Page 33 of Cruelly Fated (Princes of Avari #1)

Twenty-Nine

ALLIE

I wiped away the fog from Kyon’s expensive bathroom mirror with a towel and stared at my clean face framed by wet strands.

What am I doing here?

Hadn’t I sworn him off?

He’d been quiet and attentive since we left the club together. Opened every door. Made my favorite tea. Laid out fresh towels by the sink. I tried listening to the sounds beyond the bathroom door. Nothing. Only charged silence.

I slipped into an oversized T-shirt—his shirt—that he’d left with the towels. Again, thoughtful, since I didn’t have anything with me, although I was certain at least one of my nighties had ended up in his laundry last time, and his cleaning service must’ve pointed it out.

I eased the door open and switched off the light. The city glow flooded the bedroom in a wash of soft color.

Kyon was leaning against the headboard, chest bare, a pair of boxers hanging low on his hips.

He stilled as I appeared, setting his phone down on the nightstand, his gaze tracking me as I circled to the far side of the bed.

I adjusted the pillow and slipped beneath the covers, closing my eyes at once.

I didn’t want to talk. Nothing could change the fact that Kyon’s family ran shady businesses, one of which had shattered my family beyond repair. My mother had been right: men only ever disappointed us. Maybe the women in my family were cursed.

A loose tear escaped, and I rolled onto my side, away from him.

The bed dipped in the middle, and his mouth found my ear.

“What can I do?” he whispered.

I hiccuped, burying my face deeper in the pillow.

The backs of his fingers skimmed over my cheek, along my jaw, then down the side of my neck, awakening entirely different sorts of sensations in me.

My breathing slowed, and I turned to face him, the realization hitting like a wave.

I needed him. Right here. Right now. I needed him to help me forget.

“Make love to me,” I said.

His features darkened with concern. “I don’t want tonight to be about that,” he whispered.

My mouth parted. Now he’d grown a conscience? Suddenly he was the virtuous one? It hadn’t stopped him before from pinning me down, dragging fire down my spine with one kiss, or devouring me like I was his last breath.

I pressed a hand to his chest and sat up, scowling. “Then I’m leaving.”

Kyon’s eyes flared, shifting into vertical slits rimmed in molten gold. A deep, resonant thrum emanated from his chest—a sound beyond a mere growl. It was a rumbling that fused the crackle of burning logs with the low, warning roar of a beast awakened.

I yelped as he moved in one fluid motion, flattening me to the bed, his trembling body hovering over mine. The lava in his eyes churned like a living thing.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

I gripped the back of his head and lifted mine, plunging my tongue into his open mouth.

No warning. No foreplay. He swelled against my thigh, and I writhed beneath him with need.

His hand slid over my hip, searching for the line of panty that didn’t exist—because, once again, I hadn’t brought any spare clothes.

The second that realization struck him, his movements turned urgent .

He rolled aside and lost his boxers without breaking the kiss. Then his pulsing cock hit the inside of my thigh, and I moaned into his mouth, expressing how unsatisfied I was with his aim. He rectified it with a perfectly aligned thrust.

From that moment, he worked me into ruin. His hands gripped my ass, lifting me just enough to meet every stroke with unbearable precision. I was unraveling beneath him. His name spilled from my lips in a litany of incoherent sounds.

He pushed my shirt up, his mouth finding my nipple. I gasped, my head rolling side to side as heat surged up the back of my neck. He licked and teased the peak, then caught it gently between his teeth. I shattered, my climax crashing through me like fire licking a tree from the bottom up.

After he came, Kyon kissed me tenderly, adjusted my shirt, and pulled me against his rumbling chest. Wrapped in his arms, I finally melted into oblivion.