I blinked again, twice, fast.

And I came awake when my tights were torn down my legs.

My heart instantly racing, I shifted up hurriedly, pushing up the bed but got only so far when two strong hands wrapped around my ankles, dragged me back down and tugged them apart.

I gasped when a man covered me.

Through the firelight casting a weak glow through the room, I saw Apollo’s face.

I should have relaxed seeing as it was him, but the look on his face made my entire body go wired.

His hand drove into my hair, fisting as he rumbled, “You are a lioness.”

Hunh?

“What? What’s going on? Are you—?”

He cut me off. “Not even of your blood, not even a word exchanged, barely a glance, for them, you sank a blade into a man’s flesh.”

I thought I knew what he was talking about so I said, “Well, yeah. I did. But why are you—?”

His mouth came to mine and I shut up because I could see his eyes were afire. They were searing into me and they were doing it in a particular way.

I knew that way. It was slightly different, not charged by adela tea.

But it was also the same.

His next words proved me right.

“You’re going to take me now, Maddie, and warning, my dove, I’ll not be gentle.”

Yes, his eyes were burning in a particular way.

My stomach dropped.

“Apollo,” I breathed then he was gone.

But he didn’t go far.

My skirts were thrown back up, my panties torn down my legs and his mouth was there.

Holy cow.

At his touch, more precisely how really good it was, my back arched off the bed and my heels dug into the mattress, but not for long. He grasped me behind the knees and threw my legs over his shoulders. After he accomplished that, he scooped my ass in both of his hands, brought it up, pressing me deeper into his mouth and he fed.

And boy, how he fed.

My hands went to his head, fingers sliding into his thick hair. My heels dug into his back. My neck arched and my lips parted, pants whispering out as Apollo wasted absolutely no time taking me there.

And then I was there, teetering over the edge, my orgasm within reach, it was going to be good, and I whispered, “Baby.”

Then his mouth was gone.

Before I could even whimper, I was rolled to my stomach, my h*ps yanked up roughly and he pounded inside, filling me.

“Fuck yes,” I breathed, my fingers curling into the covers.

“Ride my cock, Maddie, take it yourself,” he ordered and then I felt the slap of his hand sharp on my outer thigh.

I jumped even as heat radiated from the sting to right between my legs and I did what he ordered, rearing back, f**king myself on his cock.

Another smack to the thigh, another jump, more sting, more fire burning to the heart of me and, “Harder, poppy.”

Oh God.

This was good.

I’d never been spanked.

And I wanted more.

I moved faster, took him harder, gasping and straining against him.

“Am I in there?” he growled.

Oh yes. Fuck yes. He was in there.

“Yes,” I whispered.

His hands spanned my hips, his fingers digging in, he stopped my motion and slammed in himself, staying deep and grinding.

“Am I in there, Madeleine?”

“Yes,” I gasped.

He started driving fast and deep and I got another smack on my thigh with, “Remove your gown. I want to see your skin.”

As he f**ked me from behind, I did my best to make short work of sliding out of the dress I’d worn on our first date, and an entire twenty-four hours (and more) besides. This left me in nothing but my black bustier, my br**sts spilling out the cups with his violent movements, my ni**les skimming the covers and it started to move over me again.

“This arse, gods, your beautiful arse,” Apollo groaned, running his hand over the cheek of my ass even as he continued to thrust inside me.

And I felt it. My cl**ax was right there.

I reached for it.

He pulled out.

God!

“No!” I cried.

His hands came to my ribs. He yanked me up to kneeling in front of him and one hand went directly to my breast, cupping it, as the other one went between my legs.

“Not without me, dove,” he growled in my ear.

“Hurry,” I begged.

His finger hit the target as he rubbed his c**k against my ass.

My head fell back into his shoulder.

Nice.

“You’re magnificent,” he groaned.

“Tha-thank you,” I whimpered, pressing into his hand between my legs at the same time tipping my ass to push against his cock.

His finger and thumb found my nipple, rolled then pulled.

My entire body jerked and I moaned, “Baby.”

I got another roll of my nipple and a demanded, “Again.”

“Baby,” I breathed.

He buried his face in my neck. “Gods,” he groaned before his teeth sank into my flesh.

God. God.

Amazing.

Then his teeth were gone. I was turned, pushed back to the bed and his hands where behind my knees. He pressed them high at the same time pulling them wide. His hands left my knees and went to my hips. He was sitting back on his calves and he yanked me up his thighs, the sensitive skin of my ass gliding against the rough hairs on his thighs, making me do a full body quiver. One of his hands left my hip and went to his cock. He guided the tip inside, his hand returned to my hip, and he hauled me up, filling me.

There it was.

“Yes, baby,” I moaned.

His eyes locked to mine, he used me to f**k himself then stayed buried as he fell forward, his thighs going out from under me, his hands going to the bed beside me, arms straight and he held himself over me as he drilled inside.

I lifted my hands to his chest, feverishly gliding them across the warm, hard wall and told him, “You’re magnificent too.”

“Keep your knees high for me, legs wide, poppy,” he grunted, powering in and I realized I was closing them in on him.

I stopped doing that, spread for him, exposed to him. It was wild, it was beautiful, it was hot, and I f**king loved it.

So much, I was nearly there.

“I’m close,” I gasped. “Are you with me?”

He stopped thrusting, starting grinding and demanded, “Look at me.”

I did, begging, “Apollo.”

He dropped his body to mine, his eyes boring into mine, his hand going between us, his thumb hitting the target and he pulled out, driving back in, groaning, “I’m bloody with you.”

Then we both came.

His sounded really freaking good.