“Let them look.” But he resumed walking, his strides longer now. “Though I’d prefer privacy for what comes next.”
The heat in his voice sent shivers down my spine. “And what exactly comes next?”
“Would you like me to describe it in detail?” His lips brushed my ear. “How I plan to worship every inch of your body? How I want to taste you, touch you, make you cry out my name?”
I inhaled sharply. “Thalassar...”
“Or perhaps you’d prefer I show you?”
We reached an ornate door carved with intricate patterns that seemed to move in the pearl-light. Thalassar shifted me in his arms, pressing one hand to the door. It swung open silently.
His chambers were massive, the ceiling soaring overhead in elegant arches. Bioluminescent creatures drifted near the roof, casting ever-changing patterns of light across the walls. A sitting area held low couches covered in shimming fabric. Through another doorway, I glimpsed what appeared to be a private pool.
But my attention fixed on the bed.
It dominated one wall, raised on a dais and draped in layers of translucent silk in deep blues and greens. The sheets looked impossibly soft, and large enough to accommodate Thalassar’s impressive height.
Large enough for other activities too.
Heat pooled low in my belly. Yes, he was alien. Yes, there were about a thousand reasons this was probably a terrible idea. But as his eyes met mine, full of hunger and something deeper, I knew I didn’t care.
Thalassar lowered me to the silk sheets. Their coolness against my heated skin drew a small sigh from my lips. His black eyes roamed over me, their intensity making my pulse quicken.
“Let me look at you,” he murmured, fingers skimming along my collarbone.
The ceiling crystals bathed his body in ever-changing illumination. I reached up to trace one particularly intricate pattern on his shoulder.
“You’re beautiful,” I told him.
He caught my hand, pressed a kiss to my palm. “That’s my line.”
“I mean it.” I sat up to better reach him, running my fingers down his chest. The scales there were smaller, finer, like delicate chainmail gleaming in the light. “I’ve never seen anyone like you.”
“And I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.” His hands slid into my hair, tilting my face up. “My Lucy.”
The possessiveness in his voice awakened a visceral warmth deep within me. I pressed closer, nipping at his jaw. “Prove it.”
A growl rumbled through his chest. His mouth claimed me in a deep kiss as he lowered me back to the bed. I pulled him closer as his tongue teased mine.
He tasted like the sweet wine from dinner, and something else - something wild and alien and uniquely him. I wanted more.
My hands found the fastenings of his shirt, fumbling with the unfamiliar clasps. He broke the kiss long enough to help me, shrugging out of the garment to reveal more of that fascinating scaled skin.
“Your turn,” he said, fingers playing with the fastenings at my shoulders.
I nodded, not trusting my voice. The silk surrendered with a whisper as he slowly unwrapped me like a treasured gift, pressing kisses to each new inch of exposed flesh.
When the last of the fabric fell away, he sat back on his heels, just looking. The hunger in his eyes made me squirm.
“You’re perfect,” he breathed.
I reached for him. “Come here.”
He came willingly, covering my body with his. His smooth scales moving against my bare flesh created exquisite sensations that drove me wild. His mouth found mine again as his hands explored, learning every curve and valley.
When his fingers brushed the underside of my breast, I arched into his touch. He hummed approval against my lips and cupped the weight in his palm.
“So responsive,” he murmured. “I love the sounds you make.”
