Vareck paused, but he didn’t seem surprised to hear her voice and that she’d come. She wondered if he knew when she’d arrived but chose not to say anything. The Winter King turned and stared at her with such intensity it warmed her blood.
“That’s alright,” he said, moving to the edge of the pool. “I was just finishing—”
She reached for the hem of her shirt and dragged it up her bare stomach, over her head, and dropped it on the ground beside her. Vareck stilled. “You’re my mate,” she said. Mara reached for her boots and ripped them off one at a time. “In the beginning it seemed like you wanted to be with me,” she continued, moving to her trousers next. “Now, I’ve given you an opportunity, and you ran from it. From me.”
Vareck opened his mouth to speak, but she held a hand up. “Stop. I wasn’t finished.” His jaw snapped shut, a smoldering intensity swirling in his gaze as he allowed her to continue.
She pulled the pants from her legs, and with nothing left, she dropped the basic panties to the ground. Standing bare before him, Mara looked down at her body and said, “This is it. You either want me, or you don’t. I know you’ve got a realm to worry about, or save, and I’m now a Harpy too, and I don’t know if that complicates things, or what . . . but I want to be with you, and if you want that too—we’ll figure it out.”
For all his years, his lessons, and his time in the royal courts of Faerie . . . the fae king that always had something to say to her; for once he didn’t seem to have the words as he just stared at her.
His icy blue eyes trailed over her skin from head to toe and a flush darkened her cheeks. Why isn’t he saying something? There it was again. His rejection was looming and before she broke over it, she started to turn away. So this was it . . .
“Come,” he commanded, his voice filled with lust.
She stopped, moving herself toward him. Like a moth drawn too close to a flame, she obeyed his call, coming to stand at a rocky edge of the pool. She dropped down to a crouch and slid back on her butt, letting her legs dangle over the side. Vareck came to her, his bare body slightly emerging from the water as he slid his hands up her thighs, not saying a word.
Her heart sped up as he grasped her hips and lifted her into the water. Instead of pulling her to him, he set her on her own feet and turned to washing her skin with his bare hands.
Calloused fingers kneaded the muscles in her shoulders and back as he slowly worked his way down, past her waist, to her backside. She thought he would go lower; to the heat between her legs. But instead he turned her around, pulling her back to his front and began to wash her stomach, his hardness pressed against her.
“When you pulled me into the water this isn’t what I envisioned,” she started. His fingers skated up her bare abdomen to curve around her breasts. He held them, letting his thumbs flick over her hardened nipples. The feeling it created shot straight to her core, but it wasn’t enough.
“Oh really?” he murmured. His voice was deep. Husky. He pinched one nipple between his finger and thumb, rolling it between them. Mara moaned softly, arching her back into him.
“You’re a Harpy. The Winter King. The man that almost choked a leprechaun to death for me,” she said, breathlessly. “I was hoping for something more . . .” Her voice trailed off as she sought for the right words. His other hand skated down her stomach once more, and pushed between her legs. He slipped two fingers between her folds and swirled them around her clit. The sensation jarred her.
“Rough?” he asked, moving them from her clit to the wetness between her thighs. “Dirty?” he continued, sliding them both in her at the same time. He curled them around and tapped something inside her that made her channel clench him. “Demanding?”
“Yes,” she whispered, trying to rock her hips into him. The hand around her breast squeezed for a moment before releasing it and winding around her waist, caging her in.
“I can be many things, Mara,” he purred. The hand between her thighs twisted and his thumb pressed into her clit, rubbing in rhythmic motions. “You’ve been through quite the ordeal here. I wanted to give you time. Make sure this was what you wanted before I made my move.” The pressure in her built, nearly to its peak and she was already just a receptacle of pleasure for him to play with. She didn’t care. She just wanted him.
All at once that hand slipped from her and the arm around her waist unwound. Mara let out a growl of frustration, spinning around to find Vareck on the other side of the pool. The water only came to his waist and crystal clear as it was she could see his hard cock, throbbing and ready for her. Just as she could see him fisting himself. Vareck’s eyes were verging on those of the Harpy; his fangs already fully elongated.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, moving towards him.
“Enjoying the view,” he growled.
She stood before him as he pumped himself and her frustration only grew. A searing ran through her back.
“Ah.” She winced in understanding. Taloned fingers gripped her waist, pulling her closer.
“There we go,” Vareck crooned as she wrapped her legs around him. One hand clamped down on her backside, the other reached up to softly trace the inside of her wing.
Something about the moment was so erotic, unlike anything she’d experienced, and she felt she was on the verge of climaxing again.
“Vareck, I’m—” she moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck. He leaned into her, licking up the pointed edge of her ear. A warbled sound that was entirely illegible escaped her throat.
“Shhh . . . I know,” he whispered. Her body shifted as he lifted her higher. She felt his cock brushing against her entrance. Mara’s legs quivered as her pulled her down onto him.
He filled her in one swift motion, not allowing her any time to adjust, pressing her against him.
“Oh fuck,” she groaned as the hand touching her wing moved over the same ridge as before. She detonated on him, crying out into the night.
Mara was only barely coming down from the high of it when she felt his cock pushing in and out of her. The hand gripping her ass moved her body up and down his length. The tips of her breasts brushed against her bare skin, turning her on more.
“That’s right,” he breathed. The hand caressing her wing dropped to her backside. When the shudders completely waned, he lifted her from him and out of the water. Her bare ass hit the hard stone edge. “Move back,” he commanded.
Legs still trembling she shuffled back as quickly as possible but only made it two feet before he rose out of the water after her. His hands grabbed her knees and pushed her legs apart, crawling between them.
“Vareck,” she whispered, a shudder running through her body at the emptiness.
“Lie back, flatten your wings,” he said in a strained tone. Water dripped from his skin as he positioned his arms above her head. His tip nudged her entrance once more, throbbing against her. “I’m going to claim you, but I won’t be able to be gentle. Please do this so I don’t hurt you . . .” The words were barely out of his mouth before he thrust inside her once more.
Mara could tell now that the way he’d been in the pool was gentle for her sake. This time he slammed in and out of her, rocking her further back with each thrust. Vareck groaned above her, lowering his head to her neck. Mara knew what was coming but nothing could have prepared her for being bitten.