Page 68 of The Ballad of a Bard

“ N ow,” West mused, striding for her as her back hit the wall, “We’ve got things to discuss.”

“We do?” Crimson’s mouth was dry, extremely dry as he closed their apartment doors behind him. They’d headed back from Altivar’s room, Damien promising to take Cobalt to the healing ward and keep him there while Leysa did an entire examination over him to make sure that there were no issues with his new lesser Sainthood. Even so, Altivar was gone which meant that the curse over that lineage was vanquished for good.

Which meant that they were alone for a good hour or so, if they managed their time well enough. Curse or not, she was more than glad for the time alone.

West had simply jerked his head in silent command towards the hall and began to walk out, signalling for her to follow. She had, mind racing to find whatever reason she could come up with for what he wanted.

“We do,” He nodded. “Now that you’re a full Saint,” He stepped even closer until there was barely any space between them, “And I’ve admitted that I love you.”

“Oh,” She breathed, her lungs restricting as she understood what he was talking about. His toned chest nearly bumped into hers, his legs halting a couple centimetres away.

“Oh, indeed, Heartstrings.” West murmured, stroking her cheek as he came even closer. The air constricted, her body ignited and her mind lost focus on everything but him, but herself, but them. On what he was insinuating, on what they were about to do.

She hoped she was correct otherwise it would be extremely hard to talk her down from that ledge.

Crimson tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, chest heaving as he lowered his head to hers, pausing just above her mouth in a tempting, taunting way that wasn’t fair. She didn’t want to be fair. Not after all the times he’d lured her. Even if unknowingly.

He spoke, his breath caressing her lips. “I need to know if you taste like necta-”

She wasn’t waiting any longer.

Crimson wrapped her arms around his neck and forced him down, smashing his mouth into hers. He groaned and didn’t try to utter another noise, pushing her back against the wall. She grunted but didn’t remove her lips from his as they clashed for control.

Her hands tangled in his soft hair, a length of dark brown spilling over her fingers. It was everything she wanted, everything she needed as he kissed her again, her legs tucking around his thick waist. She could feel the corded muscle there, of his centuries of working his body into a weapon. It was with that strength that he kept her upright, that allowed him to pull them both from the wall and easily walk over to the bed.

He wasn’t going to let her go, clear in the way his massive hands grabbed her backside, holding on for dear life. As if her stint in the cells had terrified him and he was never going to let them be parted again.

She’d scared a Saint.

Crimson may or may not have found miniscule pleasure in that fact.

West kneaded her ass and she whimpered into his mouth, which unleashed him in a primal way. His tongue slipped past the barrier of her swollen lips, licking up the roof of her mouth. She rubbed against his leg, desperate for anything to bring her closer to that shattering that would leave her trembling, shaking in his arms.

He’d stay after, too.

She knew it.

Crimson broke apart for air, and when her eyes fluttered open, she understood why he’d been created as an immortal god. His golden skin was no longer just a shade of light, but a shimmering, incandescent thing that glowed. His eyes held a rich midnight blue, stars exploding with his gaze and it pinned her to the spot as he knelt off the bed.

With a fluid motion, he pulled his cream shirt off, letting it fall aside as he began to mess with his pants. His constellation tattoo glittered with each shift he made, shirking the belt off, followed by his black boots. West didn’t take his focus off of her as he removed each leg, one at a time and left his undershorts on.

They were tight and she could make out every line of his length as it strained against the restrictive fabric. His hair fell into his face, messy from how she’d pulled at it.

“I want you more than you could ever know. And I plan on spending eternity showing you.” West applied pressure to his knee as he climbed overtop of her once more, creating a cage with his body in the bed that they’d spent so many nights in. So many nights doing nothing but sleeping, when they’d both been wishing for more.

Now, they’d christen it in otherways.

Right ways.

“I do know, West.” Crimson said as she lowered her spine to meet the navy blankets. “I’ve known since the ball when you told me that you were tempted.”

He prowled closer. “There were so many chances to take you there, so many temptations. When I was removing your gown and saw you in those barely-there underthings, I wanted to remove them and take you in this very bed.”

Her skin prickled in a good way and she tuned into it, opening her well of newfound powers and letting them explore this event. They zapped, sparked and raced within her flesh, turning every little touch into something more extraordinary.

His fingers skimmed the underside of her breast through her fighting leathers. “When you were in the shower, and I had to hold you to the wall in order to cool you down.” He began to pull at the knot that rested at the very top of the red jacket, tugging it loose. “There was nothing more tempting than stealing a kiss and creating our own steam.”

Her throat was painfully dry as he freed the lace, gently pushing her out of her jacket, one arm at a time. “I saw it, in your face. In the way you spoke to me.”

He grinned, lowering a kiss to her right shoulder, then her left as he tossed her fighting jacket aside. “I’m sure you did. You don’t miss anything, Heartstrings.”

Her heart expanded at the way he said her nickname. Her Saint name, gifted to her by her soulsaint. Nothing could be more perfect.

West moved to her pants, shrugging her plain shirt up and revealing her bare stomach. He lost a breath as he flicked the button on her pants, her boots lost somewhere in the mess of their clothes. They were only adding to it as well.

