Page 79 of An Arcane Education
“Well, I appreciate you letting me barge in here tonight. I know this probably isn’t exactly how you wanted to spend your Sunday evening.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be, and no one else I’d rather be with.” His voice has dropped lower, and when I glance over at him, the intensity in his dark eyes makes my breath catch in my throat.
The air between us is electric, charged with all the words unspoken, all the stolen moments that have led to this.
Alaric lifts his hand to cup my cheek, grazing his thumb across my cheekbone.
In a moment of boldness, I close the short distance between us and rise on my toes to press my lips to his. He doesn’t hesitate to kiss me back, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me in closer to him so our bodies are pressing against each other.
Before, all of our kisses have been stolen and rushed with the fear of being caught lurking in the back of our minds. But tonight, it’s only the two of us with no reservations.
Tonight, we can take our time.
Alaric threads his fingers into my hair, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss. I moan softly into his mouth, loving the way he handles me with simultaneous dominance and care, and slip my hands under the hem of his sweater to find warm skin underneath.
He breaks the kiss just long enough to pull the sweater over his head and toss it aside before his lips are on mineagain, more demanding now. He mirrors my actions, skimming his fingers beneath the hem of my sweater and tugging upward.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
“Absolutely,” I breathe.
He lifts my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. His fingers graze my sides before unhooking my bra and tossing that as well.
In one swift movement, he sinks onto the couch, pulling me on top of him. He’s rock hard beneath me, and when I twist on his lap to drape my legs to the side, he groans with the friction.
Gripping my hips, Alaric leans down and circles my nipple with his tongue before he takes it between his teeth, and I gasp at the sharp jolt in my core. He repeats the process on the other side, lavishing my breasts with attention until I’m writhing on his lap and desperate for more.
Feeling bold, I stand facing him and unbutton my jeans, and he drinks in the sight of me as I step out of them, standing there in only my panties with my long hair cascading over my chest. Alaric leans back on the couch, draping one arm across the seat back, his expression a combination of surprise, appreciation, and lust.
“Your turn,” I challenge, resisting the urge to cross my arms to cover myself.
He doesn’t need to be told twice. He stands, stripping the remainder of his clothes off slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. I make a concerted effort not to let my jaw drop at the sight of his naked body. He’s slim but toned, with a dark patch of hair trailing down from his navel to…
God, help me. With no shame at all, Alaric fists his cock, stroking it slowly. He smirks when he notices me staring, and my heart skips a beat. I hadn’t thought he could be more impressive, but apparently he’s hiding more… pleasant surprises than I’d thought.
In three long strides, he makes his way over to me then kisses me with ferocity. With our bodies pressed together, I’m acutely aware of the way his cock presses against my stomach and the way I’m already desperate to know how it’ll feel when it’s inside me.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he murmurs in a gravelly voice when he pulls away.
“I need you,” I breathe.
Instead of bringing me back to the couch or to the bedroom, Alaric lowers me onto the plush crimson rug beneath us. The heat emanating from the fireplace warms the side of my body, but I barely notice it as Alaric leans over me, kissing me and slipping his hand between my legs. I’m already wet for him, desperate for his touch.
He takes his time with me, touching and stroking and kissing me until I’m gasping for more. I arch into his touch as he teases me with feather-light caresses.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks, surveying my expression as he positions himself over me.
“Yes.”
He blows out a slow breath, as if coming to terms with the fact that this is really happening, then pushes into me slowly. Inch by inch, he fills me, stealing my breath away when he bottoms out. He pauses to check that I’m okay before he begins to move again, thrusting slow and deep.
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him even deeper into me and digging my nails into his shoulders.
“You feel even better than I imagined,” he growls. “So fucking perfect.”
The pressure builds as he fucks me with a combination of reverence and growing desperation. Alaric picks up the pace, his breathing growing more erratic with every second. He leans over to snag one of the couch pillows that had been thrown to the floor previously, then lifts my hips to situate the pillow beneath.
With this angle, he’s able to lean back and watch me as he fucks me while hitting that impossibly deep angle that makes me cry out. One of his hands is latched onto my hip while he reaches forward to rub my clit with the other.
