XXX

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

She awoke the next morning pressed against a warm body and a soft sigh escaped her. It took several breaths for Lillian's eyes to pop open as realisation began to dawn on her.

Her vision cleared and her mind oriented itself to the morning light filtering into the chamber, and her body stilled entirely.

The male beside her was sprawled on his back, an arm tucked behind his head that was turned to her as she lay upon his shoulder, the other arm wrapped around her protectively. It took her a couple of moments to determine that he was asleep yet, muted sunlight dappling his skin invitingly, and that's when Lillian allowed herself to relax and take pleasure in simply studying him.

In sleep, Aëghan was devoid of his cavalier veneer, his edge of titillating wickedness. The devastating contours of his face were peaceful in rest, his lashes laying heavily upon the cusp of his cheeks while his inky hair sprawled haphazardly across his brow and pillow.

She admired the slant of his nose, the full lines of his wide lips and strong jaw, before travelling down the length of his throat to the steady and even rise of his chest.

He was, she knew, a fine specimen and well he knew it, too, but she couldn't help but appreciate the thick slabs of muscle and flesh that stretched over the expanse of his torso. Her gaze continued south, lingering on the taut ridges and valleys of his abdomen, and it was only when she strayed to that solitary freckle she found absolutely fascinating above his navel that she realised where the covers had drifted, the edge draped scandalously low across his hips.

And the massive bulge tenting the fabric.

Her eyes snapped back up to the male's face in shock, but Aëghan was still resplendently indolent in his slumber and didn't appear inclined to rouse at all despite his body's evident need to.

Lillian's curiosity got the better of her and once more she allowed her gaze to drop, her fingers skirting over the warm flesh of his stomach. Surprisingly, she couldn't find it within herself to be shocked at her blatantly bold actions.

She wanted to touch him. She practically itched with the desire to touch him.

She doubted there would be a day that passed that she didn't want to lavish in the sensation of being pressed up against his naked body.

When her fingers strayed to the edge of the coverlet, she hesitated, sure that the muscles beneath her fingers twitched-

"Curiosity, I am told," his sleep-heavy voice murmured, his lips moving against her hair, "killed the cat."

She snapped her gaze to his, tilting her head back against his shoulder, and even though his face still wore the effects of his slumber, his eyes were alert with desire.

The overall effect of a sleepy and aroused Aëghan made her mouth dry and lower abdomen clench.

As if he knew this, he grinned lazily and caught her hand that had strayed over his skin and flattened it against his stomach. "I am not averse to you assuaging your curiosity, little cat. Let me assure you that the end result will be nothing short of pleasurable for the both of us."

He guided her hand under the covers, using his fingers to curl hers around the base of his hard shaft with a tightness that surprised her.

"You have a terribly high opinion of your abilities," Lillian said provokingly.

"Have I not proven the right to them?"

"You cannot expect me to answer that."

His gaze darkened and all residue of sleep fled his countenance with startling alacrity. He had flipped her onto her back before she had a full comprehension of her world tilting, and then he leaned over her with devilish intent blazing through his gaze.

"Aëghan-"

"Lillian," he mimicked, pinning her wrists above her head and holding her there. His hair flopped over his brow and temples with such boyish appeal her heart squeezed for it. "You must realise that my pride compels me to show you just how I can prove it to you- in so many, many ways."

She licked her lips, hoping he wouldn't notice just how badly his words affected her, but of course he did- the incorrigible man knew exactly what he was doing.

Especially when it came to her. "You mean... magically?" Her cheeks heated at the question, but ever since he had insinuated his capabilities in that department, Lillian had kept the notion at the peripherals of her interest and now... her curiosity was piqued.

His entire expression darkened with a rapt intensity that was new and he clicked his tongue at her. "Little cat, I don't need magic to make you fall apart, but it is one way." Her expression must have been acutely interesting to Aëghan for he tilted his head to the side to consider her with his own brand of curiosity. "You would like me to show you?"

Above her, from the canopy of the bed frame, the evergreen vines that grew prolifically throughout the ruins began to writhe and shift, two uncurling with an elegant slowness towards them. The movement shook delicate blooms from above to float softly atop the mattress.

"Maybe." There was a hitch to her voice. "I am... not sure."

A satisfied look settled over him and he released her wrists, only to have his hold replaced by the narrow tips of the vines that had finished their descent. She felt them wrap around her wrists with an infinite softness, the smooth, waxy tendrils cool as they met her skin.

Her heart increased in pace, equal parts surprise, arousal and trepidation rushing through her at the restrictions.

"You are in control, Lillian," Aëghan said, drawing her attention back to him, "over me, over this- never doubt that. Only tell me to stop, and I will. Do you trust me?"

His eyes were almost impenetrable  with their darkness, only a thin edge of tumultuous dark blue surrounding his pupils, but she knew the answer to that question as if it were ingrained into her very soul and essence. "Yes."

