Marjorie Liu - Within the Flames

His lips brushed the back of her neck, while his strong fingers kneaded her left shoulder. Tingling sparks of pleasure raced through her, and she drew in an unsteady breath as she arched against him, wanting— needing —more.

There were so many risks involved. . but she couldn’t stand not to be touched. Not now, after having such a powerful taste of what she’d been missing, all these years.

Lyssa rolled over in his arms, letting the sleeping bag slip down her shoulder to reveal crimson scales and twisted muscle. Part of her breast was exposed, as well — and that was where his gaze lingered, with a hunger and desire that made the fire in her blood rise, and rise again.

His hand moved. She held her breath as he tugged down the sleeping bag, revealing her full breast — and when she saw his eyes darken even more, an ache spread through her, slow and heavy, pooling between her thighs.

Eddie’s expression was haunted, pained — his voice, little more than a rasp. “You’re beautiful.”

“No, I’m not—” began Lyssa softly, but once again he stopped her voice, only this time with his lips pressed against the reptilian flesh of her shoulder. He moved before she could stop him — but the tenderness of that kiss made tears spring to her eyes.

“You,” he whispered, “are beautiful.”

Lyssa sighed, and struggled closer, letting the sleeping bag slide down again. Eddie’s breathing roughened, a wave of heat pulsing off his skin — so much heat it could have been fire.

“Where else do you want to kiss me?” she whispered.

His gaze snapped to hers. “Are you sure?”

“You started this.”

“I wanted to. . make you feel safe.”

Lyssa brushed her lips over his jaw. “Neither of us is safe. We’re going to break each other’s hearts, remember?”

Eddie swallowed hard, heartbreak already in his eyes. “Tell me what you need.”

“This,” she told him. “You.”

“Yes,” he whispered, and covered her mouth in a searing kiss, his hand sliding beneath the sleeping bag to rest against the full curve of her breast. Pleasure shot through her, and she strained against him, reaching for his hand.

Before she could touch him, his thumb found her nipple, stroking it in sharp flicks that made her cry out in shocked pleasure. He replaced his thumb with his hot mouth, suckling hard, and even as she writhed against him, he cupped her breasts in his large, warm hands, pushing them together and squeezing as he ran his tongue and thumbs over her nipples, caressing them in an unrelenting rhythm that sent wave after wave of pleasure through her body.

She gasped his name, and he slid down her body, one hand lingering on her breast while his other trailed a blazing path against her side until his palm rested lightly between her legs. He kissed her hip, her thigh, then deeper, making her spread her thighs as his finger glided between the wet folds of her body, stroking — lightly at first, then with more pressure, slipping inside her in another kind of rhythm that tore a low moan from her throat.

His fingers pushed deeper, harder, and his mouth pressed hot against the hard nub of her clitoris, making her shake with such intense pleasure that Lyssa thought she’d explode. Her hips moved against his hand and mouth, her moans growing sharper, shorter. Desire built in throbbing waves, and just when she thought she could take no more, he slipped a third finger into her body and scraped his teeth against her.

Lyssa shattered, blind and lost, feeling all the threads of her soul unravel in one moment of pure pleasure.

Even when she came back to herself, it was slow and languid, her entire being focused on those heavy, blissful throbs that continued to wrack her trembling frame. Eddie’s fingers remained inside her body, rubbing her gently, and she tightened her thighs around his hand. He chuckled, making her shiver.

“That was. .” she whispered. “That was. . incredible.”

“Mmm,” he said, his voice so deep it was almost a purr. Lyssa hadn’t known he could make a sound like that, and she wanted to hear it again.

Slowly, with a great deal of reluctance, she tried to pull away from him. He grabbed her hip, holding her still.

“Not yet,” he murmured.

“I want to taste you,” she told him, and his eyes darkened.

Breathless, trembling — her heart pounding with dizzying force — she made him roll over on his back. His body was beautiful. Hard muscle, lean lines. His jaw was rigid, and so was the rest of him.

Lyssa wished she could be patient and explore every inch of his body, but right then, all she wanted was one thing.

His shaft was thick and heavy in her hand, and even before her mouth touched the tip of him, his chest started heaving for air. Sparks flew off his skin, along with a wave of terrible heat that only made her burn hotter for him.

Lyssa stroked him with her tongue, pulling away just enough to blow on his wet skin. He cried out, arching his hips, and she took him in her mouth again, more deeply, sucking hard. She kept her right hand balled in a fist, but her left hand touched the base of his shaft, caressing him with a featherlight touch as she ran her tongue up and down his entire length, again and again.

His hips jerked in rhythm to her tongue and hand, and he sat up, burying his fingers in her hair as she tried to move faster, harder. A groan tore from his throat, sharp pants, and when he said her name in his broken voice, it only excited her more.

Fire raced over his skin, flares of light. Lyssa sucked hard on the very tip of him, and at the same moment, squeezed his shaft in a tight, stroking grip.

Eddie fell back flat and let out a wordless cry as his hips bucked upward. Lyssa felt something wet and hot hit her cheek, but she stayed close as he continued to thrust hard against her hand and lips. She wanted very much to know what it would feel like for him to come inside her body.

When he was finally reduced to little more than a twitch, Lyssa crawled up his side and flopped across his body. She felt slick and hot, and wonderful. Especially when he made a low groaning sound that traveled from his chest into hers.

“Oh, my God,” he said.

Lyssa began to laugh, and Eddie rolled over on his side, making her do the same. He hooked his leg over her hip and slid his strong arm under her arm across her back, hitching her hard against him.

“Twenty-four/seven,” he said, looking into her eyes.

She wasn’t sure what she had expected him to say, but it wasn’t that. “What?”

Eddie kissed her, slow and gentle.

“Twenty-four/seven,” he murmured against her mouth. “I would stick with you. I would look over my shoulder with you. Every day, for the rest of my life.”

Her breath caught. “Wow. I really was good.”

He laughed and buried her against him. Lyssa melted into his embrace, savoring his heat and strength, and his soft, rumbling voice.

“Rest,” he said. “I’ll make sure nothing happens.”

Well,” she mumbled, suddenly shy. “If you’re the something that happens, that’s okay.”

He laughed again, more quietly, and pulled the sleeping bag over their bodies. She knew he didn’t feel the cold, and neither did she, but it felt like a cocoon, a nest, a real bed. . and she liked that.

Twenty-four/seven, she thought, closing her eyes and listening to his heartbeat.

I could love that.

For once, Lyssa did not dream. She didn’t even know she slept until she opened her eyes, and found herself in an entirely different position than the one she’d started in.

She lay on her back, sleeping bag partially tugged down. Eddie was on his side beside her, propped up on his elbow. At first she thought he had been watching her sleep, but his other hand was stroking her right arm. Just his fingertips, light and easy, tracing circles against her crimson scales.