The understanding in her voice cuts straight to my core. She always could see the parts of me I tried to hide.
"If I'd known you were hiding this walking art fantasy under those fancy suits," she says, her voice turning playful even as her hands continue their maddening exploration, "I'd have stripped you sooner."
A grin tugs at my lips.
"The Celtic knots," she continues, tracing the patterns across my chest. "Endless loops, no beginning, no end. Representing—"
"Destiny," I finish roughly, watching desire darken her eyes to forest green. "Or chains, depending how you look at it."
"Which is it for you?" She presses her compass-marked arm deliberately against my chest, right over my own.
"Maybe neither." I capture her mouth in a kiss that tastes like surrender and claiming all at once. "Maybe it's just us finding our way back to each other. Like we were always meant to."
Her clothes join mine on the floor in a desperate flurry, and suddenly there's nothing but skin against skin. The first press of her softness against my hardness draws a groan from deep in my chest.
"I've missed you, Red," I breathe against her throat, my hands mapping the curves I've dreamed about many times. "Every part of you."
Something vulnerable and fierce flashes in her eyes. "I missed you too."
She sighs my name as I lay her back on the bed, the sound a mixture of surrender and demand that makes my blood burn. I have to pause, drinking in the sight of her spread out before me—all cream skin and fire hair against white sheets.
"You're staring again," she whispers, a blush creeping down her neck.
"How could I not?" I trail kisses down her throat, across her collarbone, tasting the salt of her skin. "Do you know how many nights I've dreamed of this? Of you?"
Her fingers weave into my hair as I move lower, nails scraping my scalp. "Tell me."
"Every night." I mark each word with a kiss, moving down her body. "You haunted me, Red. Drove me crazy."
She pulls me back to her mouth with sudden urgency.
"Show me," she demands against my mouth. There's no hesitation in her voice. Just raw need and a challenge that makes my cock throb.
I pin her beneath me, my body caging hers, watching desire darken her eyes to forest green. "How do you want it, Red?" The words come out as a growl.
Her answering smile is pure sin. "I want you," she purrs, spreading her legs in blatant invitation. "to show me what fifteen years of dreaming has taught you, Sainty."
A groan tears from my throat as I look down at her, all pale skin and freckles in the morning light. Her breasts rise with each quick breath, nipples hard and begging for my attention. My gaze travels lower, following the constellation of freckles down her stomach to where red curls guide my eyes to her center, already glistening with need.
"Fuck, you're perfect," I breathe before capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. She arches into me, desperate for contact, and I begin a slow descent down her body. Each kiss is a claim, each touch a promise. Her skin tastes like salt and desire, and I'm starving for more.
I take my time with her breasts, drawing one nipple into my mouth while my thumb circles the other. The sound she makes—somewhere between a gasp and my name—shoots straight to my cock. Her hands fist in my hair, trying to direct me where she wants me most, but I resist.
"Patience, Red," I murmur against her skin. "I've waited fifteen years for this feast."
"Ares," she whimpers, her hips lifting in a silent plea. "Please..."
I continue my journey south, marking her hip bone with my teeth, soothing the sting with my tongue. Her thighs tremble as I settle between them, breathing in her scent—sweet and musky, and I love it. The sight of her spread out before me, wet and wanting, surpasses every fantasy I've ever conjured—a reality more intoxicating than my most fevered dreams could have imagined.
"You're beautiful," I whisper before I lick her, a slow, deliberate stroke that makes her buck against my mouth.
She fucking purrs like a cat, her hands gripping the sheets as she arches into my touch. "More," she demands, her voice rough with need.
I chuckle against her, the vibration drawing out another purr. "Greedy little thing, aren't you?"
Her eyes flash open, locking onto mine with a fiery challenge. "Only for you."
That's all the invitation I need. I dive in, licking, sucking, devouring her like a man possessed. Her taste is intoxicating, and I can't get enough. My tongue finds her clit, circling it with merciless precision, drawing out a string of curses from deep within her.
