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River searched within herself for any lingering trepidation about her relationship with Nikhail, but she found none. Before she could think twice about what she was doing, she turned in his lap.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she murmured, her gaze sweeping over his. “For dinner… and for everything else.”

She leaned over and brushed her mouth over his. The kiss was soft and warm and nice…

But she didn’t want nice. Not right now. Not after having been forced to deal with her mother for the past two days. Not when all she and Nikhail had had were stolen moments.

No, they were finally alone, and she wanted him.

All of him.

Mind made up, River deepened their embrace. She threaded her hands through Nikhail’s hair, drawing him closer to her. Each swipe of her lips against his, each meeting of their mouths, only strengthened her resolve .

She flattened her palms on his shirt, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her touch. “You really aren’t afraid of me,” she said in wonderment.

He shook his head, his amber eyes locked on her. “Never.”

A fire ignited deep within her. Her breath caught in her throat, and she lowered her mouth to his once again. Their mouths merged, long and slow, and her fingers trailed down his chest.

One by one, she plucked at the buttons of his white dress shirt. His breath hitched, and he moved the chair further away from the table, but he didn’t pull away or ask her to stop.

River kept going until every button was undone. The fabric split apart like curtains, revealing Nikhail’s rigid stomach muscles. She placed her hands on his bare chest, reveling at his sharp intake of breath. He didn’t tell her to stop, and that emboldened her.

Trailing her fingers down his chest, she traced the scars lining his abs.

“Where did you get this one?” she asked, tracing a three-inch raised pink line that must have hurt.

He leaned forward and kissed the corner of her lip, his breath skating over her mouth. “At work.”

She traced another raised scar, this one a bit lower than the last. “And this one?”

“Same thing,” he said, his voice hoarse. “About ten years ago.”

“Hmm.” River hummed, her fingers trailing down Nikhail’s stomach, headed towards the promising V that had been taunting her since his shirt fell away. “It seems there’s a theme here. You must get into very dangerous things at work, Nikhail.”

She traced the waistband of his pants, and he groaned .

“I do,” he rumbled, curling his fingers over hers and stopping her from going further.

She pouted, looking up at him.

He pressed his forehead against hers, and a vein in his jaw fluttered. “You’re making it extremely difficult to be a gentleman right now, River. I had no ulterior motives in inviting you back here. I just wanted to look after you.”

Her heart warmed, and she leaned in, kissing him again. Now that they’d started, she couldn’t seem to stop. He groaned against her, deepening the embrace. As if he couldn’t stay away from her. As if he felt the same pull that she did.

“I know, Nik,” she whispered against his lips.

“And it’s so honorable of you.” She kissed his jaw.

“You’ve always been good to me.” A kiss to his collarbone.

“Kind.” She slid down his lap, kissing each scar as she passed.

“A grounding force when I need it most.” Her knees landed on the carpeted floor. “Always there for me.”

Her fingers rose to the button of his pants, and this time, he didn’t push her away. His chest heaved as his amber eyes drank her in. “Princess?—”

“Let me, Nik,” she breathed, gazing up at him from between his spread legs. “I want to see you.”

If he asked her to stop, she would, but gods, she hoped he wouldn’t. She’d only had two glasses of wine much earlier in the night, so between the time and the food she’d consumed, she was clearheaded.

She wanted this. Wanted him.

And honestly, who could blame her? Cast in the moonlight coming through the window, his black hair askew in a way that was utterly unlike him, with his bare, muscular chest heaving, Nikhail looked like an old fae deity .

He stared at her for a long moment, his jaw clenched, before he nodded. “Go ahead.”

No sooner had he given her permission than she’d flicked open the button and tugged down the zipper. Her mouth dried, and she licked her lips at the impressive outline of his cock straining against his black boxers.

Gods, he was big. She’d assumed as much, from the way he’d felt in the library and just now, but this…

“Can I touch you?” she asked, her eyes flicking back to his.

He sucked in a sharp breath, his fingers tightening on the armrests, before he lowered his chin. “Yeah. I get tested regularly with the military. I don’t have any STIs.”

