Page 146 of Dare
The wellspring pulsed with heat, tendrils of mist swaying around us as I curled into Jeryn’s hard body. His grip secured me to him, his warm cock firm inside me, our bodies intimately attached. Hooking my limbs around the prince, I hugged him back, packing everything I felt into the embrace.
Nothing and no one felt like this. Not even the rainforest’s call.
My head banked up to meet his eyes, the dark orbs flashing. He cradled my cheeks, his thumbs brushing the water from my lashes and then moving to my mouth. Those fingers traveled across my lips before descending to my neck.
My bare neck.
Remembering the tower cell where he’d choked me, I compared that memory with this newfound contact, the miracle of living without a collar and the sensation of someone touching me there, reverently and gently. Smiling, I flung my head back. Thrusting my face toward the treetops, I let this enemy-turned-lover explore my throat, then I swallowed a lump and tasted freedom.
Riveted, the villain prince spanned my ass with one palm and caressed my skin with the other. Luxuriating in the moment, I reunited with his gaze. My mouth lifted into a smile, begging and inviting, and he groaned with relish. Jeryn’s lips rocked into mine, his tongue stroking with my own, and we held ourselves suspended, our eyes clinging.
We watched ourselves kiss.
The darkness of his pupils reignited the flame. We hadn’t known how to make love until tonight, but we’d caught on quickly. And oh, divine Seasons, I needed to breathe.
Pulling back, I gulped the humidity into my lungs. “You’re a quick learner.”
Jeryn had been on the verge of taking my mouth again, but his swollen lips twitched. “You’re an excellent tutor.”
I liked this naughty side of him. Or rather, as naughty as this man could get. I liked even more that he reserved it for me alone.
Tucking a lock of hair behind his ear, I whispered, “Hello, Your Highness.”
“No,” he hissed, his free digits spanning my jaw. “Only Jeryn.”
“Is that all I should call you? Not fair.”
“Call me anything.” He kissed beneath my ear. “Villain.” Then my shoulder. “Monster.” Then the top of one breast. “Lover.” Then his mouth found my heart. “Except leave the title out of it. You are not my subject.”
“Then what am I?” I implored.
The prince’s head rose, those irises clear and sharp. “You are everything I want and nothing I deserve.” He leaned in, the words rushing against my lips. “You are my purpose.”
I set a hand to his chest, stopping him. “Does this mean you agree? Will you have Summer until the day we say goodbye? Do you wish to savor the time we have?”
“Fuck, yes,” he swore.
Happiness crackled through me like embers. Because the climaxes made me feel greedy, I allowed him a quick kiss, my tongue tingling as he stroked into me. Then I swung my head back, elated by his protesting grunt and feigning coyness. “And what about ‘Doctor Jeryn’? Can I call you that?”
“Mischievous beast,” he growled. “You trifle with me.”
“Mmm-hmm. It’s a habit I’m unlikely to break.”
“Call me doctor, physician, healer. Whatever the fuck you want.” He jerked me into him. “Now enough. I will have you again.”
His mouth dove for mine. Chortling, I veered away, enjoying his displeasure. Sex hadn’t done much to satiate this man. Not that I would complain about another round, but my pussy was sore, and his cock couldn’t possibly still be …
Oh. The long ridge between my legs proved otherwise.
Still, an impulsion overtook me. We knew this rainforest, from each shadow to every fauna call. We’d learned to find our way in the darkness. Besides, who said we would ever stop this game of chase?
Fancying the sight of him riled up, I tipped my sly head. “If you want me again—”
Without finishing, I scrambled from Jeryn’s body, too slippery for him to react quickly enough. Hopping out of the water, I tore into my dress, and snatched my rope belt and machete. Then I jogged backward and raised my arms. “You’ll have to catch me.”
Jeryn’s eyes bloated. He launched from the spring. “Flare. Wait.”
I sloshed out of reach, puddles splattering all over the place as I sprinted from the enclosure. While knotting the cord around my waist, I catapulted back the way we’d come, realizing too late that I’d forgotten to grab my satchel full of the plants we’d gathered.