She grew still within his arms, and he cupped her face in his hands. “Unless you’d rather I didn’t touch you at all.”
Morrendidn’tknowwhatto say. Right now, being in his arms, she could feel the desire he was trying to hold back. And her own skin was growing hotter, despite the crisp autumn air. She couldn’t deny the things he made her feel. They were at a crossroads, and though her mind was warning her that she couldn’t possibly consider anything more with Trahern, her body was responding to him.
Her hesitation brought back the guarded expression on his face. By remaining silent, she’d made him believe that she wanted nothing to do with him.
He helped her rise to her feet. “I’ll escort you back to your chamber.”
But she didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to distance himself, not now. When she was with Trahern, the past didn’t seem to matter any more. He didn’t look upon her as a damaged woman.
“Wait.” She took his hand in hers. Though heat rushed into her cheeks, she wanted him to know that she cared for him. Guiding him to the stone, she exerted a gentle pressure on his shoulders. “Sit down for a moment.”
He obeyed without question, and Morren stood before him. She rested her hands on his shoulders, and forced herself to move closer. Lifting his palms, she set them about her waist.
She didn’t know if she had the courage to reach out to him in this way. But she couldn’t say what was inside her heart, for she didn’t really understand the feelings. All she knew was that she needed him. His presence steadied her, and she didn’t want to lose that.
Slowly, she knelt down and touched her mouth to his. It was the only offering she could give, and he took it, meeting her kiss with his own. He brought her closer, opening his mouth and touching her tongue with his own. The shocking sensation sent a tingling shudder through her body, until her nipples strained into tight peaks.
But it wasn’t from the cold.
Trahern kissed her as though she were the only woman in the world, the one who had brought him back from the edge of madness. The heat swirled through her, dampening the place between her legs. She ached there, and it startled her to think that she could ever welcome a man in that way.
“Come here,” he whispered. “Sit with me.”
She thought he would pull her onto his lap, but instead, he lifted her to straddle his muscled thigh. Her instinct, to pull away, was so strong, she almost did. But he didn’t move at all, only resting his hands at her waist. His palm massaged a soft circle over her spine, and she began to relax.
The pressure of his leg against her center brought another rippling sensation. She didn’t understand it, but before she could protest, he captured her mouth with his.
His tongue nudged hers, sleek and wet. A moan caught in her throat as he kissed her. He shifted his leg in the barest movement, and her breathing quickened. The sensation of his thigh pressed against her sent a tightness swelling up in her center.
She yearned to run from it, for she didn’t want this feeling. Fear washed over her, but she forced the memories away. She trusted Trahern never to hurt her. And in his dark gray eyes, she lost herself.
“Don’t fight it,” he said gruffly. “Let me give this to you. Just surrender to the feelings.”
He shifted his leg again, sliding her against the thick muscles. She could hardly breathe as his mouth took hers in a kiss that pushed away all the darkness. In a rhythm that tantalized and terrified her, he moved his thigh, while his tongue slid inside her mouth.
A strange yearning began to fill her, and she strained against his leg. Swollen and burning with need, she nearly tried to move away from him, but he held her fast.
“Let it happen,” he urged again. And with another nudge of motion, she felt herself trembling on the brink of something. His mouth captured hers, and abruptly, her body erupted with a shimmering pleasure that rocked through her. She gasped against his lips, and her nipples rubbed against the fabric of herléinewhile she rode out the intense sensations.
She melted against him, holding fast to his neck while her heartbeat raced.
“What happened to me?” she whispered. “Just now when you—“ Her words broke off when he pressed his leg between hers again. “Sweet Virgin, don’t.”
His hand stroked her back, and he drew her to him with a wicked smile. “That’s what lovemaking is about,a stór. Giving a woman pleasure.”
Her mind went back to Queen Isabel’s earlier remark about her husband and the passion they shared. The happy blush on the woman’s face hadn’t been at all fearful. Was that the way it was meant to be?
She searched Trahern’s face, trying to understand. Beneath his lazy smile, she saw a hint of physical frustration. “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. This was for you.”
She brought her mouth to his and kissed him with a gentle brush of her lips. He returned the light kiss and stood, easing her down. “I’ll escort you back.”
She could hardly walk, and delicious sensations thrummed within her body. But even so, she didn’t miss the caged hunger in his demeanor or the way he watched her from the corner of his eye.
His heated gaze made her recall the fierce, soaring pleasure. She was attuned to him in a different way, and she wondered why he’d awakened this within her.
When they stood before the chamber she shared with the rest of Isabel’s ladies, he touched her cheek. “Sleep well,a mhuirnín.”
