Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Vale

My back pressed up against the heated rock, and Cypherion's bare, wet skin slid against mine, heat encompassing me from every angle. His hand cupped the back of my head to stop it from slamming against the wall. The combination of that gentle thought and the way he commanded the rest of me, demonstrated that delicious care and passion he brought to everything he did.

And he kissed exactly as I remembered—like he was desperate to consume me. Lips hot and fierce as I opened for him, tongue stroking against mine both precise and firm, but hungry.

Cypherion was in complete control, and as I succumbed to him, pieces of myself that had been broken had the space to heal over. Every part of me came back to life as he kissed me deeper.

If he ever stopped again, I might crumble.

"I'm not here because it's my duty," he growled against my lips, his free hand roaming over my body and leaving chills in its wake. "I'm here because I couldn't fucking bear to let you go without me. To not know where you were or if you were okay."

"Don't leave, then," I pleaded.

And then, he was devouring me again, free hand pressing flat to the small of my back to hold me tighter against him and thumb brushing against the curve of my waist. Even as I kissed him, that teasing stole some of my attention, and heat gathered between my thighs. The hard surfaces of his body pressed against the softer ones of mine, his grip strong and certain around me.

I ached for him, pressing closer. His cock against my stomach instead of where I wanted it was torturous.

Wrapping my arms around the back of his neck where his Bond tattoo was inked, I dug my hands into his hair. It had grown longer since I'd met him, long enough to tie back, but I loved when it was unbound like this. I took advantage now, knotting my fingers in it.

"Spirits," he breathed, moving his lips along my jaw and down my neck. "I've been telling myself for so long that I didn't want you anymore."

"Sorry to disappoint," I gasped. His hand skimmed up my ribs, calloused thumb brushing the bottom of my breast.

"I've wanted to touch you so badly, Vale," he admitted as his lips dragged over my collarbone, his voice rough. Everywhere he kissed was left in flaming goosebumps, sensations I hadn't realized were possible mingling within me.

"Touch me," I begged. "Show me."

One hand cupped my breast as he ducked his head and ran his tongue around the other nipple. He toyed with me, eyes flicking up beneath dark lashes to catch every gasp from my lips like he'd been starved without them, those blue depths dark as a midnight sky.

"Please," I breathed, hitching my leg higher around his hip to tug him to me. He was dangerously close to my center now, and Spirits, I wanted him. He nudged my entrance, and I gasped at the contact.

"You don't want me to take my time?" There was a gravelly laugh in his voice.

No, I did not want to wait tonight. I wanted to take advantage of every moment. In answer, I gripped his chin and pulled him back up to me. I kissed him harder, rolling my hips against his length and my tongue across his all at once.

"Spirits," he hissed beneath his breath, and we both looked down to where we weren't yet joined but connected.

I forgot how large he truly was, and my breath hitched. He laughed, gripping the back of my thigh with one hand and my cheek with the other, guiding my gaze up.

"Are you sure?" he asked, always so damn considerate.

I didn't want considerate tonight.

"I want you to fuck me," I told him.

"Hang on, Stargirl." And Cypherion's voice was devious like I'd never heard from him as he pushed into me. A ragged gasp fell from my lips.

"It's been a while," he groaned. "You're so tight, sweetheart."

"It's—" I breathed as he shifted his hips, my other leg wrapping around his waist. I was so full. He was everywhere, and I hadn't realized how much I missed this. "Angels."

"You can take it," he said, lips meeting my forehead and hands tightening on the backs of my thighs. Then, he thrust harder, sinking into me all the way.

For a moment we both stilled, those blue eyes exploring mine and seemingly pouring secrets between us. So many words we'd both wanted to say for months, neither of us knowing how. Things we wanted to repair, time we wanted to make up for.

This was what I'd needed. To feel cared for. To feel wanted after so long of feeling disgraced. To hear that he had not been able to abandon me like so many people had before.

His hands tightened on my legs. Cypherion pulled back slightly and slammed forward again. I clung to his shoulders, my back sliding along steam-slick rock, but he'd somehow found a surface that was smooth enough not to scrape me.

He angled my hips perfectly, and I cried out when he reached that deeper spot inside of me that he'd been searching for. One of my hands flew up, finding a rocky ledge. My nails dug into the moss as my back arched.

"That's it," he said. His tongue flicked my nipple, biting gently. I started hurtling toward that peak as he found that spot again and again. "I remember exactly how your body responds to everything, Vale."

As if to prove it, he kept up that steady rhythm and lowered one hand between our bodies to rub tight circles on my clit. His lips skimmed up my neck, whispering beneath my ear, and I crashed into my climax.

I cried his name, and he smiled devilishly against my skin, wanting to hear it on the wind rather than kiss me through it.

Steam pillowed around us, encasing us in this escape with the stars haloed above and trees wrapping around. We were locked in our own world, trunks like bars of a cage—but this was one I had fought and clawed for.

One I would have been happy to remain in forever.

Cypherion did not follow me over that edge. He coaxed me through it, then spun and found a seat.

"What?" I asked, as he sat with me still atop him and grinned up at me.

"One more," he commanded. His voice was husky, deep and melting with the steam across my skin.

I smiled back. Resting my knees on the rock, I lifted myself up and lowered down slowly, grinding against him as he groaned. Cypherion's hands remained on my hips, steadying me but letting me take complete control.

Tendrils of his hair curled against his temples, and mine stuck to my body as I moved faster. Tangling my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, I leaned forward and slammed my mouth to his.

One of his hands dragged up my hip, cupping my breast. His thumb brushed across my nipple, then he pinched it. My hips jerked forward, and he settled deeper inside of me. That sly smirk he wore told me he truly remembered everything about me. About how my body reacted, about what things I liked most. Like everything we'd been and done had been plaguing his dreams as much as mine.

Cypherion matched each roll of my hips, finding every sensitive spot that had stars crashing behind my eyes.

"I've missed this," I admitted on a gasp as he gripped my ass to guide me.

"I fucking missed you," he returned. He tightened his hold like he'd never let go, and I hoped he never would again. Shaking his long hair back and looking at the rocky ledge above us, he said "Grab on, Stargirl,"

I did as he instructed, and then, he was slamming into me, both of us wild.

I cried his name a second time, and as he came, he made promises on the stars and Fates of us and never letting go again.

When we were both sated, I collapsed against him, my limbs loose and my body exhausted from finally releasing everything that had built between us. He kissed me slowly and passionately, down my arms and body. Possessive and languid.

It said everything.

I want you. I have always wanted you. I am sorry for the time we lost, but I am never letting you go again.

We sat in the springs for hours, counting the constellations above us and living in that bliss we'd stubbornly denied ourselves for too long. My head on his chest, his fingers in my hair, and our bodies and hearts entwined despite the barbed thorns of our past.