Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
The earlier fucking and the healing solution ease the way. This time we don’t have to fight for every inch. I’m able to wiggle my way down his length without too much trouble at all. And all the while, the ache fades. “I hope you bought the shit in bulk.”
His laugh is strangled. “I have another order placed already.” He wraps his arms around me, and then his wings follow, cutting off what little light there was in the room. Maybe this should feel claustrophobic, but I just feel protected.
We move slowly, the earlier frenzy having abated a little. I can feel it on the fringe, just waiting for the right spark to turn into an inferno once more. But for now . . . there’s just lazy pleasure. I ride his cock as he holds me close. At some point I become aware that he’s whispering in my ear, too softly for me to make out the words. I don’t need to, though. His caring and tenderness are wrapped up in every piece of this experience.
If feels like love.
When I come, it’s just as soft as everything else. But this time, Bram doesn’t follow me over the edge. He topples me onto my stomach and covers me with his body, wedging one arm between my hips and the bed so he can lift me to slide deeper. His other hand slides down to cover my pussy and give me something to grind on. But he never picks up the pace. He doesn’t withdraw more than absolutely necessary. The slow, dreamlike fucking brings me to the edge again and again. Only when I’ve lost all sense of time and place and anything but Bram does he allow himself to come again.
And it’s perfect. Everything is perfect.
We don’t stop for a very, very long time.
I lie in Bram’s arms as the sweat cools on our bodies. It seems to take a lot longer than I would expect for my heart to ease back to a more normal pace. Maybe it never will. I rub my nose against Bram’s chest and smile as he pulls me closer. This is what happiness feels like. I don’t have an urge to be somewhere else, a pressure building and telling me that I’m not doing enough. I just . . . am. And that’s perfect. That’s all he expects of me.
I press a soft kiss to his pec. “My favorite color is purple. I don’t own much of it because it’s not practical; it stands out too much, draws the eye, which is exactly why it’s something a hunter shouldn’t wear. But I love it in all its frivolousness.”
Bram trails his fingers down my spine. “I like pink.” When I lift my head in surprise, he smiles. “Not hot pink. A deep rouge.”
Understanding dawns in a slow wave. Hot pink is lust. But the color he’s describing? That’s love. I haven’t had cause to see it much in my life. My grandparents didn’t love me. They saw me as a tool to be used, an extension of their legacy. My parents did, but all too often that emotion was cast over in favor of other, harsher ones. “It’s a beautiful color.” It’s one that . . . I’m seeing right now. I don’t know how to process that. He hasn’t said the words, but does he need to when I can see the truth written on his aura?
Do I when he can see the truth on mine?
“Yes, it is.”
A truth I’ve kept close bubbles up inside me. “I’m part gargoyle. Or at least one of my ancestors was. I can read your energy just like you can read mine. I know what that color means.”
“Thank you for telling me.” He smooths my hair back. “I have no desire to hide anything from you, either. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just ask.”
There are so many things I want to know, but again I think back to his throwaway comment in his office about all the things we don’t know about each other. “Will you tell me your family members’ names? And more about them?”
Bram sucks in a harsh breath. “Yes, of course. Rae was one of the twins. They had just turned twenty-two. Practically a baby. They really loved sculpting and pottery. They were very good at it. Felix was the other twin, and he was the best hunter I’ve ever seen. He could also make anyone laugh with his ridiculous jokes.” He trails off, and I almost cut in to tell him that he doesn’t have to do this if he doesn’t want to, but he continues speaking before I get a chance. “Amelia was only a year younger than me. She was a gigantic pain in my ass. Anything I did, she was quick to prove she could do better—and she could do it better. I don’t know if she actually wanted to be ruler of this territory, but she likely would’ve been better at that too. She was smart and ambitious, and if she was a little asshole sometimes, I think that’s just how siblings are.”