marked him battle - worn and beautiful. Gods, she wanted to know them all, to drag her mouth over each one, to feel him shudder beneath her touch. The thought sent a wicked thrill through her, heat instantly pooling low in her core.

And then she saw it - that same hunger mirrored in his eyes, dark and smoldering, as if she were something to be conquered, to be made his own.

He moved quickly.

His hands gripping her hips, rough fingers digging in, pulling her flush against him in a way that stole her breath. His body was fire, searing through the remaining fabric betweenthem, and she gasped. For a single, torturous beat, he held still - his forehead grazing hers, his breath hot and uneven against her lips, as if he were fighting to control himself.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

Gods, she did.

Because she felt it.

The devastation, the ache, the hunger that mirrored her own.

“I can’t keep my hands off of you,” he rasped, as his lips met her neck, tracing a slow wandering path down her skin. A moan escaped her as he sucked at the hollow of her throat, his teeth grazing, his tongue setting fire to every nerve in her body. A thrill shot through her in response, a rush of something wild and unrestrained as his hands splayed across her back, pulling her closer still. Their bodies molded together, each movement a battle between slow, agonizing restraint and the sheer, maddening need. Her head fell back, her lips parting as pleasure curled through her spine.

“You’re mine,” he murmured against her skin, the words more breath than sound, raw and untamed.

And then he kissed her, long and achingly slow, as if tasting her was a privilege he meant to savor. Devouring her lips so thoroughly, she didn’t know if she’d ever come back for air.

She had never felt so wanted, so utterly claimed. The very thought sent a shudder through her, a trembling ache that curled low and spread through every limb. Her nails bit into the hard muscle of his shoulders, dragging a ragged curse from his lips. And then they were a collision of heat, frantic hands and desperate mouths, devouring, consuming - and still, it wasn’t enough.

He moved down. Branding himself into every curve, every hollow, searing his name into her body - into her very soul - until it was the only thing left on her lips.

“Axel.” His name felt different on her tongue, full of desperation, full of need as he sank to his knees before her, his eyes darkening. His hands disappeared beneath the hem of her robes, and when his fingers grazed her bare skin, she shuddered. Slow - torturouslyslow - he moved, his touch a whisper that licked up her thighs, claiming her inch by inch. The fabric bunched in his wake, gathering higher, exposing her to the cool night air - but she felt only him. His warmth, his strength, the way his fingers flexed against her as if he were savoring every inch of her, sealing heat. A low sound rumbled in his throat, raw and wanting, as his palms reached the backs of her thighs, and she tensed in anticipation, a desperate ache unfurling inside her. And when he pressed a kiss to her skin, just above his hands, all resolve crumbled.

She needed to be touched.

To be fully his.

Her thighs quivered, when his fingers paused - lingering - as if savoring every moment they touched her, every noise and gasp he coaxed from her lips unbidden.

"Axel."His name was barely a whisper, barely a breath.

A plea.

A demand.

His head lifted, his gaze locking onto hers.

And gods -

His eyes burned.