His lips are a mix of hunger and desperation, like he’s been holding this back for too long, and now there’s no stopping it. I can feel the urgency of his need, the way his hands tighten on my hips, pulling me even closer. My fingers find their way into his hair, tugging him even more deeply into the kiss as if I can’t get enough of him.
“Fuck, Eira,” he moans, and desire tears at me, making my core ache for his touch.
Everything else disappears—the world, the noise, the uncertainty. It’s just us, wrapped in this whirlwind of passion and desire, his lips moving against mine like they were made to fit perfectly together. My heart pounds against my chest, matching the rhythm of his, and I can feel the heat between us spiralling out of control.
When we finally pull apart, both of us are breathing hard, our foreheads resting against each other. His thumb brushes lightly over my cheek, and when I meet his gaze again, there’s a fire in his eyes that I’ve never seen before.
“You can’t imagine how long I’ve wanted you,” he whispers, his voice barely audible, but the intensity of his words hits me like a wave.
“Me too,” I breathe, my voice shaky, my body still trembling from the force of what’s happening.
“That kiss by the waterfall has haunted me for weeks. Instead of satiating my craving, it just made me want you, need you even more. I have no idea how I’ve been able to keep my hands off you all this time.”
And just like that, he’s kissing me again. This time he’s slower, more deliberate, but no less intense. His hands grasp for the backs of my thighs as he lifts me up, and my legs wrap around him, the sound of my dress tearing only heightening my need. It’s as if every emotion he’s ever felt for me is pouring into this one moment, and I can feel every ounce of it in the way heholds me, in the way his lips move against mine, and in the way we fit together—perfectly. Grinding his hips against me, it’s obvious there are only thin layers of fabric between his arousal and mine, and the thought draws a moan from me.
“Gods, Eira, you make that sound again and I’m going to fuck you right here, right now,” he growls against my neck, and I throw my head back, letting out a lusty laugh as my hand reaches between us, grazing my fingers over his hardness. “Fuck. Do that again and there’s no question that you’re going to have me thrusting inside you in seconds. You’re a fucking temptress.” His mouth finds mine again, and the world around us dissolves, leaving only the two of us, lost in the heat of the moment. “This is dangerous, we need to stop before someone catches us,” Rylan murmurs, lowering me back down to the ground but there’s no conviction in his voice, only the lingering desire that neither of us can deny.
“Now you’re just making me want it more” I giggle, my heart swelling with the certainty that whatever comes next, we’re in this together.
“Wicked, wanton woman,” he says, as swiftly kisses me again before taking my hand and pulling me out of the garden.
“Where are we going?” I ask, as I try to keep up with him.
“Somewhere I can show you just how good being dangerous is going to feel.”
THIRTY-SIX
Rylan
I don't knowhow we make it back to my chambers without me stripping her down to nothing, my mouth devouring every inch of her body. But we do. Only just. And not without me stopping every chance we get, pushing her up against darkened doorways and secret alleys so that I can ravage her mouth.
Gods, thatfuckingmouth.
It's like it was moulded to fit perfectly to mine. Her kisses, hot and desperate, tell me she wants me as much as I want her. If that's possible. The desire for her is like a tempest building in the core of my chest, threatening to destroy everything in its path.
As we reach the hallway that separates the door to her room and mine, her step suddenly falters, and she looks at our respective doors as if she's making a choice. Fear streaks through me.Have I read it all wrong? Has my own need for her completely blinded me to what she's actually feeling?
"What is it? Do you... do you not want to... be with me?" I ask, hoping she can’t hear that her answer might wreck me.
She looks up at me, the softest smile on her already bruised lips. Already I want my mouth on hers again; every second I'm not kissing her feels like torture.
"No, it's not that. I was just wondering if you were the one who might want to rethink this. You're the crown prince, and I'm just... I'm a nobody from a peasant village with no title, no coin, nothing to my name. Why do you even want me? It doesn't make sense."
My heart cracks at her words, that she could be having these doubts. Did I put them there? With how I’ve been constantly pushing her away? Have I made this woman—this force of nature, this beautiful soul that already understands me better than anyone else in my life—question her value? I vow that she will never, ever question what she means to me again.
I tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear, my hand finding the nape of her neck as I pull her against me, so there's no question how badly I want her. I whisper, "I have never wanted anything or anyone like I want you right now. And it's been building for so long. If you want to choose that door"—I point to her door—"instead of following me into mine, I will understand. It will kill me, but I will understand. But never, ever question how much I want you. And all the reasons I want you have nothing to do with any of the things you mentioned. I've been surrounded by titles and more riches than the gods could imagine, but none of it has brought me anything like you."
I lean in, tracing the column of her neck with my face, breathing in her scent, feeling it penetrate every one of mysenses. Her hand finds my chest, and I pull back to look down at her face.
"Then I suggest you take me into your room, Your Highness, before we really give everyone something to talk about."
I reach behind me, open the door, and pull her in with me, kicking it closed, pressing her against the polished wooden expanse, my mouth crashing down on hers. Her lips instantly open under mine, inviting, luring... begging for my tongue in her mouth. I oblige, and the second the tips of our tongues touch, every cell in my body flares to life.
I pull away for just a second to look into her eyes but my eyes catch on the jacket she’s wearing. I roughly spin her around and tear it from her body, throwing it to the ground. “I don’t ever want to see you wearing my cousin Caelum’s fucking jacket ever again.”
She laughs, and it’s like a hand squeezing around my damn heart.
Turning back around, she grabs the front of my jacket and pulls me so that I’m pinning her hard against the door. Her neediness for me is the most potent aphrodisiac imaginable. “Do you really want to be talking about your cousin right now?” she whispers.
