Chapter 96: Nea (1) (R18)
I kept her wrists pinned gently above her head for just a moment longer.
The dim moonlight spilling through the window was my absolute best friend tonight. It illuminated every single inch of her.
She was breathtaking. I had seen her in heavy plate armor. I had seen her in her crisp vice captain uniform. I had seen her covered in mud and monster blood. But this was an entirely different level of intimidating.
Her body was a perfect testament to years of relentless training. Her stomach was tight and toned. Her legs were incredibly strong. Yet she was still entirely soft in all the right places.
"You are staring," Nea whispered. Her voice was slightly breathless.
"I am taking an inventory," I told her quietly. "I have to make sure the fearless Vice Captain is in perfect physical condition."
"And what is your professional assessment?" she challenged.
"Absolutely flawless," I said honestly.
A deep red flush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. The confident warrior facade cracked just a little bit more. It was incredibly satisfying to watch.
She shifted her weight under me.
"Your professional assessment is lacking one very important detail," she pointed out.
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"
"You are still wearing your stupid sleepwear," she said.
She let go of the sheets and brought her hands down. She grabbed the fabric of my shirt and tugged at it impatiently.
I chuckled softly. I sat up just enough to pull the shirt over my head. I threw it blindly across the room. It landed somewhere in the dark corner near my desk. I kicked my loose pants off a second later.
I leaned back down.
The very first moment my bare chest pressed against hers was completely electric.
A visible shudder ran through her entire body. It was better than any magical explosion. It was warmer than a fireball. The feeling of her bare skin against mine completely short circuited my brain for a few seconds.
She let out a soft gasp. Her hands immediately went to my back. Her fingers traced the lines of my spine. Her nails lightly scratched my skin. It sent a massive wave of shivers straight down to my core.
I lowered my head and pressed my lips against her neck.
She tasted like expensive soap and pure adrenaline. I kissed the soft pulse point right below her jaw. Her heart was beating incredibly fast against my lips.
"Axel," she breathed out my name.
Not Phantom. Just Axel.
I trailed my kisses slowly down her collarbone. I wanted to take my time. I wanted to memorize every single reaction she had to my touch.
I traced a long pale scar on her left shoulder with my thumb. It was an old injury. The skin was smooth but slightly raised.
"Training accident?" I asked softly between kisses.
"Goblin ambush," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered shut. "I was sixteen. I thought I could take on five of them at once."
"Stupid goblins," I said.
I pressed a gentle kiss right over the old scar.
Nea let out a quiet sigh. Her hands pulled me closer.
I moved my hands down her arms. I felt the firm muscles flex under my palms. I laced my fingers through hers. I felt the rough callouses on her palms from years of tightly gripping a heavy sword. I unlaced our fingers and kissed those callouses too.
She was a warrior. She had fought for her life countless times. But right now she was completely unravelling beneath me.
I moved my attention lower.
I kissed my way down the center of her chest. I felt her breath hitch in her throat.
The air in my bedroom was suddenly suffocatingly hot. The cold night breeze blowing against the window outside did not matter at all. The entire world was reduced to the four corners of this bed.
I dragged my hands down her sides. I mapped out the curve of her waist. I squeezed her hips gently. Her skin was burning hot under my touch.
She squirmed beneath me. Her grip on my shoulders tightened significantly.
"You are moving too slow," she complained. Her voice was completely strained.
"Patience is a virtue," I teased her. I pressed a lingering kiss against her tight stomach. "Good things come to those who wait."
She arched her back right off the mattress.
"I am a knight," she shot back. "We do not wait. We charge straight into battle."
Before I could even process her words the world spun around.
She grabbed my shoulders with a sudden burst of terrifying strength. She twisted her body and pushed her weight against me.
Suddenly I was the one lying flat on my back.
Nea straddled my hips.
Her silver hair fell forward like a beautiful curtain. It blocked out the moonlight and created a tiny private tent just for the two of us. Her charming eyes looked down at me. They were dark and heavy with a very specific kind of danger. The absolute best kind.
"Well then," I smiled up at her. "I surrender."
"Good," she whispered.
She leaned down and kissed me. It was not a slow exploration anymore. It was demanding and hungry.
Her tongue pushed past my lips. She tasted completely intoxicating. I wrapped my arms around her lower back and pulled her flush against me.
She ground her hips down against mine.
The friction was entirely too much to handle. A loud groan completely escaped my throat. I could not hold it back. The physical contact was driving me absolutely insane.
Nea smiled against my lips. She knew exactly what she was doing.
She rocked her hips again. My hands gripped her waist tightly. I dug my fingers into her soft skin. I was trying desperately to hold onto my last remaining shreds of self control.
But it was a completely losing battle.
The playful banter died completely in the dark room. There was no more room for jokes. There was no more room for talking at all.
Her breathing was heavy and ragged. My own heart was pounding so hard I thought it might actually break my ribs. The temperature in the room had reached an absolute boiling point.
She pulled back just an inch to look at me. Her face was flushed. Her lips were swollen from my kisses.
She looked absolutely desperate.
And I knew for a fact that I felt the exact same way.
Neither of us could wait a single second longer.