Page 50 of Heart of Fire (Royal Ice Dragons #3)

HANNA

Eventually, I dragged myself away from Kaelan and Thorne and went to my own rooms in the summer palace.

The windows stood open to the bright, sunny day outside that had bloomed while we were fighting gods. Blossoming pink flowers were on every table, filling the room with their sweet scent. More pink petals floated across the surface of the sunken tub, and the thick, soft bedding on my bed had never looked more cozy. I glanced balefully out at the bright sun. I needed rest; I’d been up all night.

But my body hummed with tension. Even more than I needed sleep, I needed Dare. I thought of the way he’d looked at me when he was worn and tired from fighting Baelur. His eyes had seemed so shadowed, so sad. I longed to run my fingers through his hair, to kiss him and tease him and see light come back into his eyes. I wish he’d accept my comfort instead of trying to white-knuckle his way through his pain alone.

“Hanna.” Dare’s dark voice behind me startled me.

Had I summoned him?

I turned to find him standing in the doorway. My fingers were still on the stained fabric of my dress, about to tear it off again. I’d worn it for my walk down the hall, figuring that I would traumatize my brothers if they discovered me wearing Thorne’s tunic down the hall.

Dare’s gaze dropped to the bloodied fabric, now dried stiff, and his already taut body tensed. The faint tic in his jaw gave him away.

Clearly, I needed to get these clothes off before he could talk to me. I unfastened the fabric and let it slide down my body to pool at my feet. “I was about to take a bath. Would you like to join me?”

“What’s wrong with you?” His voice was rough.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure even the gods know. But I do know I love you.”

He stared at me. His jaw worked back and forth once, and he swiped his hand through his hair. It seemed I had broken him.

“I’ve told you that so many times now without you ever being brave enough to say it back.” I stepped down into the water. It lapped at my calves, warm and comforting, and I stepped in deeper, until I could float on the water.

“Maybe I don’t love you.”

I looked at him over my shoulder, feeling a smile come to my lips. “I’m many things, Dare, but I’m not stupid.”

“No, never stupid,” he admitted. He came and sat at the edge of the water. “You’ve said you love me. But you’ve never said we were married. You don’t introduce me as your husband.”

“Does that matter?”

“No,” he lied so easily, looking as if it didn’t even matter. But there was a haunted look in his gaze a second later, as if whatever he was thinking was painful. “I hurt you.”

“When?” I frowned up at him.

“When you were tied to the altar?” He sounded angry, but that was just the way he processed his feelings. Something dark and turbulent was under his skin. “I hurt you.”

“You healed me too.”

“You’re covered in blood because I cut you.”

“Dare, I hurt you too. When we fought. When I said you could never love me more than your rage…” I washed myself absently. Being naked in front of him was no more vulnerable than trying to talk about my feelings. “I didn’t mean those things.”

“Are you sure?” Dare’s green-eyed gaze was intense.

“You make it hard to apologize.”

Dare scoffed. “I don’t want your apologies .”

“Then what do you want?” I cried.

He suddenly was in the tub with me, the water rippling around his powerful body. He pulled me tight against his body.

“You and I don’t apologize to each other,” he told me, his tone full of passion. “We’re beyond that.”

“Unhealthy,” I chided him. But I still reached up to cup the hard planes of his cheek with my palm. “You’re right, though. You hurt me, but you don’t need to be sorry. I’d rather have you just the way you are, all teeth and rage and blades.”

His head dipped, until our breath mingled, but he didn’t kiss me. “I’m never going to be worthy of you.”

“Fuck being worthy . Just be mine.”

His arms wrapped me, his mouth descending on mine in a kiss that stung, and I wasn’t sorry either.

When he pulled away, his chest heaved with barely contained emotion. He turned and climbed the steps out of the tub, water streaming from his clothes.

“Don’t walk away from me!” I followed him out of the tub, my feet slipping on the wet marble.

“I can never leave you behind!” he said, turning. “Does it matter? I tried to run all the way across the Ice Kingdom, but it didn’t matter. I thought of you constantly! I longed for you constantly !”

He sounded awfully angry for a man who was making a sweet declaration of love. I resisted the temptation to point that out, because the look on his face was breaking my heart.

In a sudden burst of frustration, he swept his arm across the nearby table, sending books crashing to the floor. I didn’t flinch. Instead, I took another step forward, pressing myself against him.

His chest was still heaving, and his gaze searched mine. “You’ve seen the worst of me. You can’t still want me.”

“Wrong, as usual.” I pressed myself against his chest.

“I’ll never belong in Kaelan’s court, and I can never go back where I grew up.” His eyes were sad in a way I’d never seen. Softly, now, he admitted, “I have no home but you, Hanna. It’s terrifying.”

“I know the feeling. I have no home but you and Kaelan and Thorne.”

