Worry creased deep lines into Wychthorn's features. She rubbed her temple anxiously, before glancing away and hissing, "Shit."

I tried to reassure her, running a hand softly across her slender shoulder. "Don't worry about it." I mean, we did need to worry about it, if there was going to be a repeat—and there sure as fuck was—but I refused to give it any headspace this evening.

"But, I—"

And I silenced those thoughts, taking advantage of her turned head, by pressing a soft kiss in the crook of her neck and gently scraping my teeth along her collarbone, smiling when I heard the sharp intake of breath before my name was loosened on a sultry moan. "Graysen." Hells, I loved the sound of my name on her lips.

Nelle moaned again, arching back into my touch as I kissed and licked and bit my way back up her throat while gliding a hand up and down her side. "More, little bird. I want more. And I know you do too."

She made a strangled noise in the back of her throat as I traced a fingertip over the soft swell of her breast, drawing tight circles around her peaked nipple, and flicking the tip with my thumb.

Her whole body jerked, and I groaned at the silken feel of her skin crushed against my own. She bit down on her lower lip, but she was unable to swallow back the husky moans that had my throbbing cock flexing against the heat of her pussy. I soothed the burning of her nipple with a gentle roll of my fingertips and nuzzled her neck. "This time when I fuck you with my tongue, you will be crying my name," I promised, "until you're dripping down my chin and making a sticky mess of the sheets beneath your sweet. Fucking. Ass."

Nelle stiffened. She spun her head my way, gaping in shock. Scowling, she roughly shoved me away with a shoulder. "Gods, you and your filthy mouth," she hissed, exasperated.

Oh, fuck.

Too much, too soon?

She flopped back down and stared up at the ceiling, an arm flung over her forehead. "I can't believe some of the things you whispered in my ear. Seriously. You are so dirty."

Yes. I. Was.

"Which one? Fucking you against the wall, or painting your ass pink with my han—"

She jerked forward and slapped a hand across my mouth. "No, you don't."

I mumbled between her fingers, "I particularly liked you bent over a couch, tips of your toes an inch from the grou—"

She shrieked and slapped a second hand across my mouth.

I wrenched my head free and cocked an eyebrow. "Watching those pretty gray eyes of yours as I slide inside—"

"Graysen!"

My gaze narrowed and I twisted my mouth to one side, annoyed.

Why was she trying to deny what she liked?

Swiping at the strands of hair cascading down her chest, I pinched a silky lock and twirled it around my finger before tugging sharp enough to bring her gaze back to mine. "You like it."

She huffed, glaring with indignation.

I ran a finger down the slope of her straight nose, then flicked the tip. She batted my hand away, bared her teeth and hissed.

"You like my filthy mouth, little bird," I growled.

Frustration rolled off her in blistering waves. Frustration for me, for sure, but mostly for herself, because she was turned on so much the erotic scent of hers perfumed the air and was soaking into my pores. And she fucking knew it too.

But still, she fought it, fought me. "No, I don't," she snapped. And the tang of her lie sliding all over my tongue was a sticky taste of honey.

"Your body betrays you, little bird." Pressing forward and shoving her back against the mattress, I licked up her throat in a straight line right for her ear. She made a breathy sigh, then gasped as I bit her earlobe. Her thighs clenched together and her spine bowed as I breathed hot words against the shell of her ear. "I felt your pussy pulsing around my fingers when I nipped or bit." I pulled back to see her better as I made a point of flaring my nostrils, cocking an arrogant eyebrow. "I can scent your desire."

"Not fair," she grouched, her cheeks growing pinker by the second. But she was subtly wriggling her ass beneath me because I was firing up her desire again. I almost groaned as her rolling hips pushed her sex against my hard-as-fucking-iron cock.

"You like a little pain with pleasure. You like my dirty words. Everything I whispered, wound you tighter and tighter and you, little bird, clenched my fingers so tightly I wasn't even sure I'd get my hand back from your pussy."

That flush of hers deepened to a fiery red. Chagrined, she averted her gaze, her mouth a thin line as she plucked at the Egyptian cotton sheets beneath us. Conflicting emotions warred across her face.

"Trust me—sweet, kind, and gentle are not for you, little bird."

Thank fuck.

"How would I know if I've never experienced it," she pouted, an accusing glint in her irritated gaze.

"Because you're just like me. And you fucking know it."

She arched a questioning brow, challenging me.

I gritted out an exasperated hiss and decided to give her what she wanted. I took both her hands, lacing our fingers together, and lay them down beside her head as I stretched out over the top of her once more. My thumbs brushed back and forth against her soft palms. I took a moment just to drink her in, feeling her beneath me, and listen to our hearts beating in time with each other.

Those thick eyelashes fluttered in quick curious blinks as she stared back, not sure why I wasn't kissing her already. Lowering my head, I brushed my nose against hers as I breathed in her sunshine.

I kissed her. My mouth moved over hers, sweetly. Gently. No tongue. Gave her fucking Prince-Disney-Charming kisses.

And they weren't so bad.

As we kissed, I could see her tasting those gentle kisses, assessing and considering, moving her lips along mine in the same way, teasing me with her own soft touches.

Her brow furrowed and her freckled nose scrunched. "I mean...I guess these types of kisses have their place..."

Doesn't she like—

She bit my lip hard, laughing as she did it.

"Fuuuck..." I hissed. My lip stung, but dark sensuality also made my hips buck into hers at the same time she'd clamped her teeth down on the soft flesh of my lip. The hot taste of copper flooded my mouth and the metallic tang coated my tongue. My hand went to my lower lip and a smear of scarlet stained my fingertip. She'd bitten my lip. Actually bit it hard enough to draw blood.

"Shit," she drew out, long and apologetic, a hand clapped over her mouth, muffling her voice. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to bite that hard."

