Page 33 of Queen to the Sunless Court (Brides of Myth #2)
“Yes, like this. Hard,” he murmured, his satisfaction humming in her ear as he helped her ride that wave all the way. His final caresses allowed her to settle back into his arms gently, rather than fall from the heights—how he accomplished this, she neither knew nor cared.
He still cupped his hand over her center, his middle finger dipping slightly and curling leisurely through the last ripples of her spasms. “Naughty nymph. You’re drenched.”
“Am I?” Her laughter bubbled up unexpectedly, fitting perfectly into the moment where pleasure still glowed inside her. “I don’t remember ever being like this,” she admitted, so relaxed she seemed to melt against him.
“It breaks my heart that you don’t,” he replied quietly, his words barely audible.
The specter of her past slithered through the room’s shadows. Perhaps this was why he spoke so softly: he didn’t want it in the room with them, but there was no avoiding it wherever they turned.
Admitting everything and trusting his judgment would be easier. But not now—now she wanted to stay curled up in his embrace, relishing the wonder of his caress: the tender, possessive way his hand stayed between her thighs.
A slow shiver rippled over her body when his finger sank deeper inside her. When he withdrew his hand, she hummed in protest. “No, not yet. Why?”
“There’s something I’ve wanted to do for the longest time.”
She turned her head, shocked to see him tracing his finger across his lower lip before sucking it in. “You taste exactly like I imagined.” His grin was wicked, satisfied. “I can’t wait to put my mouth there for more.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Why?”
“Because I can do far better things with my tongue.”
“Your tongue,” she repeated blankly, faltering as her professional vocabulary suddenly failed her. “But why not use your, erm…”
He played with her breast, cupping it, his thumb teasing. “It’s immensely satisfying to see you floundering over a simple question, my nymph. You mean my shaft?”
“Uh... yes?”
He gave a shameless smile. “Oh, we’ll definitely get to that part, too.”
“But...”
He watched her with an unfathomable expression, then raised his brow at her scrutiny. “But?”
“It’s nothing,” she replied.
“In my experience, Calliste, when a woman says it’s nothing, there’s usually something that needs to be addressed.”
“I was just wondering why you held back just now.”
“Oh. I wasn’t ready.”
She finally chuckled. “I had a very opposite impression.”
“Physically, I was. I still am. But...” He seemed like he was looking for the right words.
“When the time comes that we’re both ready, I want it to be special, memorable, with plenty of time for us to enjoy it.
And I want you in my bed. And then… we should also agree on the measures needed to ensure that it doesn’t have consequences you would regret. ”
“Such as?”
He stroked her cheek. “Like falling with child.”
“Oh.” A warm wave flooded her heart. He was being responsible, as always.
Even if there were other reasons for his restraint, the fact that he considered the implications for her made her heart clench, especially when she remembered Hypnos’ words—that he wouldn’t be able to have more sons.
And I… well. She took a deep breath. “No worries on that account. I won’t conceive, Theron. ”
He studied her in silence, eyes sharp. “How do you know that?”
Her pulse jolted, but she could offer him that truth because, in a way, it was obvious. “I’m… barren. Don’t you think if I’d been married for nearly three years, I would have had children?”
“It didn’t have to be your fault. Men can be barren, too,” he said quietly.
Her throat was already dry. “But I know it’s me.
” Ariston had once told her about a drunken night in his youth that had resulted in a pregnancy, which had ended within the first three months.
He’d never shared more details than that, and didn’t mention it for any purpose other than to make it clear that he wasn’t the one to blame.
“Can you tell me more?” he asked.
She shook her head.
The breath he exhaled was slow and frustrated, likely because she was offering him crumbs of truth instead of the full slice he wanted. “I said I’d wait, and I will. But if you find me undeserving of your trust, how can we ever become truly close?”
His words stung. She wanted to contradict him, but knew how that argument would go.
“What happened in my past is so dark that I buried it deep, Theron—so deep that it takes more than I thought to bring it to light, and right now, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to face it myself.
” She stroked his cheek. “Even if you think I’m not telling you enough, I’ve shared more with you than with anyone else, and—” she took a deep breath “—Theron, what we have means everything to me right now. Do you believe me?”
Distant fires lit up his eyes. “Yes.”
She wanted those flames, and all of this unique, wonderful man, hoping that when she finally revealed the truth, he’d be ready for it.