Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
His focus and hers returned to the mirror.
It was like looking at herself through a kaleidoscope-the childish toys she had played with at the market after church-except instead of seeing a rainbow of fractured colors, she saw herself through all five senses. Suddenly she could smell her own scent-at least how she smelled to Caspen-which was warm and rich and something else she immediately recognized but couldn’t name.
The sea, Caspen supplied softly. You always smell like the sea.
Tem had never been to the sea. But her mother kept a bottle of salt spray on her dresser, and ever since Tem could remember, she had stolen spritzes from it for herself, spraying it in her hair to texturize her curls and rubbing it on her wrists so she could smell it throughout the day. She’d always been drawn to that clear glass bottle, always loved the cool, salty spray that made her dream of places far away from her life on the chicken farm.
Tem’s eyes-Caspen’s eyes-traveled over her body once again. The sensation was completely unnerving, and if Caspen weren’t holding her up, she was sure she would’ve fainted. But every time she came close to panicking again, Caspen calmed her down, soothing her with his mind as he showed her how it felt to look at her.
His gaze wasn’t sexual exactly, although it was impossible to remove sex from a basilisk’s mind entirely. It was more intimate than anything, and Tem watched in fascination as Caspen’s eyes explored the curve of her hips, the dip of her collarbones, the soft crease where her thighs pressed together. She felt his craving for her-the ache of want that lurked just beneath the surface of his thoughts-and the herculean effort it took him to suppress it.
There was such unrestrained certainty in his desire-such unparalleled ownership-that Tem finally understood what Caspen had said earlier. Protecting her was his most basic instinct. It was at the forefront of his mind, even greater than his lust, which was stronger than anything she had ever felt. Caspen wanted-needed-her. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice-including himself-if it would guarantee her safety. Tem couldn’t believe Caspen was willing to be this vulnerable. It was like seeing straight into his heart. Everything he had said was true.
He found her extraordinary.
Again and again, his gaze fell to her neck, where her pulse was visibly beating. She made a mental note that he liked that area.
That should not come as a surprise.
She had forgotten he could hear her thoughts. At this proximity, he could probably control them.
Nobody could control you, Tem. But even if I could, I would not.
She watched as Caspen traced his fingers slowly across her waist. The sensation was completely foreign to Tem. She could feel every one of her own heartbeats pounding insistently beneath his fingertips, speeding up as he trailed his hand down her stomach. The temperature of her skin increased the lower his hand went, and when he slipped his fingers inside her, she gasped but not because she felt anything between her legs.
Instead, she felt what he felt, which was a tidal wave of hunger so deeply animalistic and desperate that she had no idea how he didn’t unleash it immediately. He wanted her so badly-more, if it was even physically possible, than she wanted him. He wanted to taste her, he wanted to fuck her, he wanted to bury himself inside her. He wanted to hear the sounds she made when she came, and he wanted to hear them over and over and over again. He wanted to be the only one who understood her body, the only one who knew what turned her on, the only one to pleasure her.
Caspen wanted her on a primal level-one that went far beyond the limitations of his true form or her courtship with the prince. He wanted her in a way that was possessive, irreversible, and guaranteed to result in consequences if he didn’t have her. He wanted her more than life itself because a life without her wasn’t one he cared to live.
Finally, Tem understood the effect she had on Caspen-how irresistible she was to him. how far beyond the physical their connection truly went. She saw how they had been balancing on a treacherously thin knife’s edge ever since the night they met, and Caspen was finally done fighting the inevitable. She was his sun. He revolved around her.
“Now do you believe me?” he whispered in her ear.
Tem was back in her own mind, standing in front of the mirror.
For once, the answer was yes. But rather than say it, Tem did what she knew Caspen wanted most; she turned around and pressed her lips to his.
They fell onto his bed together, their bodies intertwining on the silk sheets.
He had kissed her many times already, but this time was different. This time, Caspen gave Tem no commands. This time, they were equals, both deserving of pleasure from the other. He was no longer her teacher; she was no longer his student. They were just two lovers, experiencing each other the way lovers should.
Tem had seen inside Caspen’s mind, so she knew everything he wanted to do with her. And yet he followed her lead, kissing her with tender devotion, only deepening the kiss when she pulled him closer, only slipping his fingers inside her when she spread her legs. His restraint only turned Tem on more. He was letting her take the lead, ceding his power-something he’d never done before.
He caressed her gently, his touch like a ripple in a still lake. Tem touched him too, pulling off his trousers and wrapping her fingers around his cock. Caspen let out a shudder as she did so, and at his reaction, Tem felt a sudden surge of confidence. She placed her palm flat on his chest, pushing him away from her.
