Page 38 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

H is voice is smooth like the most luxurious velvet, and it licks a path all the way down my spine.

Slowly, I pad over to Daegel. I stop right in front of him, between his legs.

Without breaking eye contact, I run a hand over his lush dark hair.

It’s soft as silk between my fingers. The shadows in the hollows of his chiseled cheeks deepen, giving him a delightfully sinister look.

Daegel inhales a deep breath and rests his palms on each side of my hips. His hands are scorching hot even through the layers of clothing between us. I gasp when he lifts me, and once again, I’m in his lap. This time, I’m straddling him.

The first contact of his lips on mine is hesitant. As if he’s testing out the waters to see the temperature. I catch his bottom lip between my teeth and run the tip of my tongue over it. A low growl rises from the depths of his chest, and it makes me feral.

The tentative kiss turns into a sloppy and passionate one within moments. It’s as if we’re both starving for each other and can’t get enough. I moan into his mouth when his hands slide around me to cup my ass. The squeeze he gives it sends a wave of pleasure through me.

I can feel just how excited he is underneath me. Teasingly, I roll my hips over his hard-on once. Twice. The third time I make sure to go extra slow and hard. He moans against my throat.

“Fuck, princess.” His voice is husky. “You drive me absolutely wild.”

I throw my head back and chuckle, enjoying just how much he wants me. His lips explore the sensitive skin on my neck, down to my shoulder. When his hands reach for the buttons of my leather jacket at the front, I freeze.

Immediately, he pauses and looks up at me. “What’s the matter? If you want me to stop, just say the word.”

I clear my throat and blink rapidly. I don’t know how to say what I want to say. We’ve only ever been intimate in the complete darkness, where he couldn’t see all of me. The scars from the fire that lay ruin to my skin.

Daegel patiently waits for me to gather my thoughts. I glance behind me at the fireplace, the only source of light, and then back at him.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. Because I do.

But—you’ve never seen me naked before. I have…

scars. Too many of them. Some of them are from my Decarios training back in Wetra, and I’m proud to wear them on my body.

You’ve seen some.” He nods, patiently waiting for me to finish my train of thought.

“But others are… Other scars are from the fire I barely survived, the fire that took my family from me. And those scars… I don’t— They’re ugly, and I hate them.

” I flex my gloved hands. “It’s why I always wear the gloves and conservative leathers. I don’t want any eyes on those scars.”

But I don’t voice my other concern: What if he sees the scars on my naked skin and feels repulsed by them?

The words spill from my lips rapidly, and by the time I finish, I don’t know why I told him any of it at all. I could’ve just extinguished the flames in the fireplace and enjoyed the feel of him in the dark, like with V.

Daegel listens carefully and patiently. When I’m done, shame and embarrassment burn my cheeks. He doesn’t answer immediately.

I’m certain I ruined the mood and it’s time for me to go, but he gently cups my cheek in his palm.

“Phoenix, you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. One of the strongest and definitely the bravest. Those scars are a part, an extension of you. They’re the testimonial of your past and everything you’ve been through.

The good and the bad. Your training, the fights you’ve won and survived.

You should wear them proudly, because they tell a story of how you came to be the exceptional woman you are today.

They’re your badges of honor. They’re the mark of your past, so that you always remember where you came from and where you’re headed.

Those scars are just as beautiful as the rest of you.

Don’t let anyone ever convince you otherwise. ”

I’m stunned for a moment.

My eyes burn, and I blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay. I never had dreams of wanting someone to save me, to show me my worth and love the parts of me I hate.

I never needed it. Not until I had a taste of it.

I trail a finger over Daegel’s lips. “You have a sweet tongue.”

He flicks his tongue out and catches my finger. A shiver goes through me when he sucks it into his mouth, swirling his tongue over it gently. I’m hot all over again.

I want him. All of him.

Slowly, I pull myself out of his lap. Daegel watches me in silence when I rise to my feet in front of him.

His eyes widen a fraction, lust written all over his features when I undo the first button of my jacket.

He follows every movement of my hands as I undo all the buttons and then slide the jacket off my shoulders.

Many times in my life, I’ve faced death. Yet this is the scariest thing I have ever done.

Next to go are my gloves. The ugly red scars on the back of my hands, my chest, and each side of my waist are on display. Bared for his judgment. For a moment, doubt almost overwhelms me, and I want to cover up.

