Chapter 53 Almost Paradise

Chapter 53 Almost Paradise
Aellorah

It began slowly. Max’s fingers trailed over the bare skin of my shoulders before dipping beneath the velvety material of my dress. He stroked along my bare skin, tracing my spine with reverence. My breath caught in my throat as his touch grew more intense.

“Max…” My voice trembled as I nuzzled the underside of his chin.

“You know, I couldn’t keep my eyes off you tonight,” he murmured, voice low and thick. “Despite all the distractions—my parents, your family—all I could think about was getting you alone and unwrapping this perfect body of yours…" His words sent a warm shiver down my spine, and I felt his breath brush the shell of my ear as he leaned in closer. The room around us seemed to fade into nothing but the steady, hungry rhythm of his breathing.

I slid my hands up the front of his shirt, feeling the tension coiled beneath the fabric. “You were staring,” I whispered, letting my lips graze the corner of his jaw. “I noticed every time.”

Max let out a low sound — half laugh, half groan — and his fingers tightened at my waist, drawing me flush against him. “How could I not,” he murmured. “You walk into any room and everything just…blurs.” His forehead rested against mine, his thumb brushing slow circles at the small of my back, each stroke sending sparks through me. The closeness, the warmth, the quiet intensity in his eyes — it all wrapped around me like a promise.

“I’ve been waiting all night for this,” he said, voice roughened by restraint he was rapidly losing. “Just to feel you…right here.”

I curled my fingers into his collar, pulling him down until our lips hovered a breath apart. “Then stop waiting,” I whispered, my pulse fluttering wildly.

He groaned as he lifted my chin and dipped his head, closing the last few inches between us. I sighed into his mouth, relishing the feeling of his tongue dancing against my own.

Max

I’d been waiting all night for the moment we were finally alone together. The appearance of Aellorah’s father and brothers had been expected, but it still left a damper on the evening. I was determined to spend the rest of the night making her forget all about them.

I gripped her thighs and easily lifted her off the floor. My heartbeat was pounding in my ears as I carried her directly into the bedroom, depositing her atop the petal-strewn bedding.

“I love you, Max,” she breathed, her sweet voice making everything else dissipate. When we were alone together, nothing else existed.

“I love you, Aellorah,” I replied softly, dipping down to capture the soft skin of her neck between my teeth. She whined, her body jerking beneath me as I kissed away the sting. Every tiny sound she made only added to my need for her. I was hard in an instant. Still, I touched her slowly, deliberately, craving her pleasure above my own.

“That’s it, baby,” I urged softly, easing the straps of her dress down on her shoulders. My lips followed the material, relishing every inch of skin revealed. “Let me take care of you.”

Her eyelids fluttered shut, a pleased sigh slipping from her lips, as if she’d been waiting a lifetime to hear me say those words.

The scent of crushed rose petals clung to Aellorah’s skin as I pinned her wrists above her head. Her fingers twitched like trapped birds in a cage, scrabbling for purchase. She wasn’t struggling, though; she was savoring.

Her lips parted, not to release words but to await the slow drag of my tongue. I took my time tracing the bow of her upper lip, nuzzling her jawline, teasing the sensitive dip where her pulse fluttered. I could feel the heat of her even through the layers, her hips rolling instinctively against mine, seeking friction.

The top of her dress pooled around her waist, and the skirt was hiked up around her hips, revealing a delicious amount of her skin. I dragged my fingers along her collarbone before moving lower, grazing her breast, relishing the way her breath hitched.

“You’re fucking exquisite,” I growled, thumbing the peak just to watch her arch. The sound she made was half-moan, half-laugh, throaty and unguarded. “I love everything about you,” I praised. “Your golden hair, your soft lips, that little attitude.”

She giggled this time, head falling back in joy as I kissed my way across her skin, murmuring all the things I adored about her. When I reached her breast, I sucked her nipple into my mouth, flicking my tongue over the peak.

Aellorah whined, her hips jerking upward, grinding against me with need. I couldn’t hold back any longer. My dick was already painfully hard. I sat up between her legs, one hand unbuckling my belt, the other sliding into her lace thong to circle her clit.

Fuck… She was dripping for me.

“Max!” The way she whimpered my name so breathlessly, desperately, made me that much harder.

“That’s right, my little ballerina,” I teased as I added the tiniest bit of pressure to her clit. “Let everyone hear how much pleasure your fiancé gives you.”

I couldn’t wait a second longer. Impatiently, I dragged her underwear off, tossing them aside. In a blur of eager motions, I undressed. “Wrap your legs around me, baby,” I instructed breathlessly, notching myself against her slick center.

I eased inside Aellorah with a low groan, relishing the way she stretched around me. My eyes rolled back as I sank into her, and her knees hooked around my hips.

“M—more…” she pleaded, her nails digging into the skin of my back as she pulled me deeper. The heat between us was almost painful, raw and scorching. My hands were everywhere, trailing down her arms, cupping her breasts, gripping her ass. I lost all sense of control, letting my primal instincts take over.

Aellorah seemed just as lost, gripping me with desperation, leaving little crescent marks in my skin with her nails. The frantic sounds of our pleasure filled the suite, her sweet little moans and my ragged breathing.

“Fuck, you feel amazing, baby,” I panted against her cheek, before catching her lips in a searing kiss.

“Please, don’t stop,” she begged. And I didn’t. I reached between us again and strummed her clit in time to my thrusts until her entire body seized beneath mine. Feeling her come undone around me was more than heavenly; it was divine. It took everything I had in me to remember to pull out before I came, spilling against her thigh with a pained groan.

“Thank you,” Aellorah murmured when we finally caught our breath and relaxed against the bedding.

“For what?”

“For following through on what we talked about… the birth control thing.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that, Princess,” I replied with a reassuring smile. “I told you, your health is important to me.”

Aellorah had just fallen asleep when my cell phone began to vibrate. I plucked it from the pocket of my pants.

“Yeah?”

“Max, we’ve got a problem,” Jax said, making my heart leap into my throat.