Page 87 of In The Dark

“Fuck.” I grip the sheets when he slides in two fingers. I pant for breath and the trembling in my legs begins—pleasure consuming me.

He grips my hip with a hand only to snake the other around, rubbing my clit and driving his hips forward at the same time.My whimpers reverberate off the walls as he thrusts into me again and again, giving me exactly what I want.

He suddenly releases my hip to grip my hair, pulling me back into his chest. “You’re doing so well for me, but tell me… why aren’t you begging?” His teeth graze the inside of my neck before he bites. I moan as he guides my hips back. “Do I need to make you cry for me? I bet you’d look so pretty if you did.”

“I’ll do…” I pant in between breaths. “Anything you want. Please, please just…”

A pleasurable hum leaves him as he thrusts into me—faster, less controlled. Frantic, even. His fingers swirl around my clit, his needy touch causing the pressure between my legs to form again.

My breath catches, suddenly feeling as if I can’t breathe.

And I whimper, over and over as every thrust becomes too much. My muscles tighten from the pressure, deep and low, as I begin to crest the wave of my climax.

My back is slick with sweat, sticking to him as my gasps brush the air mingling with whimpered cries.

“Rydian. I can’t…” My eyes slam shut, words escaping me as I cry out, the pressure building between my legs.

His breath quickens, and then he releases my hair, steadying me by my hips as he drives into me from behind. He pushes deeper, filling me in such a way that I can feel every thick inch of him inside me.

I’m almost there. Please, gods, don’t stop.

“You’re going to come for me again, aren’t you? Say my name when you do or you’re not going to enjoy what happens if you don’t.” He pants. “Come on me like you want to claim me—show me how wild you are.” He breathes against my temple, my head resting against the crook of his shoulder. His cock firms.

“Rydian—fuck, I claim you. Gods, I fucking claim you. Just… don’t stop,” I get out, though his words and the pressure—it’s too much. Way too much. Oh gods, I’m coming.

Pleasure bursts from me as I cry out his name, as if a golden thread has tethered me to this very moment, stars shooting across my vision. My body trembles as I pulse around his cock, but then he pushes me forward and grips my hips, frantically driving into me as he loses more of that control he claims to have.

“Oh, fuck,” he says, his moan laced with quiet shock as he loses himself completely. He grips me tighter, driving his hips—once, twice—and then spills himself in me with an exasperated groan, his pace slowing.

My own breathing eases, leaving me to blink in the darkness as I grapple for my composure. Yet for some reason, I feel lighter.What was that?

He rests on his side, turning me so that I’m pulled into his chest, gently kissing me below my ear as he pushes my hair to the side.

But his fingers linger for a breath, as if studying the strands, when the movement of his chest stalls behind me. Too tired to decipher what he’s doing, a contented sigh leaves me as I settle on my side.

“Go to bed, little fawn. You need your rest,” he mumbles, though it doesn’t take long for the featherlight touches down the side of my neck to lull me to sleep. A quiet sigh escapes him. “The fates sure do have their jokes, don’t they?” His quiet, mumbled words suddenly brush the shell of my ear, spoken as if they were meant for himself before I finally doze off.

31

My eyes flutter open,only to find Rydian tangled around me with a leg pushed between my thighs, tucking me into his chest. I fit into him like a mold, as if I was perfectly crafted for him.

The warmth of his body forces me to snuggle deeper as he wraps around me like a quilt, too exhausted to put clothes on.

Last night was not what I expected, but perhaps it’s what I needed. I’ve spent years going to the Painted Bird to indulge and satisfy whatever wild urge I had, but it was never like this. Heat and desire. Like he wanted me, not like I was seeing someone to service me—like it was their job.

Thinking about last night has my stomach fluttering, sending desire straight through me—burning from the inside out. My face flushes at the utter filthiness, recalling every little detail. Lustful and needy.

Rydian stirs, as if he’s just waking.

Yet I have a feeling he was already awake given his fingers resting in my loose, unbound hair. It doesn’t take long before the scent of his arousal floods my senses—sweet and earthy, followed by the hard length of him. The scent of him floods mein a wave of pure heat, leaving me to suddenly aching all over again.

“You’re distracting,” Rydian mumbles.

“I haven’t even moved,” I exhale, and he tightens his arm around my waist.

“I can smell you, rich and sweet like a deadly black orchid. So yes, you’re utterly distracting. I wanted to sleep a while longer, but now… mm, now I want to…” He trails off just as his hand travels below my navel.

My breath catches in my throat, and I close my eyes, my legs instinctively falling open for him. His breath stalls when he kisses my neck, groaning into my skin.