"Do you want me to show you?"

"Yes."

There was something viscerally carnal about the way he smiled at her then, and immediately the vines shifted, pulling her arms taut above her head. She shot a look at him wildly, her heart hammering at the change, at her vulnerability, but Aëghan dipped his head so that his smiling mouth was a breath away from her lips.

"You're safe, little cat. I would never harm you, or do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable. I can remove the restraints if you like..."

She swallowed heavily, her fingers clenching into fists. Inwardly, she knew the truth of his words, felt how safe he made her feel, but she was contending with years of restraint, imprisonment and other forms of torment that were endeavouring to make an appearance.

But she was no longer in that realm, and it was with no small amount of irony that Lillian knew the male above her was the only person to make her feel safe and protected in a very long time... and she had as much control over her feelings about him as she did with the tremors that made her fingers shake.

"No," she told him, her voice a quiet rasp, "no, don't remove them." She lifted her lips to his but he reared away from her, a teasing grin lighting his eyes as he dipped his head to the side and began to graze kisses along the edge of her jaw.

"You are not to do anything," he reprimanded in a dark whisper once he reached the shell of her ear. "The only thing you are to do is make those delicious little sounds you do when you are close to coming."

"Aëghan-"

"And my name." He nipped her, dragging his teeth lightly down the side of her neck. "My name you can definitely use."

Her skin burst with heat and she barely stifled the urge to writhe against the bedding. It hardly helped that his lips were descending, brushing over the ridges of her collarbone and lingering there to administer yet more devastation. A tiny prick of pain mingled with the pleasure coursing through her veins and she gasped, but Aëghan was moving relentlessly, purposefully.

His fingers trailed over her flank, tracing every line of a scar with aching tenderness, following its path over her hips and then back up the rise and fall of her ribs until he traced one side of her breast. She couldn't help arching into his touch then, eager to feel his large hand encasing her, but he held out yet with a gruff laugh that sounded far too pleased.

Her wrists twisted against the vines and though their hold wasn't by any means harsh, it was certainly firm, and she yearned to reach for him, to exact the same torment...

Her thoughts fled her mind entirely when his mouth hovered tauntingly over a nipple, his breath hot against her sensitive flesh, and every fibre in her being was begging him to devour her and end her misery. For a brief moment, his gaze flitted up to hers, pinning her with its intensity, and his lips curled to groove his cheeks with a lascivious smile that almost ended her then and there, but he tilted his head to the side and she could have whimpered her frustration to the ceiling.

Where his fingers had lingered but moments before was now followed by his lips, trailing soft kisses along the delicate scar tissue that webbed the left side of her body. It was aching torture, sweet and ardent, and she fought against the need to cover herself against his administrations, sensing that he was conveying something important to her with the deliberate caresses. He spared her no respite as he traversed her body, skimming his tongue against her flesh as he traced the path of a particular scar that curved into her hip. Her abdomen clenched, hot need pooling between her legs, and she twisted her thighs to the side.

It was torture, whatever he intended for her, and she wasn't sure she could endure it without begging him to put an end to her misery. "Aëghan," she yelped, feeling his tongue graze the seam where her thigh met her hip. "This is too much."

"Truly?" His dark chuckle followed the word, his mouth blazing a trail towards her navel. "And I haven't even begun yet."

"What-" But the rest of her words lodged in her throat when he suddenly lifted her thigh and propped it upon his shoulder, shifting his position over her with predatory intent, and then did the same for the other. "Oh, God."

His gaze met hers again, dark and blazing. "Remember," he murmured, "if you want me to stop, if it's too much, tell me- I will."

She couldn't speak, her throat constricting, and she nodded jerkily instead. Her stomach fluttered with uncertainty, but then his gaze landed on her core spread before him.

Such rapt admiration was displayed on his face then that she scarcely knew how to feel about being on display in such a wantonly sordid way. Thankfully, she didn't have long to dwell on it as soon his head was descending between her thighs and then his mouth was on her, and the world around her ceased to exist entirely.

With the first languid swipe of his tongue, Lillian convulsed, her fingers wrapping around the tight cords of vines, her thighs unconsciously slamming closed. A gruff sound escaped him then before he pointedly spread her wide, fingers splayed on her inner thighs and pinning her in place. She was helpless and lost in sensation, entirely at his whim, and she could only dig her heels into his unrelenting back and squirm against his lips.

It was an insistent plundering, the manner in which he devoured her, allowing her little respite, little reprieve in which to comprehend the sordid things he was doing to her body.

First, he swept his tongue boldly across her heated flesh, lingering on a sensitive part of her at the apex of her sex that spasmed deliciously with the slightest provocation. As if sensing that lingering upon it would make her come apart against his mouth, he continued his administrations lower, edging the tip of his tongue against the aching entrance of her body, and Lillian knew then how desperately she craved him to fill her.

