Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,155

and you didn’t let it change who you are inside—here.” His finger touched my heart, and he smiled tightly. “They didn’t win; you did. You refused to allow them any power over you, and you’re not going to give it to them tonight. Not on your wedding night. You only get one, and I intend to make damn sure you enjoy it as much as me.” I nodded and smiled tightly. “Your walls are down, wife.”

“So they are,” I whispered. Knox smiled, pushing my hair away from my face, and I held his eyes without allowing my walls to rise again.

He reached up, removing my crown, setting it on the table next to his. Lifting his hand, he captured my face as he tilted my chin, claiming my lips in a soft kiss before pulling back. Knox moved around me, pushing the wispy strands of hair away from my neck as he kissed my shoulder, undoing the clasp at the back of my neck.

“You’re a beautiful bride. You’re more than I deserve,” he whispered.

The dress slid down my body, and his fingertips trailed over my shoulders and down my arms slowly. Knox’s touch sent a shiver racing down my spine as heat pooled in my belly. He turned me around, smirking as he caught the worry dancing in my eyes.

“Can I wash you, Aria? Can I wash away their touch, replace it with mine, and show you how fucking much I want you?”

“You’re seducing me. Aren’t you?” I asked, noting his eyes sparkled with dark desire, realizing he was showing me up again.

His mouth curved into a sexy grin as he leaned over, whispering against my ear. “Is it working? I think it is.” Knox kissed the skin behind my ear, sending a shiver of anticipation rushing through me. “I can smell your body preparing for me. Your spine is arching, getting ready for me to take you hard and fast.” His fingers leisurely danced down my spine, grabbing my ass hard, forcing a moan from my parted lips. “Your pupils are fully dilated, and right now, your stomach is tightening with the need for me to spread your legs and fill you full of me. Do you want that, Aria? I want that so fucking bad right now.”

“Brander seriously needs to up his game if you’re his competition.”

Teeth scraped my shoulder, nipping it in silent warning while his fingers drew a bulls-eye on my stomach. At least, that’s what I assumed he was drawing on my skin. Knox turned me again, gliding his fingers through my hair as he bared my throat, dragging his heated breath over my racing pulse. His other hand slid between my thighs, pushing against the lace panties I still wore, creating friction.

“I’m going to need your decision. I’m barely able to contain my need to bend you over, part your thighs, and enter you violently, woman. I have reached the end of my ability to wait for the pleasure your body gives me. I really need you to tell me, yes, right now.”

“Yes,” I swallowed, holding his stare. “I want you, Knox. Unless you intend to edge me again, in which case, you’re going to wake up in the middle of the night mounted and ridden by a wild beast who has reached her limit and ability to say no. So yes, I want you right here, right now.”

Knox smiled, leaning over to brush his lips against mine, walking me backward, and lifting me onto the table. His eyes lowered to my naked breasts, raising his hands to squeeze them. Assaulted by the sensation, I opened my mouth just as a loud rattle escaped my lips.

“You are the sexiest fucking thing when you make those noises, Aria. Spread your legs, lift your feet onto the table, and hold on. When I am finished washing you, you’ll end up on that bed, screaming my name until you’re so hoarse that you can’t scream anymore.”

Chapter Forty

My skin heated under Knox’s slow, relaxed perusal of my body. He didn’t use a cloth to wash me. Instead, he dipped his fingertips into the water before running them over my shoulders. Once he’d cleaned the skin, his lips followed the trail his fingers had taken. It was frustratingly slow and erotic, and I needed him to move faster. His eyes sparkled with laughter, alerting me he was highly aware of what I needed from him.

Knox lowered his body, forcing me to brace my hands on his broad shoulders. I