House of Royale (Secret Keepers #4)(34)

The overlord marks extended down his neck just a little, but his chest was bare, and I took my time running both hands across the smooth skin. He was like me, not a lot of body hair, but there was still enough for me to trace.

I’d been so consumed with his amazing chest—what could I say, I was definitely a pecs and abs sort of girl—that I’d missed the fact he’d managed to get his pants off without dislodging me. He wore boxer briefs underneath, and as I let my eyes roam across the muscled length of his thighs, I wondered if I might have been a little hasty in choosing my favorite parts.

Xander was fucking incredible. Damn him.

He distracted me when he lifted me up with one hand, somehow removing my pants with the other so I was now clad only in bra and underwear. Xander took his time, just as I had done, to explore my body.

“You’re perfect,” he said under his breath. And then he added, so low I almost didn’t hear him, “Of course you are.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I did like that he was as attracted to me as I was to him. When he reached out and linked his fingers through mine on my scarred hand, I started to think I was in way over my head. There was no way to remain impartial to someone like Xander.

In desperate need, I leaned forward. Xander rose up to meet me in a searing kiss. I opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to sweep against mine, and we moved frantically together, underwear the only thing keeping our bodies from joining.

When Xander pulled away from me, my breathing was heavy. “Please tell me you have condoms,” I huffed, as I pulled my hand from his so I could thread my fingers through his hair.

He groaned as I pulled his head closer to mine. “Xander?” I asked, more demand in my tone. “Protection … do you have some?”

He shook his head. “Fuck. No, I don’t. We don’t require the same sort of birth control that humans use.”

I stilled against him, my body aching. The last thing either of us needed was a child to deal with. That would really hurt the “friends with benefits” arrangement. We stared at each other for an extended moment, unsure what to do next, then his expression brightened. “Wait, Lexen might. I’ll check his room. Don’t go anywhere.”

In a flash, he lifted me up and then he was gone. With a groan, I rolled facedown, closed my eyes, and screamed into the bed, the sound almost completely muffled. I was so damn turned on right then I couldn’t think straight.

Strong arms lifting and turning me had my eyes flying open again. Xander wore a satisfied look on his face as he settled me back onto his lap. “We good?” I asked him.

His smiled broadened. “We’re good for five rounds. Do you think that’ll be enough?”

I laughed, wondering where this bold, sexy side of me had come from. I’d never been this way in the past, but something about Xander….

“For now,” I replied.

His eyes went dark and hooded. He dropped the foil packets on the bed, reached out, and cupped my face. My lips parted and all breath rushed out of me as he leaned forward and kissed me again. This time it was controlled, slow. I could feel the softness of his full lips and taste the slight saltiness.

“I’m predicting that sex with you might just kill me,” he said, when he pulled away.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Only one way to find out.”

In a flash he flipped me over, dropping me back on the bed so he could crawl over the top of me. His lips pressed into my stomach, and my muscles there tensed as I started to move on the bed. I couldn’t seem to stay still. I needed … everything.

“God,” I gasped, fisting the bedsheets as he moved lower.

Using his teeth, he slowly pulled my underwear down, his hands under my butt to lift me higher. My head was spinning. I wondered if you could actually die from pleasure overload. Every part of my skin was on fire, sensitive to the point where the bed felt like it was sparking energy across my body.

When my underwear was gone, Xander returned to exploring my body, taking his time as he touched me, moving his tongue over me. “I need…,” I begged.

“You need…,” he repeated, lifting his head up.

“More,” I gasped out. “I need more. Now.”

He tilted his head to the side and his beautiful eyes shone. “All you had to do was ask, Avalon.”

He reached for the protection, and somehow got naked and put the condom on in the same single movement. For someone who didn’t normally need to use protection, he was skilled at getting it on. He moved over the top of me again, and I reached out to wrap my arms around him. As he lowered down toward me, my legs wrapped around him too.

“I’m really liking the 'benefits' part of this arrangement,” I murmured as he slowly entered me. So slowly that it was almost like torture. The sort of torture I would sign myself up for anyday.

“I got you, Avalon,” he murmured, his lips already moving across my throat as his body moved inside of mine. “You will never leave my bed unsatisfied.”

As another gasp left me, I knew that every word he spoke was the truth. As long as I could continue to protect my heart, I was in safe hands with Xander.





12





It turned out that five was the exact right number of condoms needed to satisfy Xander. And … if I was being truly honest, me as well. By the end I was exhausted and fulfilled in a way I’d never been before. Daelighters had a lot more stamina than human males, that I could attest to. I’d only been with a few guys before Xander, of course. The ocean was a much bigger priority to me than sex, but the difference was very clear.