Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

L ucia stared at Alaric with heat in her gaze. In fact, it felt as though her entire body was overheating, and she knew it wasn’t from the steamy water in which she was bathing. It had more to do with the way Alaric was staring at her, as though he could hardly get enough, as though tearing his gaze off her was a painful task.

She liked that look on him. She liked it when his desire for her was so obvious and he made no attempt to conceal it.

Slowly, as though in a trance, Alaric approached her and shed his clothes as he went, dropping each item to the floor until he was entirely nude. Lucia took a moment to appreciate the sight—the ripple of his muscles as he moved, the pale, scarred skin, his manhood hanging heavy between his legs. He looked as though he was carved from marble, and Lucia wanted nothing but to reach out and touch him.

And so, she did. She traced the contours of his stomach with the tips of her fingers, her touch light and teasing. She let her hands roam over his body, taking in every single detail about him that she could. And then, when Alaric trembled with the effort it took to keep himself still and let her explore his body, she leaned closer and sucked the head of his hardening manhood between her lips, instantly drawing a moan out of Alaric.

His fingers twitched as he buried them in Lucia’s hair, gently caressing it. As she took him deeper and deeper in her mouth, the trembling of his body only worsened, as it became harder for him to keep himself still. And yet, he persevered, letting Lucia set her own pace as she pleasured him.

As a reward, Lucia took him deeper, her hand closing around the base. Her tongue worked his shaft, licking the underside and curling around the tip. Hearing the moans that tumbled from Alaric’s lips only served to stoke the flames within her, her core burning with desire as she licked and sucked at his length, relishing in the silky feel of him on her tongue.

It didn’t take long for Alaric to pull back, though, his own hand reaching for himself and wrapping tightly around the base. “If ye keep doin’ this, lassie, ye ken what will happen,” he warned as he leaned down to kiss her. Lucia parted her lips for him, letting him deepen the kiss, and then she let him pull her up to her feet, though he made no effort to take her out of the tub.

Instead, he had her stand there as he knelt before her, lips grazing the soft skin of her stomach. She watched as he mouthed at her, kissing and biting everywhere he could reach, lapping up the water that still clung to her body as he moved lower and lower, until he could finally press the flat of his tongue against her mound. Lucia gasped at the sudden contact, the jolt of pleasure coursing through her entire body. She could do nothing but hold onto him, gripping onto his dark hair for purchase as Alaric licked into her, his tongue slipping past her entrance just enough to tease before retreating again and again. Soon, Lucia’s hips moved on their own accord, rocking against him as she tried to get more from Alaric, but he was quick to keep her still with a strong hand on her hip.

“Be patient,” he mumbled against her folds and Lucia moaned as the words reverberated through her sensitive flesh. Then, Alaric doubled his efforts, sucking her most sensitive spot into his mouth and dragging his tongue over it, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her.

“Please,” Lucia gasped, pressing him closer to her. “Please, take me. I want ye inside me.”

Alaric let out a sound that reminded her of a growl, like a starved animal. He wasted no time before he stood and grabbed Lucia by the hips, raising her out of the bathtub. She was still soaking wet, but neither of them cared as he carried her to the bed, laying her down onto her front on the mattress.

“Have I ever told ye how bonnie ye are?” he asked as his hands roamed all over her body, from her shoulders to her thighs, then back up to cup her rear. “I cannae stop lookin’ at ye. Yer breasts, yer neck, yer cleft. It is all I ever think about.”

As he spoke, Alaric brushed his fingers over her entrance and Lucia arched her back, baring herself to him. Gathering her wetness, he pushed two fingers inside her to find her already ready for him, more aroused than she had ever been in her life.

“Ye’re drippin’ fer me, dae ye ken that?” Alaric asked, and though Lucia would never admit it, her cheeks burned with embarrassment at the observation. A small whine escaped her and she pushed back onto his fingers, taking him deeper until Alaric stilled her again. “Spread yer legs fer me, wider.”

Lucia did as she was told, letting her knees fall open on the mattress. She kept her hips tilted up and Alaric took one more moment to tease her opening with his fingers before he withdrew them and soon replaced them with his manhood, the tip brushing against her without ever breaching her.

“Alaric… dinnae tease,” Lucia demanded, trying once again to take him inside her, only for Alaric to stop her again.

“I said be patient,” he repeated. “I’m takin’ me fill.”

