The Lion Soul by Amy Sumida
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next morning, I woke up in a tangle of silken sheets and muscular limbs. I squinted in the sunlight that had crept over Kaelen's bed as the night before returned to me. I blushed at the memory of writhing beneath Kae as I shouted that I was his. Once the Lion Lord had received his prize, he'd driven into me with an almost desperate intensity and drew me into one last, roaring conclusion. Somehow, we'd made it to bed, but we should have showered first. I was beyond filthy.
Kaelen didn't seem to care, he pulled me back against his chest and snuggled into the curve of my neck. “Good morning, my sexy Shirie.”
“Good morning, Lion Lord.” I scratched idly at my chest.
“You were magnificent last night. In all sorts of ways.” I felt him smile against my skin.
“You as well.” I squirmed.
“What is wrong with you?” He asked in an amused tone as he lifted his head to look at me.
“Don't you remember what you did last night?” I countered. “And how you did it all over my body?”
Kaelen laughed uproariously but also let me go. “Yes, I suppose we both need to bathe.” He squinted at the window and then at the clock on the bedside table. “It's nearly noon; we're going to have to send our apologies to the scholars. We won't have time to see them before we attend the Queen.”
Kaelen rolled away from me and headed toward the bathroom. I sat up and watched his departure, my stare drawn inevitably to his pert ass.
He looked over his shoulder at me and grinned, “Are you coming?”
What a question. I grunted and followed him.
Kaelen's bathroom was as grand as the rest of his home. Done in peach marble and gold, it felt cozy despite its massive size. A round tub sat in the center of the room, its dominion emphasized by a crystal chandelier directly above it. Its size and shape were similar to the bathtub in Kaelen's tent, but it was made from porcelain, encased in marble, and set on a dais. Kae didn't bother with it. Instead, he veered around it and went to the spacious shower stall so large that it didn't have a door, only a low, sweeping wall to separate it from the rest of the room. It also had two showerheads.
Kaelen went to one, and I the other. Once I had the temperature right, I stepped beneath the hot spray with a sigh of relief and leaned my head back to wet my hair. Kaelen handed me a washcloth, and I glanced over to find him wet and gorgeous, his hot stare roaming my body. I made a sound of amusement and denial while I shook my head at him.
“What?” Kaelen asked with a wry grin as he soaped himself.
“I'm not having sex with you now.”
“But you're mine,” his voice dropped into a deep rumble as he stroked a hand down my back, then grabbed my ass. “You said so. Several times. That means I can take you whenever I wish.”
I made a scoffing snort.
“Are you disputing it?” he asked idly.
“I was yours last night. Now, I belong to myself again.”
Kaelen went still.
I looked over at him and found him staring back strangely. “What?”
“I'm going to be in such trouble with the Queen,” he muttered.
“Why?” I frowned, baffled.
And then I was pressed against the tiled wall, my wrists held in one of his hands above my head. Kaelen growled against my throat as he scraped my skin with his teeth. My body went limp in response and my cock rose as if a switch had been thrown.
“Because I have to make love to you until you take those words back. And if you deny it again, I'll put you back on your knees and slam my cock into you, over and over until you admit that you're mine, Rieyu. I won't let you leave my home until I know for certain that you belong to me.”
“This is sex play, Kaelen. You don't actually get to own me because you made me come,” I growled and broke his grip.
He pulled back with a frown. “It's not that kind of ownership.” His sapphire stare shifted over my face. “I'm talking about being lovers. About commitment. I won't have you if I have to share you with other men.”
“I thought that's what you meant too, but then you said it gave you the right to take me anytime you wished.”
Kaelen grinned devilishly. “Every ship needs a captain. I belong to you as much as you belong to me, but I will steer us, Rie. I will guide us through rough waters and bring us home again. You just have to trust me enough to take the lead. Will you?” He bent and nipped my neck again. “Will you trust me?”
I sighed and nodded.
“Good. Now get on your hands and knees.”
