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She leaned up on her elbows. “Under one condition.”

“Anything,” I rasped.

“You get naked first.”

Ayla

“You get naked first.”

I flushed, embarrassed I’d just said that, ordering my shadow prince to undress even as I asked him to slow things down.

I trust him. I really do.

The tether was warm, assuring me that his intentions were kind. And, by Teyr, I was desperate to see him, to learn him beyond the shadows of the balcony. When he hesitated, I leaned closer and looked down the bed toward him, still kneeling between my thighs.

In answer, he loosened his pants. “If that’s what you want.”

Had I ever wanted something this bad?

I held my breath as his pants slid away, dropping to his ankles. My eyes soaked in the sight of his muscled stomach, with abs that cut a perfect line down to his defined hip bones, and my gaze narrowed, centering on his cock, bulging against his snug underwear.

He loosened his shoes and stepped out of them, moving far too slow. “Is that better?”

“Not quite.” My mouth dried as I shifted to the edge of the bed and kissed his hip. My fingers wiggled under his waistband, pawing at him with growing need. He set his hands over mine, and together we tugged the last of his clothes away.

His cock sprung forth, bulging like it must hurt him. His erection was long, longer than I had realized. And my stomach knotted, awed that I had taken him so deep into my throat the night before.

He was a miracle, and I teased my lip as his cock throbbed between us.

“Now will you please take off your dress?” he asked, stepping closer, his cock bumping against my cheek. “Or else I’ll ruin it.”

My throat tightened as I reached for the hidden ties. The dress slipped down, bunching at my waist as my breasts tumbled free.

He shifted his weight, clenching his fist with restraint as he tore his gaze from my chest to the cinched fabric. “Take it all off,” he instructed.

I glanced at his cock and didn’t think twice, shimmying the skirt over my butt. I tossed the dress aside.

He froze, his gaze piercing as he raked my body. My butt clenched, back arched, and thighs widened as I exposed myself to him.

I’d never felt more naked, more exposed. More safe.

He lunged upon me, kissing me, touching me. Through our bond, I felt his hunger for me as I grabbed his cock, desperate to feel him. He groaned at my touch, relieving any doubt that I wouldn’t be enough.

He adored me, treated me like I was valuable. His embrace made me burn.

I stroked his length, up and down, and then squeezed. The resulting growl crashed into my core as fresh desire pooled along my folds. He groaned again.

Loving that sound, needing to see him lose control, I continued to work him, but he pressed his fingers into my hip, trailing them down to the hairline of my sex. “Not yet. I want to explore you first. Tonight, I will learn every inch of your pleasure.”

At the promise in his words, I moaned. The sound was barely out of my throat before he touched me, his fingers teasing my folds open. He ran a finger inward, and when he brushed my oversensitive clit, I lost it.

Pressure pulsed through me as my nerves sparked. I lifted my hips and grinded against his hand. He stroked me, his petting becoming almost abrasive as he answered the rising volume of my desire. I writhed against his palm, showing him my sensitive spots. My light grew brighter, a halo surrounding us, protecting us.

He listened so well, as if my cries were a language he understood like a native speaker.

Soon I could smell my own desire, and from the glazed expression on Zayne’s face, I knew the scent had struck him too. It was that fae sort of look. Carnal. Hedonistic. The craving for pleasure that humans never seemed to understand.

And he’s mine.