Momentary concern flashed across Caspen’s face. Tem smiled softly to reassure him. Then she tilted her knees, allowing her legs to fall all the way open.
She was ready now.
“Tem,” Caspen breathed.
It was all he said, yet it was more than enough. For a moment, he did nothing but stare reverently at the center of her. Blackness overtook his eyes, driving away any trace of gold. The air around them grew even warmer as he bent forward, trailing his lips along the curve of her stomach. His fingers wrapped around her thighs, pulling them open even more. Caspen kissed the inner hollows of her legs-one and then the other.
He paused to look up at her, silently asking permission one last time. Tem nodded.
Then he lowered his head, and his mouth met the part of her she’d only ever dreamed a man would taste.
The second Caspen’s tongue touched her, a swell of hunger passed through his mind and into Tem’s, blurring the lines between them until she didn’t know where his desire ended and hers began. Tem moaned as he swirled his tongue slowly around her clitoris, easing his entire mouth against her. They had barely begun, yet she already felt like she was seconds away from losing control. Despite herself, she was suddenly self-conscious.
Tem. Caspen said in her mind. Let me do this for you.
Tem closed her eyes.
He was so, so good at this. Tem shouldn’t have been surprised; he’d had centuries of experience after all. But she wondered if his presence in her mind made him even better. It seemed like he was catering to her every thought. When she wished he would go deeper, he did. When she wished he would touch her a certain way, he did.
First his tongue was on her clitoris, then it was inside her, dipping into her wetness, tasting the heaven he’d wanted to taste for so long. There was no mistaking how much he liked it. She felt his adoration in every stroke, heard his devotion in the way his moans joined hers. He slid a finger inside her, and the temporary change in sensation made her weak. Tem knew he was widening her-coaxing her apart like the petals of a flower-preparing her for what was to come later.
She gasped as Caspen slipped another finger inside her, holding her open to give his tongue even greater access. It was exhilarating to have his head between her legs-to see him bow to her as if he were in prayer. Tem had no idea how she’d survived without such pleasure for so long, and if she never felt it again, she wouldn’t survive that either.
His tongue was unstoppable, his fingers pushing deeper and deeper. It felt better than she’d ever imagined, and she’d imagined it a hundred times. Caspen was losing himself in her, gaining as much as he was giving, devouring her as if he had been starving until this moment.
He began pumping his fingers in a steady rhythm, sucking on her clitoris at the same time. The combination of sensations was so overwhelming Tem covered her mouth with her hand, afraid of the noises she might make.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Her eyes flew open as Caspen sat up. He leaned forward, pulling her hand away from her mouth.
Do not hide from me.
Tem understood that there was nothing she could do that would push him away. He only wanted more from her-more from her body, more from her mind, more from her heart.
Instead of leaning down again, Caspen placed his entire palm between her legs, splaying his fingers flat on her stomach and working the heel of his hand back and forth over her wetness. The strict, repetitive motion was nearly more than Tem could bear. Her clitoris was throbbing beneath his relentless touch, and suddenly she couldn’t have stayed quiet if she’d tried.
Caspen watched her as he touched her, his eyes drinking in every inch of her body. Her hands went to her breasts, squeezing and cupping them in a mirror of their first interaction. Only now it was Caspen’s hand between her legs instead of her own; now they were doing what they were always meant to do-becoming what they were always meant to become.
Demand flared in Caspen’s eyes. He could only go so long without tasting her.
His head dipped again, and this time, Tem threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him as close as she could. She let out a desperate whine; it still wasn’t enough.
Caspen stilled his tongue.
Use me, Tem.
Tem understood his command. She tightened her grip, arching her hips to meet his mouth, grinding up against him again and again. He gripped her right back, making it easy for her to take exactly what she needed from him. Tem moaned shamelessly. There was simply nothing in the universe that felt better than this. She knew what was building within her; she knew she was about to fall apart for him.
Just when her climax was imminent, Caspen pulled away.
Tem drew in a sharp breath. She was so close. But Caspen had always been this way; he never let her have it easily.
Her clitoris was swollen and tender. She let out a helpless whimper as Caspen trailed a single finger over it, the motion setting her entire body on fire. His voice surged into her mind.
Mine. Only mine.
Tem nodded eagerly. Yours. Only yours.
His hiss of approval reverberated around the room.
Caspen lowered his head again, and this time, he stayed there. Between his fingers and his tongue, Tem couldn’t control herself anymore. Her moans became desperate as her back arched away from the sheets.
Caspen, she cried into her mind.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.