Page 81 of Journey to the Elderoak
He took one step closer and stopped, eyes full of longing. “It’s because every time I look at you, I want to throw you against a wall and kiss you until my lips are numb. I look away because if I look at you too long, it feels like my heart is beating out of my chest. Like I will go mad if I can’t kiss you right then and there.” He took another step. “But I don’t want it to be just a kiss. I want it to be more. I want you naked before me so I can run my hands along your curves. I want to worship your body until your legs are quivering and you’re screaming my name.”
Her stomach tightened as warmth bloomed low in her belly. “Then do it,” she whispered.
“I want you to say it. I want to know you’re sure you want it,” he said as he took another step closer and ran his hand through his hair, barely restraining himself. “Say it, princess. Tell me what you want,” he rasped.
She trembled as she stood there, unable to escape the heat of his gaze. “I want you to throw me against a wall and ki—” She didn’t finish because he consumed the distance between them in seconds.
One moment she was standing there, looking at him. The next, her back was pressed into the wall and his lips were on hers in a searing kiss. The whole world seemed to fall away as Ava gripped the front of his tunic, pulling him closer. His lips were soft and warm against hers and he kissed her gently, as if savoring it. Memorizing every detail.
The way it felt to kiss him was everything. It was rain on a summer’s day. It was a sunset, the light melting below the horizon as it set the world on fire. It was tender and passionate. Full of promises whispered on the breeze and unapologetic vows.
Her lips yielded to his as he coaxed them apart. Exploring. How had she lived her life without experiencing a kiss like this? How had she gone so long being in the presence of this powerful, incredible man and not felt his lips on hers?
He pulled away to catch his breath and looked at her, his chest rising and falling as he studied her face. As if gauging her reaction, ensuring that she wanted this. One hand was on the wall beside her head while the other cupped her face. Unable to pull away her gaze, she lost herself in his golden eyes.
Foreheads pressed together, she moved her hands up his chest to his neck.
“More,” she whispered, as she pulled him back in.
This time it wasn’t slow or gentle, but full of need. Of all the pent-up desire they’d been holding back for months. It was possessive. All consuming.
She gasped as his tongue parted her lips and explored her mouth feverishly.
One of his hands moved to her waist and pulled her closer, no space between them. She slid a hand into his hair and he groaned, kissing her harder. It was only them. No war or impending journey. No evil lurking about. Only the taste of his lips against hers; the cedar and sage smell of him; his hard body pressed against her soft curves.
A spark ignited as their restraint snapped from denying themselves of each other for so long. She pulled him closer, hands roaming his back. A moan slipped from her lips and he met her desperation. His hands moved possessively along her curves as he deepened the kiss even further, releasing a low groan.
“Fuck, Ava.” He moved his lips to her jaw, then trailed kisses down her neck and up the other side. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this. You’re all I can think about.”
He paused, gripping her hips and pressing his forehead to hers yet again. “You’re all I dream about. You consume my every thought.”
Those words. The way he spoke to her. She was desperate to touch him. To feel him. She yanked his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground as she ran her hands along hischest and his lips met hers again, swallowing her moans. Frantic. Feverish.
“Cas,” she whimpered as she arched into him.
Saying his name unleashed him. His hand slid under her tunic and grasped her breast over the tightly wound fabric, squeezing and inducing another moan from her.
“This thing is in the way,” he complained.
He lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it aside before unraveling the bandeau binding her chest.
“Better,” he groaned as he palmed her full breasts and kissed her again, hard and fast. He journeyed his way to her chest and took her nipple in between his teeth, biting and sucking. Her head fell back and she whimpered.
“I need,” she panted. “Cas…oh…”
He grasped her thighs, lifting her and she wrapped her legs around him as he ground her against the wall. “Tell me what you need,” he growled into her mouth as his hard length pressed into her.
She moaned, the friction of him against her almost too much but not enough. Never enough. She could crawl beneath his skin and it still wouldn’t be close enough. This frenetic, carnal need within her ached. It was urgent. Like fate was pulling them to each other in this very moment.
“Please…” she breathed, grinding against him.
“Please what?” he asked, starting to slip a hand beneath the front of her pants while the other held her thigh.
“I need you,” she pleaded as she tangled her hands in his hair.
“You have me. You’ve had me since the day Aro rescued you from that monster,” he added, kissing her deeper when a door opened, jolting them from their embrace. They froze and Ava looked over Casimir’s shoulder, panting and meeting eyes with Raine.
“Jorrar found something about the Elderoak,” heannounced. “Meeting in the dining hall in five minutes.” He paused and his eyes widened. “Oh shit. Did I interrupt your maiden voyage?”
