I might have started off as the aggressor for once, but it didn't take long for Sven to take control. As in most things, he wasn't really the type to sit back and take things as they came. And I didn't mind. Not at all.

With a snarl, he picked me up and spun us around, pushing me up against the wall. It was cold and hard against my back, but my mind was on other things. My legs wrapped around his slim hips and my hands locked around his neck as he kissed me desperately, his familiar taste hitting me.

He shoved his erection against me impatiently, rubbing at me right where I wanted it. Yes. More of that would be just perfect. I pushed back against him, rubbing against that hard ridge, giving as good as I got. I wanted him and I was tired of fighting it. If they were going to talk about us anyway, what was the point? Might as well go down in flames, take what I wanted while I could.

So I let everything go. Lived in the moment for once, something I rarely did. There were always responsibilities to think of, obligations to handle, an image to uphold, a flock to make proud. But I was only a person in the end, and even I had limits. And I'd hit a hard one. I broke hard. And I didn't care.

All I wanted to do was feel, work out all of this mess out in the basic coming together of bodies. Get everything out in the slide of his body against mine. His mouth on mine. It wasn't a slow slide into pleasure. I didn't want to go slow. Sven seemed to be on the same page, thankfully. Maybe he was just giving me what I so clearly wanted.

I tugged at his shirt and he pulled back just long enough to rip off the offending piece of cloth. Then he focused on me, ripping off my top and my pants, along with my underwear, as if he couldn't wait to have his hands on my bare skin.

It felt good to be so wanted.

It made me feel powerful. And I needed that right now, when I felt like everyone was trying to take my power away from me. I needed to feel like I had control. And even though he was definitely the doer, I knew I was the one who had the control in the end.

I slid my hands over the smooth, hard muscle of Sven's shoulders. Combed my fingers through his chest hair, counted the muscles of his six-pack on his firm stomach, while he worked on sliding his own pants down.

"Fuck," he muttered, frustrated at the task.

He didn't bother shoving them down farther than necessary. I approved of the expediency.

I wanted to see him.

Touch him.

As soon as he was free, I took a firm grip on his erection, enjoying the heat, the silky smoothness of skin stretched tight over his hardness. The evidence of how much he wanted me was intoxicating. As was the sight of that long, thick part of him.

He groaned, then gasped in a breath, his forehead resting against mine as we both looked down, watching my hand as I stroked him.

Ran a stroking finger down his length.

Rubbed my thumb over the slick head.

He let out a hoarse sound as one of his hands slid up my ribs to close over my breast, squeezing it firmly, his thumb rubbing at my hard nipple almost absently as he watched.

"I need to be inside you, Adara," he groaned, shoving himself against my hand.

I slid my face against his, his stubble scraping against my cheek on my way to taking his soft earlobe into my mouth. And biting down gently.

"Yes," I whispered against his ear.

That was all it took. He pushed my hand aside and made sure I was firmly pressed against the wall, his glittering eyes meeting mine as he took his erection in his hand.

This was a man on the edge. He wanted this as badly as I did.

But then he paused.

"Are you sure?" he asked, the tip of him just touching me, hot and so carefully out of reach.

"Yes," I murmured.

And I thrust down against him, taking him in halfway in one quick movement before he could respond. We both cried out at the tight fit, at the sensation of our bodies finally coming together after so much teasing, so much skirting around the issue.

There was a sense of inevitability to it. I knew I was always going to end up here with him. It might not have been today, but it would have happened at some point. The draw between us was too strong to deny.

I moaned as he thrust the rest of the way into me, cursing under his breath. We took a moment to enjoy that feeling of him inside me for the first time, the fit perfect. The feel of his pulse inside me just what I wanted.

And then it was a race to the finish. He set up a smooth, hard rhythm, his hips pistoning slowly at first and then faster as we settled into it. His hand slid down and squeezed my butt just this side of bruising as he sucked on the side of my neck, slid his other hand between us to rub at my clit, his touch knowing. He was a fast learner. I could tell he remembered what I liked. I loved a smart man.

We slid against each other, a light layer of sweat coating each of us as we burned ever hotter. We were joined in the most intimate way a man and woman could be joined physically, but somehow I wanted him even closer. I felt surrounded by him in the best way possible. This was how I wanted it.

Fast and hard. And unapologetic. Unashamedly carnal. There was a simplicity to it, a release in the act beyond the physical. Not that I didn't want that too.

"Almost..." I gasped, pushing against him, rubbing against his firm stomach, trying to force the orgasm out of my body.

Almost there. He ground his hips against mine, his grip tight on my hip as he tried to get as deep as possible, rub against me like I wanted it.

"Sven!" I cried out, my body clenching down on his in a vise grip, the orgasm hitting me hard and fast.

I bit down on his shoulder as my body lurched against his, my hips jerking in response to the wave of feeling. He growled, shoving into me even harder, his hands coming up to pin my wrists against the wall on either side of my head. The feeling of being restrained reignited the orgasm, spiking the pleasure. I gasped as he thrust into me even faster, his hips slapping against mine, his breathing harsh. I let go with my mouth to take in a breath.

Just as he joined me. He let out a shuddering breath, trembling as he jerked inside me, the warmth of his orgasm inside me delicious. His thrusts slowed, gentled, until he came to a stop still buried inside me. I let my head drop down against his neck, my arms wrapping around him again as he let go of my wrists. He leaned against me as we both tried to catch our breaths. I rubbed a soothing hand down his back.

After a minute or so, he wrapped his arms around me, hitching me up and turning to stumble to a nearby couch.

A silk couch.

It was only then that I really saw the room. Like many of the superfluous rooms in the palace, it didn't really have a defined purpose, was filled with furniture for sitting and had a balcony to take off from but what otherwise nebulous in its existence. But the furniture was still of very fine quality. And I knew raw silk like this stained, even just with water.

But I couldn't care about whether or not it would be ruined. What was ruining a piece of furniture when I'd just done what I'd done with the Phoenix King? The very reason for the rumors that could very well destroy everything for me. But there was no room for thoughts like that right now. I wanted to enjoy this languorous feeling while I had the chance.

Lying down with me still in his arms, Sven finally shoved down his pants the rest of the way before pulling me even closer against his front. I let myself relax, the heat of his naked body against mine enough to help along the drowsiness I already felt. I felt wrung out. Emotionally and physically.

"Go to sleep," Sven murmured, kissing my forehead, sliding a soothing hand down my back. "The door is locked. There's nowhere you need to be, no urgent business to attend to."

That sounded wonderful. But...

"We need to..."

"We'll talk later," he interrupted me. "Sleep. You'll feel better after you've had a rest."

I really shouldn't have, but I was too tired to fight it off. I'd spent my whole life fighting something, it felt like.

Maybe it was time to try giving in more.

So I dropped into a dreamless slumber.

Held close in Sven's arms.