Anyway. We didn't make it to the bedroom at first.

The door swung open and we stumbled inside, our mouths still locked together. I didn’t even bother with the lights. I just reached behind me and fumbled for the handle, slamming the door shut.

—CLICK.

The sound of the lock was a starting gun.

I pushed Seraphina against the wood, my hands roaming over her blazer before I finally managed to peel it off her shoulders. It hit the floor with a soft thud. I moved to her blouse next, my fingers clumsy and frantic as I undid the buttons.

Seraphina let out a jagged, needy moan—NNGH. Her hands were in my hair, pulling me closer, her body arching into mine like she was trying to merge our heartbeats.

I got her top off. Her skin was like white marble in the gloom, pale and glowing and so, so cold. I didn't care. I leaned in, my mouth finding the crook of her neck, tasting the frost and the salt.

"Elara..." she breathed.

I didn't answer. I just moved my hand up, finding the soft, heavy weight of her breast through the lace of her bra. I kneaded the flesh, my thumb grazing the nipple until it peaked.

—AHH.

The sound she made was small and broken. It sent a jolt of heat straight to my gut.

We moved from the door to the sofa, a messy, tangled dance of limbs and discarded clothes. My blazer went next. Then her skirt. Every inch of skin that touched mine felt like a physical shock—a dichotomy of my furnace and her winter.

Honestly, my head was spinning. The bond was humming, a steady, rhythmic thrum in my chest that made every sensation twice as loud.

We finally made it to the bed.

The sheets were cool, but we were a mess of heat. I was over her, my knees between her thighs, my hands pinning her wrists to the pillow for a second. I wanted to see her. I wanted to see the Ice Queen completely unraveled.

I reached for the waistband of her panties.

Seraphina’s hand caught mine.

She was breathing hard, her chest heaving, her blue eyes wide and searching. "Elara... wait."

I stopped. My heart did a slow, heavy thrum. "What is it?"

"Are you okay?" she whispered. Her voice was shaky. "You were... you were smoking. You looked so stressed. I don't want this to be... because of that."

I looked at her. Really looked at her.

She was worried about me. Even now, with her hair a mess and her skin flushed, she was looking for the cracks in my armor.

I shook my head, leaning down until our foreheads touched. "I'm not doing this out of stress, Seraphina. I promise."

I moved closer, my lips grazing the shell of her ear. I let my voice drop into a low, jagged rasp.

"I want you."

That was it. The last of her resistance just... evaporated.

She let out a soft, defeated moan and pulled me down.

I didn't waste any more time. I slid my hand lower, past the silk, finding the heat hidden beneath the ice. I plunged two fingers into her.

—AHH!

Her back arched off the mattress. Her eyes rolled back, her fingers digging into my shoulders as she took me in. She was so wet. So hot. The friction was incredible, a sharp, electric buzz that made my teeth ache.

I started to move. Slow, deep thrusts that made the bed frame creak.

I worked her, my thumb finding the sensitive nub at the top, pressing down with a brutal, rhythmic pressure.

—NNGH. —PLEASE.

Seraphina was unraveled now. She was a mess of soft whimpers and desperate pleas, her head tossing from side to side on the pillow. I didn't stop. I added a third finger, stretching her, pushing until I felt her internal muscles begin to spasm.

While I worked her, Seraphina reached for me. She fumbled with my bra, finally snapping it open. She pulled me down, her mouth finding my nipple.

She licked the peak, her tongue cold and sharp.

—AHH.

It was my turn to groan. The sensation was a physical jolt, a current of mana shooting straight to my core. She sucked on me, her teeth grazing the tip, while my hand never slowed its pace below.

The room was full of the sound of us. The wet squelch of my fingers. The ragged gasps for air. The soft, rhythmic thumping of the headboard.

"Elara... Elara, I'm..."

She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to.

Her body went rigid. A long, shuddering scream left her throat as she peaked. She clamped down on my fingers, her muscles pulsing in a frantic, desperate rhythm that seemed to last forever.

I kept moving for a few more seconds, helping her ride the wave until she finally collapsed back against the sheets, her breath coming in short, sob-like gasps.

I slowly pulled my hand out. My fingers were glistening, dripping with her.

I lifted my hand, watching her as I licked the juices from my knuckles.

Seraphina’s eyes fluttered open. She watched me, her gaze hazy and dark, a small, tired smile touching her lips.

"I want you too," she whispered.