Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Her mane of wet hair appeared black, the change in color highlighting the delicacy of her features. Her air of vulnerability. In her eyes, enlarged pupils overshadowed jade and swirled with lust. Red lips parted, as if pleading for a kiss. The rise of her breasts every time she inhaled, those puckered crests sometimes bobbing over the surface of the pond. The sight of her bound wrists, floating in front of her...
“Maybe I’ll keep you chained to my bed for the rest of eternity,” he rasped, tracing his thumb along her jugular.
With a throaty voice, she replied, “Maybe I’ll enjoy it.”
“Now I know you lie.” Do I? The way she’s looking at me... He narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on her, loving how her throat quivered as she swallowed. “There’s a lone reason you would dare to taunt me so while I hold your very life in my hand.”
“Oh? Please, do tell.”
“You hope to distract me and run again.”
“Give the king a prize. I will run. When the time is right.” She didn’t appear the least bit abashed by her admission. “But I promise you’ll enjoy yourself in the meantime... The question is, will I?”
In that moment, he recognized the truth. She fully understood her power over him—and how to wield it well. He fought to resist her allure. Fought with every ounce of his strength. Resistance was the correct path. He recognized this truth, too. Anything else would lead to his destruction. But he smelled her each time he inhaled, all the sweet florals and citrus, and his thoughts fragmented, one after the other. Desire prowled through his veins, a hungry beast desperate for sustenance. Nothing else mattered.
“Know that I will catch you when you run, wherever you go,” he growled. Even if he must find a way into the mortal world.
Micah swooped down and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. The last time they’d done this, he’d striven to learn, savor and coax a response from her. Today, he took, demanding more. Demanding everything. For once, he didn’t attempt to filter the ferocity of his desires. Let her feel what she did to him. If she frightened—
His feral kitten? Frightened? No. She met him thrust for thrust, feasting on him.
Inside him, pressure mounted, expanding. Muscles bunched with tension. Soon, his clothes were pulled taut and restrictive. Far too tight. A thousand times, he nearly ripped the garments from his body. A thousand times, he resisted.
When their positions prevented him from deepening the kiss, he wrenched up his head and hauled her out of the water, splaying her over the shore. He meant to stretch out directly beside her, but the sight of her nakedness arrested him. Water sheened her and pooled in select places while dripping from others. Had he ever beheld such lush curves? So many scintillating dips and hollows?
A banquet of femininity, mine for the taking...
Holding her gaze, hating her, ravenous, he reached between them and unwound the tie around her wrists, leaving her in the collar alone. Wholly vulnerable. Gloriously so. Part of him expected her to run again. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, drawing him closer.
Surprise uncoiled, as lethal to his discipline as everything else. He bent his head, swooping down to resume the kiss. As their tongues rolled together, she tightened her grip on him. More and more of his control slipped...
She clings to me? The knowledge affected him, his need for this fantasy female amplifying to a maddening degree. The pressure inside him doubled. Pride threatened to shatter. He hovered over her, sharing breaths, exchanging kiss for kiss. Passion for passion. Micah knew he had a choice. Stop now or regret later.
He should stop. Absolutely. Starting this had been foolish. Or not. No risk of conceiving a child with the mother of monsters. Not with his wrist cuff in place. And the picnic basket did contain everything needed for a seduction. From the sexiest gown he’d ever wished to see a female wear, to the toiletries, a bottle of wine and a book of erotic sketches. There’d been a canteen of water as well, plus clothes for him, a plethora of foods and a blanket. In other words, a bed. Why not take advantage?
No, no. He should stop. Yet he let one of his hands wander...
She mewled; he groaned. Yes, he would stop. Any minute now.
I can halt this at any time...
Kneading...
I’ll cease the second I’m ready...
Stroking lower...
Vee sank her nails between his shoulder blades, ripping his tunic, and Micah sucked air between his teeth. The sting didn’t bother him. On the contrary. He liked it. Her uninhibited response thrilled him. Finish this. Regret later.
He cupped, kneaded and stroked her with more force, as if he were conquering village after village, claiming the territories as his own. The way she moves... The slightest graze of his fingertips left her writhing. Firm pressure induced pleading and thrashing.