It was restraint.
Slowly she pressed her palm into his chest, against that pounding heartbeat, her nails digging into the skin beneath his shirt.
She wasn’t sure which one of them moved first. She didn’t particularly care. Because all there was was the feel of his lips on hers as they collided, his fingers tangling in her hair as he slanted his mouth over hers.
It wasn’t gentle or tentative.
It was an unleashing. A claiming.
Will groaned, and the sound was like kindling to the fire between them. He tugged her closer, and Aya slid her arms around his neck, her fingers weaving into his silken hair.
She could die just from wanting him.
His tongue parted her lips, dragging a soft moan from her as his hands slid down her back and over her hips. Will torehis mouth away from hers to trail his lips down her neck, and she arched into him, her hips shifting against his. He nipped at the skin just above her collarbone, drawing a gasp from her as her hips moved again.
Will let out a rough laugh, his hands tightening on her hips as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. ‘Easy, love. You overestimate my self-control.’
She didn’t care. Might have even said it aloud, because Will laughed again, his lips coasting across her jaw. ‘As tempting as it would be to take you right here on the floor of this cave,’ he drawled, his lips tipping into a wicked grin as he tugged her against him again, showing her just how true his words were, ‘you need rest.’
Aya opened her mouth to argue, but Will captured her lips again. This kiss was soft – gentle. As if they had all the time in the world to explore one another. It certainly felt that way as his hands trailed slowly up her back, over her shoulders, before finally cupping her face.
He pulled away just enough to read her, his gray eyes bright. But his brows tugged toward each other, and she returned his frown. ‘What?’
Will skimmed his knuckles across her cheekbone, his face contemplative. ‘I’m wondering how worried I need to be. You stabbed yourself less than two days ago.’ His eyes dropped to that scar on her chest, his fingers tracing the raised skin. Aya trembled lightly beneath his touch.
‘I feel fine.’ Her voice was low, hardly masking the desire coursing through her. His hand floated across her chest, cupping her breast as his lips met hers again, her body arching into his touch. Slowly he backed her toward the bedroll, his tongue doing wicked things with hers.
But another tremor rocked through her, this one unprovoked.
He pulled away instantly, his breath coming in shallow pants.
‘I’m fine,’ she assured him again. But Will merely frowned as he guided her down to the bedroll.
‘I’ve had my fill of seeing you unconscious,’ he said, tucking the blankets around her. Aya let out a noise of outrage, but he was already up and making his way to the saddlebag he’d stashed against the cave wall. He returned with a waterskin and a bag of nuts and dates.
‘You’re intolerable,’ Aya mumbled as he settled next to her. But she took the water-skin, and her arm shook as she raised it to her lips and took small, steady sips. Will wrapped an arm around her waist, his breath warm against her ear.
‘That’s a funny way to say thank you.’
She let herself lean into his solid strength, her head tipping up to take in the strong lines of his jaw and the soft smile that pulled on his lips as he met her gaze.
It was one she’d never seen before. It made him look younger. More open. More free.
Aya traced that smile lightly with her fingers. ‘You found me.’
He had come for her, just as he always had, even in the moments when she thought he couldn’t deign to care. A dependable, sturdy presence. A solid wall at her back, no matter the circumstances.
After everything … he had come for her.
A smile tugged at her own mouth as she brushed her lips against his, her voice dropping low to mimic his smooth tone. ‘If I didn’t know any better, William, I’d say you actually care.’
She thought his laugh might be the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard.
68
Will monitored each of her breaths as Aya slept, her arm curled beneath her head, the other resting on top of the arm he’d draped across her waist. He savored every place she pressed against him, every movement that meant she was alive.
The fire had dwindled down to embers, and though the cold of the desert started to whisper through the cave, he hardly noticed. There was nothing but the steady rise and fall of her chest and the overwhelming emotions that threatened to swallow him whole.
