Throne of Secrets (Prince of Sin #2)

Forty-Six Adriana

H EAT FLAMED THROUGH me as Axton’s focus drifted over each curve of my body, his expression hinting at all the wicked plans he was devising.

Perhaps hinting wasn’t the right word. He looked ready to devour me whole.

And try as I might, I didn’t hate it.

If I was annoyed with him a moment before, I couldn’t recall why.

He hadn’t done anything more than lean across the table in a show of male dominance and my knees practically gave out from the sight.

Traitorous knees. They clearly couldn’t be bothered by our years of friction with the prince. In that moment all they knew was he was an apex predator on the hunt, and they very much wished to be caught in his sinful clutches.

Or maybe I was simply recalling how it felt when my stranger had gotten on his knees earlier in the week. Or how Axton himself had felt when we were pressed against that wall in his hidden chamber off the library. Blast it all. It was his cursed confession, and I knew there would be no going back from it, especially if I accepted his royal mark.

I couldn’t quite process everything he’d admitted. But I knew how I felt.

And his searing look burned away any remaining fears. The Ruthless Rake hungered for me. Enough to forever mark me as someone he held in the highest regard.

There was no undoing a royal mark that I knew of.

It seemed impossible that he truly felt that way until he settled that intense gaze on mine.

My pulse raced in anticipation; he could melt a glacier with that heated stare.

I subtly glanced around the ice cavern to make sure the walls hadn’t thawed.

“First, I’m going to give you the mark right here.”

He reached over and traced the expanse of skin along my bodice to the right of my heart. My chest heaved from the light touch.

“Then I’m going to bind your wrists with my belt, tie you to the chair, and kiss every inch of your skin.”

My focus shot to him and remained there. He waited, brow quirked, for my response. But I had no quip. No argument. Only a steady throbbing that was growing more insistent.

His mouth curved. He knew he’d succeeded in gaining my full attention.

Or maybe he knew I’d have no desire to fight him on this. He was my stranger from the Seven Sins. He knew the secret longings of my heart. And I knew his.

Filthy, filthy Prince of Sin.

“Then, once you’re begging for my cock, I’m going to bend you over this table.” He traced a line across the small table before us, slowly pushing the food aside. “And pound your pussy so hard you won’t care if I’m the devil himself so long as I make you come again.”

I closed my eyes, trying to quell the hollow ache steadily building from his words.

There was no use denying how aroused he made me. If he didn’t touch me soon, I’d ease my own need and I didn’t care if he stood there and watched.

In fact, I had a suspicion he’d rather enjoy the show, knowing it was all for him.

I shook those thoughts away. “We can’t.”

“Why?”

I blew out a frustrated breath. “Oh, I’m not sure. Perhaps it has something to do with your competition to find a bride? Or my sister being one of your suitors?”

His gaze narrowed. “Your sister is lovely, to be certain, but I think you and I both know I’d never choose her.”

And, knowing what I did of Eden’s secret lover, I didn’t think she’d wish to choose him. Still. “Even if you don’t choose Eden, you still have other suitors to consider.”

“Fair point. We’ll do exactly what we swore an oath to do—court in private until the press finds another story to focus on.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You are the royal favorite. I doubt anyone else will hold the same appeal for the papers.”

His mouth curved. “With enough motivation, I’m sure Lust might give them a few scandals to report on. Maybe he can step in and take over the competition.”

I couldn’t believe we were sitting together, calmly devising a plot to carry out a secret romance. I’d blame the damn magical bond we shared but knew it ran deeper than that.

Much deeper.

My mind kept repeating his confession, as if I’d ever forget a single word. It felt too much like a fantasy, knowing Gabriel Axton had secretly hungered for me the same way I’d hungered for him.

Part of me still worried this was too good to be true, that I was falling into the same trap I had ten years ago. That this would all come crashing down once more.

I didn’t know how I’d survive another scandal or another heartbreak. But wasn’t love about trust and faith? Maybe it was time to put the past aside and live for today.

“If we agree to this, no one can find out,” I said. “I need to find a way to tell my sister.”

“Your secrets are mine, darling. I’d never betray you.” He leaned in again. “Are you amenable to what I have planned for us now?”

Gods, I shouldn’t be, but I was. “Yes.”

“Wonderful. But first. The royal mark.”

The prince came around to my side of the little table, offering his hand to me, palm up. I took a steadying breath as I rose, taking his hand. His other arm snaked around my waist, slowly reeling me in. I inhaled sharply. I wanted his mark, wanted the confirmation that he felt the same way I did, but it was all happening so quickly. It felt a little like a fever dream.

Though I supposed it really all began ten years ago. Our happily-ever-after had been stolen and we were now about to reclaim it.

“Nervous?” He grinned down at me as he placed my hand on his shoulder, then gently brushed my hair back, granting him access to my skin.

“Will it hurt?” I asked, gripping him a little tighter.

