With a reluctant huff, he rested Trulie back on the mat. He gently arranged her arm across her side and swept her hair away from her face. “Rest well, lass. Find strength in yer dreams.”
CHAPTER11
Adeep rumbling snore beside Trulie’s head tugged her into wakefulness. She curled into a tighter ball and pulled the blanket higher around her shoulders. “Roll over, Karma. You’re snoring.”
The toasty warmth beneath the blanket sent her back into the arms of delicious drowsiness. She snuggled deeper and yawned. The softly crackling fire lulled her the rest of the way into the warm, velvety darkness.
A louder snort shattered the peacefulness and jerked her back awake.
“Karma! I said roll over.” She didn’t bother opening her eyes, just reached above her head to nudge the dog.
Instead of fur, she touched warm, smooth skin. Skin? Her eyes popped open and she lifted her head. The warm, yellow light of the dancing flames poured across the source of the deep, rumbling snores. Flat on his back, with hands folded across his taut stomach, Gray was stretched across one end of the pallet, the end closest to her head.
She blinked hard, then rubbed the corners of her eyes, trying to remember how exactly this situation had come to pass. A quick scan of the dimly lit room revealed this was Tamhas’s place. Elongated shadows danced across the low-ceilinged dirt walls. The light of the hearth bounced off the mess left behind by the old man when he moved down to the keep.
She pushed herself upright, then realized she was naked. What happened to her clothes? Grabbing the pile of blankets pooled around her waist, she yanked them up to her throat.
Gray remained motionless except for the subtle rise and fall of his chest.
And what a chest. She couldn’t help but stare. Clutching the rough blankets tight, she inched closer. Was he naked too? A corner of the blanket draped across his middle did little to hide the fact that he was.
She scrubbed her face with one hand. What was she doing naked in Tamhas’s cottage—and why was she here with Gray? A shiver tickled up her spine into her damp hair.
Damp hair. Water. Numbing cold. Darkness.Memories tumbled over themselves as though her mind had suddenly thawed. She kept her gaze locked on the sleeping man, her heart swelling with a warm rush of emotion as everything became clear. Gray had saved her. Something clicked inside her. Like the last piece of a puzzle popped into place. She released a soft sigh. Yes. She and Grayfiteach other.
The firelight flickered across the ridges of his muscled form. She relaxed her stranglehold on the blankets and barely kept them covering her chest. Those powerful arms had cradled her against that broad chest. Her body hummed with the memory; the tingling sensation fully imprinted in her flesh.
“Go back to sleep, lass,” he said after a deep yawn.
She fumbled the blankets back up under her chin. “I thought you were asleep.”
He settled his folded hands lower across his flat stomach and smiled without opening his eyes. “I was.”
Tucking the blanket close, she locked it tight with her arms. “Care to tell me why we arebothsleeping here ... uhm ...naked?”
He drew in a deep breath. The delicious plane of his broad chest expanded even more. His jaw-cracking yawn popped through the darkness as he settled deeper into the mat. “Our clothes were soaked. Stripping down is the best way to get warm and dry.” The bit of blanket tossed just below his stomach appeared to be rising into a very impressive tent.
Merciful heavens, she scooted to the edge of the pallet farthest from the fire. The heat of the room suddenly seemed almost smothering. “Do you think we could open those shutters? It’s kind of hot in here.”
Gray rolled over onto his side and propped his head in his hand. The impressive blanket tent shifted to a pile of teasing folds just below his waist. “Aye,” he rumbled softly. “’Tis verra warm in here.”
Her fingers itched to trace the lines of those strong arms that had held her close. The glow of the fire turned his skin to a burnished copper. He stared at her, unblinking.
She parted her lips and drew in a shallow breath.Do it,her inner voice dared. Should she? Really?What are you waiting for?the wicked voice prodded again. She took another deep breath and allowed her blanket to fall away.
Gray’s stare never wavered. Raw hunger blazed in his eyes. Slowly, he reached for her. “Come to me,” he whispered.
She sat there hypnotized, her heart rate turning into an excited pounding.
“Come to me,” Gray repeated, a hair’s breadth louder than before. His deep voice stroked her like a lover’s caress. He didn’t move an inch toward her, just waited, with his hand outstretched.
She rose up on her knees and leaned across the pallet. Moving toward him on all fours, her body burned hotter, matching the inferno in his eyes. When she reached him, she barely rested her fingertips in his warm, calloused palm. A sense of completeness tingled through her. Yes. This was meant to be. And it wasn’t alcohol talking this time.
Slow and steady, he gently pulled her closer, then slid his hand to the swell of her hip and cupped her behind. “I want ye,” he rasped as he leaned up and brushed her lips with his.
She closed her eyes and gave herself to the sensations exploding across her senses. Yes, she needed this so very badly.The teasing of his lips ... so insistent. The taste of him ... warm and rich, flavored with the intoxicating spirits she vaguely remembered sipping as he supported her head. She opened wider to his kiss and melted into his embrace, molding herself against him.
He rolled her to her back without breaking their bond. He traced his fingertips along her jawline as he deepened the claiming and hungrily took more.
