The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld 14.5)

“I know.” On her knees, she peered up at the spellbinding male through the thick shield of her lashes. “You’re mine, so I get to.” With her hands on his hips, she leaned toward him…closer…and licked the slit.

Lids heavy and hooded, he threw back his head and bellowed with pleasure. His neck muscles corded, the tendons extending. Stretching out his arms, he pressed his fists into the stall walls. Water sluiced over the butterflies, every ridge of strength, and into the golden happy trail that led to his massive erection. Magnificent beast.

“Leila,” he croaked.

“If I do something wrong, tell me.” She gripped the base of his shaft. “I’ve never done this before.” Not willingly.

“You don’t have to—” he said, trying again.

“Mine,” she said, and swallowed his length.

She was clumsy at first, but she didn’t care. He didn’t seem to care. He hissed and growled and clawed at the wall. Soon, a fervor took hold of them both, nothing more important than his climax. She licked, she sucked.

A roar escaped him, and it was then, in that frenzied slice of life, that she recognized the full brunt of her power over this man. As strong as he was, she was stronger, because he lived to make her happy.

The knowledge emboldened her. He was hers. This moment was hers.

“Don’t want to come in your mouth,” he rasped. “Not this time.”

Agreed. She wanted to know his taste, wanted to experience everything with him, but this first time, she wanted his shaft buried deep inside her when he came.

Legion stood to wobbly legs. Galen swept her into his arms, carried her out of the stall, and eased her onto the bed. The kiss of cool air on her water-damp skin made her shiver anew. But Galen quickly warmed her up, his tongue like a flame as he licked his way down her body. He laved her nipples, teased her navel, and grazed her inner thighs with his teeth.

Shallow breaths left her. Had anything ever felt this good? He nipped a path closer to the heart of her desire.

“Yes,” she pleaded. “Do it.”

The width of his shoulders kept her legs spread wide, leaving her vulnerable to his every whim—and glad for it.

Warm breath caressed her inner folds as he smiled at her, a slow curl of his lips. “You’re soaked for me.”

“Desperate,” she admitted.

“All this honey...all mine.”

“Yours.”

Liiiick. A scream ripped from her soul. Galen. Devoured. Her. She reached up and back to grip the iron headboard. He thrust his tongue inside her. Again. And again. Wave after wave of rapture crashed over her. When his fingers joined the fun, Legion thought her mind might break from the pleasure. Lick, thrust. Suck, withdraw. Nibble, thrust—two fingers this time. Three.

Yes! Sensitized from head to toe, she came again, this climax more ferocious, the pleasure almost unbearably intense. Harder. Faster. And more wondrous.

“Need inside you,” Galen said, his voice more ragged than ever before.

“Inside! Now.”

“Going to give you everything.” He jolted up, smashing their mouths together. Their tongues rolled and clashed in a sensual battle, the pleasure undeniable, extending her orgasm. She moaned.

Hooking an arm underneath her knee, he spread her legs farther apart and poised his shaft at her opening. Then he paused, panting. She paused, too, her panting breaths a mirror to his. Their gazes met, currents of electricity arcing between them.

A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. “I am what you want? You are sure?”

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

He slammed inside her.

Yes, yes! She screamed, a third climax sweeping her up, up, consuming her body and soul.

Galen pounded in, slid out. In, out. Good wasn’t an adequate word, she decided. Sublime? Closer. Perfection—ding, ding, ding.

“Galen.” She locked her ankles over his backside, clinging to him, wanting his body to experience the same sublime pleasure.

“The things you make me feel…” Inhalations labored, he gripped the headboard, using it as leverage. Pounding harder, faster. Ensuring she felt him in every cell. Euphoria glittered in his eyes. “I’m so close already.”

She arched her back and nipped his chin. “Kiss me.”

Frantic now, he lowered his head, melding his mouth to hers. His shaft continued to move in and out. Faster and faster, shaking the entire bed, making the headboard rattle. Pictures tumbled from the walls and shattered on the floor. Neither of them paid any heed. In, out. Even faster. In, out. Waves became a tsunami of sensation. A rapturous gale force.

She lost herself in the moment, in the man. He threw back his head to roar at the ceiling, coming in a white-hot rush. She let go, falling into another climax…

And even more deeply in love.

Chapter Twelve

Galen’s heartbeat had yet to slow. He cradled Leila against his naked body, chest to chest, the softness of her curves conforming to the hardness of his strength. One wing stretched underneath her, while the other covered her. He surrounded her. Every time he breathed, he drew in more of her luscious scent.

Never, in all his endless years, had sex so consumed him. The world could have crumbled and he wouldn’t have cared. Nothing had mattered but Leila’s pleasure. She’d come alive, her passion a torch that had nearly burned him to ash.

The perfect way to go.

Their first time, he’d experienced a measure of contentment. A shock, yes, considering they’d had sex in a bathroom. But the contentment had not compared to this. This…

This was unlike anything he’d ever known. Part contentment, part exhilaration, with satisfaction and genuine hope for a better future. This was the life he’d always dreamed of having, but feared he couldn’t achieve. This was what he’d needed. A mate who valued him.

He realized he would rather be with Leila than rule a thousand worlds. As sappy as it sounded, she completed him. Spending every day together wouldn’t be enough. He coveted more time with her, and he couldn’t blame Jealousy.

That didn’t stop False Hope from taking a swing at him. The Lords will grow to hate her—because of you. They’ll never forgive you for what you did in the past. They might pretend otherwise, but hate will always infect their hearts. The longer Leila remains with you, the higher the likelihood you’ll ruin her life. She’ll resent you. Eventually, you’ll lose her.

Galen would rather die than lose her. Fight the rise of panic.

She petted his chest, saying, “The demons acting up? Telling you we’re destined to split, maybe?”

“How did you know?”

“They are trying to convince me to part with you. But I k

now they are liars, and so do you. We just need to do the opposite of whatever they suggest, and prepare for amazing results.”

The opposite of accepting hatred from the Lords—fighting for their love. Galen couldn’t control how they felt about him, but he could control how he treated them, and whether or not he let go of past grievances.

He kissed the corner of Leila’s mouth. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Her blunt-tipped nail glided over his nipple as she traced an X on his pec. “This time was better than the first, right?”

The hint of vulnerability proved utterly adorable. “What we just did was better than any time, ever. I’ve never stuck around after sex, never wanted to encourage another go ’round, or wanted to imprint my essence on another person. Now, I think I’ll throw a very manly he-fit if you try to bail.”

She snickered, delighting him. He’d feared this latest abduction would break her, tainting her recovery, yet she had a new zest for life.

“I can do anything,” he added, 100% serious, “except let you go.”

“You can do anything. Over the years, you could have killed more Lords. You didn’t. You could have won more battles and wiped out all the Lords at once. You didn’t. You could have killed Ashlyn when you kidnapped her. You didn’t. Because you never put your whole heart into the war.” She thought for a moment, then gasped. “You liked fighting the guys, didn’t you, so you had an excuse to remain in their lives?”

An astute observation. One he’d never allowed himself to consider, even when he’d walked away from battles he’d known he could win. He’d only ever told himself that every villain needed a hero, someone worthy of his skill, or eternity would get very boring, very fast.

“Once,” he said, “I might have been a closet good guy. No longer.” The things he’d done… the things he would do if anyone hurt his woman… “Do you hope I’ll morph into someone like Aeron, who adheres to a strict moral code?”

“I like you just as you are.” Voice soft, she said, “Do you hope I’ll morph back into the tempestuous girl you knew before?”