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I knew it was treacherous then, the speed at which I was taking him. But something about every drawn-out moment, feeling every inch of him at this devastating pace, was like savoring the deadliest of wines—knowing it could kill me but craving it all the same. And a slow, free-fall of a death was exactly what I wanted with him.

Every movement sent waves of pleasure through me. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once—in my hair, on my breasts, gripping my thighs. Like he couldn't get enough, like he wanted to memorize every inch of me.

"Look at me," he commanded, his voice rough with need. When I met his gaze, his golden eyes were molten. "I need to see you."

And in an instant, he was pulling me down, down, down. So far that I couldn't tell where I ended and he began—the sensation of feeling him fully, wholly, unimaginably inside of me nearly had me coming apart at the seams.

I let my head lull back, exposing every delicate piece of me. My eyes wanted to roll, to dissolve into this perfect moment, searing this feeling into my mind—my body—forever. But as he thrusted upwards and sank back down, relieving me of the most divine pressure, I found myself suddenly alive once again, my head whipping back to his, my desperate stare a rival to his own, and my lips found his.

"You're holding back," I breathed against his mouth.

His hands tightened on my hips. "Because if I don't..." His voice was strained.

"What?" I challenged, rolling my hips slower, drawing a groan from deep in his chest.

And in an instant, he was everywhere—filling me again, driving his cock into me with a force that seemed to disturb the delicate foundations of the chair beneath us, its creaking echoing through the room.

"Careful," I whimpered, "These walls are paper thin."

His expression told me everything he couldn't say with words as he plunged into me again, a cry escaping my lips just as his hand came down on my mouth, suppressing the noise from my throat. I tasted his flesh, the salty—smoke ridden delicacy of his fingers.

"You want everyone to hear what you do to me?" he breathed against my ear.

I bit down on his fingers in response, and his whole body shuddered. The chair protested beneath us as our movements grew more primal. And I wanted more.

More.

I arched my back in response, crashing back down around him as he moved for another thrust, our bodies colliding in a storm of fury.

The chair groaned beneath us once again, the wood straining with each movement. His eyes met mine, something dangerous flickering in their golden depths. His hand slid from my mouth, returning to grip my thigh, and without warning, he stood—the sudden movement making me gasp.

For a moment we were suspended, my legs wrapped around his waist, his hands gripping me as his muscles flexed. Then he took three measured steps, each one deliberate, making me feel every shift of his body against mine. When my back finally met the cold stone, I arched away from it instinctively, pressing closer to his burning heat.

One of his hands left my thigh to cover my mouth again as a cry threatened to escape, as he buried himself so deeply in me thatI thought I might just lose myself. His other hand supported my entire weight, keeping me pinned against the wall. The position left me completely at his mercy, trapped between the icy chill of the stone and the oblivion his eyes were promising.

"Better?" he growled. The word ghosted across my skin, making me shiver. When I nodded, he slowly removed his hand from my mouth, replacing it with his lips in a kiss that was all teeth and desperation.

“Think you can stay quiet on your own?” he breathed after pulling away, and there was nothing innocent about the smile at his lips.

“Probably not,” I admitted, gasping.

“Good. Because I want to hear you scream my name.”

And then he began filling me—over and over, each thrust harder than the last.

His name fell from my lips easily. A plea for more of him. I was sure I could never get enough.

A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as his muscles strained. The sight of him—this careful warrior, golden eyes almost black with desire—made something wild stir inside me.

My legs tightened around his hips, entire body tensing. “Aether, I–”

I could barely get the words out but he seemed to know I was reaching my peak, my insides squeezing him tightly. It didn’t slow his relentless pace, and I crumbled around him, my shadows filling the room in an instant before flowing back into our bodies, the ecstasy almost blinding.

He didn’t give me a moment to catch my breath, his rhythm working me through the earth-shattering orgasm that was already building into another.

"You have no idea what that does to me," he growled against my throat, his stubble scraping against my sensitive skin. "Watching you fall apart."

His shadows circled tighter around us as his breathing grew ragged against my neck. The arm supporting my weight flexed, adjusting his grip to drive even deeper. The movement had my mind going blank, my head falling back against the stone.