FULL NOVELXO Whose Bed Have Your Claws Been Under: Chapter 23
He lifted me and pressed me against the wall. It was all I could do to think. I’d crested the edge of a cliff, and it wouldn’t take much to drive me down the other side.
Gazing into my eyes, he nudged my entrance with the thick head of his cock.
I wrapped my legs around him, tugging him near.
‘Paige,’ he whispered. ‘Love.’
With one thrust, he buried his long length inside me.
My body quaked as waves of pleasure surged through me, and with it came an emotion even more powerful than the physical sensations—a deep, unyielding connection between us.
His gaze never wavered from mine. His passion was a force of nature, radiating from his body and engulfing me in its intensity. He pulled out slowly, then thrust forward again, moving with slow, sure strokes that were deliberate and full of caring.
The heat of the moment built until it was almost too much to bear.
My head spun with pleasure like I’d stepped onto a dizzying carnival ride. Overriding it all were his eyes never leaving mine, a gaze so passionate it seemed to penetrate every part of me.
My skin flushed with desire as he pushed deeper and faster into me, driving the intensity higher until I thought I would burst from it.
We lost control. Our bodies moved as one, our hips meeting with each thrust, pushing us higher and higher. The wonder of being with my first and last love consumed me.
With each movement, he whispered my name. His hands explored my body with reverence, but his gaze never left mine, communicating without words the strength of his emotions for me.
My skin flushed, and heat radiated outward from where we were joined.
We reached the peak together, and with one final push, we shattered. We were left clinging to each other, breathless and trembling with the aftermath of our love.
And in that moment, I realized how deeply he cared for me, not only in how he made love to me, but because of the way he looked at me with such tenderness. His eyes shone with adoration, as if nothing else mattered more to him than this moment between us.
I woke the next morning resting in his arms with sunlight slanting through the room. His arms tightened around me, telling me he guessed I was awake.
Rising over him, I gazed into his gorgeous teal eyes that I sensed could wield destruction at a whim. Now, they only held love and hope.
I stroked him, savoring the nubs on the sides of his cock. They quivered. Soon, I was caught up in the wonder of just being with him. Straddling him, I sunk down onto his length, taking all of him inside me.
We moved together slowly at first and with exquisite tenderness before our emotions caught up with us. He lifted hard to meet me, holding my hips to drive me down on his length.
Finding my clit, he rolled it, his eyes remaining locked on mine.
Too soon, I got caught up in the moment. It rushed over me, engulfing me. I collapsed on his chest as he pumped inside me a few more times before his groan rang out in the room.
“I don’t know where this is going,” he said softly against my hair. “We haven’t talked about a future. But I want you to know that I’m with you no matter where you choose to go. I only want to be by your side, Paige.”
“Darrow,” I said, my voice heavy with emotion. With him so much taller than me, I couldn’t reach his mouth, so I peppered kisses on his chest. “Do you want me to move here to be with you or do you want to join me in Monsterville?”
He rolled until I was beneath him and cupped my face. “Do you mean it? Us, together, forever?”
I grinned. “I can’t imagine anything better than being with you.”
He kissed me, and heat spiraled between us. His fingers—
Someone knocked on the door.
“This is turning into a bad habit,” he said with a soft laugh.
“Excuse me, Princess?” a female voice called out. “Lady Monica asked me to come wake you. She said I was to rouse you—”
“There’s that word again,” I said.
“Aren’t you already . . . roused?” Darrow whispered in my ear.
I nodded. I sure was. Very roused.
“Breakfast is waiting, and then everyone’s going sledding on the front lawn,” the woman said. “Can I tell her you’ll be down?”
“Yes,” I called out. “I’d love to go sledding.”
“Lord Darrow didn’t answer my knock. Should I try again to rouse him as well, perhaps with a louder knock?”
“I’ll, um, rouse him,” I said, winking at him. “Thank you anyway!”
“Very well,” she said. “I’ll tell Lady Monica you’ll be down promptly.” Her footsteps faded in the hall.
“Prompt is a relative term, right?” I asked him.
“With you, I can be very prompt.” He lifted a bottle of chocolate sauce off the bedside table and grinned as he trickled some out onto my breast. Then he proceeded to lick it off.
After showering and dressing, we joined everyone at breakfast, filling plates at the buffet.
Grannie Vi and Uncle Bub had opted to sleep in, but the rest of our friends chattered about going sledding. After we finished, we put on our winter clothing and went outside where Bart greeted us on the front lawn, holding hands with Poppy.
Bright blue and yellow plastic sleds clustered around him.
“If you’ll come over here, I’ll explain,” he said, shifting his hooves in the snow as we strolled across the drive. “Select a sled. Couples or single; it doesn’t matter. There are enough sleds to go around.”
He waved a hoof to the steep hill behind him. Beyond a long stretch of snow, a forest waited, but the land sloped upward before then, which would make it easier to come to a stop without plowing through the brush. “When you reach the bottom,” he said, “staff will be waiting to bring you and your sleds back to the top. Any questions?”
We all shrugged, stomping our feet in excitement.
“Ride together?” Darrow asked, squeezing my mitten-clad hand.
At my nod, he selected a long yellow sled, and we climbed on board, him sitting behind me, his arm wrapped around my waist and his heels sticking out at the sides.
The thick snow glinted in the sunlight as we perched atop the hill.
Bart and Poppy took off first. She lifted her hands overhead, squealing while he controlled the sled.
My heart thudded against my chest wall, the anticipation of what was to come making my pulse flutter. I took a deep breath, inhaling the stunning winter air, the tang of pine, and the crisp cold scent of snow. Snow didn’t actually smell like anything, but that was how it seemed.
Inching us forward, Darrow’s arm tightened around me. “Hold on!” He gave us a gentle push, and we were off, gliding down the hill slowly at first before picking up speed.
Around us, our friends soared down the slope as well. Rylee rode with Gunner, and Monica with Trevor, but Elisa and Raze had chosen separate sleds.
The snow crunched beneath us. A thrill coursed through my veins as we went faster, my hair flying out behind me, the cold winter air hitting my face with a thousand prickles.
Darrow hooted, and my voice joined in. I lifted my arms in the air and gave in to the amazing sensation of flying across the snow.
My laughter rang out, muffled by the wind. I’d never felt so alive, so exhilarated, so incredibly happy. Being with Darrow was all that mattered.
We hit a rise and lifted off the ground, bumping back down before my gasp could pop out. Laughing, we continued sliding, heading for the incline where we leveled off and slowed.
The low rumble of an engine rang out, breaking through the moment. A black sedan drove sedately up the driveway, passing us.
Our sled came to a stop as the car halted in front of the castle.
Darrow climbed off the sled and held his gloved hand out to help me to my feet. Staff rushed over to take the sled from him.
“This way,” a female gargoyle said, her wings fluttering out before settling against her spine. She held open the back door to a three-rowed SUV, and Darrow and I climbed inside, joining the others.
The gargoyle took the driver’s seat and returned us to the front of the castle.
While our friends hurried to the hill to slide again, the front doors of the black car opened. A couple climbed out.
My breath caught.
I gaped at my parents.