Page 62 of The Vampire Court

His eyes roam slowly down my body then back up to my face.

“Clara…” He whispers my name as he places a series of kisses along the edge of my jaw then trailing down my neck.

Alaric draws back to look at me. His eyes drink me in and set my skin ablaze. I wrap my arms around his neck and press my mouth to his to deepen the kiss.

I can’t get close enough—I want to feel more of him. This isn’t just the mark. This is what I’ve wanted since that night in the music room but could never admit to myself.

The back of my legs bump against the bed. Alaric grabs my upper thighs and lifts me up onto the mattress. I release my hold on his neck, bringing my hands to his waist. I tug on the material, but he grips my wrists, halting me.

Breaking the kiss, he steps back and removes his boots then quickly steps out of the rest of his clothes. I can’t take my eyes off him.

He tangles a hand in my hair, tipping my face up and gazing at my exposed neck. Bending down, he places several kisses down the column of my throat. I lean back, and he follows me. An arm wraps around my waist as he lifts me enough to move me up the bed.

Alaric kneels between my legs, taking every inch of me in. The sharp lines of his features are softened in the pale light. A thick lock of hair falls forward, obscuring a single eye. I could stare at him forever. His scars stand out against his tanned skin like shards of moonlight.

“You’re beautiful,” I whisper.

He smiles. “I think I’m the one who’s supposed to say that.”

He lowers himself, caging me with his body, and his mouth finds mine again. The hard planes of his body press down on my soft ones. I shift in response, and I feel him smile against me.

Alaric’s hand drifts down, stilling my movements. I groan, wanting more. Wanting everything.

He presses his lips to my collarbone then down to the space above my heart then between my breasts, making his way down my ribs and stomach then over the swell of my hips. He nips at my inner thigh, moving up. I squirm beneath him, anticipation clawing at me.

He pauses at my core, his warm breath drawing a small whimper from my lips. Then, he places a kiss.

I suck in a breath, and when I feel his tongue against my hot flesh, my hips buck.

“Patience, my dear Clara. I told you this time I would savor every second.”

Alaric makes his way back up my body until he hovers over me, the tip of his cock pressing against my entrance.

I run my fingers over the corded muscles, feeling the faint lines of the pale scars that scar his back as they do his chest. When he doesn’t move, I lift my hips, urging him.

His hand glides down to mine, bringing it to his mouth. He places a kiss along each scar along my arm as I’d once kissed his. Alaric moves to my other arm and echoes the movement. He holds both of my wrists in one hand. The other glides down my side, coming to rest on my hip.

“Please,” I whisper.

Slowly, he presses forward, sinking himself deep. I pull in a breath at the sensation of him filling and stretching me. Once he’s fully seated himself inside, he pauses and gazes down at me. The red ring has vanished entirely, but fire blazes in the depths of those two endless pools of blue. There is more than heat and desire in his eyes. Whatever is between us is so much more than just the mark, and I am tethered to it from a place deep inside my soul.

He pulls out then slides forward. I move to rise up to meet him, but his hand still pins me down. He moves in and out, and with each stroke, he threatens to make me come undone. I swallow thickly, unable to think with him inside me. Alaric savors each movement as he’d promised he would.

Tension coils and builds as his speed increases. My back arches, and I tighten around him. A moan rips itself from my lips as my orgasm rips through me. He doesn’t slow until I collapse back into the bed, panting.

Alaric leans down and kisses the hollow of my throat, still moving.

“Clara,” he says, and I wait for him to say more. Instead, he begins moving again, faster, driving himself home. He’s no longer holding back. I rise to meet each powerful thrust.

I wrap my legs around his waist, needing more of him. His gaze snags on mine as he moves in me. Then without warning, I cry out as another orgasm lashes through me. A few more thrusts, and I can feel him thicken inside me. Then, with a groan, he comes.

Gradually, our movements slow, and I lower my legs to the bed, my inner thighs tremor in the wake. Every nerve in my body hums.

Alaric brushes damp strands of hair from my face and places a sweet kiss to my forehead then to the corner my mouth before shifting to lie next to me.

For a long moment, Alaric stares into my eyes as if he can see down into my soul. I feel the weight of his gaze caressing each place and curve of my face like a feather-light touch. My cheeks warm, and I have to look away, unable to hold the intensity.

I never knew being with someone could feel like this. It’s almost overwhelming.