But the way Daegel watches me pushes me forwards. Not a single ounce of disgust is visible on his face. It’s all admiration and lust.

When I’m only in my white cotton panties, I pause. Every inch of me tingles and pulsates with anticipation of pleasure, and butterflies roam in my belly. Daegel leans forwards and grazes the scarred skin of my thigh with his knuckles. Then he kisses that same spot.

Before I know it, his hands are on my hips and I’m straddling his lap once again.

“You’re even better than I imagined,” Daegel whispers, his lips grazing my neck. “Every damn inch of you is pure perfection.”

A shiver runs down my spine, and I bury my fingers in his hair.

Daegel kisses the skin between my breasts, and my nipples pebble. When his lips close over one peak, a soft moan escapes my lips. His touch is so not what I expected. I expected him to handle me rough and fast, like before. Hard. Instead, he’s gentle and slow, waking my body one kiss at a time.

My whole body burns with desire. I long for him, for his touch, for the hot kiss of his lips. I can’t help but shiver with each brush of his lips on my skin. I’m in heaven.

Growing impatient, I pull his white shirt over his head and toss it aside. His muscles are hard as steel under my fingertips. He pulls me closer to him. The sweet sensation of skin-to-skin contact is divine. I can’t get enough of it.

Daegel kisses the middle of my throat and mumbles, “Finally, we have enough time and space so I can get a proper taste of you. Worship every inch of your perfect body.”

I sigh, savoring the sensation of his lips. “Brave words. You better live up to the promise.”

He drags his tongue up the side of my neck to my ear. When he nibbles on my earlobe, I moan.

“Once I’m done with you tonight, you won’t even remember your name.” There’s a dark threat in his words that sends a shiver down my back.

He stands with me in his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he lowers us onto the plush rug. It’s soft under my back, and I love the weight of Daegel on top of me.

Slowly, Daegel kisses his way down my body. Each caress of his lips is intentional and sweet. He showers every inch of my scarred skin with sweet admiration, and by the time he reaches the most sensitive spot between my thighs, I’m panting.

When he flicks his tongue over my swollen clit, I arch my back and moan.

I am drowning in sensation, my whole body aflame.

Tension builds rapidly inside me. Daegel’s mouth is wicked, and my toes curl.

My moans grow louder, and I buck my hips, wanting more, more, more.

Daegel obliges, giving me exactly what I desire.

I come so hard, I see stars.

Even when I’m shaking and trembling all over from the intensity of my pleasure, Daegel doesn’t stop toying with me. I have to fist his hair at the back of his head and pull him off me.

Panting, I say, “That was…that was a damn good orgasm, but nowhere as close to what I was promised.”

The flames from the fireplace reflect in his dark eyes. “Oh, princess. Did you think I was done with you already?”

Roughly, Daegel flips me over onto my stomach and spanks my ass. I fist the long fur of the rug and arch my back. The sting from the impact feels fucking great.

Daegel’s weight presses onto my back, and he kisses the back of my shoulder. His lips are gentle, but he thrusts inside me with such force, I gasp.

“Too much?” His voice in my ear is rough.

I bite my bottom lip, savoring the way he stretches me. I shake my head. “No. You promised me I wouldn’t remember my name by the time you were finished with me. Well, I’m still very well aware my name is?—”

I don’t get to finish the sentence because he fists the hair at the back of my head and tugs on it while he drives his hard cock deep and hard inside me. All that’s left for me to do is moan as each thrust brings me closer and closer to the edge once again.

The air in the room is heavy, pressing into us. It’s almost impossible to breathe. I tremble as small waves of pleasure rise deep within me and roll all the way down my body. I’m about to lose my mind.

Daegel’s groans and moans in my ear drive me wild. He slips a hand between me and the rug to circle my clit, eliciting a gasp from my lips. A few more hard thrusts and gentle sweeps of his thumb over that sensitive spot are all it takes for me to climax again.

“Fuck.” I breathe out the word and bury my face in the rug.

Daegel pulls out the hand that’s been underneath me and grabs my hip. It stings when his fingers dig into my skin. I welcome that pain, though.

“Where do you want me to come, princess?” Daegel’s voice in my ear is rough as he tries to control himself.

My mind is hazy from pleasure, but I don’t need to think twice.

“On my back.”