Page 25 of Scorched Veil
He turns to look at me, his amber eyes soft in the dappled sunlight.
“I wanted to give you something normal,” he says simply. “So, you didn’t feel like you’re living in a cage.”
My heart does a stupid little flip. I take another sip of champagne to hide it. “Careful,” I tease lightly. “If you keep being this sweet, I might start thinking you’re not a complete monster.”
He smiles a real one, crooked and devastating, and gently nudges my shoulder with his.
“Give it time, I’m still me.”
I laugh despite myself, the sound light and genuine. The waterfall roars in front of us, the mist kisses our skin, and for the first time since I arrived on this island, I feel like we are dangerously close to peace in I can’t remember how long.
11
SUMMER
“We should go for a swim,” he says, standing up and placing his glass on the ground. He peels off his shirt in one smooth motion, revealing all that tanned skin, scars, and ink I’m still trying to memorize. The sight does unfair things to my pulse. He catches me staring and smirks. “You coming, or are you just going to keep looking?”
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling as I stand. “You wish I’d stare at you all day.”
“Every day,” he replies, voice low and teasing. He kicks off his pants and steps naked into the pool, the water reaching his waist. Then he turns back to me, holding out his hand. “Come on, wife. Don’t make me come get you.”
The word wife shouldn’t sound so good when he says it, but it does.
I slip off my sandals, then my sundress and underwear, and walk to the edge. The water is cool and inviting as I step into it. I take his hand and let him guide me in. The second the water hits my thighs, I shiver, and he laughs softly, pulling me closer until I’m chest-deep with him.
The waterfall’s mist sprays lightly over us as he slides his hands to my waist under the water, thumbs brushing my skin in slow circles.
“Better?” he asks, voice quieter now.
“Much better,” I admit, looking up at him. The sunlight catches in his eyes, turning them a warm amber gold. For a moment, we just float there, close enough that I can feel the heat of his body cutting through the cool water. He leans in and kisses me, soft at first, then deeper, slower, like he’s tasting the champagne on my tongue. One of his hands slides up my back, pulling me flush against him. I wrap my arms around his neck without thinking, melting into the kiss as the water laps gently around us.
When we finally pull apart, he rests his forehead against mine, water dripping from his hair onto my cheeks.
“You’re dangerous, you know that?” he murmurs.
I smile against his lips. “Says the man with scars on his body.”
He chuckles, the sound warm and low. “Fair point.”
We stay like that for a while, floating, kissing, teasing each other with light touches under the water. For the first time, it doesn’t feel like a power game, it just feels … nice.
Dangerously nice.
He pulls me toward the waterfall, the roar growing louder with every step. The mist turns into heavy spray, then a full deluge as he guides me directly under the strongest part of the cascade. The cold water slams down on my shoulders and chest like a thousand tiny fists. I gasp at the shock of it. Kairo turns me so my back is against his front. Strong arms reach out and open my legs, where he lets the full force of the waterfall crash down directly between my legs.
“Oh, my god …” I choke out.
The pressure is brutal and perfect. The heavy stream beats relentlessly against my clit, cold and unforgiving, while his body heat presses against my back. He shifts me slightly, angling my hips, and the water hits me even more directly.
“Holy fuck, Kairo …”
“Hold onto me,” he murmurs against my ear, voice low and rough.
I grip his forearm with both hands, nails digging in. His free hand slides between my thighs, and two thick fingers push inside me without warning. The combination is devastating, the pounding water on my clit and his fingers curling deep inside me, stroking that spot with ruthless precision. He controls everything. Every tiny shift of my hips changes the angle of the water, and he uses it like a weapon. He moves me forward an inch, and the pressure on my clit becomes almost too intense. He pulls me back, and it eases just enough to keep me on the edge, trembling and desperate.
“You feel that?” he growls, lips brushing my ear. “The water is fucking you while I’m inside you. I want you to come like this with my fingers buried in your cunt.”
I moan loudly, the sound swallowed by the roar of the water. My legs are shaking so badly I can barely stand. He holds me tighter, fingers thrusting deeper, curling, stroking, while the waterfall never stops its merciless assault on my swollen clit.