“I wanted to take you as soon as you darted from the bathing room, wanted to show you that you weren’t the only one who wanted to burn that night.” He freed her waist and slid them down her legs, moving with it until he was at the foot of the bed and she only wore her shirt, and underthings.

“You should have.” Crimson admitted, her skin electric from the slow drags that he was purposefully leaving on her. “Because I imagined you did.”

Confidence was a fiery comet that streaked across her system, her soul as she boldly brought up what she’d done after he’d left.

His gaze snapped up to hers. “You did what?”

She pushed upwards on her hands, unabashedly tossing her shirt off and finding him once more. Hunger lingered there and it made her needy. “When you left, I touched myself to the thought of it being you instead. That’s why I demanded that you leave. Because I couldn’t hold back anymore.”

West was unmoving as she quickly removed the last layers of clothing on her, setting them on the floor. She was utterly naked before him and when his smouldering eyes dropped, she swore she saw the moon on argent fire.

“Saints, Crimson.” He panted, kneeling before her once more. His body came down atop hers and she loved the additional weight of him. “Let’s see if the imaginary West lives up to the real West.”

Crimson bit her lip and he tracked it, not allowing her to say anything else as he captured her mouth with his, replacing her teeth with his.

His hand sunk below her waist and there were no more soft touches, gentle caresses or scraping nails. He rubbed hard, fast, and her back bowed as he managed to place an arm around her waist. His mouth was hot and tasted like pearlescent dusk, his hair falling around his face as he made a complete mess of her.

Her skin was alive and everything he did to her only made it better, far better. Her powers flared again and everything became even more sensitive. Her nipples rubbed against his smooth chest and she whimpered, needing his tongue to soothe the ache that built there.

West went one step further.

He pulled his glistening lips from hers and propped her against the bed frame, scooting downwards until he could reach her legs. One by one, they were propped up and hooked over his shoulders and she inhaled sharply as he blew a puff of hot air directly into her core.

“I wonder if you’ll taste as sweet as I imagined.” He rumbled in warning before lowering his mouth to her sex and seeing for himself.

Crimson gasped as his tongue slid up the middle, parting her and dipping inside. He swirled it around and around, up and down as she’d done with her fingers and it was a million times better than she could have ever imagined. Her fingers found the sheets, because she didn’t want to pull at his hair as hard as she was pulling at them.

West curled his tongue, nose bumping into her sensitive clit and her toes curled over his broad shoulders. She cried out, back arching as pleasure shot through her. She was close, so close and he must have sensed it because he continued.

Her feet dragged along his back, unintendedly tracing his spine as her ecstasy built and built and built, the pressure swarming towards a certain point that would throw her off soon enough. Crimson knew that it would be a far more intense shattering than before and she was more than alright with that fact.

“West!” She moaned, head flying back as he curled it again, growling softly into her core. The rumble undid her, her power flaring bright as it intensified it and she was there.

Crimson shook, her core pulsating as he licked her through it, every single stroke only adding as she rode it out, mouth agape. Each vibration was longer than the last, more powerful as well. Her fingers tensed in the covers, his eyes open and shooting to the way they clenched.

When the last wave had finished, and she was left panting, he licked his lips clean. It undid something in her.

“Just as I imagined.” West’s voice was rough, untethered. He rose, wiping his mouth and then his undershorts were gone. “Have I lived up to your fantasies of me, Crimson?”

She lost a breath, nodding because words were too far off for her to reach. Her legs shook with extreme force as he settled between them.

“I think I can still do better.” The Saint grinned, pulling her back down until their bodies were flush. “Regardless, I think I’d like to try.”

Crimson’s breasts tightened.

West lined himself up with her soaking core, slickness coating her thighs, his hands, the very tip of him as he pressed in lightly. “This might hurt for a moment.”

She didn’t care how he knew that she’d never been with anyone else before. All she cared about was that final joining, the moment that she’d been waiting for for so long.

He angled up and pushed in, a gasp flying from her lungs as he was proven correct. A sharp pinch flew throughout her system, slightly painful. Enough that she grimaced and worry plastered West’s handsome face as he paused .

“Is it too much?” He asked softly. “I can stop.”

“No,” Crimson whispered. “I don’t want you to stop.”

She wanted him to go .

Her hips wriggled in an attempt to get him to move again, to fit deeper, but he let her adjust first. That gentler side of him, the one that always took care of her after she’d taken care of everyone else for so long. That side of him that made her love him eternally.

When Crimson nodded, letting him know that it faded away into nothing, he began to move inside her again. The second thrust was slower, more cautious and didn’t hurt as bad as the first. The third was even less so, and she felt nothing on the fourth push. But there, on the fifth, a prick of pleasure picked up. By the seventh, she understood why people had sex.

Her lips popped open and once more her head met the pillows. West held her through it all, speeding up with each additional push that withdrew a sound from her.

“Saints, I love you.” He cursed and his hips slammed into hers, over and over again.

She might have returned the sentiment had she been able to form the letters, but her mind refused to focus on anything other than the long length that moved inside of her, stroking the furthest parts that she had to offer.

When he came, Crimson held him there, capturing his mouth with hers and swallowing his groan. And when he stopped twitching, remaining there for a few minutes after, she finally whispered the phrase back to him.