Page 67 of Thorns of Blood

He took hold of my jaw, pulling me against him while he stood, his knees pressed against the bed. I waited, unsure of the next step. Or maybe I needed his assurance that he wanted this as much as I did.

For a heartbeat, or ten, we just breathed each other in, before he leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine in the lightest of kisses, so light that it felt surreal.

“If we do this,” he rasped against my mouth, “I will be your last everything and you will be mine. We go through life together, never letting go. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

And then his lips crushed to mine, devouring me. He tasted like salvation. Temptation. Uniquely him.

My hands came to his shoulders, clinging to them. His hands were on my hips, gripping me like he was scared to let me go. Truthfully, so was I.

He pulled back, breathing heavily, and settled back over me. I wrapped my legs around him, grinding against the rock-hard bulge in his sweatpants as he kissed me again.

I swirled my tongue against his hesitantly, conscious of my movements being unpracticed. He shuddered, a deep groan vibrating against my chest, and I pulled back to look at him.

“Is that okay?”

He stared at me with a slightly unhinged look before he growled a demand: “Kiss me again.”

My heart thundered, sending little shockwaves through my entire body, and my nipples stiffened to achy points, straining against the fabric of my tank top.

I slid my hand into his hair and tugged him in closer. I ran my tongue over his lips and deepened the kiss, sucking on his tongue in a way that had my pussy throbbing.

My body writhed with sensations, a blaze of fire spreading inside me. For a long time, we kissed, testing, exploring, and owning each other.

He shuddered each time our tongues glided together, and it sent a jolt straight between my legs. I felt powerful, owning every one of his visceral reactions, but he owned all of mine too.

“Still okay?” he asked against my mouth.

I struggled to form words. “Y-yes.”

“Good girl.” Something within me melted under the praise and my pussy clenched. “You need to tell me if it gets to be too much, if I need to stop, because I’m not making mistakes with you. It might seem like I’m in charge, but you’re the one pulling all the strings. Understood?”

My skin ignited into flames at his words. There was nothing hotter than a man who let a woman hold all the power. I’d never experienced it before, but I knew I’d want more of it.

“Yes.”

“I’ll take you and push your limits, but I won’t hurt you. Fucking ever. I only want to see your pleasure, never your pain.”

I wanted exactly what he was describing, and instinct told me he would stay true to his word.

I gulped, my chest trembling. “Okay.”

At my acceptance, he ripped my top down the middle, the sound loud in the room, escalating my heartbeats.

Once he discarded the fabric on the floor, he took my wrists into his and raised my hands above my head.

“Grab the rails,” he instructed.

“You’re not going to tie me up, right?” My heart hammered at the idea of bondage. “I don’t have great experiences with it, as I’m sure you remember.”

“I’m not tying you up. I’ll never do that again; I see now that I never should have. If I haven’t made myself clear, I’m so sorry, Lia.” His words assured me, and while I was grateful he was finally owning up to his mistake, I hoped it wouldn’t dampen the mood. “But you’ll hold on to the rails as if you were.”

Looking at him, I bit my lower lip, glad to feel my arousal was still there, slick and musky as I rubbed my thighs together.

Then he pulled my shorts down, discarding them while I lay naked on the bed.

“Spread your legs.” I didn’t even hesitate. “Such a good, needy wife. You want my cock, don’t you?”