Summary: On the third day on the ship, Kenna finally gives in.
The third day on the ship passes much the same as the second. Other than the crew from Panrion, they meet to talk about Azura and the Iron Empire again in the morning. This time, everyone else seems a little more open to listening to Diavolos, Val not rolling her eyes as often and Leon disagreeing with him less, which lifts a weight off of Kenna’s shoulders.
She stares at the maps of the Iron Empire on her desk again after everyone leaves, but they don’t hold her interest for long. She wanders up to the deck, still just as restless as she’s been the past two days.
“I still don’t know how you did this for weeks on end,” she grouses to Diavolos.
“You’ll get used to it. We could spar,” he says with a suggestive grin.
“You would suggest that,” she laughs.
“What? I’d much rather spar with you than who I used to spar with on these trips.”
Diavolos chuckles at her expression. “Or I could teach you more about the constellations.”
Kenna raises an eyebrow. “It’s the middle of the day,” she points out.
“Tonight then.”
The thought of being alone at night with Diavolos gets her thoughts racing. She should say no; she knows exactly what will happen if she’s alone with him again, and it makes her heart beat faster. But she doesn’t want to say no. So she agrees, waiting for him on the deck that night and picking out the constellations he’d showed her the night before, smiling as she looks up at Orion.
“It’s a nice night again,” Diavolos says as he strolls on to the deck.
There are no pretenses this time as he stands close to her, taking her hand in his and pointing their joined hands up at the sky.
“We have a perfect view of the Big Dipper.” His lips brush against her ear as he speaks, pointing out the seven stars that make it up.
“What else?” Kenna asks, her voice a near whisper.
“There’s Ursa Minor,” he murmurs, guiding her hand and pointing to another group of stars.
“And that’s Cassiopea.”
He moves their joined hands to different constellations across the sky, but she stops paying attention when he moves behind her, his free hand resting on her hip and turning her to look at the constellations behind them. All of her attention is on Diavolos, how good he feels pressed against her, his fingers squeezing hers reflexively.
Her eyes drift closed as his lips brush over her neck, and she covers his hand on her hip with her own. She opens her eyes when he stops moving, craning her head back to look up at him, and fully realizing the intimacy of their position as he stares down at her.
“Diavolos,” she says quietly.
“Yes, Kenna?”
“I want…” She swallows hard.
“Tell me what you want, Kenna,” he says in a low, commanding tone.
“I want you to come to bed with me.”
His eyes darken, and the groan he lets out as he slides their joined hands around her stomach makes her want him even more. He lets go of her just long enough to take her hand and lead her to her cabin. When she finally gets the door open with shaking hands, Diavolos is chuckling behind her.
“Nervous about something, Kenna?” he says, nipping at her earlobe.
“No,” she answers defiantly, glad that it’s dark in her cabin and he can’t see the way she’s blushing.
“Good. You shouldn’t be.”
Her back hits the door as he presses her against it, his lips hot and bruising against hers, his hands roaming over her sides, up her back, and then sliding under her shirt, gently tracing over her bare stomach. Kenna feels like she’s being consumed, surrounded by him, drowning in the way he’s touching her and kissing her, and she doesn’t think she’ll ever get enough of this man now. He pulls her top over her head, tossing it somewhere behind him.
She tries to pull his clothes off too, but he stops her, stepping just out of reach and chuckling at her sound of frustration.
“Patience, Your Majesty.”
Before she can protest, he kisses her again, his teeth grazing her lower lip. He pulls away just long enough to deftly remove the rest of her clothing.
“Stay there,” he tells her, kissing her again and stepping away.
Her room lights up faintly a moment later as Diavolos lights the lantern on her desk, and he smirks when he sees that she’s made her way over to him.
“I see you don’t listen,” he says, then raises an eyebrow as she impatiently undoes the fasteners on his shirt and he shrugs it off.
“I don’t,” she agrees.
She runs her hands over his bare chest and stomach, scratching her nails lightly along his skin. His muscles twitch under her touch, and she smiles when she presses her lips to his bare skin and his hands tangle in her hair. He’s distracted just enough by the wet kisses she’s leaving that she manages to get his pants undone and pushed down. Diavolos chuckles as he steps out of them.
“I also see you’ve mastered the art of distraction,” he rumbles against her, then guides her backwards until she’s pressed against the wall.
He runs his hands down her chest, cupping her breasts and running his thumbs over her nipples. One of his hands glides down her stomach and in between her legs, just barely touching her, until she’s squirming impatiently against him.
“Gods, Kenna. You’re beautiful.”
