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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

T he next morning, Narissa awoke comfortably warm with Solarius’s arm slung possessively around her waist and his hardened shaft wedged snugly between her legs.

She blinked away the sleep from her eyes as gray morning light peeked in through the dusting of snow covering the glass ceiling.

Soft sheets and a downy navy comforter were tossed over them, fire crackled and spit in the hearth, and Narissa let her mind drift.

For a moment she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to wake up every morning like this, sated and deliriously content, with the ache in her heart suddenly not so heavy.

Solarius’s chest was pressed to her back, and with each steady rise and fall, she snuggled herself a little bit closer to him.

His voice was heavy with sleep as he said, “If you keep nuzzling your perfect little ass against me, I’m going to flip you over and have you ride my cock.”

Desire speared her and every inch of her skin tingled with awareness.

Emboldened by his promise, she shimmied, squeezing his cock where it rested between her thighs.

If she arched a little and slightly lifted one leg, then he would be able to slide right into her.

But her squirming drew a seductive groan from Solarius, one that echoed down her spine, and caused her stomach to flip into tangled knots of anticipation.

His hand roved along the slope of her hip, then dove lower, his middle finger stroking her slit, discovering the proof of her arousal.

Solarius’s lips feathered a kiss across her shoulders.

“Are you not tender from last night, my lady?”

“On the contrary, my lord.” She pivoted, turning to face him, trailing her nails down the broad expanse of his chest.

His cock pulsed, pressing into her belly.

“I am positively aching for you.”

“Well, then. I cannot leave my wife unsatisfied.”

He grabbed her by the waist and rolled onto his back, taking her with him so the length of her body was splayed over his own.

He palmed her bottom with both hands, then reached for her thighs.

Solarius hooked her legs so she straddled him, adjusting her position so her knees were planted on either side of his hips, and his head aligned with her center.

“Tell me, Rissa love.” Solarius fisted his swollen length and rubbed along her wetness, coaxing a gasp from her.

“How shall I ease this ache of yours?”

“Sol,” she whimpered, grinding against him.

It was like standing on the brink of despair.

Her body was thrumming, alive with need, yet he refused to give her what she wanted.

What she craved.

“Tell me, Narissa.” His voice was a strained command.

“I need to hear you say it.”

She almost scoffed then, thought he was being a boastful jerk, but his eyes gave him away.

They were filled with a kind of quiet desperation, a singular plea that touched her soul.

“Let me ride your cock, Solarius.” Her whisper stretched between them, and she grabbed his shoulders, nails digging into his skin for balance as she anchored herself above him.

“Please.”

Gradually, she sank onto him, inch by blessed inch, until he filled her completely.

He guided her up and down, slow and methodical, but she could tell he was holding back.

It was in the way his knuckles whitened with each carefully timed thrust.

The way the line of concentration deepened across his forehead as though he was using every last shred of his own restraint.

But mostly, it was the way he watched her too carefully, like she might fracture if he was too rough or too fast.

Narissa stilled, sucking in a sharp breath.

“You’re doing it again.”

She knew why, of course.

After what she’d suffered by Calfair’s hands, after the shame she’d endured on her own, of course Solarius was mindful and protective.

But she wasn’t damaged.

Her past did not dictate her future.

And she refused to allow one male’s unscrupulous behavior to impact her ability to own her sexuality.

She shook her head.

“This isn’t working.”

A guttural groan of anguish escaped him when she climbed off his lap.

He squeezed his eyes shut and scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Rissa, wait.”

“I will not partake in any more bedroom activities with you until you can stop treating me like I may fall apart at any moment. I told you last night that I wasn’t going to break, and I meant it.” Narissa raised her chin and climbed from the expansive bed, wrapping one of the thick linens around her.

She knew what Solarius was capable of—she’d heard stories of his bedroom forays, his late-night revelries, of his prowess behind closed doors.

All things she longed for, all things she craved.

Yet still he insisted upon being a gentle lover with her, like she was somehow not worthy of his expertise.

“If you wouldn’t mind finding me something to wear while I wait for my belongings to arrive? Perhaps Sarelle or one of the twins have a day dress I can borrow.”

Solarius sat up, raking both hands through his unkempt hair.

The silvery strands with inky tips framed his face like midnight shadows.

He leaned back against the headboard, his brow still pinched, like he didn’t quite believe her.

“Narissa, please. Let’s talk about this, I know I?—”

“If you wish to discuss this further, then we can do so. After breakfast.” She huffed and tugged the sheets tighter around her.

“I’m famished.”

A partial truth.

The reality of the matter was that the longer Solarius sat there, sprawled against a mountain of pillows with his shaft still ready for her, the more difficult it was becoming not to climb back on top of him.

He grinned, one brow arching in mock amusement.

Raising both arms overhead, he stretched lazily, showcasing his muscled stomach…

among other things.

He fisted himself and pumped twice.

“Are you hungry, Rissa love?”

Narissa bristled and Solarius reached for the hem of the sheet.

Damn their bond for being so telling.

It made it impossible to keep anything secret.

She clutched the sheet, wrinkling the fabric in her grip.

“Don’t you dare.”

“Or what?” he taunted and tugged hard, causing her to spin as he unraveled the linen from around her.

“Sol!” she shrieked, stumbling backward, arms flailing.

He vaulted off the bed, snared her by the waist with one arm before she toppled to the floor, then kissed her soundly on the mouth.

Solarius grabbed her bottom and pulled her flush against him, and the skin-to-skin contact served as an aphrodisiac, heightening her senses.

The mouthwatering layers of his scent.

The abrasive quality of the pads of his fingers as they skated over her skin.

The delicious press of his length into her stomach.

But then he squeezed her bottom once and gave her a firm smack.

She jolted and he dropped his mouth to her ear, his words stirring something dark and delightful inside of her.

“It’s a bold claim, Rissa, to refuse yourself pleasure in the bedroom when you’re so clearly starved for my attention.” Solarius reached between them and slid two fingers into her, pumping in idle strokes, until her knees turned soft and she could no longer stand upright without holding onto him.

“I suppose I’ll have to find ways to pleasure you outside of the bedroom instead. I do enjoy being creative.”

Without warning, he pulled his fingers out of her, leaving her crestfallen on the edge of release.

But when he popped those same fingers into his mouth and winked, Narissa almost sobbed.

He yanked on a pair of pants and grabbed his boots.

Narissa gaped at him, her temper flaring to life.

“So, you’re just going to leave me here, then? Like this?”

“Like what?” he mused.

“Naked? Flushed and beautiful? Quivering with need?”

Her frustration stewed, boiled into anger.

“Yes.” Solarius laced up his boots.

“That’s exactly how I’m going to leave you.”

He stood then, grabbing her chin, and she scowled up at him.

“Right now, I’m going to find you a dress. And then we’re going to get you some food, because you’re a little snarky when you’re hungry. And while you eat, I’m going to plan all the wicked things I want to do to you outside the bedroom.” He lowered his head, letting his teeth trail and scrape up the column of her neck all the way to her ear.

Her nipples pebbled.

Her thighs clenched.

And goosebumps raked across her exposed flesh.

“Perhaps then you will realize that my caution with you stems from a place of reverence and years of pining, instead of just wanting to fuck you senseless.”

Without another word, Solarius walked out of the bedroom, his last words hanging in the air between them, and Narissa was left shivering with anticipation.