He took his time responding. Eventually, he said, “Thank you for telling me who you are. I don’t blameyoufor what happened—you aren’t the reason we lost our Kingdom.” He held my gaze. “And I’m sorry that you had to witness your mother’s death. As a child, nonetheless. And what your father did… he betrayed you when you needed him most. Did your aunt treat you well?”
I nodded. The weight on my chest began to lift. I let out a long breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. “Yes. She raised me like her own. She never had children. And…” I paused, building up courage. “I’m the heiress to the Aurelian throne… against all odds.”
His brows raised as he rubbed his stubbled chin thoughtfully, before giving me a glowing grin. “I knew you were special, but this is… beyond my wildest dreams.It’sdestiny, my love. We were meant to be,” he rejoiced, kissing my worries away. His mouth made an unhurried descent down my throat… and then across the swells of my breasts.
I’d thrown so much at him today; between my confessions, accusations, and difficult truths, he’d stood strong. It seemednothingwould scare him away.
I traced his jawline with my hand, entranced by his masculine beauty… dipping my gaze to meet sparkling eyes. I held his face, pressing my lips against his. He wasmine. And now hetrulyknew who I was. It made me feel so close to him. But I wanted to becloser.
Licking down his neck, I wrapped my arms around his strong shoulders and straddled him. I wanted to free fall into the deep end of whatever this was between us. With unbridled fervor, I gave him all my hope, all my fear. Each kiss melted into the next.
His fingers finished what they’d started, loosening buttons until my dress fell away and pooled around us. In one smooth motion, he leaned me back and slid me to the edge of the bed.
He kneeled on the floor and began pulling the remainder of my dress off. His eyes turned molten when he saw that I was, indeed, not wearing any undergarments. His night beard tickled me as he kissed my thighs, making me wriggle away.
He peered at me, eyes shining, before lowering his head. The first swipe of his tongue sent fire to my loins. His fingers slipped inside me, while he continued to tease me with his mouth; nibbling, sucking, tasting, savoring.
Soon I was pleading his name, demanding he take me.All of me. He rose up until he was bracing himself over my trembling body, kissing me until we were both shaking with anticipation.
“It might hurt, since it’s your first time. I’ll give you time to adjust… I’ll be gentle.” I could feel his sizable length, thick and hard as he rubbed himself down my center. I opened my legs wider in an attempt to accommodate him. He was soft as silk, hard as steel, throbbing as he ran himself along my aching core.
He’d told me what to expect, but I still didn’t see how he was going to fit. But the need to be closer surpassed all my fears. “I’m ready,” I said with thick emotion, lifting my hips to meet his.
“If I get carried away, tell me if you want me to stop… and I will,” he said roughly, his hair falling into his eyes. Eternally composed Galen was coming apart at the seams—trembling as he stared down at me in awe.
We didn’t break eye contact as he guided himself in with a slow, heavy slide. A pinch of discomfort followed as I was coaxed open, stretching beyond my capacity. There was more pain than I’d expected. I bit back a whimper, gripping the sheets, but I didn’t protest as he moved deeper.
He paused when my inner walls squeezed around him, resisting his advance. “Breathe…” he whispered. He slowed his progression, but didn’t stop. “You feel better than I could’ve imagined,” he murmured into my ear. “You’re wrapped so tightly around my cock.Gods… Marigold. I can barely—”
He grunted as he carefully pulled out… and then back in, letting out a shaky breath. I could feel him growing even harder—stretching me wider, deeper. Stomach muscles cramped as waves of pleasure lapped over me, even as the sensation of being ripped open continued. I didn’t know how much more I could take.
Galen reached down and expertly rubbed the bundle of nerves between my legs, giving me time to adjust. That’s all it took to remember the ecstasy that came with his touch.
The discomfort began to fade… and a delicious need surged within me. He groaned as I relaxed, allowing him to plunge deeper, deeper… sinking into me until our bodies were flush.
We stared at each other in wonder. Physically, we were as close as two people could get, but it was so much more than that. His golden uhra shimmered around us. And in this moment, we were one. He began to move over me, and then we were rocking together.
He was an attentive lover, noticing what I responded to. Soon I was lost to his touch, his toe-curling kisses, his rhythm. He hovered with feline grace as he began to thrust faster. I moved with him, moaning like a feral animal. This felt so good, so right. I wrapped my legs around him, panting as we built up to the crescendo. Could I die from bliss? If so…what a way to die.
Frost-tipped fingers burned into flesh as I gripped his shoulder blades, begging for relief. He was driving deep into me now. I gave him all of me as I tilted back my head and cried out his name.
I was building up, up, up… until I exploded into a million pieces. Ice coated the walls of the room as wave after wave crashed over me. Galen roared as he pulled himself out of me and released onto the sheets.
He fell beside me and we sagged into the bed. Once our heart rates returned to normal, he asked, “How was it? Are you alright?”
I couldn’t believethatwas what I’d been missing out on. I felt empty now, without him inside of me. How did people function in society when they could be doingthatinstead? “We are never leaving this bed again,” I said with a grin, rolling on top of him.
“As you wish,” he said, suckling a peaked nipple into his mouth, while I sat astride him. He was already growing hard beneath me.
“You can… be ready again so fast?” I blinked in surprise.
He laughed. “Not always. But with you, right now, it would be impossiblenotto be ready. You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about this moment—all the places I’ve wanted to make love to you, all the ways I plan to take you.”
Places? Ways?Apparently I still had a lot to learn.
Fast as lightning, he flipped me. I was on my stomach and he was behind me, rubbing against my backside, spreading my cheeks with the head of his erection. “The question is, love, areyouready forme?” The dominance in his voice caused a spike of adrenaline to run through me. The insatiable ache between my legs pulsed in answer.
“Yes…” I said, biting my lip as he massaged slick folds.