“Not at all.” His smile turned wicked. “It will feel like a kiss. Ready?”

“To enter an unbreakable bond with a Prince of Sin and basically sell my soul? Who wouldn’t be?”

His chuckle was dark and deep and made my toes curl. “Sweet nemesis. You act as if your soul hasn’t already been mine from the start.”

“Arrogant demon.”

“Confident prince.”

His gaze suddenly dropped, the reverence in his eyes letting me know the teasing was over and this was no longer a joking matter to him.

My eyes fluttered shut as he brushed his knuckles along my jawline, then slowly followed the curve of my neck down to my shoulders. He slipped his fingers along the inside of my bodice, gently drawing the silk back to grant him more access to my chest.

His touch was so intimate, so caring. If my heart wasn’t already in danger, it would be.

Once my gown was off my shoulder, he leaned in, starting the process with a chaste kiss to my pulse point then continuing lower, his lips gliding softly along my skin. When he finally reached the place he planned to mark me, his tongue traced a small pattern over my flesh.

It tingled at first, then his tongue swept over me again, tracing the same design and a heat ignited that seemed to set my whole body aflame.

Axton was right: it felt like he’d kissed me and I wanted more.

He drew back to admire his work. “Do you like it?”

I glanced down, trying to make out the small mark in the dim light. It was so pale against my skin it was hardly noticeable. Just a baby blue shimmering mark that looked like the outline of a dragon. No one would really see it unless they knew to look for it, but I felt the slight buzz of magic beneath my skin, almost purring with pleasure.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, glancing up.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Axton began to unbuckle his belt, watching me the whole time, his movements slow and torturous as he slid it from around his hips. He’d promised to mark me, then tie me up and kiss me everywhere and he was nothing if not a demon of his word.

My pulse began thrumming in excitement as I sat back down.

He wound each end of the belt around his fists, holding the strap of leather taut between us, much like the growing tension. Tension that had nothing to do with the new magic binding us and everything to do with our emotions.

The prince suddenly drew the leather close then wrenched it back, causing it to clap loudly in the ice chamber.

My knees pressed together, the anticipation driving me wild with want already.

“Do you wish for me to stop?”

I’d give him an incredulous look if my gaze wasn’t fixed with complete fascination on where he stroked the leather with his thumbs.

I realized he was still waiting for a response. “No, I don’t want you to stop, Axton.”

He walked around the table, his attention locked on mine.

“Clasp your hands behind the chair and twine your fingers together like you’re praying.”

I couldn’t help the tiny snort that escaped. “Highly inappropriate comparison.”

A devilish gleam entered his eyes. “You won’t think that when you’re riding my face and shouting for all the gods to come to your rescue.”

I’d call him arrogant but knew from experience I’d be doing just that within moments of his tongue flicking over my body.

He prowled around my chair, swiftly tying me into position.

The leather was cool and a little rough against my skin, the strap pulled tightly against my wrists as he wound them, then looped the rest through in a tight knot so I couldn’t pull free.

My heart raced as I tested my bindings. I truly was at the prince’s mercy.

As if sensing my slight panic, he knelt before me, a serious expression on his handsome face.

“One word and I’ll stop. This is about pleasure, not pain. If at any point you don’t wish to continue, that is completely fine. I will be controlling your pleasure, but you ultimately control me. Understand?”

I flashed him a rather saucy smile. “Do you honestly believe I’d bite my tongue?”

“That wicked tongue is only one of the many reasons I love you.”

A thrill raced down my spine and I shuddered against the emotion. Telling me he hungered for me was one thing but hearing him say he loved me was something else entirely. We both seemed to unravel at the confession, our need becoming all-consuming.

He leaned close and took my mouth in a kiss that stole my breath, the ferocity of it nearly knocking us both backward.

I strained against my bindings, wanting to run my hands through his hair.

Axton pulled back, a wicked curve tugging at his lips.

“The cavern next to us has one of the most popular lagoons in my circle. And today is the day I open it to the public. Anyone might happen upon us.”

My chest heaved against my bodice, my breathing turning sharp and too quick.

Axton had brought us somewhere we might get caught. All to play into my fantasy.

“We just agreed to keep this a secret. Are you mad?”

He flashed me a wolfish grin as he approached. “Trust me.”

It was a monumental task, especially when he began drawing my skirts up to my hips, slowly exposing me to anyone who might come by for a swim.

My knees locked together, even as I felt the heat building deep inside me.

“Spread your thighs.”

I craved his touch, but I wasn’t sure I could cross the threshold from fantasy to reality with so much at stake. If we were discovered now…

Axton circled my chair, then leaned across my shoulder, his mouth pressed to my ear the exact moment he touched between my thighs.

I drew in a sharp breath from the shock of unexpected contact. It took everything in my power to not grind myself against him, seeking relief from the growing arousal.