Gods, she hadn’t even thought about those. That wasn’t very doctorly of her. Thank goodness one of them was paying attention.

“Me, too,” she said. “Not the military part, but I am, too.”

Ember got tested monthly for sexually transmitted infections, and she always dragged River along with her for moral support.

Deciding that was enough medical talk, River drew her bottom lip through her teeth and brushed her knuckles across Nikhail’s clothed cock. He hissed, his hands tightening, and her mouth ticked up into a smile. She did it again, delighting in his responding groan.

Her usually calm air fae looked like he was on the verge of losing control, and it was all because of her . How far could she push him? Could she make him let go of that restraint entirely? Sands save her, but she wanted that more than she’d wanted anything else in her life.

He lifted his hips, and she tugged down his boxers and pants, his cock slipping free.

Warmth shot past her navel, and she squirmed as she took in the size of him.

She’d been around plenty of naked men before—that was par for the course, when one was a medical professional—but she’d never seen a cock as perfect as Nikhail’s.

All of her prior experiences in the bedroom had been quick affairs. She’d never taken the time to simply admire her partner up close.

Well, she would rectify that right now.

A vein pulsed along the side of his cock, and she drew her finger up it. A mumbled groan slipped from his lips, and she wrapped her hand around his length. Her fingers barely wrapped around him, and she ran her hand from root to tip.

What would he feel like inside her?

Precum glistened on his tip, and before she could second-guess herself, she leaned forward and licked it. He shouted a curse, and a crack filled the air as the armrest splintered.

Upon making sure Nikhail was okay—he was—her eyes fell shut at the taste of him. He was salty, but there was a hint of sweetness that had her licking her lips and wanting more.

River leaned forward, running her tongue up his dick as a strangled moan came from him. The sound morphed into a gasping breath as she took him into her mouth as far as she could. Keeping one hand on his leg for support, she wrapped the other around his base and learned what he liked.

Bobbing up and down on Nikhail’s cock, she licked and sucked and tasted him until he was cursing up a storm. She glanced up to see him gripping the armrests with white-knuckled fingers, his hips thrusting gently into her mouth.

Even now, he was being careful with her. Gods above, that just made her want him even more.

“River,” he groaned. “I’m going to—fuck.”

His fingers twisted in her hair, and he tugged. He wanted her to move? To get off him? Now ?

That wasn’t going to happen. Shaking her head, River took him as deeply as she could, twisting her hand along his base.

Nikhail swore, shouting her name as jets of hot cum shot into her mouth. She drank down every last drop, reveling in the fact that he had just come apart for her .

She’d never felt more powerful, more in control.

A warm hand landed on River’s chin, and Nikhail pulled her off him. She looked up with wide eyes as he stood, lifting her with him. Her arms looped around his neck, and her legs wrapped around his waist as he stepped out of his pants and boxers, carrying her to the bed.

“Show me,” Nikhail rumbled.

She stared at him, not understanding.

“Open your mouth, River.”

Oh .

Her cheeks heated as she parted her lips and stuck out her tongue, showing him her empty mouth.

A fae growl rolled through Nikhail at the sight, and he kissed her, lowering her to the mattress.

There was something erotic about the fact that he was tasting himself on her, and she moaned into his mouth.

Was this hotel room soundproof? If not, the neighbors were about to get an earful.

She tugged on Nikhail’s shirt, urging him to take it off.

He obliged, tossing it in the corner of the room, along with his socks, before kneeling naked beside her.

Sands save her, but he was a work of art.

It was obvious that he took working out very seriously, and her gaze shamelessly slid lower, to where his dick was already hardening again.

Statues were less perfect than Nikhail Galebringer.

Her gaze swept over him, and she was so entranced by learning all the dips and grooves of his body that she only half-heard what he was saying .

“I’m sorry, what?” She blinked, wondering if she’d misheard him.

But no, Nikhail opened his mouth and repeated, “We can’t sleep together.”

River sucked in a sharp breath, and her eyes stung as tears rushed to them, unbidden. She thought…

She’d thought he wanted her. She thought he cared about her. That with him, she wouldn’t be alone anymore.

But apparently, she’d been wrong.