Chapter 21: Losing Control

A gasp escaped Annalise's lips as she stared wide-eyed at the man whose lips were trying to dominate her mouth while taking control of her entire being.

She couldn't deny that his mere touch was enough to set her body on fire. There was something about him that was constantly pulling her strings and that too in the best way possible.

Was it possible that she had already started liking him? The thought both scared and confused her.

She didn't know him. He was almost a stranger to her just like his two brothers who also seemed to have similar effects on her.

It was all so confusing, so consuming, so empowering. The onslaught of emotions shook her.

"Kenric..."

His name was a mere whisper leaving her lips as she felt tremors of pleasure running down her spine.

"It's okay, Annalise," he whispered, shifting them so she lay under him on her back, his lower body settling between her thighs.

His lips didn't leave hers for even a single second, and he used her distraction to slip his tongue through her parted lips before it dominatingly took control of her mouth. It felt like embers were dancing all over her body, his palm trailing a fiery path down her side before coming to rest on her hip.

The warmth of his palm against her hip caused her to still all her movements. She didn't even realize that she was moving her body until the feel of his palm on her body ceased all her movements.

"You feel perfect, Little Bird, as if your body is tailor-made for me," he whispered, his lips teasing her cheek before moving down to her neck. "I should stop."

She wasn't sure to whom he was saying those words. At one point, it felt like he was asking for her permission to continue, while on other hand, it seemed like the sensible part of his mind was trying to remind him to stop before it would be too late and he would end up regretting his actions.

She should have used the chance to push him away, to make him stop. However, she ended up doing something totally opposite. Arching her back, she pushed her chest against him as a deep sigh left her lips.

Kenric chuckled, his lips brushing against hers. "You are way too tempting, Little Bird. I can finally see why someone like Damien ended up losing control around you. But no matter how much I want to satisfy you right now, I shouldn't push things any further."

"But it feels right." Annalise couldn't stop herself on time and the words escaped her lips in a soft exhale. A soft tint of blush immediately took over her cheeks as the realization of what she had just confessed settled in her brain.

"It does," he agreed, his voice husky and hot. "It feels too damn right. It feels amazing." His tongue slid into her mouth once again, the taste of him burning Annalise from inside out.

The sweet and indescribable sensations were too great for her to control. His kiss, his warmth, his touch - everything about him made her body and soul cry for more. The fire building inside her seemed like a combustible element awaiting for her permission to erupt.

She whimpered and wreathed beneath him, her entire being filled with a passion that she could hardly understand. The feelings and sensations that Kenric was making her feel at the moment were so new and foreign to her, but she couldn't deny that she liked every second of it.

His name once again left her lips and it sounded like a plea. And all of a sudden, she realized the physical reactions of her body toward Kenric's actions. Her body was burning hot, her nipples were standing erect, and her lower region felt sticky as a warm liquid seeped out.

The sudden realization of the state of her body made her eyes fly open and finally gave her enough sensibility to think about pushing Kenric away to stop him.

However, before she could have done anything like that, both of them were disturbed.

"Enough!" A deep voice said in a commanding tone, echoing through the ancient walls of the castle room in which they were currently present.

Valerius.

"Have you already forgotten what we talked about last night?" he growled at his brother, his words pulling both Annalise and Kenric from the chains of desire. "You better get yourself in check..."

His icy-blue eyes collided with her ocean blue eyes, and she had to hurriedly look away as she was too embarrassed to look into his eyes.

She heard Kenric cursing under his breath, his face falling to her neck as Valerius stormed out of the room.

Annalise suddenly felt cold despite the warmth that was surrounding her because of the man who was still hovering over her and shivered as he rolled away, his face turning darker with every passing second.

"I'm sorry, Annalise," he whispered. "I wasn't thinking straight. I... I... should have been more careful."

'Me too'. Annalise thought as she recalled just how carelessly she ignored all the sensible warning signals that her brain kept sending to her.

He wasn't the only one at fault, she too was an equal participant. As the realization of what just happened started settling over her, she started feeling too flabbergasted. She had almost begged him to take her right then and there. Had wanted him more than anyone or anything in the whole world.

She was both embarrassed and thankful for Valerius' interruption. Who knew what would have happened if the first Dark Lord wouldn't appear and stopped them? Besides, they were doing all that in the middle of the hall where anyone could have seen them.

Her attention was pulled towards Kenric as the man stood up and without even giving a single glance in her direction, he too stormed out of the hall.

A sigh left Annalise's mouth as she returned her attention to the portraits. What she was supposed to do from there onwards?