“Did I make you speechless?” he teases with a playful grin as he pulls something from behind his back, and I choke on a laugh as he puts the rabbit ears on his head.
“I thought we determined the Playboy Bunny wasn’t tied to Easter?” He tilts his head, those black eyes assessing me like only he can.
“Something isn’t right,” he murmurs as he steps in front of me, kneeling so we’re eye-to-eye. “You’re off.”
“I’m fine. Everything is better now.” I try to reel him in for a kiss, but he pulls away, unconvinced.
“Which means it wasn’t better before.” My eyes dart aside, incapable of even the smallest white lie with him. He grabs the edges of my robe, rubbing the delicate material between his fingers. “Tell me what’s wrong. You don’t get to be this pretty and look so sad. It isn’t fair to the rest of us, angel.”
My pulse speeds up, and Xalreth doesn’t miss it. He leans in and presses a kiss to my neck, and I cave at the gesture. “You’ve been ignoring me.” He opens his mouth to argue, then seems to think twice about it, snapping it closed. “I don’t mean… you don’t need to…” A frustrated huff leaves me as I take a breath and try again. “My insecurities aren’t your responsibility. You haven’t done anything wrong, I’m just being needy.”
“You’re always needy,” he says with a soft laugh. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”
If I thought my pulse was racing before, it’s nothing compared to how it thunders in my chest now. But I remind myself that it’s only a phrase, and he doesn’t mean it how myreckless brain is trying to interpret it. “I’m sorry,” I mutter, but he catches my chin and doesn’t allow me to look away.
“You’re right. I’ve been distracted today, and I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Forgive me?”
“Of course,” I breathe, and his smile is sweet as he guides me in for another kiss. It starts as nothing more than a peck, but I catch him by the neck as he pulls away and our eyes lock. His lips crash back into mine, and he sucks my bottom lip between his before he thrusts his tongue into my mouth. He pushes my shoulders, and I let out a surprised gasp as I fall back on the bed.
He stands before me, running his palms over the satin of his corset. “I think I know something that will cheer you up.”
“And what is that, darling?” I ask with a grin. My smile morphs into an open-mouthed gawk as he turns. “Is that… is that atail?!” I erupt in a fit of laughter as he shakes his ass at me, the white puff of cotton dancing back and forth. He faces me again as I laugh so hard I snort, and both of us freeze. We stare at each other, wide-eyed, before we laugh even harder.
My cheeks ache from laughing as I let my head fall onto the bed, feeling the dip in the mattress as Xalreth climbs on to join me.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispers, and a painful tightness constricts my chest as my smile fades. Hot, emotional tears burn behind my eyes, but not even my embarrassment can make me break his stare as he crawls across the bed to me. “How did I spend all those years in your presence and never notice?”
“All Archangels are beautiful,” I say with a weak attempt at a grin, but he shakes his head as he grabs onto my robe, clutching the silk.
“Yeah, but not like this. Not likeyou. They don’t make the sun jealous when they smile.” My bottom lip wobbles as he climbs over me, tracing over my lips as I pucker them and catch the pad of his thumb. “I wish you’d smile more, angel.” His lipsmeet mine in a tender kiss, and I fight to keep my emotions level. “I wish you would be happy.”
“You make me happy,” I whisper, and he pulls back and pushes our foreheads together as his deft fingers work the tie of my robe apart. The material falls aside, and he sits up, letting his eyes rake up my naked body.
“Do you want to be unlocked tonight?”
“No,” I say without hesitation, my fingertips exploring the taut satin that covers his stomach. The gold chain that holds my key hangs freely, and I trace its shape before moving my hand lower. His cock is rock hard, tucked inside that skintight fabric, and I run my finger along its outline, too.
“Own me tonight, Xal.”
“Just tonight?” His brow arches as he hooks my knees and pushes my legs back, resting his hips against my ass. “You belong to me, Micah. I own you every night.”
“Soownme. Make me yours.” He takes a deep, shuddering breath as he kisses me, his erection nestled perfectly between my cheeks. If he pushed his shorts aside, he could slip his cock free and fuck me senseless, just like this. The idea is so appealing that I reach down, ready to spear myself on him until I’m crying.
But of course, he has other plans.
He catches my wrist with a scolding click of his tongue. “Get on the floor and on your knees.” My robe billows as I climb off the bed, but since he didn’t tell me to remove it, I leave it on and kneel on the carpet.
His eyes move to my thighs with a satisfied smile. “How many times have I made you come now?” I glance at the collection of tally marks drawn on my upper legs. Every time I shower and the ink fades, he draws them again.
“Thirty-three,” I say as he walks to the dresser, his thick muscles rolling under his outfit. What should look ridiculous fitshim like a dream, accentuating his trim waist and bulky upper body. The laces of the corset are drawn tighter at the bottom but loosen closer to the top, no doubt needing room to fit his expansive chest.
He takes his time, letting me take my fill of watching him, and I feel myself leaking pre-cum as I squirm. Finally, he pulls something out of a tiny bag and returns to where I kneel.
“Thirty-three, huh? That doesn’t give you much opportunity to get this right.” He puts two fingers under my chin and tilts my face to look at him as he twists a long, braided, golden chain around his hands. “If you want on the bed, you have to earn it.”
“Earn it how?”
His fingers trail down to my neck, and there’s a quiet click before he backs up a step and tugs the leash. It pulls on my collar and my palms smack onto the ground as I’m thrown off balance. “Look at you, so pretty crawling for me.” He yanks the chain a second time and I follow, letting him lead me until I’m directly beneath him. My eyes move up his body, memorizing every dip and curve of his muscles as I sit back on my feet.