Her gasp transformed into a choked groan when he plunged into her, his fingers tightening their grip on her thighs when her back bowed and her hips thrust against his lips unconsciously. Again and again he exacted the torment upon her until she could only whimper obscenities to the ceiling while her body writhed with pleasure.

But he denied her release, keeping her quivering on that exquisite precipice by not giving her what he knew she needed, and when she made an attempt to inarticulately beg him for it, he seemed to pause for a moment. A dark chuckle was muffled between her thighs, then his tongue found that pinnacle that made her convulse, a hand leaving her thigh to delve a finger deep into her channel...

"I wonder," he mused aloud, his voice a rough abrasion against her fragmented mind, serving to rouse her briefly from the pools of delirium he had created, "how long you will last."

"W-what?"

That familiar, roguish smile made her grind her teeth together. She was still open for him, her sex weeping against his fingers, so close to finding her release that she wriggled in a way she hoped would entice him to continue. "I rather believe you will be begging me to end it soon enough," he taunted, and just as she lifted her head to glower at him, Aëghan ducked his head once more, his tongue flicking eagerly between the seam of her folds and finding that place.

Her head tilted backwards, her neck and back arched as she rocked her hips. Immediately her body was awash with tingling awareness, of a building crescendo, and Aëghan worked her eagerly to release, his fingers pushing deep in a rhythm that matched the assault of his tongue.

And her body shattered resplendently, or rather it crashed- like a wave against jagged rocks, her body trembling as pinpoints of exquisite sensation ricocheted through every nerve-ending that she felt from the points of her toes to the roots of her hair.

As she expected the wave to recede, to end and disappear into oblivion, it rather continued.

Lillian groaned, her thighs clamping over Aëghan's ears, as more waves began to follow the one that hadn't finished its course. Seemingly endless, there was no recession of the climax he had inflicted upon her, and her body quivered as wave after wave continued to barrel over her. It was soon clear, even in her dazed state, what was about.

"Aëghan," she managed to choke out. "What are you doing?"

His head lifted from her, and the never-ending barrage of her release continued regardless, making her whimper at the realisation. "So soon?" He gazed down at her with a crooked grin, even as she rocked her hips shamelessly against his hand, even as her legs and arms trembled uncontrollably. "Would you like me to stop?"

"M-magic?" She could scarcely talk, could barely remember her own name let alone coherent sentences, yet she had to know- had to confirm- that it was his magic that had made her into this.

And, God help her, she didn't want it to end even though she doubted her body's capability to endure much more.

"Mmm." He crawled over her then, pressing his body into hers, and dimly she was aware of the vines loosening, freeing the movements of her hands. "I could watch you fall apart like this for the rest of my life."

It was the sweetest agony, a continuous descent, and when she felt the hard bar of his cock against her abdomen, a desperate sort of need came over her then. Somehow, she raised her arms, her fingers digging into his shoulders, and her legs wrapped around his hips. "N-need you," she moaned. "Inside. N-now."

He hissed out a breath, his humour dissipating. "Little cat," Aëghan seethed, tensing above her, and too late she comprehended why when she found her hands had drifted low over his back, raking her nails into his flesh as her climax continued to explode through her. But then he shifted, whispering fervently against her neck words that she didn't recognise, before she felt his length filling her. She felt her body gripping him, pulling him into her, and the combination only served to make her too sensitized.

A choked groan emanated from her as she clung to him. "Too much!" Lillian rasped. "Aëghan, s-stop."

He knew exactly what she was about, and the climax that had been exploding ceaselessly through her body began its gentle ebb into the abyss, leaving in its wake her throbbing core and limbs that trembled like brittle twigs.

She felt his smile against her neck. He was still embedded deep within her, unmoving yet, as she fought to catch her breath beneath him. When she had calmed somewhat, her heartbeat decreasing to a more manageable tempo, Lillian became aware of the sweat that made her skin slick and her hair plaster to her temples and neck.

"Not bad," Aëghan murmured against her skin. "Next time, we will see if you can last longer than a paltry minute."

A minute? Her body felt as if it had been put through a bout of strenuous exercise and more, and it certainly hadn't felt like a minute... it had felt like an eternity, perhaps more...

Her voice was a hoarse croak when she found the words to rebuke him. "You do not play fair. I was not prepared."

"Oh, dear. My mistake. Next time I'll be sure to prepare you thoroughly."

She felt her cheeks burn afresh with a flush that bled into the rest of her body at the insinuating tone of his words. "You are a wicked, incorrigible, deviant, Aëghan Dranora."

He lifted his head from her shoulder, a smile to match her description curving his lips. "Best you believe it, Lillian Adams."

And then he began to move inside her with a reverence that immediately stole her breath.

Right then, Lillian did believe it, because there was no other explanation in her mind as to how and why her body reacted the way it did to him.