“You agreed to obey me, the master of Castletree. We no longer have a bargain. And we’re not in Castletree.” His voice is rich with dark promise. “But am I still your master?”
“Yes,” I answer without even needing to think. “Always.”
He pumps his cock quickly, satisfied. “Then you must do exactly as I tell you, and you must not act without my explicit instruction. Do you understand me?”
The ache inside of me has only grown as I jealously watch his hand touch what I so desperately want to be mine. “Yes, Keldarion,” I say. “But please don’t ask me to leave.”
He closes his eyes and sinks his head deeper into the pillow. “I’m only fae, not a god.”
My legs tremble so badly, I fear they will fall straight out from under me as I crawl up on the bed.
“Stop,” he says.
I obey.
“Kneel before me.”
I do, sitting on my heels on the soft bed, caged in by his huge legs. My heart races as I stare at his throbbing form. Though I’ve seen Keldarion naked—and felt his hardness against me—this is the first time I’ve truly been able to take in the High Prince of Winter. Thick veins curve up its length, and I imagine running my tongue along each one, tasting the sweetness. My breath quickens as I fight the urge to pounce on it.
“Stars be damned,” he rasps, his eyes running up my body. “You are gorgeous.”
I sweep my tongue over my lips. “Careful, Keldarion,” I say huskily. “If you compliment me like that, I might get confused and assume you like me.”
His lip curls, and he brings his other hand down to cup his balls. “You do enjoy torturing me, don’t you?”
I lean down, eyes half-closed and mouth open. “I could find other ways to torture you that are more to your liking—”
“Sit up,” he says.
I do, heat flushing to my cheeks.
He never stops stroking himself as he says, “You may not touch me. And I will not touch you. Do you understand?”
I glare at him through my lashes, but his face is all business. He grits his teeth and squeezes the base of his cock. It’s so thick, I can only imagine what it would be like to sit on top of him, to try to push all of that inside of me…
His voice is low, husky. “Do you understand?”
I shake my head, refocusing. “Yes. But if I can’t touch you and you won’t touch—”
“Raise your skirt.”
With featherlight touches, I push the edge of my nightdress further up, slowly revealing the soft flesh of my thighs.
“Are you wet?” he asks gruffly.
“Yes.”
“Show me.”
I gather the nightdress around my waist, and he sucks in a tight breath. Then I slide a finger through my center, shivering at the contact. When I pull my hand away, the candlelight dances off my arousal.
“Does this please you?” I ask.
He runs a tongue over his teeth, and I’m half expecting to see sharp canines by the predatory look in his gaze. “Very much.”
I shift my weight forward, bringing my shimmering hand close to his straining cock. “Would you like to feel for yourself?”
He closes his eyes and grunts, his hand pumping hard. “Don’t… tempt me.”
“Why not—”
“Suck it off,” he orders.
I do, placing my fingers deep in my throat, holding his gaze the entire time. My heart skips in my chest as he holds me in that piercing blue stare. His face is a work of art, a perfect blend of rugged masculinity and refined elegance.
There’s an intensity in his gaze that draws me in. His eyes seem to hold secrets, and I want to unravel them all. The way his brow furrows as he watches me sucking my own fingers deep makes my core burn. Is he picturing my mouth wrapped around him like I am?
Kel’s jaw tightens. “Put that hand back where it belongs.”
I drift it to my aching cunt, running my fingers up and down. “It belongs to you, Kel.”
His nostrils flare and he pushes himself up on his forearms, hand slowly working on his swollen member. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I laugh, flinging my head back, brown waves tumbling over my shoulders. “What aren’t I thinking? I’m wondering what it would feel like to have you inside me.”
There’s that flash of fire in his icy gaze. “And?”
“How the rough stubble on your jaw would feel between my legs.”
“And?”
My breathing becomes labored as I rub my clit faster, more desperately. “And I’m wondering how you would react if I licked the tip of your cock.”
He shudders, and I’m washed with the scent of him: pine, cedar, and the musk of arousal. There’s something primal about his smell, something that speaks to a deep, instinctual part of me. “I would be very angry.”
“I’m used to you being angry with me.” I lean forward.
“You said you would obey me,” he growls, and I flop on my heels. “Touch your breasts.”
My pussy is nearly aching with the need for release, but I pull my hand away and cup myself. Kel’s eyelids flutter as I knead the soft flesh. My dress is so thin, I know he can see the points of my nipples. I pinch and pull, wanting to show this stubborn High Prince exactly what he’s missing.
He shakes his head and his face is twisted in anger. But it’s not anger. I feel it through the bond: desperate, hungry need.
“Show me,” he says.
I take my time inching the pretty lacey sleeves off before revealing the mounds of my breasts.
Kel sits forward, eyes wide and unblinking, devouring me in a gaze. For a second, I think he’s about to leap on top of me. I close my eyes and enjoy my own hands, my soft fingers tracing over my nipples. I take a deep breath, his scent enveloping me in a shroud of desire. It’s as if every inhalation I take is infused with his essence.
“I need to see your body. I need all of you,” he says. “To see all of you,” he amends quickly.
I allow myself a smirk as I pull the shift over my head, stretching my whole body out for him to see. He was the one who called himself master when I came in the room, and yet, I feel like I’m holding so much power. And as I sit at his feet, completely bare before him, it’s the strangest feeling. Normally, I would be so self-conscious, my soft belly swelling over my thick thighs, but I don’t feel insecure at all.
Because I can feel it. His lust through the bond. He thinks I’m beautiful… and I believe him.
“Fuck, Rosalina.” He throws himself flat on the bed. “Why did you come in here?”
I test him again, crawling further between his legs. “You called me.”
“I did not.”
“Your bond.” I trail a hand up to the thick hair covering his chest. He snatches my wrist. “It was begging for me.”
He holds my wrist tight, but his gaze holds me tighter. I push myself up over him, legs on either side of his hips, chest hovering above his. “Inconvenient little thing, isn’t it?” he says.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I whisper.
But it’s a lie. Because this thing between us isn’t little at all. It’s a living tether, a throbbing swell that threatens to consume me anytime I allow it the smallest bit of purchase in my heart. It’s bigger than I can comprehend, a connection beyond any physical desire. I saw it today, like a star blooming between us. I am terrified and desperate to follow where it leads.
“Rose,” he says.
“What are you thinking?”
His head dips to the side, soft strands of white hair cresting his brow. “That I am bespelled by you.”
“Keldarion,” I whisper, staring into his eyes.
“I’m thinking,” his thumb lightly grazes my wrist, his eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine, “it would be no great wonder if you bore a loathing for this world. But you, my dear, find enchantment in the smallest things, and you shower kindness as though it’s an endless supply, plentiful as the spring rain that melts the snow.”
His words stir something within me, a warmth that spreads from my core to my fingertips. Our bond shines brightly between us. I’m bare before him, but it’s like he sees deeper than my body, into my soul. His words give me something I’ve craved for so long. He’s seen my scars but does not pity me for it. He thinks I’m stronger for bearing them, and with his words, I believe it, too.