Wychthorn slowly pushed herself up on her elbows, her pillowy breasts ghosting deliciously against my hard chest, teasing every nerve ending. She stilled and I wondered just what was going on inside her head. She cupped the back of my head, tugging at me to meet her the rest of the way. Her tongue darted out to lazily lick my bloodied lip before dipping into my mouth to suck my tongue.

Holy fucking hells-gate.

Holy...fuck...

My toes curled and heat scorched through my veins at that sensual sensation.

Nelle fell back against the mattress, her eyes wide as she nervously waited to see what I would do.

Nothing. There was nothing I could do, I simply stared back, just as wide-eyed.

Thank Zrenyth—she's perfect!

Her straight white teeth flashed as her mouth widened into a crooked grin. Her hungry gaze dipped to my mouth and lust burned the air from my lungs. "Bite me back," she softly whispered, a tiny hand trailing down my chest.

Is she fucking serious?

Her gray eyes drifted upward to meet my surprised gaze. "You're a little fucked up," I whispered back, awed.

She shot me a mischievous grin. "And whose fault is that?"

Feathering her fingers at the nape of my head, she drew me back down. Her soft breath fanned my lips and cheeks as I watched her melt into me like I was exactly what she needed to live. Like air to breathe. And she kissed me—

She. Kissed. Me.

Those gorgeous lips of hers moved over mine—possessive and greedy. There was nothing sweet or gentle about the way she practically devoured my mouth.

"Gray—" she began to murmur, squirming beneath me.

I struck, nipping her back. Her whole body jerked against mine and I loosened a rough groan at the feel of her exquisite naked body.

Gods, this girl, what the fuck was she doing to me?

"Oh my...it stings..." she whimpered, clearly torn between regretting what she'd suggested and not really understanding why she liked it so much.

With a flick of my tongue, I soothed her burning lip, running my tongue back and forth and licking up the beads of blood, until I heard her breath catch, then quicken. A gasp. A groan. Her hands tightened on my body. And I pushed my tongue inside her mouth, curling it around hers. The taste of copper deepened with every sensual lick and something small and golden lit my insides with warmth as her blood slid down my throat.

With a sultry sigh, her fingers dug into my hair as she slung a slender leg around mine, shoving at me to roll us.

I let loose a startled noise. I'd forgotten about that strength of hers.

Now flat on my back, she sat upright, straddling my hips. Holy hellsgate.

The pale bed-mussed hair slid over her shoulders, the ends cascading over her breasts and coiling downwards to reach her waist. Her chest rose and fell with excited breath. And with that damned heart-melting crooked grin and lust-drunk gray eyes drinking me in, I knew that's exactly how she'd look riding my cock. All she needed to do was bounce those fucking glorious tits, and cry my name in rapture.

My hands went to her waist, squeezing a little too hard in my eagerness. My name squeaked from her and I blew out a pent-up breath, softened my grip, and murmured an apology. But gods, right this moment I wanted her to impale herself on me. My cock was so hard for her that it ached in agony. I thrust my hips up, not able to help myself. The sudden movement thrust her upwards and bounced her tits.

Glorious. Utterly glorious my little bird.

"Did you..." she startled. "You are so not imagining..."

She slapped my chest. She was as sharp as one of my blades.

And when I thrust up again, her hair flailing and sliding around those beautiful tits, her laughter joined mine. "You are so dirty."

Her laughter slowly died, and her eyes cast downward, those charcoal eyelashes hiding her thoughts. But I tasted a mixture of tart sweetness fizzing on my tongue. Before I could wonder why, she raked her fingernails down my chest, along the ripple of abs, right down, down, down between the sharp lines of my vee disappearing into my boxer briefs.

Fuuuck...

"You like?" she asked softly.

Hellsgate yes...

Her ass squiggled down a little lower and I feared she was going to bolt. Then her mouth quirked up on one side and a mischievous thought lit her eyes to a smoky hue. I was pinned beneath those eyes, unable to look away as I felt her fingernails slowly, so fucking slowly, scrape my stiff, swollen cock from root to tip.

I sucked in a sharp breath, releasing it in a long desperate groan, my hips desperate to shift restlessly. My cock throbbed a rapid beat trying to punch its way through my boxer briefs into her. Oh, it was on. It was so fucking on. I was going to fuck my little bird tonight.

"I read that somewhere and I always wanted to try it," she whispered shyly.

"Gods, I love that Kindle," I ground out, every inch of me on fire.

I was going to burn every paperback, every single hard-covered book she owned so she was only left with that Kindle.

Then she rolled us over again so I was back on top. She kissed me, both of us moaning each other's names into one another's mouths. And I let myself sink beneath her waves and drown in her. This fearless girl who jumped from cliffs, who'd do anything for her sisters. The girl with the hearty laugh and crooked grin, who tasted of sunshine but looked like moonlight. With the acerbic wit, who'd never backed down or let me get away with any-fucking-thing.

Her mouth briefly left mine to nip and kiss and lick my jawline. I groaned, arching my throat to give her better access, and palmed her breasts, kneading them and earning myself a breathless moan and a reckless writhe.

Her hands slid up my chest, rounding my shoulders to link behind my head, pulling me back to meet her parted lips.

Just as I met them—

She stilled—

And something else cut through the blissful haze in those pretty gray eyes of hers, and had a line creasing between her brows. "Graysen?"

Whatever it was that seemed to be bothering her, I wanted it to stop. I didn't know why she was looking at me like that. I wanted more of the other. More of that blissed-out look, like I was the center of her entire fucking universe.

At first, I didn't register her hands moving along my back. Searching. Feeling.

Until she paused at the exact moment she blinked with recognition.

Oh hells no...no, no, no...