Crying out, he wrenched his mouth free from hers. As he slowed his pace, he gripped her nape and pressed their brows together. They exchanged breaths. “I want to be in you, exactly like this, every day for the rest of eternity,” he rasped. “There’s nothing as good as you.”
“Micah. Want. Eternity. Yes!” Pressure was building inside her. Too much, not enough. She didn’t mean to, but she clawed at him, leaving bloody furrows. “Good. It’s so good. So, so, so good. Give me more. More!”
She clung to him, needing, and scratching, and biting. Panting and moaning and begging. Still, he maintained that slow pace. Agonizingly slow, as if he savored each increasingly forceful glide. Forceful yet languid, making the madness so much worse. And better. Yes, yes, yes. So much better.
Soon, she lost her ability to think beyond fragments. Need to think. This was...wasn’t...but she...this...he...argh! Something was happening inside her. Something more than the shaking and quaking and falling of defenses. His stare was everything. Holding her captive in a way the collar had failed to do. Making silent demands for...what? What?
The pressure expanded further. Pleasure mounted, threatening to overtake her and change her forever. Beads of sweat glistened on his pale skin. One trickled from his temple to his chin. She watched it, desperate to escape the intensity of his gaze. The strength of their connection. When the droplet hit the top of a scar, she whimpered. There was no male more perfect than Micah.
Her focus returned to him of its own accord, drawn by an irresistible, invisible force. It was then, that moment, when she knew exactly what he’d been demanding from her all along. Not just forever, but her loyalty. He was willing to give up his war for her. Now, he expected her to relinquish the war she waged with herself. To trust him with her everything; the thing that frightened her most.
He asked her for too much. More than she had the power to grant. But she couldn’t...she... Yes!
Pressure and pleasure collided, and Viori broke, coming apart at the seams. Arching her spine, she screamed into the night.
As if her bliss fueled his own, he roared, shuddering against her. Through it all, neither of them looked away from the other.
* * *
MICAH HELD A dozing Vee—Viori—close. They lay atop the stone bed. Well, they lay on half of the blanket Cookie had provided, with the other half draped over their naked bodies. An hour had passed since he’d experienced the greatest pleasure of his life, yet his heartbeat had yet to slow. What they’d done... It was nothing like the tame, polite trysts he used to share with his mistresses.
Spread your legs for me.
This far, Majesty, or farther?
He bit his tongue—
Am I hurting you?
I don’t mind, Majesty. You may do whatever you wish to me.
—tasting blood.
Viori had told him what she hungered for and demanded more as her due. He reeled from the high of it. The total satisfaction.
He toyed with her wavy mane, running the strands through his fingers. If he’d been obsessed with her before, he was utterly gone for her now. When he’d offered her a chance at forever, he’d meant it. He would try this one more time, putting everything on the line. Trusting her with his body. If she took care of it, he would offer more. But either way, they had started afresh today, the slate clean. On his end, at least. In time, he hoped she would grow comfortable enough to reveal whatever secret she shielded. He could teach her to believe in him.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked sleepily.
“Forging a future together,” he replied. “I want to. Do you?”
“I... Yes? Maybe.” She squirmed against him. “I think.”
“You think?” he roared. “The time for thought is over! We agreed. I keep you.”
Such a tone would have sent anyone else running for cover. She settled down and kissed the hollow of his neck. “I meant, I’d like to take it one day at a time. Just until I share my secret. Okay, Micah? Please?”
Please. Her first true request. How could he deny her this? “Very well,” he said, though foreboding struck. That secret... What could it be? “One day at a time.” He would use the time to prove himself. “But we stay together.”
“Thank you.” The remaining tension drained from her, a teasing light entering her eyes. “Now, let’s discuss the next order of business. Namely, Elena.”
“Elena? Oh, I see.” He fought a smile. “You think to use my compromised mental capacity to your advantage and wring concessions from me.”
“Obviously.” She petted his chest, as if pleased with him.
“You wish to see her punished more severely for disobeying Norok?”
“The opposite. She is my personal lady’s maid. Therefore, any disciplinary action should occur at my sole discretion, and I’m inclined to give her a reward.”