“We’ll make it enough.”
“My princess.” I cradle this amazing woman’s sweet face in my hands, drowning in her blue eyes.
The moment I saw her, my heart surrendered, laying itself at her feet. I never knew love this strong, this pure, existed. For two centuries, I stood alone, without family, without friends. Completely alone. Sabelle changed all that in an instant. And even if the possibility of our tomorrow ends today, I wouldn’t change a thing. “Thank you.”
Unable to resist her rosy mouth beneath mine, I dive back into her kiss, drowning in her, wishing I never had to resurface. She envelops me, arms around my shoulders, lips parted for my invasion. She clutches me as if these might be our last few moments together…because they might well be. She grasps that reality, and as much as I want to shield her from it, I love her all the more for understanding.
With an impatient tug, I rip away her sweater. Her bra is in shambles moments later, her jeans mere shreds. Her sexy little lace knickers fall next to my rush of need. She gasps when I cup her breasts, caressing her hard nipples with my thumbs. So soft, so perfect. No other woman compares. Sabelle is a rare beauty both outside and in.
A moment later, she grasps my erection, stroking me with a sure rhythm. I gasp into our kiss, my entire body bombarded by pleasure, not just because she touches me, but because Sabelle holds me as if I’m her everything. As if she wants me above all others. It’s a gift I can’t turn down.
“Isdernus…” she pleads when I delve two fingers into her soft folds to find her wet and waiting.
“You know I hate that name,” I groan as she continues to stroke me.
“You’re far too warm in my arms and in my heart for me to call you Ice.”
With a few whispered words, my princess breaks my heart all over again.
I kiss her once more, lowering her to the bed. She falls willingly into a sea of pillows and soft sheets, her thighs parting in welcome.
Breathing hard now, I grasp her hips. “I would rather take my time with you.”
“Don’t make us wait. I need you now. Take me,” she gasps as I caress the hard bud of her clit with my questing fingers.
I can’t resist. I need her now, too. I need her softness, her devotion. And I need these memories…in case this challenge does not end well. At least one of the last moments pressed into my heart will be of my beloved princess.
With that thought, I plunge deep inside her. She clings to me as she cries out, arching up to me and spreading her legs even wider before she wraps them around my hips.
“Please…” she pleads, her body tightening on me.
I’m beyond happy to comply.
I set a deep, steady rhythm, never wavering, never faltering, never stopping until she digs her fingers into my shoulders, cries out my name, and tightens around my cock. I cling to my self-control by a thread as I ride the storm of her orgasm.
As soon as she sags back to the bed, I lift my head from her neck and stare into her flushed face. Brushing strands of hair from her forehead, I’m struck anew by her. She’s exquisite each time I see her, but with her eyes shining bright and naked with love, she’s easily the most beautiful thing I’ve ever beheld.
Something wells up in me and threatens to swallow me whole. A feeling. More than need, far more than desire. Love, blinding in its intensity. Bloody hell, it threatens to choke me. It empties my mind and lungs, even as it fills my heart and soul. I cover her mouth with mine once more, delving inside and fusing us together. With a final deep stroke inside Sabelle, I explode, calling her name.
She holds me even tighter, face buried against my shoulder. My skin there is wet, and it isn’t my sweat.
I lift my head. Tears trail down her pink cheeks. My heart twists as I brush them away with my thumbs. “If making love to you makes you cry, princess, I’ve done something wrong.”
With a watery laugh, she holds me tight, her blue gaze clinging to me. “You made a joke?”
“We haven’t had much to laugh about together, have we?” I sigh. “Please don’t cry.”
“The thought of you stepping back into the challenge ring with that monster is intolerable. I know we said we cannot allow Mathias to win that seat, but at the cost of your life, I?—”
“Three minutes!” Blackbourne’s voice calls up the stairs. “The challenge resumes in three minutes. Combatants, return to the ring!”
At the summons, Sabelle grabs my hand and clutches it for dear life. I understand, truly. If our roles were reversed, I’d be terrified. But we must go on. Even if I risk forfeiting my life, I can’t quit.
“We’ve all agreed. I must do this.” I disentangle myself from her silken body and rise from the bed before she uses her aphrodisiac kisses to lure me to ecstasy again.
I yank on my clothes. Sabelle watches, wide-eyed, sitting up in bed, the sheet scarcely covering her most delectable parts. I try very hard not to be distracted, not to grab on to the woman I love and refuse to let go.
Gritting my teeth and praying for strength, I kiss her forehead, then whirl away.