“You’d be a fool to leave the coral mansion behind.”

“I know.” I reached up to touch his face, wishing I could brush all the sadness away. But things would never be that simple for Dare. “I’ll be a fool, if that’s what it means to be yours.”

With a groan, he surrendered. His hands gripped my waist, lifting me effortlessly onto the now-cleared table. His mouth descended on mine, fierce and hungry. I met his passion with my own, my fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer. His tongue invaded my mouth, claiming me, tasting me. I moaned, opening to him, deepening the kiss.

His hands roamed my body, impatient and eager, as if rediscovering every curve and line. He cupped my breast, his thumb brushing over my nipple. I gasped into his mouth, feeling the heat of his touch spread through me like wildfire.

I broke away from his kiss, my breath coming in ragged pants. “I need you as much as you need me.”

He growled again, but this time, it was a sound of pure desire.

His calloused thumb circled my nipple, teasing it into a hard peak, and I arched into his touch. He leaned down, his mouth replacing his thumb, his tongue swirling around the sensitive bud. I cried out, my hands gripping his shoulders for support.

Dare lavished attention on my breasts, his mouth and hands working in tandem, driving me wild with desire. I could feel the heat pooling between my legs, my pussy throbbing with need. I squirmed against him, trying to ease the ache, but it was no use. I needed him. All of him.

As if sensing my desperation, Dare’s hand slid down my body. His fingers brushed against the inside of my thigh, sending a jolt of pleasure coursing through me. He traced a path upward, his touch light and teasing, until he reached the apex of my thighs.

He paused, his eyes meeting mine. There was a question in his gaze, the last remnants of his restraint. I nodded, giving him permission.

I moaned as he explored me, his fingers parting my folds, stroking and teasing. He circled my clit, applying just the right amount of pressure to send waves of pleasure crashing through me. When I bucked against his hand, he obliged, sliding a finger deep inside me, then another, filling me, stretching me.

“Dare,” I gasped, my head falling back as he began to move his fingers in and out, mimicking the act we both so desperately craved. His mouth found my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin, sending shivers down my spine. I could feel the tension building within me, the pressure increasing with each thrust of his fingers.

But I didn’t want to come like this. I wanted him inside me. I wanted to feel his cock filling me, his body claiming mine. I reached for him, my hands fumbling with his pants.

His cock sprang free, hard and ready. I wrapped my hand around him, marveling at the silken heat, the pulsing veins. He was magnificent, and he was mine. I stroked him, feeling the power in my touch as he groaned, his hips bucking into my hand.

“Hanna,” he growled, his voice a low rumble of need. “I can’t wait. I need you. Now.”

I guided him to me, positioning him at my entrance. He paused for a moment, his eyes locked on mine. In that moment, I saw my future, my heart, my home.

Then he thrust into me, and all thought was lost in sensation. I cried out, my body stretching to accommodate him. He filled me completely, his cock hitting every sensitive spot, sending waves of pleasure rippling through me. He stilled, giving me time to adjust, his breath ragged.

“Move,” I begged, my hands gripping his hips, urging him on. “Please, Dare. Move.”

He obeyed, withdrawing slowly before thrusting back in, setting a rhythm that was both torturous and divine. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him deeper, matching his pace with my own. Each thrust sent a shockwave of pleasure through me, building the tension, driving me closer to the edge.

Dare’s mouth found mine again, his kiss fierce. His hands roamed my body, touching, caressing, claiming. I could feel his heart pounding against my chest, echoing my own.

His hips moved faster, his cock driving into me with a force that sent me to the edge, ready to fall, ready to fly.

Dare’s hand slipped between us, his fingers finding my clit. He circled it, applying just the right amount of pressure, and I shattered. I cried out, my body convulsing, my pussy clenching around him.

As the waves of pleasure subsided, Dare slowed his pace, his thrusts becoming tender. He rested his forehead against mine. I could see the love in his gaze, the adoration, the awe. He kissed me softly, his lips lingering, his breath mingling with mine.

“I love you, Hanna,” his voice was a soft rumble. “It snuck up on me, day by day.” His lips turned up wryly. “But you already knew that, didn’t you? You didn’t need me to say it.”

“Say it anyway,” I told him. “Say it over and over.”

He turned his head, pressing a kiss into my palm. His cock slipped from me as he stepped back, but he didn’t go far. He helped me down from the table, and when my legs proved shaky and weak, he caught me, his strong arms wrapping around me, holding me close.

I rested my head against his chest. We stood like that for a while, just holding each other, basking in the afterglow and finding our rest in each other.

“Come on,” he said, a wry, uncertain look slipping across his lips. “I don’t think I can stand another minute without the world knowing you’re my wife, my pain-in-my-ass wife.”

I grinned at him, and his own uncertain look turned into a grin.

“Gods help us,” he added. “Let’s go tell Kaelan the truth.”