“Axton, I don’t think—”

“We ought to hurry. Or else anyone who arrives will have quite the show. Because I don’t plan on stopping until you’re begging for mercy.”

He took the lobe of my ear between his teeth, then swirled one finger through my slickness. I moaned from the pleasure.

“This is mine. ”

He withdrew his finger, then slapped my clit, the sensation sending a heady rush through me as he cupped me again. The move was pure possessiveness and shouldn’t be attractive, but my body disagreed. I was so wet and swollen with need from his savage claim, it almost hurt.

“And I will not share you with anyone.”

“Gabriel, please.”

I struggled against my bindings, wanting to touch him in return.

He nuzzled my neck, then the royal mark, his fingers exploring the entire time.

A pebble fell from the chamber, making me tense in all the right ways. It was only a rock, not a person. This time.

“From here on out, I’ll indulge your fantasy but will never invite anyone into our bed.”

He stroked my body with slow, sinful swirls, spreading my wetness before finally thrusting two fingers deep inside me. He pumped in and out a few times, then abruptly stood, my body bereft at the loss of his.

“When the competition ends, you will move into my chambers.”

“Shall I roll over and fetch next?”

Axton loomed before me, removing his jacket, then undoing the buttons of his shirt, his gaze running over every inch of me while he undressed.

“Your mouth is my greatest fascination. Never stop challenging me, darling.”

I watched, rapt, as he shucked his clothing off, leaving only his trousers slung low on his hips.

He truly was a dark god. His abdomen was all ridges and hard muscle, soft skin pulled over a warrior’s body. His tattoo… it made me want to run my tongue all over him.

“Keep your thighs spread.”

There was a delicious threat left unsaid, and part of me wanted to disobey him just to see what he’d do to punish me. I had a feeling I’d rather enjoy it.

But I also enjoyed when he was on his knees before me, so I slowly heeded his demand.

Once I’d bared myself to him, he dropped before me, his large hands stroking up the back of my legs, wrapping around them until he dragged my bottom to the edge of the seat.

With a dark gleam in his gaze, he slowly hoisted each of my legs over his shoulders. My dress was going to be completely crinkled but I didn’t care.

It was an awkward position, my hands bound behind me, my bare bottom hanging off the seat, but Axton’s attention was wholly fixed on the wetness at the apex of my legs.

“You are my favorite indulgence, Adriana Saint Lucent.”

He leaned forward then licked my slit. I arched up as high as I could, but Axton controlled the movement of my body. His big shoulders made me spread wider for him, and he took full advantage. His tongue flattened, ensuring the next stroke covered all of me.

I cried out, the restraints both perfect and horrid. I wanted to thread my fingers in his hair, tug him to me, and ride his face as he’d so crassly said before.

Instead, I could only sit there, squirming, as he feasted, choosing how best to torture me. The prince was in no hurry. He took turns alternating between filling me with his tongue, then swirling it against my clit, nibbling and sucking and driving me to the brink, before sitting back on his heels, blowing a slow stream of breath against my swollen flesh.

He’d said we needed to hurry, that anyone could come upon us. I couldn’t remember why I cared. Now all I wanted was for him to end this sweet misery.

“Axton, please,” I begged. “Stop playing.”

The cursed prince would do no such thing. His wicked tongue traced the seam of my body before he thrust it deep inside, penetrating me in a way that made me call out to the gods.

His chuckle vibrated along my body, and just when I was certain I’d fall over that glorious cliff, he pressed a chaste kiss to my inner thigh.

“Forget the ball later. I’m going to stay here all night.”

I thrashed against my restraints. I loved them and hated them and wanted to take back control while also secretly loving this torture.

Axton continued his languorous tasting, bringing me to the edge and back so many times I thought I’d gone mad. He cupped one of my breasts, flicking a nipple, and my body thrust forward, hoping for another delightful sweep of his tongue. I leaned back, praying out loud for mercy, for an orgasm, for the gods to strike the prince down for being so wicked.

“Eyes on me. Or I stop.”

I was so frustrated I could scream, but I locked my attention on him.

When Axton brought his mouth to me again, I nearly cried with relief, sensing his torturous foreplay was over. His fingers dug into my thighs where he held me aloft, his tongue increasing its tempo across my clit. I wanted to watch him, but my attention drifted to the lagoon.

It was heady, imagining someone coming upon us now. I found my legs spreading impossibly wider, safe in knowing no one was really there to see the prince pleasure me.

I hadn’t realized I’d been gyrating against his face until he growled low in approval.

I was so close, so ready… he sucked my clit, hard, then thrust two fingers into me.

I cried out as my orgasm finally released and Axton lapped every last drop of it up.

I’d barely come down from the feeling, my bones all but liquid in the aftermath, when Axton lifted me from the chair, then gently placed me on my knees.

I licked my lips as he shucked his pants down and let his giant, thick cock spring free.

He looked utterly delectable standing there before me, naked and proud, and I was more than ready to indulge.