Grave Witch

I frowned. “It’s shoes—especially boots. There is never a good time to take them off during spontaneous sex. I’m getting it out of the way now.You should do the same.”

“Alexis,” he whispered, “shut up.”

My eyes flew wide, but his mouth closed on mine, cutting off my protest—my will to protest. Then he broke off and his hands moved to my boots, removing them methodically and far too slowly. The sooner we lose our clothes, the sooner the awkward part is over.

With my boots off, he moved me to the center of the bed, the mattress creaking as he followed. My fingers moved to the button on my jeans, but Falin caught my hands.

“Let me do it.”

He lowered the zipper, one small click at a time, and kissed a line down my body as he unzipped. His hair trailed over me, wrapping me in his scent. My heartbeat, which I’d almost gotten under control, picked up tempo again. He paused at my breasts, moving his hand to cup one as he caught my nipple between his teeth. I moaned and pushed at my jeans, eager to be rid of them. He caught my wrist, pulling my hand away from my jeans as he guided me back to the bed.

He pinned both of my hands by my sides without losing contact with my breast. He sucked my breast more, his mouth and teeth grazing against the sensitive skin just enough to make me gasp. I struggled in his grasp.

I needed more flesh against my body, and we needed a lot less clothing. Fast. He didn’t release me but kept my wrists captive even as he transferred his attention to my other nipple.

I was making low whimpering noises by the time his mouth left my breasts and traveled back to the center of my body. His tongue flicked out to circle my belly button and then moved downward. Tingles of awareness ran through me as his mouth moved to the swell of my hips, and he finally released my wrists so he could peel away my pants.

With my hands finally free, I wanted to touch him.

All of him. But I could reach only his hair, his shoulders.

I pulled at his shirt, my inarticulate words trying to command it to get off him. I pushed myself up, trying to reach the buttons, but he forced me back to the mattress.

“Stay still,” he commanded. “I want to look at you.”

“That’s not fair.”

He didn’t answer. He slipped the last stitch of clothing off me, and I shivered. Without his hands on me, the chill he’d been holding off crept over me. I fought the urge to squirm.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

I blinked.This wasn’t what I was used to, and I couldn’t stay still any longer. I pushed myself up and rolled to my knees, reaching for him. I followed the line of his arms to his shoulders, then down his chest, pulling at the buttons of his shirt as I went. I was looking for flesh—as much flesh as I could touch at one time.

My lips trailed down the string of muscle in his neck.

The button in the center of his shirt gave me trouble. I tugged until it popped free of the thread. Pushing the shirt down his shoulders, I let my hands rove over his sculpted chest.

Touching wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. My lips found the hollow of his throat, and my tongue flicked out, claiming the soft skin. Falin made a sound low in his throat, and I flicked out my tongue again.

His hand caught in my hair, guiding my face up. Our tongues met, dancing in each other’s mouths. I kissed him as if his mouth held my life. I’d abandoned myself to this, to him. Tonight, only tonight. I didn’t think I could kiss him enough to satisfy me.

His hand splayed down my stomach, caressed my inner thighs, and then found the centermost part of me.

His finger dipped into me, his thumb finding my nub, and I moaned. His mouth consumed the sound as he dipped another finger in me.

I was panting into his mouth. “Please,” I whispered. I needed more. More touch. More of him. His finger pace picked up, making me quiver. His mouth drank my gasps.

I tugged at the button on his jeans, frantic as I rolled them down his hips. No boxers underneath. My fingers trailed down over his ass, and my nails raked lightly over the firm skin. Then my fingers glided up over the bones of his hips and down his flat lower abs. I reached curls. I wrapped both hands around him.The feel of him—hard, ready, in my hands—brought another sound from me.

Falin matched the sound, his fingers losing rhythm for a heartbeat. I wanted this. I wanted him.

I dropped my shields, letting the grave back into my body. The world decayed around me, but Falin snapped into focus, his sculpted body glowing with ethereal light.

He was handsome glamoured; he was almost too amazing to look at unglamoured. It wasn’t that he looked different; he was just so much more. More real, more handsome. Just more. Sleagh Maith.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, his hand falling away.

“I want to see.” I needed to see.

I trailed my fingers down his chest, watching the skin tighten in my wake. I reached the curls as light as snow and ran my fingers along his length lightly, using just the softest touch of nails. He groaned and grabbed my hand.

