Page 53 of Sun, Moon & Shadow (Fate of Aemoria #1)

Callan smiled faintly, though the intensity of his gaze never wavered.

He dropped his hands, curling his fingers around her ankles.

“I’ve imagined you in my bed so often, Nova.

Now that I have you here, I can’t decide.

Should I take my time exploring every exquisite bit of you with my tongue?

” His eyes fell, lingering on her cunt, already wet with her desire.

He swallowed, his throat bobbing, before he pulled his gaze away to meet hers again, his voice rough when he continued.

“Or should I bury myself inside you, which we both know is where I belong?”

Nova was kindling ignited by flame. She sat up, reaching for his waistband. Callan caught her hands and guided her back down onto the bed, clicking his tongue at her.

His tongue .

Nova’s brows pinched as her breath quickened. How was it possible his tongue already had her on the edge when he’d used it for nothing but words?

A soft whimper escaped her. “Please, Callan.”

“No need to rush,” he crooned, releasing her wrists and lowering himself to kneel at the foot of the bed.

His sturdy hands ran up the length of her soft thighs, taking hold of her hips and pulling her toward him until her ass was flush with the edge of the mattress. The satin sheets bunched up beneath the small of her back. Nova rose on her elbows, their eyes meeting across the pale canvas of her body.

His eyes remained locked on hers as he cradled her foot in his hand.

He placed a soft kiss on the arch before nipping at the sensitive skin.

Nova inhaled sharply, her head falling back as a bolt of pleasure raced up the length of her leg to her cunt.

Her entire body trembled beneath Callan’s lips as he kissed and nipped a painfully slow path from her foot to her ankle, along her calf, and up to her knee.

As his mouth roamed higher, she clutched at the sheets at her sides, the anticipation of what awaited her nearly tearing her apart.

“The scent of you,” he murmured, his lips ghosting along her inner thigh. “It’s been driving me mad since the night we met.”

Gods, he was going to kill her. Nova was certain this teasing approach of his would be the end of her. The growing ache inside her was nearly unbearable.

“I’ve pictured this moment so many times. I wonder if you taste as sweet as I’ve imagined.”

Callan slid his arms under her hips, crossing his forearms over her lower abdomen and pinning her in place.

He dipped his head, kissing her clit as eagerly as he’d kissed her mouth minutes before.

Nova moaned, collapsing back onto the bed as Callan feasted greedily between her legs.

He groaned as he savored her, his tongue alternating between long, slow licks and gentle tugs on the sensitive spot.

Propping herself up on one elbow, Nova wound her fingers into his dark hair, still damp from his bath.

She rocked her hips, panting as Callan drew out her pleasure, brilliant stars dancing at the edges of her vision as she watched him.

He followed her lead and increased his pace, removing one arm from beneath her hip and easing a finger inside her.

Nova cried out and pressed herself against his mouth.

His responding growl vibrated against her cunt.

He added a second finger, plunging in and drawing out.

Laying his other hand on her lower abdomen, he pressed down firmly.

Fingers curling, he rubbed against a needy spot deep inside her while his tongue danced over her swollen clit.

She wanted to keep her eyes on him, to watch what he was doing to her, but they clamped shut as each exhale that passed her lips carried a wild moan.

Nova’s body tensed as her climax built low in her belly, winding tighter and tighter until it snapped.

She came apart on his tongue with his name on her lips.

Callan trailed his fingers lightly over her stomach, gliding his tongue between her legs until the tiny shudders of her release ceased.

Nova eyed Callan hungrily as he stood, loosening his laces and shoving his breeches to the floor.

He rose to his full height, revealing his impressive cock, hard and ready for her, angled up toward his muscular stomach.

A giddy rush sent her head swimming, knowing she had that effect on him.

That his desire for her was that strong.

Though she’d lain with another before, Nova had never seen a male fully undressed.

Her gaze roamed over his body. His broad shoulders and firm chest. His solid abdomen and the trail of dark curls leading down to his perfect cock.

For a moment, she was stunned by the beauty and power of his form.

Her eyes dropped, catching briefly on the image of a dagger inked in black on his right thigh.

Callan leaned forward, bracing his arms on the mattress, and Nova snapped to attention, scooting backward as he prowled along the bed toward her.

He brought his fingers to his lips and drew them into his mouth, savoring her taste before lowering himself over her.

“You’re even sweeter than I imagined.” He kissed her deeply, his tongue stroking hers, and she tasted herself on him.

Callan knelt between her parted legs again, sitting back on his heels and firmly gripping the base of his cock with one hand.

Slowly, he pumped the hard length of it while she watched.

She bit her lip, aching with the need to be filled by him.

Lowering himself over her again, he caged her in with a muscled arm braced on either side of her head.

He pressed his face into her neck, breathing deeply as he placed a kiss over the thundering pulse at her throat.

His cock brushed against her clit, and she swallowed a moan.

Callan pulled back, flecks of gold shining in his dark eyes.

“Do you want me, Nova?” Though his voice was rough, commanding, the vulnerability in his question was a naked thing. She nodded jerkily, her mouth gone dry.

“Tell me,” he urged. “I need to hear you say you want me.”

“I want you. Only you. Please, Callan.” Her voice was little more than a whimper. A plea for him to end her suffering.

Callan groaned, hooking one of her legs over his hip. He entered her then, but not all at once. He drew himself out and eased in again, a bit deeper the second time. Nova wanted all of him. The way he was giving himself to her by degrees was akin to torture.

A growl passed her lips, a frustrated sound she’d never heard herself make before. Callan entered her fully then in one powerful thrust. He stayed motionless for an instant, and she thought she might come apart again simply from the intimacy of it all, how perfectly their bodies fit together.

“Fucking perfect,” he whispered, as if he’d read her mind.

Resting his forehead against hers, he began to move inside her, slow and measured. When she gasped, Callan captured her mouth with his own, cutting off the sound with a swipe of his tongue.

“Gods, I’m selfish.” His dry laugh danced across her lips. “I want every sweet sound you make for myself.”

“They’re yours."

Her words seemed to ignite something primal within him, and he began to move with abandon. Nova crossed her ankles behind his hips, pulling him into her and meeting every thrust.

“You’re so beautiful.” His voice was an awe-filled rasp. “I’ve dreamt of taking you like this. Dreamt of your pretty cunt ...” His words trailed off into a moan trapped low in his throat. The sounds of his pleasure inflamed her.

The exquisite feeling of him so deep inside her sent Nova plummeting over the edge, and she cried out his name, her body tightening around his cock. Callan thrusted once more, burying himself within her and finding his release with a moan that rumbled against her chest.

As they lay there, bodies still joined, Nova sifted dreamily through all the moments she had spent with him since the rainy night he appeared on her doorstep.

Moments when he’d supported her, standing beside her though she’d grown accustomed to standing alone.

Moments he’d made her feel safe and accepted in a world that told her she didn’t belong.

Their time together had been like the slow turning of a key, each moment shared allowing another tumbler to fall into place. Now, the lock had been opened. Her heart exposed. She knew it belonged entirely to him.