A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)(105)

While I’m exploring, he breaks the kiss and slowly unravels my braid, spreading my hair around my shoulders. He rubs a dark curl between his fingertips, and my heart thuds against my ribs. He looks at me like he might not be able to breathe without me—like maybe he wouldn’t even want to. I suddenly feel the weight of the world on my shoulders like never before.

It’s too much.

When I ran, I didn’t just run from my family; I ran from responsibility. The day Griffin came into my life, it came back—him, Beta Team, his family, the realm itself…

I don’t want this.

I don’t want this.

One more time and I might convince myself…

“Take off my tunic,” Griffin orders gruffly.

My pulse surges in my ears, whooshing like a cyclone. I’m so close. So close to…making myself more vulnerable than ever?

Bitterness sweeps through me. I close my eyes. My hands fall to my sides. I can’t do this. I can’t dig Griffin’s grave.

A stormy ocean rages to life behind my closed eyelids. Lightning bolts split the sky. Ragged, blinding trails of light reflect off chaotic waves as an enormous, dark trident rises from the depths, cascading foaming seawater and Olympian power.

I almost gasp out loud. “Now? Really?”

“You reject our gift!” Poseidon’s voice is an angry tempest in my head.

“Griffin? A gift from the Gods? I’d better not tell him that, or I’ll be hearing about it for the rest of my days.”

“We gave him to you!” my God Father explodes. He’s mighty and terrifying. He doesn’t appreciate my humor.

“Why?”

Poseidon gives me the same answer he gave before. “Healing.”

“I don’t know what that means!”

The storm vanishes along with the trident, the lightning, and the waves.

The husky rumble of Griffin’s voice brings me back to the room. “Agapi mou?”

His love. I open my eyes. The man before me fills my vision. He fills my heart.

Griffin’s jaw is set sternly. He gives me that hard stare of his. “Stop questioning. Just take off my shirt.”

If I undress him, am I giving my consent? I think so, and I’m petrified, but I do it anyway. Andromeda took my childhood. She took my dog. She took my nurse. She took my sister. She probably even took a chunk of my sanity. I won’t let her deprive me of Griffin and a family of my own—a happy one, if I can help it. And for some reason, the Gods want us to join. Poseidon couldn’t have been clearer. I’ve never gone against his wishes. It would be really stupid to start now.

I take a deep breath and pull off Griffin’s tunic. He somehow manages to look relieved and alarmingly intense at the same time.

I swallow, nervous. “I might not live up to your expectations.”

He takes my hands and puts them back on his chest, my palms flat. His skin is hot and smooth over chiseled muscle. “I doubt that.”

I flush at his gravelly tone and slide my hands over his torso, my fingers bumping over the hard ridges of his abdomen. He groans even though I haven’t really done anything, the sound a raw mix of need and strained control. My heartbeat turns erratic, pounding with fear, excitement, and want. I lean forward and kiss him. The tips of my breasts sway against his chest, and my nipples stiffen.

Griffin’s hands clamp around my waist. He lifts me into him to deepen the kiss, and I wrap one hand around his neck and slip the other downward. My nails brush his erection through his clothes, and it jumps in response, surprising me. A nervous flutter ricochets around my belly. I want to touch him, please him. I tug open his pants, take him in my hand, and cautiously squeeze.

A harsh breath explodes across my cheek. Griffin goes still, seeming to forget he was kissing me. I glance down at his arousal. The skin is soft, but he’s steely hard. It’s a rather amazing contradiction. I carefully run my hand up and down his thick length, marveling at my discovery. I do it again, this time brushing my thumb over the blunt tip and feeling a bead of moisture there.

Griffin tenses. He backs away and then removes the rest of his clothing with his typical speed. When he’s done, his enormous erection juts out at me. It’s hard not to be intimidated by it. I can’t stop staring.

I lick my suddenly dry lips. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

“It’ll work.”

His smoldering gaze travels over me. I’m kneeling naked on the bed, my hair loose, my skin flushed, and my nipples hard. I stop breathing as I look at him, taking in his trim waist, hard thighs, and crisp hair. I reach out and trace the ridge of muscle making an indent near his hip.

Griffin’s eyes blaze, and he topples me over with a hearty push. I fall back, confused, and then squeak when he grabs me behind the knees and drags me to the edge of the bed. Before I have any idea what he’s doing, he kneels on the floor and lowers his mouth between my legs.

“Griffin!” I jump, but his hands are on my hips, holding me down.

“Relax.” His voice vibrates against me. Through me. His tongue sweeps up, parting my folds and hitting my sensitive nerve endings. My eyes go wide as the most incredible sensation spirals around my body. Then he sucks, sending a sharp burst of pleasure through me. Light flashes. Thunder rattles the bed. My mouth drops open, and my head falls back. I moan, my knees spreading wide.