Page 12 of The Call of Crimson (The Crimson & Shadows #2)

“Get off me,” I demand, struggling beneath him. He wrestles me to my back, my hands pinned between his thighs and my body. “Lord Craylor was watching us, and now he’s getting away.

Aurelius’ chest heaves, his dark waves falling in his eyes as he stares me down. “There’s no one here except us. Whatever you saw, it wasn’t real.”

Fury burns in my veins, and I manage to free an arm from beneath me, reaching around to slap him across the cheek. The crack echoes through the trees.

“Fuck you,” I seethe. “I know what I saw! He was right there, and you let him get away. The male responsible for my mother’s murder, and you let him escape.”

He catches my wrist, pinning it beside my head. He leans in until his breath grazes my lips. “No one is there, Princess.”

Heart pounding, body pressed tightly against his, adrenaline coursing through my veins, the anger turns to something worse—lust. I see the moment Aurelius’ keen senses pick up on the smell of my arousal, his eyes darkening and nostrils flaring.

“I hate you,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him. They dart to his lips, just inches from mine, then back to his eyes.

His gaze drops to my mouth. “Say it again like you mean it,” he growls.

He hardens against me, and my core clenches. “I. Hate. You.” It comes out like a whisper, and I know I’m done for.

He rolls his hips into me, and a breathy moan breaks free of my lips. Using his free hand, he reaches down to the front of my leathers, shoving his hand in. “Tell me, Breyla—am I going to find this cunt dripping for the male you claim to hate so much?”

The wetness pools between my thighs, and I know the undeniable truth. Even if I hate this male, my body still begs for him, and that makes me all the angrier.

“Fuck you.”

He shoves two fingers inside me, and they meet no resistance as I whimper, clenching around him.

“I think you want me to. This delicious cunt is begging to be filled; begging for me to fill it.” He pumps his fingers in and out, curling them in a come-hither motion that has me arching my back into his touch.

“If you’re going to fuck me, Aurelius, fuck me like you mean it,” I demand.

His lips crash into mine, punishing me with every stroke of his tongue. He wastes no time, unbuttoning and sharply yanking my pants down as far as my riding boots will allow.

He breaks our kiss, flipping me over so my ass is in the air. I hiss as I feel the sharp sting of his palm on my bare flesh. Wrapping my braid around his fist, he uses it as leverage to pull me flush against his chest.

I feel the tip of his cock align with my center and gasp. “This means nothing. It’s purely physical, nothing more.”

“Sure, Princess,” he growls, biting down on the spot where my neck meets my shoulder. “But let’s get one thing straight—you will not come until I say so and not without my name on those pretty lips.”

Before I can respond, he thrusts in deep, taking me completely in one stroke.

I bite my lip, trying to adjust to his size all at once. Despite how wet I am, there’s still a sting from the sudden intrusion. He fills me in the most glorious way, but it’s a lot to take all at once.

He yanks my head back further, claiming my mouth while his other hand finds my clit.. My tongue parts his lips, meeting his own and deepening the kiss. He circles my clit as he fucks me with long, punishing strokes.

The pace he sets is relentless, and I can’t contain the sounds his pleasure elicits. I moan loudly, demanding, “More.”

“Say my name,” he growls as he fucks me harder. His cock hits that glorious spot inside me, sending shivers down my spine as my core tightens around him.

“No,” I gasp as his fingers increase in pace and pressure against my clit. I push my hips back, meeting him thrust for thrust.

He growls, biting down on my bottom lip. “This cunt belongs to me and you know it.”

I feel my inner walls tighten, a warmth building low in my belly. “I still fucking hate you,” I reply, unsure if it’s a moan or growl that accompanies the words.

Right at the edge of orgasm, it recedes. The throbbing in my clit dulls.

“Hate me all you want, little demon,” Aurelius pants, his thrusts growing erratic, “but you will scream my name if you want to come.”

My nipples tighten, sensation becoming intense as if someone were pinching them. He keeps me on that precipice until I decide it’s not worth fighting anymore, and moan, “Aurelius, please.”

“Good girl,” he whispers, releasing his Gift’s hold on me. The orgasm crashes through me, and this time, I scream his name as he continues to fuck me through wave after wave of utter blissful destruction.

A second later, he follows, spilling inside me with a low, guttural growl.

We collapse into silence, both of us gasping for air. He presses kisses along my neck, withdrawing with care, his come slipping down my thighs.

Fingers trail through the mess he left, and he smirks as he shoves it back inside.

I fight a groan at the barbaric and possessive need he has when it comes to me.

