Page 87

She had a fada’s prejudice against rich, entitled fae. They used fada—as servants, assassins, bodyguards, or for sex—and then looked down their glittering noses at the “animals.”

But she was beginning to see that Fane was almost as much an outsider among the purebloods as she was.

Without opening his eyes, he rubbed a lazy hand over his chest. The water beaded on the curly blond hairs.

She drew a breath, her fingers literally tingling with the need to touch him.

“You didn’t find any soap in that hut, did you?” he asked.

“No. And I looked, too.”

He slid the rest of the way underwater, surfacing in the center where he scrubbed himself off with handfuls of grit before swimming back to her. He stood up in the pool, his waist level with her eyes. The tip of his cock bobbed above the water.

“Come here.” He reached out a hand.

She swallowed—and not in a good way. No, this was an I’m-not-sure-I-can-do-this swallow. She instinctively crossed her arms over her breasts.

Fane’s eyes flickered and she grimaced.

“Sorry.” Cat’s balls, she was a mess. But she couldn’t make herself uncover her breasts.

His mouth thinned. “Don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t apologize.”

She opened her mouth again and he raised a hand, palm out. “I mean it. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

She sank deeper in the pool. “I wasn’t always like this,” she muttered. “So weak.”

“You’re not weak.”

“How the fuck could you know?” she snapped, and then felt ashamed at how bitchy she was being. She was pushing him away, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“I just do.” Sitting on the ledge, he curled an arm around her shoulders. When she didn’t resist, he eased her onto his lap, cuddling her against his chest. “You’re a badass to the core, and I’m happy just to hold you.”

She sat there stiffly as strong fingers massaged her nape, stroked down her vertebrae. His erection was there against her hip, but he didn’t draw attention to it, just kept petting her.

Her shoulders relaxed. How did he always seem to know exactly what she needed? She set a tentative hand over where his heart thumped slow and even beneath her cheek.

He kissed the top of her head. “Nothing’s going to happen unless you want it to. You know that, don’t you?”

“But I do want this. I do .”

“Then we’ll take it slow, okay?”

She nodded against his chest. “Thanks,” she whispered. “For being patient.”

He gave an odd little chuckle. “For you, Jani, I have all the patience in the world.”

He nudged her chin with the back of his hand, bringing her mouth up so he could kiss her. She caressed his face, letting herself float on his kiss, a warm, weightless feeling. They explored each other’s mouths, tasting all the hot, dark corners, sucking on each other’s tongues.

By the time he rose to his feet with her in his arms, she thought she just might be able to do this after all. She wrapped an arm around his neck and let him set her on a nest made of their two sweaters.

Even then, he was in no hurry. He knelt beside her, his fingers whispering over her body: her breasts, her thighs, the sensitive skin behind her knees… A slow, easy seduction.

“You’re so beautiful.” A murmur in the dim light cast by the flickering fire. His wet hair fell around them, the diamond stud glinting in his left earlobe like a star.

Heat slid through her. Her breasts felt full, sensitized. Then his hot mouth closed over her nipple and she heard herself moan.

He gave a hard suck to that nipple, and then moved to the other, flicking the tip with his tongue, and then drawing it into the wet cave of his mouth. Stoking her arousal with teasing touches and sexy murmurs.

Wonder filled her.

That she wasn’t afraid.

That she only wanted more.

Because this, what Fane was doing, was nothing like what those men had done to her. That had been an assault. They’d done their best to break her, and damn near succeeded.

But this, this was beautiful. How a woman and a man were meant to come together, in mutual pleasure.

Fane cupped her face and nuzzled her neck. His hairy thighs were between hers, his erection rubbing against her center.

And it felt good . Right.

She drew a breath, and then to her dismay, tears stung her eyes. She never cried.

Fane lifted his head. “What’s wrong, love? Do you want me to—”

“No!” She dashed the tears away. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just so good…”

Their eyes met, and she could’ve sworn he saw right to the heart of her. “It is for me, too.”

He touched his lips to each of her eyelids in turn and then continued his exploration of her body, kissing his way down her breastbone to her belly. He trailed his lips over her mound, and she bent her knees to give him more space.

“Mm.” He licked her, long and slow. “You taste so good.”

Another lick, and then another.

And the good feelings got even better. Desire fizzed in her veins like champagne. She stroked his hair where it lay wet against her thigh.

Without warning, he sucked her clit into his mouth, and she let out a high, surprised mewl. He sucked harder, strong tugs that sent heat sparking through her. He moved lower for more of those delicious licks before returning to her clit again, learning what made her gasp and buck her hips.

Meanwhile, his long, knowing fingers played over her body—her nipples, her bottom, her inner thighs.

She reached for his head, trying to hold him against her sex, and he pulled back, his breath warm against the heated flesh.

She moaned. “Fane.”

“I just want a look at you. You’re like a flower.” He teased her opening with his fingers. “A hot, wet, gorgeous flower that opens only for me.”

She bit her lower lip. Desire climbed in her, but somehow she couldn’t let go.

Then he husked, “Open for me, love. I want to see you come.” He set his mouth to her clit and with a few self-assured licks, broke the tight hold she had on herself.

“Yes,” she said. “ Yes .”

He inserted two long fingers in her, and that was even better. Her sex clamped around him. Stars burst behind her eyes, shooting down to her toes and to the top of her head. Warming her to her very soul.

Fane stroked her inside with his fingers and outside with his tongue until she shuddered back to awareness with a sigh.

He raised his head. “Enough?”

“Oh, yeah. Too much.”

“Never too much.” With a sexy chuckle, he crawled back up her body to fit his mouth to hers. She tasted herself on his lips, mixed with his own male flavor.

She felt happy, even triumphant.

Because it felt like a victory.

She wrapped her arms around Fane and kissed him back as hard as she could.