Page 14 of The Gargoyle and the Maiden (Nightfall Guardians #1)

“Can’t you tell?” Her laugh twisted into a moan when he knuckled pressure inside, mimicking his knot. “It’s…so much. So good.”

“Such a pretty rabbit I’ve caught.” He kissed her thighs where they were slick with need as he worked his blunt fingers inside her, chasing her soft little cries. When she came again, scent filling the room, he held her through it, rocking her as his fingers drew out the last dregs of her climax.

When her breathing calmed, he sat back on his heels, chest heaving. “Now,” he said, voice hoarse, “if your curiosity is satisfied…”

“It never is.” She reached for his breeches, unsteady but determined, and tugged open the already-loosened laces. Her breath caught as his cock sprang free. It looked even more fearsome than usual, skin stretched tight over his already swelling knot and the dark head leaking seed.

Her eyes widened, her mouth going slack, as she took it in. “Brandt…how can I…?”

“I know.” He cupped between her legs, enjoying the brush of her soft fur there against his palm. “You are made for me. All will be well if you let me set the pace.”

“Slow, then?” she pouted playfully.

“Yes, slow.” He grabbed her hand and placed it on his shaft over his knot, guiding her exploration of its girth. “That will only grow. It will take time for you to adjust. And when I seed you, it will lock us together for a time. I won’t hurry it and risk hurting you.”

Her fingers stroked along his shaft, exploring the ridge on the underside and experimenting with the slippery seed.

He bore it as long as he could, wanting to indulge her, but when she gave his cock a full stroke, he growled, hips jerking. “Careful. I’m close.”

Her lips curved into a disbelieving smile. “My hand alone feels that good?”

He plucked her hand from his cock before he spilled all over her belly and kissed her fingers one by one.

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that hands alone, specifically his own big, rough gargoyle paws, had gotten him through many deployments.

“You could make me come with one finger,” he said instead.

“But I think your curiosity deserves more satisfaction than that, don’t you? ”

She nodded eagerly, and he lifted her hips, settling them on his lap where they both could see his cock slip into her folds and find its notch. He pressed into her slowly, watching her face as the head breached her entrance.

She gasped at the stretch, her hands clutching the furs. Her back arched as she struggled to take more of him inside her. Her naked eagerness was going to be the end of him. He nearly had to build a mind wall against the impulse to rut into her.

“Breathe,” he murmured to himself as much as Idabel as he waited for her body to relax. “There’s no rush.”

He eased in deeper, watching for the moment when the tension in her face transformed into wonder. She was so wet that it didn’t take long until he was fully seated, and she was squirming on his cock, sending shocks up his spine with every twist of her hips.

“Move!” she burst out, bright spots of color burning on her cheeks as she dug her heels in to leverage herself closer. “What are you waiting for?”

He wasn’t waiting for anything. That was the problem. It was all going to be over too soon. He pinned her pelvis in his lap so she couldn’t move, but still her body gripped him, hot and tight and pulsing. He bit back a groan. He wasn’t going to last no matter what he did.

“How does it feel?” he asked tightly, trying to contain himself. He couldn’t stand it if he hurt her.

“Good. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Your patience is killing us both!”

He gave up then. Gave in. Let his mind walls crumble to dust so he could indulge every urge to bury his body and his seed in her.

He curved over her, bracing his forearms on either side of her head and chased his own goblins, grunting as he thrust into her, his vision so narrowed that he could only see her: the mothlike flutter of her lashes, the throb of the vein in her temple. The way her teeth caught her lip.

Time sped and stretched. She clutched his arms, mouth slack, and he’d never seen anything prettier than her pleasure.

“Beautiful,” he purred mindlessly. “The most beautiful creature. So soft and wet and greedy.”

“Brandt…it’s too good. Too much,” she whined.

“I’m here,” he said. “I’ve got you. Let go, and I’ll be right behind you .”

She came then, crying out his name, and he followed immediately, hips thrusting as he spilled inside her, his knot swelling until they were locked together. She whimpered at the sensation.

He cradled her close, breath ragged. “Hold still. You’re mine now.”

A bold lie. He didn’t want to think about it. Seed spilled and defenses restored, he built a swift mind wall against the reality that he was leaving her behind in a few short days. He’d be gone for many moons with no guarantee of return…nor assurance that she’d be here if and when he got back.

But Idabel just sighed contentedly and settled back into his arms. “Yours.”

They lay tangled in the furs, bodies joined, the warring world outside forgotten for the moment.