He kisses her again, cupping his face in her hands, then drops down to his knees, kissing the insides of her thighs. She’s flushed and panting with anticipation as he lifts one of her legs over his shoulder and leans in.
His tongue just barely brushes over her, and she jolts, hands scrabbling for something to hold onto. They settle in his hair, tugging, and she bites her lip as he does it again.
“Diavolos,” she moans, closing her eyes as he lightly brushes his mouth over her.
Her eyes fly open and she nearly screams before remembering where they are as he suddenly plunges his tongue into her. She whimpers, fingers tightening in his hair. One of his hands squeezes her thigh, the other gripping her hip, steadying her. Her hips rock forward as his mouth moves against her, and she sobs out his name as he flicks his tongue over her clit and she comes apart.
She rests her head back against the wall, catching her breath, sighing as Diavolos kisses his way back up to her mouth and tangles his tongue with hers. He wraps his arms around her back, kissing her deeply. She smiles slowly against him, and he gives her a curious look.
“I just took you for a get to the point kind of person,” she explains, giggling a little as he lifts her up and carries her over to the bed.
Diavolos grins as he sets her down on the edge of the bed. “Oh, Kenna,” he says, his voice low. “I want to make you feel good. I want there to be no question of what you want when I’m with you.”
There’s something possessive in his tone that makes her shiver, as if he’s claiming her. It would irritate her normally, but she’s feeling a little possessive of him too, she admits to herself.
“I want you,” Kenna reassures him.
She looks up at him as she takes him in her hands, biting her lip at his sheer size as he grunts and thrusts into her hand. He runs his hands into her hair as she leans forward, kissing along his length before wrapping her lips around him. He groans her name as she moves back and forth, sucking and running her tongue over him, cursing when she speeds up and scrapes her teeth over him.
He yanks her back suddenly, eyes dark, impatiently nudging her to lay down. Diavolos looms over her, kissing her roughly before wrapping his hand around her thigh and pulling it around him. He doesn’t move for a minute, just looking at her, until she presses her hips against him and takes him in her hand.
“I want you,” she whispers again, and he surges forward, pressing into her.
Kenna inhales sharply, digging her fingernails into his shoulders as he stretches her. He stills for a moment and she can feel him shaking with the effort it takes not to move. She wraps her legs around him after a moment and he groans as he starts moving against her. She bites his neck, urging him on, and he slams into her, making her gasp. His lips seek hers again as he starts moving faster, his hips thrusting desperately against hers, and she wraps her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair.
She can tell when he’s close, feels him start to move back, so she whispers, “I’m covered.” He groans, reaching between them and brushing his hand between her legs, and she cries out, arching against him as he pushes her over the edge. Diavolos looks down at her, breathing shallowly, and she clenches around him, whispering his name, and he thrusts into her again, groaning out his release.
He drops against her for a moment, then rolls on his side and pulls her back against him. His arm slips around her waist and she feels a surprising rush of affection as she tangles her fingers with his and he squeezes her hand.
“Gods,” he says after a few minutes, and Kenna flushes and smiles.
“Mmm,” she murmurs, then shifts so she can face him.
She runs her hand over his cheek and then up into his hair, pulling him down to brush her lips over his. His hand roams over back as they kiss, tugging her against him.
He grins at her when they finally part. “Your bed is more comfortable than mine,” he says.
Kenna laughs. “Well, I am in charge.”
“I should probably get to the sleeping quarters,” he says after a moment, and Kenna sighs.
“Yes,” she agrees. “I think Leon might actually throw you overboard if he sees you coming out of my cabin in the morning.”
Diavolos chuckles as he kisses her, then climbs out of bed and grabs his clothes. Kenna watches him dress, appreciating the rippling lines of muscle across his back and chest and legs.
“See something you like?” he teases her.
“Did I not make that obvious?” she asks, wrapping the blanket around herself and standing up.
“I wouldn’t mind a reminder,” Diavolos says, leaning down to kiss her again.
“I can do that,” she says suggestively, and she delights in the way his eyes darken again and he groans.
“Kenna,” he says warningly.
“What?”
“You’re making it very difficult for me not to just throw you back in that bed.”
She rises up on her tiptoes to brush her lips over his.
“Tomorrow?” she whispers against his mouth.
“And the next day,” he counters, nipping at her lower lip.
“Okay,” she agrees.
Eventually she pushes him towards the door with a laugh, and he kisses her one last time before slipping out and telling her he’ll see her in the morning. Kenna pulls her nightgown on and blows out the candle in the lantern before climbing back into bed. The gentle rocking motion of the ship is soothing, but she finds herself unable to sleep for a long time after Diavolos leaves, thoughts racing through her head.