Once Upon a Fiery Christmas (Return to Avalore Book 3) by Elianne Adams

tugged on his shirt and pulled it up his back. She reached his shoulders and he yanked it off and pitched it to the floor. She caressed his chest, marveling at the smooth feel of his skin. His muscles bunched under her touch, and she smiled. She’d seen him shirtless before, but any touching except for their one time in the gardens had been nothing more than casual.
    She swiped her tongue over his nipple, letting it tighten for a moment before grazing her teeth over it.
    “Chantelle, you’re killing me,” he whispered.
    “I’m not stopping you.” Too busy teasing his nipple, she whispered the words in his mind.
    He unfastened the remaining buttons on her blouse, shucked it off and unclasped her bra.
    His moan turned into a growl as she licked her way back up to his neck, nuzzling the spot she wanted to sink her teeth into.
    “No, Chantelle. No marking today.” His soft words held all the conviction she now lacked.
    She pulled back and opened her mouth to protest, before remembering it had been her idea. Sebastian swooped in, kissing her until she could hardly think, much less speak.
    “Just think of how much better it will be once we’re joined.”
    After all they had been through, she could hold off for a few days until they were joined. She nipped his neck, just to hear him that sexy rumble in his chest again. “Okay, no marking, but we can still play, right?”
    “Oh, we’re playing. Only the Goddess above could stop us.” He pulled her to him and circled his arms around her bottom, lifting her off the floor. He followed her down on the bed, kissing her as his weight settled over her.
    She stroked his back, sending little bursts of energy coursing over his skin, over hers. She had thought to tease him but when he did the same, her whole body came alive, aching for more. He kissed her chin before moving lower. He nuzzled the valley between her breasts, the stubble on his jaw grazing the tender skin. When he looked up at her, fire shone from the depths of his eyes, and she knew he was fighting his dragon just as much as she fought her phoenix.
    With his gaze trained to hers, Sebastian cupped her breasts in his hands, his thumb and forefinger pinching and rolling each peak enough to make her gasp and want more. “Sebastian, please.”
    His lips set her skin on fire as he kissed his way to her nipple. When he finally pulled it into his mouth, she whimpered and brought her hands up to hold him there. Nothing had ever felt so good. Each pull of his lips, each tweak of his fingers on the other nipple had her clit throbbing harder until she could hardly breathe. She didn’t realize she had a hold of his hair until he tried moving lower.
    “You have to let me go, sweetheart.”
    His gravelly tone sent a jolt of pleasure coursing through her again. Releasing his hair, Chantelle shuddered when he took his mouth from her aching nipple and blew. With one last flick of his tongue, he kissed the tender skin just beneath her breast, then down to her navel before looking up at her again.
    “I can’t wait to taste all of you, Chantelle. I’ve dreamt of burying my face between your beautiful thighs for so long.”
    She whimpered again. “Goddess, yes. Please, Sebastian. I can’t stand it anymore.” And she couldn’t. She was going up in flames. Every part of her ached and pulsed.
    With a wicked glint in his eyes, he nipped her lower belly before unfastening her pants and pulling them just an inch lower. He nuzzled the newly exposed skin, scraping his jaw against it, grinning when she shuddered against him again. Every time he pulled her pants lower, he did the same, until she thought she would go crazy. Once they were finally mid-thigh, he pulled them the rest of the way down before resettling between her legs.
    “Open up for me, sweetheart.”
    She did as he asked; bending her knees, she let them fall open.
    “Your scent is driving me crazy. It’s driving my dragon crazy.” He lowered his head until his hot