Chapter 84

Her fingers barely spanned the breadth of him, her hands unable to fully enclose his length.

Swollen with heat, thick veins pulsed beneath her touch, each throb vivid and undeniable.

Elena swallowed hard, her palm tingling with the steady rhythm of his pulse, as if she were holding something alive. The feverish warmth radiating from him made the bathwater around them feel cool by comparison.

Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but Kennard’s grip tightened over the back of her hand, his fingers pressing her firmly against him.

“Don’t let go.” His voice was a low murmur, coaxing, insistent. He guided her fingers more securely around him, pressing her palm flush against his heat. 

“This is what fills you. What stretches you. What keeps you gasping.”

As he whispered, his lips brushed over hers, his tongue sweeping lightly across her lower lip.

Then, without warning, he moved her hand.

A sharp breath hitched in her throat as he led her in slow, deliberate strokes, her fingers gliding over the rigid heat beneath them.

“Ah… Your Grace…”

Water sloshed gently around them, rippling with the rhythm of their entwined hands.

“Here. Hold it like this.” Kennard slipped one of her hands higher, guiding it to rest just beneath the tip. His fingers laced with hers, pressing her against him, showing her how to touch him.

Elena watched, transfixed, as her hand moved beneath his, responding to his lead despite herself.

At her hesitant caress, his arousal only grew, standing taut and unyielding in her grasp. A single bead of liquid gathered at the tip before slipping downward, untouched by the warmth of the water. She swallowed again, her breath unsteady.

Kennard’s fingers curled more tightly over hers. “Just like that,” he murmured.

“Your Grace, please…” Elena’s voice trembled, her body shrinking under the weight of her own embarrassment.

Kennard merely watched her, the corners of his mouth curling with satisfaction. His amber eyes gleamed, dark with intent, as though he could devour her whole.

“I want to taste everything about you…” His gaze roamed over her, deliberate and unhurried. “Even these petal-like lips.”

His words faded into a whisper as he claimed her mouth, his lips molding over hers with slow, intoxicating purpose.

“And your tongue, sweet as honey…”

This time, he pressed deeper, capturing her tongue, teasing, coaxing—leaving no space between them.

“And this delicate throat of yours, so fragile… as if it might break.”

With every word, he followed through.

His lips trailed downward, his breath ghosting over the column of her throat before his teeth found her collarbone.

A sharp sting.

Elena gasped, wincing as the sensation spread through her, a mixture of pain and something dangerously close to pleasure.

But Kennard didn’t stop. His mouth drifted lower, his lips brushing over the soft swell of her bre*sts before his tongue traced the curve.

A low hum rumbled from his chest as he inhaled deeply, as if savoring her scent.

“So soft… ripe like the sweetest fruit.”

His lips sealed over her flesh, sucking insistently, drawing a helpless moan from her lips.

“Your Grace—!”

Her head tipped back as a wave of sensation rushed through her, sharp and tingling, making her fingers twitch involuntarily.

A moment later, she realized—she had clenched her hand around him.

A deep groan escaped Kennard, his body tensing, a quiet shudder rolling through him. His response only made the heat inside her coil tighter.

His teeth grazed her, his lips closing around her peaked flesh, teasing, rolling, until the sensation sent a shiver racing down her spine.

“This little thing…” He flicked his tongue, then sucked hard, making her gasp. “Always begging to be nibbled on.” His voice was thick, languid with desire.

He released her with a soft pop, only to return with renewed hunger.

“Do you know how you feel when I’m inside you? The way you hold onto me, as if you never want to let go…”

His words sent an undeniable heat rushing through her.

His hands, his lips, his tongue—every touch sent pulses of warmth through her skin, a lingering ache, a tingling pleasure that left her trembling beneath him.

“Mmm… that feels strange.”

The sensation was unlike anything else—each kiss, each caress, sending ripples of pleasure through her, leaving her unable to resist the way her body responded.

Kennard’s lips traveled lower, his mouth claiming the untouched curves of her body with growing insistence.

“I want all of you,” he murmured against her skin, his breath warm, his voice thick with hunger. “Every inch. Every secret.”

His hands guided hers, wrapping her fingers around him.

Elena’s breath caught as she felt the heat radiating from him, the hard weight in her grasp pulsing beneath her touch.

A single bead of liquid spilled from the tip, dissolving into the water, a fleeting trace of evidence between them.

Just as she adjusted to the sensation, Kennard’s free hand slipped beneath her.

Elena gasped, instinctively trying to pull away, but he drew her knees up, trapping her against him.

“I want to taste you, too,” he whispered, his voice laced with something dark and intoxicating. “But my lips won’t fit.”

And then—his fingers plunged inside her.

A sharp cry left her lips as he curled them, exploring, pressing, stroking.

The heat that spread through her was unbearable. It curled around her spine, spilling to the very tips of her toes.

Her thighs clenched, but Kennard only pressed deeper, stretching her in ways that made her entire body tremble.

Water sloshed around them, each movement sending ripples outward.

Elena threw her head back, her hands tightening around him, squeezing—

A low, guttural groan escaped his lips.

Kennard’s grip on her waist tightened, his lips returning to her skin, his tongue teasing, flicking, drawing her deeper into sensation.

She felt as though she were unraveling, melting into him entirely.

“Your Majesty… please…”

The words left her in a plea she hadn’t meant to voice.

Kennard stilled. His golden gaze flickered up at her, dark, expectant.

“What is it you want?”

Elena bit her lip, unable to answer, her face flushed with heat.

His fingers inside her moved—slow, deliberate, coaxing.

A helpless whimper escaped her lips.

Kennard’s breath fanned over her skin as he lowered his mouth, tasting, teasing.

“Tell me,” he urged. “Say it.”

The tension coiled tighter, unbearable now, stealing the very breath from her lungs.

“Give me…” Her voice was barely a whisper, feverish and trembling. “Give me you.”

Kennard inhaled sharply, his restraint fraying.

He lifted her, aligning her body with his, guiding her with hands that trembled with control.

“Elena.”

Her name was a prayer, a plea, a promise.

And then—

A gasp.

A sharp, shuddering inhale.

A pleasure so intense it blurred the lines between sensation and surrender.

She clung to him, her fingers digging into his shoulders, leaving invisible marks in their wake.

Kennard buried his face against her throat, his voice ragged as he called her name again and again, holding her so tightly she thought she might break.

And yet, in his arms, she had never felt more whole.