Page 15

With a sigh, I carefully extracted myself from his embrace, wincing slightly at the pleasant soreness between my thighs as I padded to the bathroom.

The cool tiles were a shock against my bare feet as I turned on the shower, steam quickly filling the luxurious space.

I stepped under the spray, letting the hot water slide over my body, washing away the evidence of our night together, if not the memories.

As I shampooed my hair, I forced myself to be practical.

After this weekend, I'd need to focus on rebuilding my life.

I couldn't afford to be mooning over a demon, no matter how incredible he was in bed.

I'd enjoy what time I had with him, then file it away as the strangest, most erotic chapter of my life.

I would worry about seeing him every day at work later.

By the time I stepped out of the shower, my resolve had strengthened.

I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body and wiped the condensation from the mirror, meeting my own eyes.

"Get it together, Rosie," I whispered to my reflection.

"Eyes on the prize, girl. Getting through this weekend with your dignity intact.

Save the existential crisis for Monday."

Back in the bedroom, I dropped my towel and began dressing, selecting comfortable clothes for what promised to be another day of forced socialization. I'd just pulled on my jeans when I felt it. The weight of eyes on my bare back, the prickling awareness of being watched.

I turned to find Aldaine awake, propped up on one elbow, his dark eyes tracking my every movement.

The lush magenta of his skin contrasted beautifully with the white sheets pooled around his waist. His tail moved slowly behind him in a hypnotic pattern, like a predator considering its next move.

The intensity of his stare raised goosebumps across my skin.

"Good morning," I was suddenly shy despite the intimacies we'd shared the night before.

His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile that made my stomach flip and do weird things. "Morning, little minx."

I walked to the bed, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on his lips. "Sleep well?"

Instead of answering, his hand shot out, fingers wrapping around my wrist as he yanked me down onto the bed. I landed with a surprised yelp against his chest, my still-damp hair scattering droplets across his skin.

"Aldaine!" I laughed, pushing ineffectually against his chest. "I just got dressed!"

He rolled us until I was beneath him, his powerful body caging mine against the mattress. His tail wrapped possessively around my thigh, the tip teasing the sensitive skin behind my knee.

"I can help you get dressed again," his voice a low rumble that I felt more than heard. His eyes glinted with mischief and desire. "After."

"After what?" I tried to act surprised, though the heat pooling low in my abdomen suggested I already knew the answer.

Instead of responding, he began moving down my body, his mouth leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

He unbuttoned my jeans with deft fingers, tugging them down along with my underwear in one smooth motion.

My protest died in my throat as he settled between my thighs, his hot breath teasing my already sensitive flesh.

The first touch of his tongue had me arching off the bed with a gasp.

He chuckled, the vibration sending shockwaves through my core as he set about dismantling me with ruthless precision.

His hands gripped my thighs, holding me open to his ministrations as his tongue explored, teased, and tormented.

"Aldaine," I gasped, my fingers tangling in his hair as pleasure built within me, swift and overwhelming.

He intensified his efforts with deliberate precision, his tongue creating slow, purposeful circles that had me clutching at the sheets.

The contrast between the warmth of his mouth and the cool morning air heightened every sensation.

My breathing fractured into desperate gasps as tension built within me like a gathering storm.

When he drew me between his lips with gentle suction, applying just the perfect pressure, something inside me shattered gloriously.

"Aldaine!" I cried out, my voice unrecognizable even to my own ears.

My world dissolved into pure sensation as pleasure radiated outward from my core in pulsing waves.

My fingers twisted in his hair, my thighs trembling uncontrollably around his head as he expertly guided me through every crest and fall of my release.

He was relentless in his devotion, refusing to relent until I collapsed back against the mattress, overwhelmed and quivering, my skin hypersensitive to even the whisper of his breath.

"Mmm. Delicious." Aldaine grinned, his fangs catching the golden morning light as he looked up at me from between my trembling thighs, eyes dancing with wicked satisfaction. "This is the perfect breakfast, but I'm still hungry."

I yelped in surprise as his tail suddenly unwound from around my thigh, the smooth appendage sliding against my oversensitive skin with deliberate slowness.

My breath caught at the first vibrating touch against me, nerve endings already raw from his earlier attention.

Aldaine gave me no time to recover, diving back down with renewed purpose, his skilled tongue creating patterns that made coherent thought impossible.

I clutched desperately at his shoulders, my fingernails leaving crescent marks on his magenta skin as another wave of pleasure began building impossibly fast.

My world shattered around me as I came again. My heart ached as a thought flitted across my mind about how I needed him now but I shut it down as I pulled him up to kiss him roughly, the taste of myself on his lips.

"Aldaine." I pushed him on his back. "My turn."

We were late to breakfast and I didn't care at all.