Page 41 of To Dwell in Shadows (Shadows of Aurelia #2)

S am hissed softly as he sank into the bath Selene had drawn for them, the heat of the water seeping into his sore muscles.

It was the first time he had used the bathtub in his chambers, since he usually preferred to bathe quickly under a shower of water.

He stretched out his legs and leaned back until his shoulders touched the back of the tub.

After years of folding himself into cramped Aurelian furniture, the simple luxury of something that truly fit his frame felt indulgent.

“Too hot?” Selene asked, twisting her hair into a bun and pinning it to the crown of her head.

“No, it’ll be fine in a moment.” After creating a solid plan with Vanthee yesterday for how to navigate the maze, he was feeling the most relaxed he had since arriving in the Underworld.

“That thing is more like a lap pool than a bathtub. It took forever to fill,” Selene said.

“What’s a lap pool?”

“A big container of water humans use to swim short distances.” Selene motioned to the crisscross of laces at the back of her gown. “Can you give me a hand with this? ”

Sam sat up and reached for her. He loosened each tie with his fingers until the fabric relaxed enough for her to pull the dress over her head. She tossed it into a corner and stretched.

“Phew. Now I can breathe again,” she said.

Sam watched, captivated, as she slipped out of her remaining undergarments.

She had placed lit candles around the tub and on the counter, and he loved watching the way the light played across her skin.

The snug fit of her dress had left red impressions on her back that he ached to kiss away.

Once she was fully bare, she took the hand he offered and stepped gracefully into the tub.

She sank into the water to settle between his legs.

“Alone at last,” she murmured, leaning back against his chest. She had poured scented bath oil into the water, and the aroma rose with the steam.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her even closer. Though his shaft was already swelling with the feel of her generous backside pressing against him, he wanted to talk first before losing himself to passion.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“The usual,” Selene said. “Zetta has become fond of using broken chair legs as chew toys. I was worried that it might not be good for her, but then I remembered hellhounds are pretty much indestructible. What did you do today?”

“Finished some chores in the Sanctum. Several of the rooms needed repairs, and I wanted to do what I could to take the burden off Borias.”

“When do you think we can go home?”

“Soon, I hope. It would be nice to help Vanthee settle into her role before we go back to Snowmelt.” Slowly, he began to trail his fingers up and down the sides of Selene’s stomach. “What’s the first thing you’d like to do back in Aurelia?”

“Eat my weight in Brunie’s cooking,” Selene said immediately. “I still have nightmares about that ‘morning drink’ Prickles served me. What about you? ”

“It surprises me to say this, but I miss feeling the sun on my face. And I look forward to having leisure time. We can start looking for land to build our home on as well.”

“Yes, someplace near the river would be nice. But I still want to be able to walk to Brunie and Eldridge’s.

” She stretched her arms behind her, looping them around Sam’s neck.

The motion made her breasts jut out of the water provocatively.

Sam watched rivulets of water roll down her nipples, now dark pink from the hot water. His cock strained.

He picked up the bar of soap resting on a dish nearby. It didn’t smell as good as the ironwood and pine-scented soap she had chosen for him at the Padu market, but it would do.

“Shall I wash your back?”

“Mmm, yes please.”

Sam lathered up his hands and began massaging her neck and shoulders with slow strokes.

Selene let out a soft moan.

His hands moved further south, rubbing away those red marks and working into the muscles of her lower back. He bent to kiss the side of her neck then leisurely began tracing his fingers around her sensitive rib cage. Selene’s breath quickened.

Lathering up his hands again, he slid them under her arms to cup her full breasts.

“Oh yes, Sam,” she whispered. Her head lolled back against his shoulder as his slick palms massaged her breasts.

“What would you like me to build in our house?

“Red shutters” Her breaths were coming faster. “Flowerboxes… bookcases with a ladder… ”

Her words faded into a moan as Sam pinched her nipples. Lightly at first, then harder. With one hand, he rolled a tight bud between his soapy fingers; with the other, he kneaded her flesh until she arched her back.

“Why a ladder?” he asked.

“I’ve always wanted one for floor-to-ceiling”—sinking his hand into the water, he began to stroke her inner thighs until she widened her legs for him—“bookcases.”

“I can do that.”

Leisurely, he stroked the outside of her core, teasing her with fluttering touches. She shifted her pelvis impatiently, urging him to give her more. He began playing with her clit, rubbing it small, tight circles with his thumb. “And a big bed?”

“Huge.” Selene cried out as he pressed a finger against her opening then slipped two inside. Her silken flesh was hotter than the bathwater. He began to thrust in and out while continuing to tease her clit. She started to rock herself into his hand.

“And a walk-in closet.”

In her ear, he whispered, “Grind into me. I want you to come on my hand.”

Selene did as she was told. Still with her arms over her head, she dug her nails into his scalp. Her breaths came even faster now. Sam felt her body began to tense, causing his own need to surge.

“That’s it, my love. That’s it.”

“Oh, Sam, please… ”

“Please what?”

“I want… I need to… ”

“You need to come?”

“Yes!”

“Just a little while longer. Don’t release until I say so.”

Her frustrated groan nearly made him come. He pressed his mouth to her neck and shoulders, kissing and nibbling at her scented skin. Between her legs, her folds had grown lush and plump, signaling that she was close to her limit.

Nearly drunk with lust he rasped, “Kiss me.” She turned her head and he took her mouth greedily. Then when he had his fill, he said in a low, commanding voice, “Now come for me.”

His words had the desired effect. Bracing a strong arm around her waist so she wouldn’t sink into the water, he held her as her body stiffened, then bucked against him, crying out her release.

Against his hand, he felt her core pulsate with waves of pleasure, flooding him with as much satisfaction as he had given her.

When her body began to still, lust was pounding through him to the point of pain. Roughly, he whispered into her hair, “Can you take more?”

“I can always take more,” she purred.

“Good. Because I’m going to give it to you.”

Effortlessly, he lifted her hips to hover over his cock, which now strained desperately for her.

Dreamily, she reached between them in the water and guided him into her wet heat.

Sam thrust up, driving into her in one brutal motion.

She gasped with pleasure, then braced her knees on the bottom of the tub to bounce up and down on him.

Water splashed around them wildly as they moved, extinguishing some of the nearby candles. After making her come so sweetly, he was on fire for her now—desperate, crazed to be as close to her as he could get.

He gripped her hips to drive her down on him harder. “You’re taking me so well,” he breathed, using one hand to thrum her nipples again.

“It’s so good. Don’t stop.”

“Grab my horns,” he said roughly. She reached over her head to wrap her wet palms around both his horns. The surge of pleasure made him buck into her even harder.

“Don’t let go,” he growled.

“Sam… I’m close.”

Normally, he liked to draw their pleasure out as long as possible, but he was about to burst. He could tell she was on the edge again as well. “Come on my cock,” he ordered.

The instant the words left his lips, Selene threw back her head, and he felt her climax all around him, squeezing him as if to milk the seed from his body. The sweetness of it made him lose himself, too. He threw back his head, muscles straining, and bellowed his mate’s name as he finished.

They stayed in the bath for several moments, both panting hard. When their breathing slowed, Selene leaned over the edge of the tub to peer at the puddles spreading across the wet floor.

“We’ve made a terrible mess,” she said with a chuckle.

“That’s what towels are for,” Sam replied, feeling languid and spent. He brushed away a strand of hair that had escaped Selene’s bun. “Would you like me to install a bathtub like this in our house?”

Selene looked back at him with a wicked smile. “Definitely.”