It took mere seconds to strip off her shift and toss it to the floor. She ran her hands up under his clothing, reveling in the hardness of his well-muscled thighs. His buttocks tightened as she pressed her nakedness against him.
He sucked in a sharp hiss. “Lore, woman. Ye feel good against me, but I would much rather have ye in front.”
“Soon,” she whispered as she reached around and tickled her fingers down his stomach. Stealth sex was pretty exciting. She shivered again and snuggled tighter against him.
A deep groan escaped him as she wrapped her fingers around his cock and pulled.
“Shhh. You said you would be quiet.” She cupped his sack in the other hand, straddled one of his legs and rubbed her wetness against him as she stroked him again.
“Aye,” he said in a strained whisper. “I ... will.” He shifted in place.
She ran the tip of her tongue up his backbone and treated him to another stroking pull.
Gray jerked. His ribcage expanded and his body tensed.
“Are you holding your breath?” She couldn’t resist a soft giggle as she nibbled a trail of kisses along the salty sweetness of his skin.
He rolled out of her hold and stripped off every stitch of clothing in one yanking motion. Jaw clenched, he snatched her up, slammed her against his chest, and covered her mouth with his.
She wrapped her legs around him and hungrily welcomed the raw need of the kiss. It had been too long since he’d been inside her.
He slid her lower in his arms, successfully driving his hardness into her. He clenched her ass in both hands as she clamped her thighs tighter about him.
“Not a sound, love,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Not a sound,” she said while arching against him.
Gray lifted her up and down with slow deliberate thrusts. She moaned into his mouth, plunging her tongue deep to keep from crying out.
He lowered her across a heavy round table in the center of the room, lifted her hips, and drove himself deeper into her heat. His hands slid to her waist as he slowly eased his way out then slammed in hard again.
With both hands clamped on the edges of the table, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet. If he didn’t move faster, she was going to die. “Harder,” she finally whispered. She dug her heels into the small of his back and pulled him forward. “Harder. Now.”
His sly grin spread as he clamped his hands tighter about her waist. “As ye wish, m’lady.” The grin disappeared as he hammered into her.
Yes.She arched her back, delighting in every thrust. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth as she bit her cheek to keep from screaming. The room disappeared as he pounded her into blinding ectasy.
Gray froze, clutched her hard against him, and groaned. He tensed for a long moment, then slumped across her with a great exhale.
She wrapped her arms tight around him and trailed kisses across his shoulder. “Well done,” she whispered as she snuggled her cheek against his.
“Aye,” he whispered back. “Well done, indeed.”
CHAPTER18
Gray shifted from a shallow dozing to alert wakefulness. Without moving, he took care to scan the darkened room by opening his eyes to the barest of slits. Nothing moved in the shadows. Nor seemed amiss. He slowly repositioned his head, as though shifting in his sleep. The wooden chair creaked in protest with his moving weight. But other than Trulie’s soft breathing and the sound of the quietly hissing fire, he heard nothing.
Sharp clicks, then the rhythmic pat-patting of toenails against the flooring not covered with pelts. Karma huffed a warning woof into the darkness. The dog waited but a second then rumbled a deep vibrating growl.
Gray rose from his chair and slid to the foot of Trulie’s bed in one fluid movement. The dog sensed something too. Whatever had awakened him had not been a dream. He pulled his dirk from its sheath and palmed the worn haft with readiness.
A slow steady grind of stone against stone came from the shadows. Gray crouched behind the end of the bed and peered over the mound of blankets. The far wall was definitely moving, but how could it be? Only he knew about this particular stretch of tunnels running through the keep.
The grinding ceased. Karma growled louder, daring the intruder to enter the room. A dark mass flew through the air and landed with a wet splat on the floor beside the hearth. Gray crouched lower, straining to make out what had landed in front of the fire.
A great black shadow moved toward the object. Firelight glistened off Karma’s rich-black coat as the dog eased up on whatever had hit the stones. He snuffled the object, raised his head, and looked back at Gray as though trying to tell the man what he had discovered.
Tension cramped Gray’s muscles. Lore, he wished he knew what the dog was trying to tell him. Karma snuffled the wet-looking pile again and raked a paw across it. Then the dog shifted, kept his head low, and rolled over on his side.