“O’ what?”

“O’ lookin’ at ye.”

Lucia had to bury her face in her arms, shy that Alaric would see the flush on her face, even though she was facing straight ahead. When Alaric finally pushed inside her, though, so slowly that it felt as though he was also pushing all the air out of her lungs, she couldn’t help but snap her head up, the pleasure overwhelming.

“I wish ye could see yerself,” Alaric said with a grunt as he pushed himself all the way to the hilt and took a moment to simply stay there, grinding his hips against Lucia. “I wish ye could see how bonnie ye look like this. Dae ye feel me, deep inside ye?”

Lucia could only nod wordlessly as Alaric began to thrust in earnest, his hips slamming against hers with every movement he made. One of his hands reached around, pressing lightly right above her mound, holding her where he wanted her as he took her hard and fast, their combined passion too great to show any restraint. It was just what Lucia needed—the rough drag of his length against her inner walls, the fingers that teased her sensitive spot with every thrust, the firm hand that held onto her hip as Alaric took her. All of it was so intense, so much more intimate than anything she had experienced despite the roughness of it, that she was overwhelmed by her pleasure, unable to do anything but take what Alaric was giving her.

“I wish tae feel ye fall apart fer me,” he said as he pushed her farther up the bed, his rhythm barely disrupted as he came to kneel behind her on the mattress. Like this, he could push even deeper inside her, hitting a spot that had stars exploding behind her eyelids with every thrust. “I wish tae feel yer pleasure, mo ghraidh . Can ye dae that fer me? Show me how much ye like it.”

Alaric’s words were like fuel for the fire that already burned inside her. Those words, coupled with the deep, relentless thrusts and the unceasing movements of his fingers soon brought Lucia over the edge. She cried out, unable to stop herself, her entire body shaking as she clenched rhythmically around Alaric’s length, her core pulsing and throbbing for what seemed like minutes to her. The entire time, Alaric never once ceased his movements, pleasuring her through the waves and aftershocks of her orgasm until he, too, reached his peak with a shattered moan, stilling inside her.

For several moments, neither of them could move. They simply lay there, Alaric draped over Lucia’s back, panting as they tried to catch their breaths. Then, Alaric gently pulled himself away and rolled on his back, Lucia quickly following him to stay close. When she curled into him, Alaric wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a kiss, so gentle and tender that Lucia’s heart fluttered in her chest.

She didn’t think anyone had kissed her with such tenderness before. It was strange, trusting Alaric the way she did, but there was something about him that just inspired trust, despite him not telling her about his betrothal. To be fair, she had hidden a lot more from him than he had from her, and she knew that he had not planned things to go that way, but rather got tangled up in a situation he didn’t know how to handle.

Her feelings for him were almost too much to handle and she didn’t like to dwell on it. She hadn’t afforded him the same kindness, the same respect. If anything, she had done the exact opposite, lying to him from the very start.

“What are ye thinkin’ about?” Alaric asked, sounding a little concerned. “Is it… was that too rough?”

“Nay, nay,” Lucia said, quick to reassure him. She didn’t want him to think for a moment that she regretted any of their time together. “It was good. Really good. There is just plenty on me mind lately.”

“I can understand that,” Alaric said with a sigh, and Lucia knew it to be true. Alaric had much to think about, too, and the moments they spent together were a sanctuary for them both. This felt real; it felt permanent, like the two of them were now tethered together. “Everythin’ will be fine. I promise ye. As long as it’s in me hands, it will be alright.”

It was easy to believe Alaric and think that everything would truly work out just fine. Even with the guilt that flooded her mind daily, even with everything that seemed to be against them.

For a while, they lay in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. Alaric’s embrace was warm and comfortable, and when he pulled the covers over them both, Lucia couldn’t help but be lulled into a half-sleep—neither entirely awake, nor deeply asleep.

At least until a bell rang out throughout the entire castle, loud and jarring. In her confused state, Lucia didn’t know what to make of it, but Alaric was out of bed within seconds, conditioned to respond to the sound immediately.

“What is that?” Lucia asked, pushing herself up to her elbows.

“An attack,” said Alaric. “There is an attack on the castle.”

They didn’t need to wonder who the attacker was. Both Lucia and Alaric knew it could be no other than the Ravencloaks, who had come to demand the debt they were owed in blood.