Page 23 of Heart Cradle (The Melrathen Saga #1)

She wasn’t used to this, being the one calling the shots.

Being worshipped, but shit, she liked it.

It healed something, claimed something back.

He moaned into her, the vibration making her hips twitch.

His tongue circled her clit, slow and aching, then flattened with firmer pressure.

He alternated with exquisite precision, pressure and softness.

It was pure devotion and hunger for his mate.

When she whimpered, he pulled back just far enough to murmur, “I could spend hours here.”

“You might need to,” she breathed, legs trembling. “I’m not stopping you.”

He groaned and dove back in, driven now. Licking, sucking, worshipping her with his mouth. Maeve’s thighs clamped around his shoulders, her hands gripping the stone behind her.

But then, she stilled him with a hand at his temple, he stopped immediately, eyes rising.

“If we do this,” she asked, voice steady, “if we go all the way… does it seal the bond?”

He nodded solemnly. “Yes. If we choose it, it would be final. Complete, no going back.”

“And if I say not yet? Or no?”

“Then we stop,” he said without hesitation. “Now, later or never. You can reject it, you choose everything.”

Maeve nodded slowly, then leaned down and kissed his mouth, tasting herself there. “I don’t want to wait,” she said against his lips. “I already feel like I’ve waited too long. This isn’t just the bond. It’s me, I want this. I want you, Eiran.”

His breath hitched .

“Come here, my mate.” She said while pulling him with her back into the water.

He growled low in his throat, and something shifted behind his eyes, something dark and primal. He reached for her hips, lifting her easily as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Her gaze locked to his. “You’re mine.”

“Good, I’m going to take my time. You’re not just going to be worshipped.” His lips brushed her ear, as he whispered. “You’re going to be claimed.”

He lowered himself into the water, and Maeve moved with him, turning deliberately. Her back against his chest now, flushed skin slick and bare. She sank between his thighs, letting him cradle her body with his. Her head tipped back gently onto his shoulder as she said, “Wash my hair.”

Eiran let out a breath similar to her striking him, then he moved.

Reaching for a small carved bottle nearby, uncorking it with teeth, the scent of wild jasmine and soft citrus winding through the steam.

He poured a little into his hand and worked it between his palms. He started at her scalp, fingers gentle but firm, stroking through the tangles from days of imprisonment, travel, and stress.

His fingertips circled her scalp, slow and methodical and Maeve let out a low sound, something between a sigh and a moan, and finally relaxed fully against him.

“Fuck,” she murmured. “If I’d known you could do this, I might’ve begged sooner.”

Eiran chuckled against her ear, his lips brushing her temple. “You? You never need to beg, but I don’t do this for just anyone, you know.”

“Oh, so I’m special?”

“You have no idea.”

His fingers slid lower, massaging the nape of her neck, then worked down her long, damp hair.

He tilted her head slightly, careful and tender, drawing the soap through each length with care.

Maeve’s breathing deepened. The heat, his touch, the memory of his mouth, it all had her body humming with something slow and molten.

“I could fall asleep like this,” she murmured.

“Don’t you dare,” Eiran said softly, still combing through her hair. “You’ll miss me paying very close attention to your back. ”

“Oh,” she whispered, lips curving. “Is that part of the deluxe package?”

“Your shoulders, your back. Every inch I’ve been dying to get my hands on,” he said, pressing a kiss just below her ear. “The full royal treatment.”

She smiled faintly, but her voice was huskier now. “I don’t want to be a queen.”

“No?” he asked, rinsing her hair, fingers sliding the lather away with soft strokes.

“I just want to be yours.”

The silence that followed stretched, deep, weighted. Eiran’s voice came, quiet and rough against her ear. “You already are.”

His hands slid down her arms, anchoring her as she leaned fully into him.

Back flush to his chest, steam cloaking them in warmth.

He rinsed the last of the lather from her hair, cupping warm water with his magic and pouring it gently over her scalp, down her back.

His touch was delicate, almost divine, as if she were something sacred.

She stayed perfectly still, breath soft, trusting him completely.

Once he was sure her hair was clean, he tucked the wet strands over one shoulder and lowered his mouth to her neck, pressing a lingering kiss there.

“Would you like a more thorough massage?” he murmured.