Lacking water and with no way to clean me, he pulls my pants back into place, trapping the sticky mess in my undergarments.

He wipes one hand on his own tunic before dragging both to my hips, where they linger.

“Did you enjoy the show, brother?” he calls out casually.

My head whips around to where Aurelius is looking; horror tinged with intrigue swirls through my gut, the dream still fresh in my mind.

Ayden steps out from behind a tree, his expression unreadable.

I should be furious right now, but I’m too caught up in post-orgasmic bliss to care. Instead, I ask, “How long were you watching?”

“From the very start, Princess.” Aurelius pulls me to my feet, dusting the dirt and twigs from me.

“And you knew he was there,” I say incredulously, “but you just fucked me anyway?”

“I had to show the prince just how well we work together,” Aurelius says, referencing their argument from several days ago.

“And you let him?” I cock a brow at Ayden.

“I—”

“Yes,” Aurelius interrupts smoothly, “Because as much as you crave being watched, Ayden enjoys watching.”

“Fuck,” Ayden finally says. He refuses to meet my gaze, finding a patch of dirt rather interesting right now.

“Is that so?” I tilt my head, looking Ayden up and down. My eyes lock on the outline of his very obvious erection.

“Yes,” he admits, finally meeting my eyes once more.

“Intriguing,” I say, brushing past both of them on my way back to the group.

Charlotte gives me a strange look when I make it back. I didn’t bother to brush off the twigs or grass on my clothing, and I’m positive my braid was disheveled from being wrapped around Aurelius’ fist.

When it all clicks for her, the look shifts to a knowing one. “Well, I can see the prince found you,” she snickers. “Have a nice moment with him?”

Internally, I’m laughing because I know she’s referring to Ayden when she says prince. Aurelius hasn’t been formally recognized as such, and Ayden only calls him that to provoke him. It seems Charlotte is trying to do the same to me now.

“Oh yes,” I saw sweetly. “The prince definitely found me. My moment with him was most… pleasurable.” The word rolls off my tongue, intentionally drawn out. “But, you already know how pleasurable time with him can be.”

I watch her features shift to confusion first, then realization as she pieces together that I’m referring to our shared history, Aurelius, and not her cousin Ayden.

The males join us a second later as Charlotte’s face heats. “But you’re engaged to my cousin!” she hisses.

I chuckle. “I was, in fact, aware of that.” I cock an eyebrow at her when Ayden shoots me a look I can’t read. “Speaking of cousins, if you’re Ayden’s cousin, does that also make you Aurelius’ cousin?”

Her face heats, but it’s Ayden that answers, “No. Charlotte is my cousin through my mother. Thank the gods, Aurelius and I don’t share her.”

I mount Luna, tone airy. “Oh, well, at least there’s that.”

Charlotte curls her lip in disgust. “Says the female who fucked her mother’s fiancé.”

I shrug. “You left out my father’s adopted brother. If you’re going to insult me, at least get all the facts.”

“Breyla,” Aurelius says. His tone is meant to chastise me, but I also see the amusement he’s trying to hide in the slight curl of his lips.

“What? She started it.”

I know I’m being childish, but I also know it drives them all crazy. And they all deserved that as far as I am concerned.

Aurelius reins in his horse. “I’m finishing it. Charlotte, stay out of it.”

She rolls her eyes, turning away from me and leading her horse to the front of the group.

Ayden comes to a stop next to me, leaning over to whisper, “Despite how much I may have enjoyed your display in the woods, I would very much urge you not to flaunt your previous relations with Aurelius. I know you do not want this marriage, but could you at least grant me that respect?”

I flush slightly at the realization of just how disrespectful my actions were. I wouldn’t ever apologize for fucking Aurelius, but I could be discreet. “Don’t worry, it was a one-time thing.”

“ We’ll see about that.”

Turning to Aurelius, I snap, “No, we won’t.”

He raises a brow. “We won’t what?”

“You just said…”

Ayden cocks a brow at me. “He didn’t say anything, love.”

I sigh. “Never mind, then. Let’s go.”

The setting sun bleeds orange and red across the sky as we reach the outskirts of Caedel. Despite the... detour , we’ve made good time.

The inn sits on the eastern edge of town, its stone exterior modest but well-maintained.

“Wait here,” Ayden instructs, dismounting and heading inside.

We all dismount, seeing to the horses and unloading what supplies we need. I’m feeding Luna an apple when he reemerges several minutes later. He distributes keys to several people in our party, but stops when he gets to Aurelius and me.

“There was a bit of a mix-up with the inn.” He grins, not looking the least bit upset as he says, “All they had was one single and one double bed left.”