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And I let the towel fall to the floor.

Aether went still, his breath slowing as he took me in. The way he looked at me—like I was something sacred—made my skin flush, made me feel like I was burning from the inside out. Like I was the only thing in his world worth looking at.

His hands found my hips, and when he tilted his head to drag his mouth across my ribcage, the rough stubble on his jaw sent chills across my skin. His lips pressed right under the swell of my breast, golden eyes still locked on mine, and the intensity of his stare nearly undid me right then and there.

He nipped at the curve of my waist, then his mouth was on my stomach, his grip tightening like he couldn't bear to allow anymore distance between us. His hands slid down the backs of my thighs, barely touching—light and as intoxicating as a feathers edge, making me shiver despite the fire's warmth. Then suddenly his hands gripped the backs of my knees, and he yanked me forward onto the chair—onto him.

My arms wrapped around his neck as I pulled his mouth to mine, and the air in the room became electric. Something dark and terrifying rushed through me at the feel of him hard beneath his leathers, at how his hands seemed to burn everywhere they touched.

One arm curved around my back while the other gripped my hip, guiding me against him. I couldn't get enough—of his taste, ofthe impossible heat of his skin, of the way his shadows surrounded us—how they seemed to reach for mine.

His lips found my jaw, then my neck, and the sound that tore from his throat was almost pained as he shifted beneath me. Every brush of his stubble against my skin sent lightning through my veins.

I wanted him to feel what I felt, wanted to watch this carefully controlled man come undone completely, wholly, for me and me alone.

Heat coiled in my stomach as I watched the burning in his eyes. For a man who had spent decades feeling nothing, the raw hunger in his expression made my heart race. His hands raked over my body, leaving trails of fire in their wake, and when they reached my hips, his fingers pressed into my skin like he was afraid I might disappear.

"I've never..." His voice was rough, strained. "I don't want to hurt you."

The vulnerability in his tone made my chest ache. This was Aether—the man who could tear armies apart—who could bend matter to his will in an instant—now trembling beneath my touch.

I leaned down, pressing my lips to that perfect jaw. "You won't."

His breathing hitched as I rolled my hips against him. Even through his leathers, I could feel how hard he was. When my fingers found the fastenings, his whole body went rigid.

"Fia." My name was a warning on his lips, but I could hear the desperation beneath it—the longing.

"Let go," I whispered against his mouth.

Something snapped in him then. His hands tangled in my hair as he pulled me in for a kiss that stole my breath. Gone was the hesitation, the careful distance. This was pure need.

His mouth moved to my neck, teeth grazing sensitive skin as his hands explored every inch of me. Each touch felt like an iron,like he was branding me. I couldn't help the sounds escaping my throat as his nails trailed against my flesh.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed against my collarbone. "So perfect."

His hands found my breasts, and the sound that escaped him was almost feral. The guarded warrior I knew was unraveling beneath me.

"I've imagined this more times than I can count," he confessed against my skin. "Of touching you, tasting you."

My fingers worked faster at his leathers, desperate to feel his skin against mine. When I finally freed him, we both gasped. He was larger than I'd imagined, and heat flooded my face as I drank in the sight.

An ache radiated up from my center, my body crying out for more.

I lifted myself, sliding my hand between us to position him at my entrance. My eyes met his the moment I began to sink down, his size robbing me of my breath as I adjusted. The pain and pleasure were exquisite. Aether exhaled sharply, looking as if he was having to hold himself back. Allowing me to work myself down until his cock was fully buried within me.

"You're trembling," he whispered, his golden eyes searching mine.

"So are you," I managed, my voice shaky.

His hands slid up my back, pulling me closer until there wasn't a breath of space between us. "Thirty years," he groaned. "Thirty years of feeling nothing, and now..." His words dissolved into a moan as I shifted against him. "You're destroying me."

I pressed my forehead to his, our breaths mingling. "Good."

But I was already seeing stars. My body moved on its own, hips slowly rocking forward before sinking down again.

Aether’s head rolled back against the chair, eyes looking dazed but never leaving mine. His plump bottom lip was trappedbetween his teeth, nearly drawing blood on the next roll of my hips.

I leaned down, wanting to bite his lip myself. I kissed the edge of his mouth and he turned to meet my lips with barely contained restraint. My tongue moved across the cut he’d created, sucking on it slightly as my hips continued to move at a slow place, building up the pleasure with every movement.