Chapter 17: You're Worth This

Rafael's POV

She was tense under my hands when I started.

Her body coiled like she was waiting for a trap. I didn’t rush, didn’t give her time to overthink. I just began at her collarbone, my palms sliding over her skin, learning the shape of her.

She was softer than I expected, softer than she let herself be in front of others. The heat had stripped away the sharp edges, left her exposed and flushed, her usual sarcasm replaced by something raw and needy.

“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, my thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts.

She stiffened, a sound of protest forming, but I pressed a finger to her lips. “No arguing.”

Her eyes flashed, but she didn’t pull away. She couldn’t, really. Her body was already leaning into my touch, her thighs parting just slightly as my hands moved lower. I traced the dip of her waist, the flare of her hips, the way her stomach trembled under my palms.

She was sensitive here, her skin prickling with goosebumps, her breath coming faster.

“Ticklish?” I asked, my mouth curving when she squirmed.

“No,” she lied, but her fingers dug into the sheets.

I chuckled, low and dark, and leaned down, pressing my lips to the spot just below her ribs. She gasped, her back arching off the bed. “Liar.”

“Stop...” The word dissolved into a moan when I did it again, my tongue flicking out to taste her. She tasted like salt and heat, like mine. My hands slid to her thighs, pushing them apart, exposing her to the cool air. She tried to close them, but I held her open, my thumbs brushing the inside of her knees.

“Rafael...”

“Shh.” I didn’t look up, just kept mapping her with my mouth, my hands. The softness of her inner thighs. The way her muscles jumped when I nipped at the sensitive skin behind her knee. The faint, faint scent of her arousal, growing stronger with every touch. She was dripping for me, her body already preparing for the next wave of heat. I could smell it, the rich, honeyed musk of her, the way it made my cock throb.

I didn’t touch her where she ached, not yet.

Instead, I kissed my way up her thigh, my stubble scraping lightly, making her whimper. My hands slid under her ass, lifting her slightly, tilting her hips just so. She was perfect like this, open, offered, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

I ignored her. I traced the crease where her thigh met her hip with my tongue, my hands sliding up to her waist, holding her still when she tried to writhe. “Patience, omega.”

She made a sound that was half growl, half sob. “I hate you.”

I smirked against her skin. “No, you don’t.”

Her hands flew to my hair, gripping hard, trying to drag me up. I let her pull me just enough to meet her eyes. Hers were dark, desperate, her pupils blown. “I need...”

“I know what you need.” My voice was a growl, my control shaking at the edges. But I held it, held her. “And you’ll get it. When I say so.”

She snarled and I chuckled, pressing a kiss to the inside of her thigh, right where it met her pussy. She shuddered, her thighs trembling. “You’re cruel.”

“No,” I murmured, my breath hot against her. “I’m thorough.”

Then I finally, finally gave her what she was begging for.

My tongue was flat and broad as I licked her, from her entrance to her clit, slow and deliberate. She cried out, her back arching, her fingers tightening in my hair. I did it again and again. Until her thighs were shaking, until her scent was so thick in the air I could taste it on every breath.

“Oh god..." Her voice was wrecked, her hips lifting, trying to chase more. I pinned her down with a hand on her stomach, holding her still as I worked her. My tongue circled her clit, slow and steady, before flicking over it, once, twice..

“Fuck...please..." She pleaded.

I pulled back just enough to speak. “Louder.”

She whimpered, her face flushing darker. “I can’t...”

“You will.” My thumb pressed against her clit, not moving, just there, the pressure maddening. “Say it again. Louder.”

Her lips parted, her chest heaving. “Please,” she gasped, the word torn out of her. “Please, I need...”

“Need what?” I demanded, my voice rough. My cock was painfully hard, leaking against the sheets, but I ignored it. This was about her. About watching her unravel.

“You,” she sobbed. “I need you.”

A growl rumbled in my chest.

I gave her what she begged for.

My mouth sealed over her clit, my tongue working her in slow, firm strokes. Her hips jerked, her cries filling the room, her fingers clawing at my shoulders. I slid two fingers inside her, curling them just so, finding that spot that made her scream. She was soaking, her body clenching around me, her scent intoxicating.

“That’s it,” I murmured against her, my lips vibrating against her clit. “Take what you need. Use me.”

She came with a broken cry, her body convulsing, her thighs locking around my head. I didn’t stop, kept licking, kept fucking her with my fingers, drawing it out until she was whimpering, oversensitive, her hands pushing at my shoulders.

“Too much..” she gasped. “I can’t..."

I pulled back, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh. “You can.” My voice was dark, satisfied. “And you will.”

I didn’t flip her over, didn’t take her from behind like I wanted to. Like she wanted me to, if the way her body kept trying to turn was any indication. But this wasn’t about that.

This was about seeing her.

I settled between her thighs, my cock throbbing as I lined up. Her eyes were glazed, her lips swollen from biting them, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I cupped her face, forcing her to meet my gaze.

“Look at me.”

She tried to obey, but her eyes kept slipping closed, her lashes fluttering. I tightened my grip just slightly, my thumb brushing her lower lip. “Eyes on me, Iris.”

She whimpered, but her gaze locked onto mine.

I pushed inside slowly, watching her expressions shift, discomfort, then pleasure, then something deeper, something that made my chest tighten. Her lips parted, a soft, needy sound escaping her. I kept my thrusts deep and measured, my forehead pressed to hers, our breath mingling.

“You’re perfect,” I growled, my voice rough. “So fucking perfect for me.”

Her nails dug into my shoulders, her body arching up to meet mine. I let her set the pace for a moment, let her chase her pleasure, before I took back control, my hands sliding under her ass to tilt her hips, changing the angle.

She gasped, her eyes widening. “Oh my...”

“That’s it,” I murmured, my lips brushing hers. “Let go. I’ve got you.”

She broke.

Her orgasm hit her like a wave, her body tightening around me so tightly I saw stars. She cried out, her face burying against my neck, her tears hot against my skin, not from pain. From being handled like this. Like she was something precious. Something worth this much care.

I didn’t stop, couldn’t stop.

I cradled her face, my thumb brushing away her tears, as I fucked her through it. My own release was building, a tight coil of need in my gut, but I held it back, waited until she was boneless beneath me, her body spent, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Only then did I let go.

I came, my teeth sinking into the juncture of her neck and shoulder, not a bite, not yet, but close. She whimpered, her body clenching around me again, milking me for every last drop.

I collapsed on the bed as the aftershocks faded, my arms wrapped around her, her face pressed to my chest. Her heartbeat was slow and steady under my palm, her breath evening out.

She mumbled something against my skin.

I tilted her chin up. “What?”

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her voice raw. “Why are you being like this?”

"Because you are worth this," I said. "All of it."