Page 265 of Between Two Kings

An eternity passed. Then Leo nodded.

Now that she had his permission, she hardly knew what to do. Tem had ached for him every day since the wedding. She’d spent countless nights under the mountain alone, when Caspen was out hunting, thinking of Leo. Touching herself to the memory of him. Now the real thing was before her, and she had permission to touch him. She needed to touch him. His life depended on it.

Tem stepped forward, allowing her instincts to lead the way.

She touched only the tips of her fingers to his chest, feeling how his heartbeat hammered beneath his skin. Then she spread her hand wide, so her palm was pressed against his sternum. Just this contact was enough to make her even wetter than she already was. Leo let out a shudder the moment her palm was flat. His eyes were shut, his jaw relaxed. It was as if he was releasing a lifetime of tension, and perhaps he was.

“You’re so warm,” Tem whispered. It was all she could think to say.

Leo opened his eyes and smiled. “So are you.”

They stood like that for a long time, neither of them moving, doing nothing but staring at each other. Tem knew they didn’t have time to linger. But she was too enraptured, too engrossed in Leo’s eyes to rush this. She wanted him so badly. This was the culmination of an urge that had begun the moment she’d crested him. Every day she denied that urge was a day she slipped further away from herself. She could not deny it any longer.

“Leo,” she whispered. “You can touch me too if you want.”

She’d specifically phrased it so that it wasn’t an order. It was an invitation—an opening. Even now, on the threshold of sex, Tem wanted him to know he could make his own choices. She would not coerce him; she would not force him to do this. Tem had no desire for Leo to come to this any way but willingly.

Leo stared at her, unblinking, his heartbeat speeding up beneath his ribs. Tem licked her lips, thinking about that heartbeat. He was so responsive to her. It was something she’d taken for granted in the past, but now that they were here, she could appreciate it fully. There was something addictive about having such sway over someone. Even more so when he had the same sway over her.

The moment Leo raised his hand, Tem’s heart broke into a gallop. Her vision blurred. He moved in what felt like slow motion, touching just his fingertips to her chin, tilting her face up to his. His eyes held hers. Everything seemed to pulse: the air, the flames in the fireplace, the space between them. Leo’s thumb traced her lips. It reminded Tem of the way Apollo had touched her right before he taught her how to petrify. Without thinking, Tem let his thumb slip inside her mouth. He pulled her lower lip down, exposing her teeth.

“Did you think about me?” he whispered. “When you were here with him?”

“Yes.”

“Did you think about me while he was fucking you?”

“Yes.”

His fingers returned to her neck, arching her head.

“Did you think about me?” Tem whispered. “While you were fucking her?”

Leo’s hand tightened. “Every single time.”

Tem was done resisting. Her inhibitions left her completely, the last thread of her morality finally fraying to nothing. She did the one thing she should have done every day since they were married.

She kissed him.

Something shattered in Tem when their lips met. There was only this. There was only Leo. To be in agony for so long and to finally feel peace was ecstasy. Leo’s body conformed to Tem’s, his tall frame leaning down to meet her. They had shared so many kisses before, but this one was different.

This one felt like coming home.

They fell onto the bed. Tem knew they would go quickly later. For now, she went slow, running her hands over his body languidly, luxuriating in him as if she had all the time in the world. His skin was soft; his cock was hard. Tem didn’t even reach for it yet—she couldn’t even imagine touching it after wanting it for so long. The thought of such pleasure made her weak.

Tem sucked on his bottom lip. Leo slid his fingers inside her.

Her gasp was lost in his mouth, carried away by his tongue. Leo fingered her while he kissed her, keeping perfect rhythm for both, tempting Tem to touch him back. Eventually, she did. When her palm found his cock, he shuddered. When she wrapped her hand around it, he bit her lip. They moaned together as Tem began to stroke.

She felt the draw of the crest, second only to the draw of her heart.

It was heaven to touch him again, paradise to see how he reacted while she did it. Leo murmured her name over and over, almost as if to remind himself it was really her.

“Tem. Tem. Tem.”

“Leo. Leo. Leo.”

He was so hard for her. So willing. Of all the cocks she’d seen under the mountain, this was the only one she felt lucky to hold. It was like holding his heart in her hands. Like holding his soul.