Wychthorn's elbows gave out and she slumped upon the bed, but this time I didn't bark at her to get back up. Caught up within a world of sensuality, her wild hair was sexily mussed from all the thrashing she'd done. Pale stands of hair were caught across the thick lashes fringing her blissed-out eyes and I leaned over to carefully brush them away. She bodily shuddered and moaned throatily as I continued to pleasure her with swift, deep pumps of my fingers. Intently watching those glacial eyes of hers, half-hooded and clouded with desire, I drank in the vulnerability swirling in their depth, the confusion at who I was, what I was doing, and how I made her feel. I could see it in her eyes, taste it on my tongue, how much she wanted it, wanted me.

I'd allow her to get close to shattering, then withdraw my fingers, kiss her inner thighs, or lick her sweat-slick belly until desperate and angry for that elusive climax I denied her, she'd let loose a string of curses, some of it in Balinese. She'd even given me a fucking foot in the face and bared her teeth at me.

Gods, she was so responsive. She loved every single thing I did to her.

I played with her body, wanting to know what would make her combust. And I wasn't done with her yet. This...her here with me...I wanted to savor it. I wanted to draw out that impending climax. I didn't want just one from her. I wanted another. Then another. Until she was a boneless, sticky mess.

I'd discovered a whispering gentle touch made her pussy quiver. But a tweak or nip or bite of her nipples; a pinch or a rough rub on her clit; made her pussy grip my fingers so tightly I thought I'd never get free. And she grew slicker and slicker with every dirty word I whispered into her ear, her hips moving in time with my thrusts, and her husky moans becoming growls.

Fuck yes.

My little bird's perfect.

She warred with me mentally and physically, and it was turning my fucking world upside down and inside out.

Like a bastard, I held her right there, right on the edge. I really wanted to have her come all over my tongue, but for her first time, I needed to see her fall apart and detonate. It was a heady feeling—she was mine and I, only I, was going to make her completely unravel beneath my touch. An insatiable need burned through my veins to see her fall apart, hear her crying out my name, surprising me.

But shouldn't I know that?

How many times had I given in to my darkest craving?

When I lost myself in too much whiskey, I'd purposely pick a petite blond eager to fuck me, and when I did, I always rode them from behind, Nelle's pretty face filling my mind as I imagined their pussy cinching my cock was hers, my name they moaned, was her voice, the hitch in their breath before they came, hers too.

I craved her.

I always had.

Lowering my head, I tipped my forehead against Nelle's, and we shared breath just before I kissed her, tasting that tantalizing sunshine as my tongue caressed hers. That sparking sensation, that always charged between us, buzzed beneath my skin in rapturous pulses, sweeping from the top of my head to my toes, driving our twin-heartbeats faster. This was nothing, nothing, I'd ever experienced with any other woman. Like the magic-infused drugs we sold through the cartels, this was addicting. I wanted more from my little bird—I wanted everything.

The air in the bedroom was growing hotter. Or is that me, us, or her? Both of us were sweat-slick and greedy for one another. Beneath my roaming hand, my thumb circling her clit, Wychthorn was a panting, writhing mess.

"Beg, little bird." If she did, begged sweetly enough, I'd give it to her.

Her eyes squeezed shut, and she jerked her head side to side—no.

Fuck, she was stubborn, Nelle Wychthorn.

Her breath hitched. She gave a full-body shudder.

My heart raced as fast as her own.

Her eyes flared open, fixed on mine, and I watched her pupils eat her iris, changing them from gray to black. Would my own be the same? As they'd done in the swimming hole?

She was right there, about to come all over my fingers. And this time I was going to let her trip over the edge.

I flicked her clit roughly with the pad of my thumb and gently bit her nipple.

Then—

She detonated—

Just fucking detonated!

Her back bowed off the bed, her throat arching as her teeth clacked together. Her black eyes rolled back as her mouth gaped wide and she screamed out in ecstasy.

It was the best fucking sound, ever. One I wanted to hear again and again and again. And I did something I've never done before, not with any other woman—

I fucking blew my load in my briefs like an inexperienced schoolboy, just by looking at her, touching her, listening to her orgasm.

Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck—

I fisted my cock in the sticky, cum-soaked boxer briefs, and jerked out my own orgasm along with hers.

Holy fucking hellsgate!

Her inner walls milked my fingers like she'd milk my cock when I was buried inside. I curved my fingers, rubbing purposefully into that magical spot that had her huffing and riding her climax to a higher peak. Her hot velvety pussy squeezed my fingers. Tight. So fucking tight. It was going to blow my mind when I finally sank into her. And I. Could. Not. Fucking wait.

She let out a second shrill scream and a pulse of dark energy exploded through the room—

Shuddering my bones—

Shaking the bed—

Shivering through the walls—

Jostling the windows.

And the bed caught fire.

Literally. The bed was on fire.

Shit, the bed is on fire!

Silver flames danced along the rumpled quilt. I jumped off the bed, shock slamming my heart against my ribcage.

What the fuck?!

Nelle was still riding that orgasm, flushed and trembling and caught in that erotic world of bliss, completely unaware of the pale flames surrounding her. The fire singed her dress but seemingly didn't scorch her flesh.

And like an idiot I just stared in astonishment, my mouth slack in appreciation of just how crazy and yet beautiful this moment was. It was like the catacombs. Pale silver fire...like starlight, moonlight...flames licking all around her flushed, naked body. She looked like a goddess. I wanted to sink to my knees and fucking worship this girl.

Furls of dark smoke drifted toward the ceiling.

The smoke alarms!

Shit, shit, shit—

I lunged and fucking yanked that quilt from beneath Nelle like I was a magician performing a party trick. Fisting the fireball of melting fabric, the stench of burning cotton irritating my nostrils, I dashed for the bathroom, and tossed it into the shower, dousing it beneath a flood of water. The flames hissed and died.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

I stared in disbelief at the sodden, charred mess of material.

Just what the fuck is she?

Roughly scrubbing my face with my palms, I raked a hand through my hair. I had no fucking idea what she was. But she was far more powerful than my family ever suspected. After witnessing and experiencing her orgasm with the eruption of silver fire, I wondered if her emotions were tied to whatever she was.

And that unbidden thought had guilt clawing my insides.

Leave it. Today, tonight...just leave it alone.

So I shoved those unwanted thoughts down deep and locked them away to deal with another time.

Gods, I was a mess. I stripped my sweatpants off along with my sticky boxer briefs, tossing them into the washbasket. It only took one second of consideration before I shrugged my t-shirt off too.

Cleaning myself up, I leaned against the door frame of the bathroom, arms crossed, one ankle hitched over the other, and just soaked Wychthorn in. She was lying where I'd left her, staring up at the ceiling, one hand splayed across her chest, the other threaded through her messy hair as if trying to make sense of what she'd just experienced. Her limbs were still quivering in the aftershocks of her orgasm. She was flushed with a sheen of sweat glistening on her skin, and strands of blond hair stuck to her temple and over her breasts that rose and fell with her panting breath.

Fuck, she was beautiful. Utterly breathtaking.

Lithe limbed and proportional for her tiny height.

Gods, and those perfect tits. Those perky, pink-tipped tits and that firm round ass. I wanted to spend a lazy afternoon just tasting every single inch of her honeyed skin.

And I grew hard as stone for her, all over again.

Her gaze slid to mine, still lust-addled. She blinked rapidly, her mouth falling open, and I could see all the crazy confused thoughts swirling around in her head: Oh my gods, what just happened? Did I? Did he? Did that just happen?

And then, slowly dawning—

Holy shit, he's naked!

Her hands flew to her eyes. "I'm not ready for that," she croaked out. One hand waved out in a sort of general direction, missing me entirely since she'd squeezed her eyes shut beneath the other hand. "Put something on!"

Un-fucking-likely!

Sunshine still coated my tongue from when I'd plunged my tongue into her tight pussy and swirled her swollen clit. I wanted more of that soul-healing sunshine. More of everything she could give me.

What I really wanted was her tiny little hands wrapped around my cock. I wanted to feel her fingers sliding up and down, her perfect lips and hot wet mouth engulfing me, tongue laving as she sucked me off. But it would seem she wasn't ready for that, not yet.