Maeve nodded, unable to speak past the tightness in her throat. His hands found her shoulders, thumbs digging gently into the knots beneath her skin. She let out a hum as he worked, slow and steady, his touch easing tension she hadn’t realised she was holding.

“Gods, you’re wound tight,” he said near her ear. “No wonder you’re always picking fights.”

“I don’t pick fights,” she murmured.

“I meant with yourself,” he muttered, and she had no comeback for that.

His hands slid lower, across her collarbone, then downward, soft and deliberate, until he cupped the full swell of her breasts. She inhaled sharply but didn’t pull away. His thumbs brushed her nipples, slow and coaxing, her spine arching involuntarily.

“Fuck,” she breathed. “It’s like my skin’s on fire. ”

Eiran stilled briefly, then pressed his mouth to her neck, voice thick. “That’s the bond, love. The magicers say it’s meant to feel like this. Magic wants to be touched.”

Her lips parted in a soft gasp as he circled one nipple again, slower this time, savouring her shudder.

“Everything’s sharper,” she whispered. “Everywhere.”

“I know, It’s because it’s not just you anymore… it’s us.” He kissed the curve of her shoulder. “Being this close, you’ll feel everything I feel. Every breath, every ache, every beat. You’re not losing your mind, I promise.”

Her hands clutched his thighs behind her, grounding herself. “Then why does it still scare me?”

“Just stay with me,” he said, his hand sliding lower, stroking along her ribs, slowing at her stomach. She tensed, just slightly, she didn’t speak, but he felt it.

He let his hand rest there, warm and open.

“I love this,” he said softly. “All of you. Not in spite of what you carry, because of it.”

“You make it easier to believe.” She said quietly.

His arms tightened around her just a little. “Good,” he murmured. “Because I plan to spend a long time proving it.”

Her lips parted, but no words came.

“You undo me,” he breathed. “I’m alight for you, Maeve. I’d fall on my sword if you asked. I’m yours, and I’ve never wanted anything more. Every time you move, every sound, gods, I’m burning for you, and I don’t want it to stop.”

She shifted slightly and her bare thigh brushed his cock. It was hard and thick against the small of her back and he gave a broken groan “Love…”

His hand slipped lower, slow and certain, gliding over her stomach and dipping between her thighs. She gasped again, slick and swollen, her clit pulsing with need.

“Fuck,” she breathed, hips jerking. “Eiran…”

His fingers parted her with reverent care, stroking through her folds like he was learning her by heart. When he circled her clit, featherlight, her body shivered. “You’re drenched for me,” he growled, voice coarse. “You’re all mine.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

His breath shuddered and he nipped her earlobe, then kissed along her jaw with aching intent. “The way you give yourself to me... the way your body answers mine. I’ll never stop needing you.” He pressed his mouth to her throat. “I’d tear the world apart to keep you.”

He pressed firmer strokes against her, dragging slow circles over her clit until her thighs trembled and her head fell back onto his shoulder, moans spilling unbidden. Eiran growled like her sound physically hurt him. “You have no idea what you do to me. I’m losing my fucking mind, love.”

He slid a finger inside her, deep and deliberate, then another. Her body clenched around him, slick heat gripping tight. Maeve whimpered, hips rocking down, chasing more.

“That’s it,” he breathed. “Gods, you feel like you were made for this.”

Her fingers dug into his thighs behind her. “I want more,” she gasped. “I want all of you.”

“You’ll have all of me,” he growled, voice rough and shaking.

His fingers curled deep inside her, slow and deliberate.

“This?” He pressed his palm harder against her, feeling the way she clenched. “This cunt is mine, Maeve. Mine to fill, to worship and to ruin, over and over, because I’ll never stop needing you.”

Her body trembled at his words, pleasure coiling tight. She dropped her head, gasping, as he worked her into a slow, building frenzy. She whimpered, hips twitching as his fingers moved, measured, careful thrusts, until her walls fluttered and her back arched with a soft cry.

“That’s it,” he murmured. “Just feel me. Let go for me, love.”

He curled his fingers just so, grazing the spot that made her moan, low and desperate. His thumb found her clit again, stroking in slow circles that matched the rhythm inside her. The pressure built fast, too fast, and she could feel the edge rushing towards her like a wave.

“Eiran… Eiran, I… ”

“I’ve got you, love,” he whispered. “Come for me. ”