Thank the gods. Her fangs lengthened and her entire body bowed as his soft strokes quickened, his hands firmly holding her in place.
Distantly she was aware of the warm cascade of water and the feel of Santiago’s power stirring the thick air. And if she tried hard enough she could sense each and every Harpy as they moved through the large building. But at the moment her only interest was in the acute pleasure that was rapidly spiraling toward an explosion she wasn’t sure she was going to survive.
And she didn’t give a damn.
She moaned softly, hanging on the cusp. She needed . . .
He shifted his head just a fraction, changing the pressure of his tongue. Yes. That was it. The small movement was enough to send her hurtling over the edge, and with a cry of sheer pleasure she crushed the tiles beneath her hands.
Her entire body shook at the force of her climax, leaving her feeling oddly dazed.
Which was the only reason she allowed Santiago to scoop her in his arms and carry her out of the bathroom, she assured herself.
No matter how great the sex, she would never, ever be one of those females who liked being treated like a fragile flower.
Ignoring the water that dripped from their bodies, Santiago crossed to the large bed, lowering her into the middle of the mattress with a powerful ease.
“You look like a mermaid,” he murmured, his eyes dark with a smoldering hunger as they swept down her naked body. “Although I’ve never seen one so beautiful.”
She snorted. “Mermaids are a myth.”
He moved onto the mattress to kneel next to her, his full arousal standing at attention. Her hands itched to grasp that proud length, exploring it from its broad head to the base.
“Most people assume that the Immortal Ones are a myth,” he reminded her with a taunting smile. “Especially their mysterious leader, Nefri.”
It was true that her people had remained in peaceful isolation for centuries, and that their occasional visits to this world had been done in secret, but . . .
But what?
She was finding it increasingly difficult to think as he leaned over her, his hands planted on the mattress next to her shoulders and his shaft pressing against her hip.
She might have just enjoyed a mind-blowing orgasm, but clearly her body wasn’t opposed to round two.
Or three.
“I’m no myth,” she at last managed to mutter.
“No?” A lethal smile curved his lips. “Maybe I should discover for myself.”
Always a man of action, he leaned down and allowed his mouth to skim over the curve of her breast.
She trembled at the teasing caress, needing more. Much more.
“Santiago,” she pleaded softly.
“Yes, querida.”
Closing his lips over the tip of her nipple, he used his tongue to tease her sated body back into full arousal. Without hesitation she lifted her arms, shoving her fingers into the tempting silk of his hair.
She’d wanted to do this since the moment she caught sight of this gorgeous vampire, she realized with a faint stab of surprise. To loosen the long strands of his raven hair and allow it to slide through her fingers.
“You’re so beautiful.”
The revealing words slipped past her lips before she could stop them, but instead of the smug smile she expected, Santiago lifted his head to regard her with a fierce need that stripped away any pretense that this was just lust.
She didn’t know what was happening between the two of them, but one night of madness wasn’t going to satisfy it.
“I need you to find me beautiful, querida,” he rasped. “I need you to hunger for me with the same insanity that plagues me.”
Not giving her a chance to respond, he shifted to cover her with the cool weight of his body, his head swooping down to claim her lips in a searing kiss.
An exquisite shudder shook her body. Insanity summed it up nicely.
But sometimes a woman had to toss aside logic and let the magic consume her.
As if sensing her reckless thoughts, Santiago growled low in his throat, his hands molding the soft curve of her breast as he spread frantic kisses over her face.
“Jasmine and midnight silk,” he muttered, his tongue outlining her lips. “You were sent here for me to devour.”
Nefri might have protested if his hand hadn’t trailed down to stroke between her thighs with experienced ease.
She moaned as his finger slid into her tight flesh, her back arching in growing pleasure. It didn’t seem possible that she could need him again so soon, but as his finger dipped in and out of her, she found her hands tightening in his hair.
“If you’re going to devour me, then do it,” she rasped.
His lips brushed over her cheek, then down the line of her jaw. “Patience, cara.” He scraped his fangs down the length of her throat. “All good things”—he nibbled down her collarbone—“in time.” He covered the aching tip of her breast.
She hissed. Her patience was legendary. She’d spent over a century cataloguing every plant that could grow beyond the Veil where the sunlight never pierced the thick mists. But how the hell was she supposed to be patient when her entire body was on fire?
She didn’t want to be patient. She just wanted to once again feel that glorious release that hovered just out of reach.
Fisting her fingers in his thick hair, she lifted her hips and wrapped her legs around his waist. “The time is now,” she informed him.
Pulling back, he regarded her with a rueful smile. “Always so bossy.”
She deliberately rubbed herself against the straining length of his erection. “If you wanted submissive you should have went with Charis.”
His eyes darkened, his fangs long and lethal in the dim lamplight. “What I want is you.” Holding her gaze, he shifted until the tip of his c**k pressed against her entrance. “Only you.”
“Then take me.”
“Sí.”
With a low hiss, Santiago tilted his hips forward, sliding into her with a slow, relentless thrust.
Lowering her hands, Nefri clutched at Santiago’s shoulders, moaning in approval at the delicious sense of fullness. In this moment they were joined as deeply as it was possible for two people to be joined.
As lovers . . .
Her mind instantly shied from the implied relationship.
“Nefri,” he whispered close to her ear. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing,” she muttered, burying her face in the curve of his neck to absorb the rich male scent of him. “Nothing at all.”
“Then hang on, querida.”