The Power
Page 56

 Jennifer L. Armentrout

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I was breathing heavy. “I’m out of patience.”
He chuckled against the fluttering section just below my navel. “We’re going to have to work on that.”
“No,” I protested. “We do not need to work on that right now.”
Seth paused just over the space between my thighs and lifted his head. The slow grin that tugged at his lips sort of made me want to kiss him . . . and punch him. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
One brow rose as he curled a hand around my thigh, spreading my legs further. “Now, Josie, you know what they say.”
“I don’t care what anyone says right now.”
“You should. Good things come to those who wait.”
A laugh caught in my throat. “I’ve waited. You’ve waited. It’s time for the good things.”
Seth’s gaze dropped. “Damn. I so agree on that.”
He dipped his head and my back arched as a strangled cry erupted from my throat. Good gods, I couldn’t breathe as he teased and tasted, nipped and sucked. There was no room for thinking, only feeling, and with each thrust of his tongue, my body rose. Moans escaped me. Desire pounded through me, mixing with something far deeper. Emotion swelled in my chest, and when he lifted his head again and pierced me with those amber eyes, I knew there would never be anyone else for me.
“There has only been you,” I told him even as warmth splashed across my cheeks. “There will only be you, Seth.”
His features sharpened and then he surged over me, that hungry near-haunted gaze fixed on mine. I trembled as he reached for the condom. I ached as I watched him roll it on.
He held my stare as he reached between us, easing a finger through the gathering wetness. “This is mine.”
It wasn’t a question. Oh gods, that was a statement, but I nodded, because it was his. I was his. Like my skin was branded with his scent and aura, I was his.
He circled his fist around the base of his erection. “This is yours.”
I was more than thrilled to hear that.
Seth brought his mouth to mine, his tongue delving, matching the thrusts of his finger and then his fingers, quickly working me back to the point where I felt like I would explode into nothing. He pulled away just before, and I whimpered, but then I felt him, just the tip, pressing against me.
My heart pounded wildly as his gaze found mine once again. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, voice hoarse as he moved his hand away. “It’s the last thing I want to do.”
“I trust you.”
Skin puckered between Seth’s brows as he squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t move, and I wasn’t even sure he breathed. He was going to pull back. I sensed it, and I couldn’t let him do that.
Gripping his hips, I lifted mine before I could really think about what I was doing. A gasp punched out of me as I stretched around him.
Seth groaned as the muscles in his arms bulged. “Gods, Josie, I’m trying to take this slow.”
“I don’t want you to take it slow.”
His laugh was strangled. “You’re going to kill me.”
My heart pounded fast. “I don’t want that.”
“I know.” He slid a hand down to my thigh, lifting my leg slightly. The arm beside my head trembled as his intense gaze searched my face. “I need . . . I need this to be perfect for you.”
I licked my lips. “It . . . it already is, because it’s with you.”
Seth’s forehead dropped to mine as a shudder rocked his body. Neither of us moved or spoke for what felt like a tiny piece of eternity, and then he kissed me softly, and there was something infinitely sweet in the way his mouth moved over mine. The hand on my upper thigh shook once more and then his hips thrust forward, all the way.
Air lodged in my throat, pushing out the soft cry as my fingers dug into his sides. A dart of pain shot through me as I squeezed my eyes shut, giving way to a burning sensation that wasn’t exactly painful. I didn’t know how to describe it. Adjectives failed me. There was a deep pressure inside me, neither uncomfortable nor entirely pleasant.
Seth shifted his arms and his elbows dug into the mattress as his large hands cradled the sides of my face. Deep inside me, only his chest moved against mine and only his thumbs glided over my cheeks. Tears burned my eyes, but not from pain, because it really wasn’t that bad. Oh no, there was a deep and tender emotion swelling in my chest.
“Josie?”
Throat dry, I swallowed and opened my eyes. My breath caught again at the sight of him. His face was tense and those amber eyes were luminous, so bright they’d outshine any star in the sky. He was waiting for me, making sure I was all right, and nothing could set me more at ease. “I’m okay.”
“Thank the gods,” he grunted, voice strained.
Seth began to move then.
He flexed his hips, pulling out slowly. The pull, the friction of the act, sent my pulse skittering. My muscles locked up. He smoothed his thumb along my lower lip. “Relax. I need you to relax, okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered, forcing myself not to be so . . . so stiff.
He pushed in again, seated deep, and I was pretty sure my nails were scratching his skin. With a moan that sent shivers down my spine, he lowered his mouth to mine. He held himself still again as he parted my lips. The kiss started out slow, leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world, and I got a little lost in that kiss. The burn eased off, but the pressure increased, becoming a pulse that demanded more.