Chapter 20

KNOX" BODY SHIFTEDon top of hers, his legs pressing into the vee of her body that ached so much. It was a lust unlike any she"d ever experienced, a hundred times worse than ever before.

The man groaned and ground his hips down even as he cursed.

Clothes separated them, her dress hiked in the scuffle around her knees to give him enough room to straddle one of her legs. His other hand roved over her breasts, then dove lower to her mound.

It wasn"t enough. She rocked her hips on his leg as he inched her dress up. His big hands on her wrists made her crave skin to skin contact.

"More," she groaned, tilting her neck so he could take all he wanted. He nipped at her neck as his fingers found the slit in her undergarments.

His fingers raked up and down as he whispered in her ear. "Dripping wet, I see. And the smell–Eirwyn, you"re intoxicating. I need to taste you, princess. I"m going to release your hands, but leave them there, alright? Just let me feast."

She whimpered at his words, but then he was sliding down her body and pressing her knees wide. His face was so close to her, and she bit her lip.

She"d never done this either. Her partners had always gone in and let her call the shots. Now the tables were turned, and she was panting like a dog in heat.

His tongue licked up her slit, and her hips thrust as her eyes fluttered. It was like a spell washing over her, sending a jolt of energy and magic through her. Only there was no magic. It was just pure desire.

His tongue circled her clit, then he began to suck. A finger slid inside, and she gasped. A second finger slid in, then a third.

She was stretched wider than ever before, and it felt so good. She gripped her own wrists above her head and pushed her hips up into his mouth.

His free arm wrapped around her thigh and pressed down with his palm on her lower stomach, holding her in place. Then he feasted. The swirl of his tongue drove her higher and higher.

She felt like she was racing on the back of her horse. Standing on the roof of the castle as the wind blew through her hair. Ever closer to the edge like a runaway horse racing to the cliff.

Then she broke apart in his hands with a scream. Stars burst behind her eyelids and her magic flared. She imagined herself diving off the cliff and flying. His tongue slowed, and his fingers slowly slid from her body.

He licked her clit, making her legs twitch beneath him. Then he sat back on his haunches and stared down at her with a small smile.

"How was that?" he growled, stalking his way up her body and pinning her in place. He dipped his head, kissing her softly on the jaw and back to her ear.

"Divine," she panted. "Transcendent. Unparalleled."

He chuckled, the deep sound vibrating through them both where their torsos touched. She thrust her hips up and ground on his dick, somehow now locked safely in his pants.

"I"m glad I could return the favor, princess. But the storm is about to break, and we should get you inside. Don"t want you to escape your brother only to fall prey to a common cold."

He backed away and offered her a hand. Shakily, she stood and brushed her skirt out. The aching need was no longer a raging inferno but only a steady fire now. Her entire body was inflamed, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and turn with him toward the door.

His hand on her elbow kept her grounded as he asked, "You sure you"re not bothered by the horns?"

She leaned her head on his arm and linked their fingers. "I"m definitely hot and bothered by the horns and scales, Knox, but not in the way you keep asking about. I can"t explain what came over me just now. I may sleep around, but I–I"ve really never done that before. I didn"t know it was possible."

He chuckled and stopped in the doorway once more, his face relaxed. "I"m happy to have expanded your horizons, princess. I–I"ve never done that before either, so I"m glad I could satisfy you."

She grinned and tipped her head back, pulling their bodies closer. "Well, it was a great appetizer, but I"d still like to explore the main course soon, if you don"t mind."

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist, tucking her to his side as they walked to the cottage. "It"s a deal, as long as my issues don"t bother you."

He waved a hand to his head, and Eirwyn shook her head, breathing in the deeply refreshing scent of him.

"What bothers me is that my brother tried to have me killed. Considering that, your scales and horns are simply fascinating."

He turned to look down at her, a faint flash of disbelief in his eyes. "Truly?"

She just nodded and reached up a hand to trace the scales. "Truly. I want to explore them, touch them. I could spend hours exploring you, and still not get enough."

The words hung in the air between them, and she held her breath. They had just come out of her mouth, but the truth of them settled in her soul.

What was she doing? She couldn"t explore him. Who cared if he had horns and scales? It didn"t matter when she was stuck in limbo.

She couldn"t go back to Demerel, not until she figured out what was going on. She drew strength from his solid, stoic presence.

He might be a lumberjack, but he was a great oak, standing tall and unwavering as the storm of life tried to sweep her away.

His green eyes held so many promises, and she leaned closer, her hand on his scales dropping to cup his cheek.

She felt as if a spell was weaving between them, the tendrils tightening around them like a draw-string. She wanted to step into his embrace, kiss him on those beautiful pouty lips while she rode him until they both burst.

He didn"t pull away, and she considered that a huge win from their previous encounters. This night hadn"t ended up in a small room above the tavern with a fantastic but quick orgasm.

It was so much more than she"d ever expected. As she held his hand, touched him, tasted him, finally saw him for who he really was... it was like a missing puzzle piece had finally found its way home.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, scaring her into jumping away. Her hands dropped to her sides, and she gave a self-conscious laugh.

"Ah, the storm. Scarlet–she"s not going to kill me, right? I mean, she said she wouldn"t, but she"s a Hunter..."

Eirwyn hated that her voice came out small and breathy. She wanted to be strong and independent, be someone Knox could be proud of. She wriggled her fingers, sending wind to hold the storm at bay for a few more minutes.

He shook his head. "No, I won"t let her, and she knows that."

Silence settled between them, and he reached for her hand again to walk toward the cottage. The warmth from his hand helped settle her nerves. There was something in his gaze that made her want to dive deeper.

"Why won"t you let her?" she whispered.

His green eyes sparkled like the clearest emeralds. "That"s another question that I haven"t been able to answer yet."

He finally broke his stare and looked into the darkness around them. "Scarlet"s in quite a bind now, but we"ll make a plan that will keep both of you alive."

There was a steely undertone to her words that made her feel safe.

"Are you hungry?" He waved with his other hand at the cottage.

She sucked in a deep breath, realizing that she still held on to her light magic. She released it, and the black tendrils of shadow dissipated in the light.

"Food would be great, Although..." She trailed off as they approached the back door of the cottage.

"Although?"

She shrugged, a sly grin slowly spreading over her cheeks as they stopped and faced each other.

"I"m not just hungry for food. I wouldn"t mind a snack of one big, burly lumberjack. Not going to lie. I was looking forward to meeting you at the tavern tonight for a long night of fun."

His brows shot up, but where last week, he had been closed off, stern and gruff, this time he was different. He seemed to have a softer side now that the protective barrier of his hood and secret scales had come down. Or maybe it was the explosive orgasm.

He grinned down at her, the light from the lantern illuminating him.

"I have a big body to explore. Depending on our plans to keep you safe, maybe we can do some exploring together soon?"

She threw her head back and laughed. "We"ll see just how good you are with your wood?"

He wiggled his eyebrows, and she laughed again, putting her other hand on his arm and leaning against him.

"That"s right, princess. I"ll show you how I can wield my axe. Just wait and see."

She grinned, her hand caressing his forearm as she leaned closer to him, rubbing her breast against his bicep.

"Oh, so you"ve graduated from a knife, have you?"

He grinned and nodded. "I figure I need a heftier weapon to handle you, princess."

She giggled as he reached for the door handle.

"Ready to talk this out and find answers?"

Eirwyn took a deep breath as Knox pushed it open. The lights were bright, and she blinked several times before her eyes adjusted. She released the soft breeze and let the storm crash on the cottage.

Then she stepped inside the hallway as a flash of lightning ripped the sky behind them.