Page 60 of Hearts on Fire

“Come here.” Hooking his fingers under the laces, he yanked me to him. He buried his face in my shoulder, breathing in my scent mixed with his from his clothes I was wearing.

With another hard yank, he ripped the laces apart, then tore through the waistband. The pants slid down my legs, and he ripped his shirt off me.

His black eyes grew darker at the sight of my see-through underwear that were meant to entice the king. With a growl, he tore through the paper-thin fabric, tossing the shreds at my feet. Grabbing the back of my neck, he pivoted me around, my face to the wall.

“Is this what you want, my spark?” he gritted through his teeth, pushing against my back. “Is this how you want it?”

His hard-as-steel erection pressed against my back. One hand gripping my ass, he grabbed my breast with the other, grinding himself against me.

“You want me to fuck you. Hard. Until you can breathe again. Is that it?”

That was exactly it.

I was suffocating. Smoke, ash, and fire permeated every cell of my body. The air was strangling. Fear pressed on my chest. Despair gripped my throat. I needed Elex’s hands on me to banish them all.

He had to fight the bad for me. With me. Then, maybe, some good could return.

My arms spread, I gripped the cold rock of the cave. With an arm around my middle, he lifted me off the ground, shoving me up against the wall. He kicked my legs open with his knee. Then his hard, hot length pressed between my thighs.

It burned as he entered. I hissed but didn’t shrink away, embracing his invasion. He slid in easily—I was ready for him. But he burned. All of him. His body glowed brighter with the fire inside him. And the part of him buried in me, burned me from the inside.

Fire spread through my body like lava. I clawed at the rocks, moaning in need. He cupped a hand between my legs, shielding me from the wall as he pounded hard into me. His fingers pressed against me, rubbing me just the right way with each violent thrust.

He fucked me from behind. And I growled and snarled like a feral animal in heat. So, so much heat. The air seemed to waver and steam around us. The rocks glowed, ready to melt. I, too, felt like I was melting, evaporating into the ether.

My head was spinning as I came. Violent shudders rocked through my entire body. Elex’s roar filtered through a haze in my brain as he pumped his release into me.

I stayed splayed against the wall. He leaned against me, holding me in place. His chest pushed into my back with his fast, shallow breathing.

Pressing the side of my face to the wall, I closed my eyes. There was numbness inside me now, fragile like the first ice on a river. But it was better than the earlier turmoil. Like this, I could think. And when Elex finally moved us away from the wall, I could finally breathe.

He folded his wings. Turning with his back to the wall, he slid down to the floor, taking me with him. I sat sideways, my butt on the floor between his spread thighs, both of my legs draped over his left knee.

“Is it over now?” I asked, resting my head against his chest. “The war? Is it done?”

He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and rested the other one on my naked thigh. Sweat was cooling off my skin, sending a shudder through me. Instantly, Elex’s body felt warmer. He leaned away from the wall for a moment to free a wing from behind his back, then wrapped it around me like a blanket.

I stared straight ahead, not speaking and feeling nothing. He slid a finger down my throat.

“Your skin releases moisture when you’re hot. Or is it when you’re cold?”

What was he talking about? I couldn’t focus on his words or on any one thought.

He touched the tip of his finger with his tongue. “It’s salty.”

“Sweat? Is that what you mean?” I smiled. Yes, somehow, I couldsmileafter everything that had happened today. Who knew?

“That’s how you regulate your body temperature, right? You can do it to some degree.”

I nodded.

“I knew it,” he said. “I figured that must be what your body was doing when you were sick.” He trailed his finger along my collarbone. “It’s not a very efficient way, though, is it?”

“As compared to gargoyles, no, it isn’t,” I agreed. “But that’s all we humans have.”

“Now, you also havemeto keep you warm.” His wing draped over my legs felt like a heated blanket.

I stroked its leathery surface. It felt soft and silky, like fine suede. Warm. And so very comfy. I appreciated the warmth. And I really, really appreciated Elex chatting about a lighter topic, unrelated to what had happened today, to put my mind at ease before finally answering my earlier question.