Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
"I d-don't know how. It just happened," I whisper.
His smile is downright predatory as he sweeps me up in his arms, kissing me again. "Oh, I can think of a few ways to make it happen again, princess," he whispers against my lips, striding toward my narrow bed. "Let's test them, shall we?"
"I…I…I've never…" I practically squirm as he lays me out on top of the blankets and furs, heat burning in my cheeks. "I've never done this before, Stephan."
One brow quirks. "You think I have?"
"I…" I gape up at him, shocked speechless. "You haven't?"
"Nei. I've been waiting for you, Kara. My whole life, I've been waiting for you. I just didn't realize who I was waiting for until I set eyes on you." He reaches over his shoulder, grabbing his shirt. I swallow hard as he yanks it up over his head.
My gaze immediately drifts down his body, my mouth going dry. Good Gods, he's beautiful everywhere. A smattering of dark hair covers his broad chest, before a strip trails down the center of his rock hard abdomen. Brutal scars litter his body in a dozen different places, and not a single one detracts from how gorgeous he is. Not even the ragged scar bisecting his side. If anything, they only add a savage, wild edge to his beauty.
He turns to set his sword aside and I see another scar across his back, nearly as ragged and brutal as the one across his side—standing as a reminder that he's defied death once before, perhaps more often than that. This man isn't tame. Every inch of him was crafted for war, hewn for battle, and forged for the impossible. He wears it like a crown—proudly, unashamed.
"You're beautiful, Stephan," I whisper when he turns back to me.
He grins, reaching for the button of his pants. "Glad you think so, princess. I intend to be the only man you ever see this way."
I don't have to ask to know I'll be the only woman. The truth is written all over his face. It reflects deep in his eyes. And I understand him in a way I didn't before. He may be human, called to fight a war by the ancient blood singing in his veins, but his soul is something else entirely. It's pure warrior, exactly like the Fae. That's why he identifies with them. That's why they accept him. He may not share their blood, but their souls are the same in every way that counts.
He drops his pants, his cock springing free…and I lose the ability to think. To speak. Good Gods…
I press my legs together to ease the ache screaming there, but it doesn't help. Nothing does as he wraps a fist around himself and strokes once, his eyes locked on me.
"If I climb on that bed with you, we'll be adding to the noise in this house tonight, princess," he says in a deep growl. "Stop me now if you aren't ready."
"I've never been more ready, warrior."
His eyes light up, blazing with pride. With desire. He strides toward me. Sinks onto the bed with me. And I'm lost as he wraps around me, his hard body pressing mine deeper into the softness below me.
"One of us is drastically overdressed, princess," he murmurs against my lips. "And it isn't me."
I loop my arms around his neck, shivering in delight at the way he runs his hands up and down my sides. "Maybe you should do something about that then."
Stephan never has to be told something twice. A soft purr vibrates from his lips before he slants them down over mine, claiming my mouth in a hot kiss. Our tongues slide together and then break apart, only to twine together again.
His hands shift up my sides, raking my shirt up with them. I feel his fingertips trailing along my skin and shiver, moaning.
"So soft," he murmurs against my lips. "So beautiful."
He breaks away, pulling my shirt up over my head. His eyes rake down my chest, the heat banked in them growing. "No bra."
"We're preparing for war. I'm not fighting it in a bra, Stephan. No way."
A grin dances across his lips before he bends his head suddenly. I cry out, my back bowing from the bed as his lips close around my right nipple. He sucks hard, sending shards of pleasure stabbing through me.
"By all means, Valkyrie," he growls against my skin. "Skip the bra. Makes it far easier for me to do this."
"Stephan!" I thrust my hands into the short strands of his hair, holding him to me.
He chuckles, biting down gently.
I sob in ecstasy, babbling…something. I don't even know what.
He lifts his head and blows across my nipple before paying the same attention to the left, leaving me a quivering mess beneath him. Gods, I didn't know physical touch could feel like this. It's divine.