Jasce.
He pulls me into his arms, and I squeeze my fingers around his surcoat, anchoring him to me as his hand tangles in my hair, tilting my head back as his mouth claims mine.
He breaks the kiss, then trails his lips along my jaw, down my neck, each brush of his mouth sending sparks skittering across my skin.
“Annora,” he breathes against my throat. “Don’t ever leave me like that again.”
“I had to.” I thread my fingers into his hair, clinging to him as ardently as he clings to me. “You know I had to.”
“No. You say goodbye to me. You kiss me. You do not leave while I’m sleeping,” he says, then crushes his mouth to mine again, his kiss demanding, possessive.
He walks me backward until my legs hit the edge of the bed. We tumble down together, a tangle of limbs and desperate kisses.
His weight presses me into the mattress as he yanks up my gown. I’m equally bold, tugging up his surcoat.
He breaks away just long enough to pull the surcoat over his head before his mouth is on me again. With each touch, each kiss, he worships me with his hands and his mouth, bringing me to the brink again and again until I’m trembling and gasping his name.
I hold him against me, desperate to keep him here and burn this moment into my memory so I never forget the way he makes me feel. Safe, alive, desired.
His kisses become more fervent, hungry, as if he’s starving, and I’m the only sustenance he has ever known. He leaves a trail of kisses down my throat before pulling at the laces of my bodice with his teeth, and when my bodice loosens, he peels it down my shoulders, baring my breasts.
He captures one of my nipples with his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue. As he teases my nipple with his tongue and teeth, his hand cups my other breast.
I moan at the dual sensations and shift restlessly beneath him, wanting—needing—something more.
As if understanding, he settles between my thighs, his hands bracketing my face as he leans in for a kiss. I taste the urgency in his mouth, his need to consume me, to imprint himself on me.
I gasp as he fills me, and for a moment, we stay frozen, our eyes locked. Then, he moves, and I wrap my legs around his waist, urging him closer.
The fire inside me rages, burning hotter than ever before, but he doesn’t slow. The gods help me, he doesn’t slow. He moves faster, harder, and I welcome it. Oh, how I welcome it.
I shatter, my body convulsing around him, and he lets out a groan, his body shaking as he comes undone.
I wish we could stay like this forever.
But forever isn’t long enough when it comes to us.
Chapter Nineteen
Aleksander
Pain lancesthrough my ribs as I slump deeper in my chair and take a long drink of wine, but it’s not enough. Nothing is enough!
Fuck!
I glance up, seeing my reflection in the looking glass, and I force myself to stare, to see the damage.
My right eye has swollen shut, the skin around it mottled purple and black. The bridge of my nose throbs with each heartbeat, and the split in my lower lip stings something fierce, making it impossible to smile even if I had anything worth smiling about right now. Which I don’t.
Suddenly, the bruises fade away, replaced by features I know all too well. My father’s stern mouth, his cold eyes, that look of perpetual disappointment.
Disgust surges through me as I hurl the goblet at the looking glass, and it shatters, sending silver shards cascading to the floor.
I glare at the shards as I reach for the false gold on the nearby table.
Of course, Jasce bested me earlier. He always has.
I could have screamed for guards, had him arrested, but something held me back. Maybe the need to defeat him myself. It would be far more gratifying to watch his golden throne crumble around him.