His fingers splayed through mine, and he brought my hand to his mouth, kissing my fingers lightly. “We’re fighting the chill, remember? Not increasing it.”

He didn’t understand. I wanted to see. I needed to see him. I lifted my mouth to his, watching his eyes as we kissed, eyes so icy blue but so warm. When we broke away, I licked my bottom lip, still tasting him there.

He guided me back down onto the bed.“Let go.Trust me, and let go.”

He kissed one side of my mouth and then the other side. “Trust me,” he whispered.

I released my touch on the grave, surrendering to a darkness filled with his touch.

He kissed a line down my body until his breath rested against my thighs.Then his tongue flicked inside me. My heartbeat crashed in my chest, and warmth rushed low in me, building.

“Please, Falin, please,” I whispered as his tongue flicked out again and again, sending my body spiraling.

“Please what?” he asked, once I was sure I would break in two at any moment.

I was beyond rational thought. Beyond complete sentences.

“Please,” I whispered again, breathless.

His smile stretched against my skin. “As my ice princess commands.” His body crawled up mine. His kiss stole what little air I had left. The head of him pressed heavy against my opening, and I arched upward against him.

I was more than ready, but he slid in slowly, filling me.

More than filling me.

Yes.

Heat surged through me, and he pressed himself deeper. I gasped, and he stilled above me.

“Am I hurting you?”

Words failed me. I shook my head. Arched against him again. “More.”

He lifted his hips slowly, his pace too controlled. Too gentle. I dug my nails into his ass and dragged him into me harder. Moved to meet him. He made a sound like surprise in his throat, but he met my pacing.

My body clenched. Pressure built to pleasure so thick it could have been pain. My back arched, and his measured thrusts increased again.

The new pace sent me over the edge.

I came screaming.Wave after wave of pleasure surged through me. His mouth covered mine, drinking my cries.

His pace faltered. Broke. He crashed into me one last time, pressing himself hard inside me.

We lay there, both gasping for breath. My body quivered, every nerve content. The rest are ruined. No fumbling drunk in my bed would top what I’d just felt.

I kissed his shoulder, tasting the salt of the sweat on his skin. Once in a lifetime. Even sated in the aftermath of the best orgasm of my life, a twinge of sadness touched me. Don’t be stupid, Alex; it’s just tonight. We both know it’s just tonight.

Then Falin’s lips closed on mine, his hands trailing down my body. I traced the slick line of his spine. His body stirred, still inside mine. I felt him harden.

“Again?” I asked, my voice hoarse from pleasure.

His hands stilled. “Are you up for it?”

“Oh yeah.” Maybe more than once in a lifetime.

———

Many hours later, we finally lay still in the bed, his body curled around mine. His fingers lightly curled a strand of my hair around them, but his breathing was shallow, even. I was close to sleep, happily exhausted and warm against his chest.

Then his words came, soft, barely a whisper as his lips moved across my forehead. “I’m not just a warm body.”

After that, sleep was a long time coming.

Chapter 23

I blinked into the brightness of midday. A shadow hung over me, and it took me several blurry blinks to make out Falin’s features.

“Were you watching me sleep?”

He smiled. “A little.”

“Right.” My eyes slid down his bare chest to the swell of his hips obscured by the sheet. I swallowed hard.“I’m going to, uh, take a shower.” I rolled out of the bed, clutching the sheet to me as I rose. My legs trembled as I stood, and my hand flew to my pelvis. I hadn’t been this sore in a long time. Blood rushed to my cheeks as I had a very vivid flashback of exactly how I’d ended up this way. I glanced around for clothes to grab. Articles of clothing, both his and mine, were everywhere, and none of mine was close to the bed.

Without a glance back, I dragged the sheet off the bed and stalked out of the room. Falin said something under his breath as I left, but my ears were stinging too badly to hear.

I dropped the sheet just inside the bathroom door and turned the shower on full heat. Billows of steam rolled off the water. I turned the knob on the heat down a full rotation before testing it. Snatching my hand back, I cradled it against my chest. Still way too hot.

“I don’t like him,” a deep voice said behind me.

I whirled around. Death was leaning against the bathroom sink, staring at me.

Flexing my stinging hand, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself. “What?”

He motioned outside the door. “I don’t like him.”

I shrugged, trying for nonchalant, but the girl reflected in the mirror behind him looked a little too wide around the eyes. “I don’t question your sex life.”