Striding to my saddle bag hitched over an armchair, I fished out a pair of boxer briefs, tugging them on as my hard-on strained and fought to be free of the confining fabric.

The sheets were soft beneath my knees and hands as I crawled onto the bed to stretch out beside her and ran a hand up and down her silken side, marveling at the goosebumps appearing beneath my palm everywhere my touch lingered. She tensed, clamping her legs together and yanking her skirt down before hauling up the dress's top to hide her breasts from me. Doing it all, while keeping her other hand pressed over her eyes because she was too shy to deal with my almost-nakedness and my erection eagerly tapping her on the thigh.

I tsked, purposely rolling closer, my body pressing against her side. She jolted. Jolted again when I pried her tense hand away from her eyes. "Graysen," she pleaded with her eyes squeezed shut and her cute nose scrunched.

I ran a fingertip down her graceful neck to the divot at the base of her throat. "There. There's the name you need to scream."

Because it actually fucked me right off she didn't cry my name.

But this was just the tug of war between us. She never gave a fucking inch, and truth be told, I didn't want her any other way.

Slowly opened her eyes, her grays meeting my blacks. The pupils had waned back to normal, and she winced, her gaze flitting away, back to me, then away again. Embarrassment scorched her cheeks that rosy hue I like so much, and she couldn't quite hold my gaze. Her teeth chewed on the corner of her mouth, and I could see the muscles in her legs and core bunching as she readied to bolt.

Shy. My little bird was shy. A look I'd never seen on her before. Never tasted before.

Her shyness tasted like citrus-flavored Pop Rocks, crackling and fizzing all over my tongue. I needed to stop her overthinking. I needed her to go back to that place where it was just us and pure blissful pleasure. Rolling over, I straddled her legs and sat upright. Before she could react or ask what I was doing, I grabbed hold of her dress's neckline and shredded the dress right down the middle.

"What the fuck?!" she shrieked, jerking upright in shock.

I ripped the ruined material from her, bunching it up in my fists before throwing it toward the bathroom, feeling satisfied she was once more naked—fully naked this time.

Nelle wriggled free and escaped, diving beneath the sheets, and glared. "Will you stop doing that!"

I just grinned. Because, yeah, no. There was no way I was going to let her hide herself from me with that sheet of pale green, either. I tugged on it.

She held on like it was her last lifeline.

"Wychthorn," I warned.

"No," she bit back.

"I'm wearing boxer briefs." I snapped the waistband, drawing her gaze there.

She blinked slowly, unable to tear big wide eyes from my thick cock straining the material taut, and the abrupt spike of the scent of her arousal tickled my nostrils and made my grin grow broader.

"I-I...I-I'm...uh...ah..." she stuttered, staring at my erection. Her whole body slackened, unable to string together a cohesive sentence.

Gotcha!

I ripped the sheet from her. She gave a shrill shriek—then she frowned momentarily, just before she rolled her eyes, giving in, and lying back down. She waved at me to join her.

Practically giddy with excitement, because hells yes there was a lot more fun for us to experience tonight, I stretched over the top of her, caging her smaller body with my own larger one. I delighted in the sharp intake of her breath as my hard body pressed against her soft curves while I sighed with pleasure. Gods, skin to skin, fuck, it felt like nothing else. I fucking craved it. I craved her. Worryingly, I didn't want to leave this girl. This girl I was never meant to have. Not this way.

Stop!

Don't think about that shit!

She stiffened beneath me, her frown returning. Blond tresses tumbled down her shoulders as she raised her head and sniffed the air. Her freckles were stark on her sweat-glistening cheeks. Gray eyes slid to mine. "What is that? Smoke?"

"You set the bed on fire."

She levered up by her elbows, forcing me to rear back slightly. She shot me an astonished look. A sharp line formed between her brows. "What?" Glancing about, taking in the fact the quilt was gone, shock flared within the depth of her eyes, the thick lashes fluttering with startlement. "I set the bed on fire?"

I grinned. "Holy fuck, Wychthorn, is this going to happen every time I blow your fucking mind?" What the fuck was going to happen when I finally buried myself inside her—would she burn the whole mansion down?