"Yes." The word came out before I could think better of it. "You should."
His jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he might pull away. Instead, his hands moved higher, spreading the cool salve across my collarbone, down over the swell of my breasts where smaller bruises had formed. His touch was featherlight there, almost reverent, and I had to close my eyes against the intensity of it.
This was a terrible idea. I knew it was a terrible idea. I'd known this man for barely a day, and most of that time had been spent being imprisoned by him, running from him, or nearly dying. None of those things should have led to me lying almost naked under his hands while my body responded like it had never been touched before.
But damned if I could make myself care right now.
His hands moved to my shoulders, the salve warming under his palms as he worked the tension from muscles I hadn't even realized were knotted. I let out a long breath, my body melting deeper into the mattress beneath me. His thumbs pressed into the hollow at the base of my neck, and a sound escaped me—something between a sigh and a moan that I couldn't have stopped if I'd tried.
His fingers traveled up the column of my throat, slow and deliberate, spreading warmth as they went. The touch could still be argued as medicinal, but the way his breath had gone ragged told a different story. His fingertips traced my jaw, a slight tremor in them that felt like barely leashed restraint.
He stopped with his palm cupping my cheek, thumb resting just below my cheekbone.
I froze, my mouth dry and my gaze fixed on his. He stared down at me, his eyes searching my face with an intensity that made my pulse stutter.
Everything slowed, and neither of us moved. My head spun from not being able to breathe.
“Hannah…” My name escaped his lips, broken, almost pained.
I moistened my lips, still staring up at him. “Kai?”
He leaned closer then, his thumb pressing my lips apart where my tongue had just been. “Am I hurting you?” he asked again, his face mere inches from mine.
“No,” I whispered. But if he had been, I’d’ve asked him to hurt me more if it felt like this.
His lips brushed mine, featherlight at first, questioning. A shiver ran through my entire body, and the buzz jolted throughout. Then his hand slid into my hair, cradling the back of my head…and he devoured me.
The world dissolved.
His mouth was warm and tasted faintly of the whiskey he'd drunk earlier and something wild and sweet that I couldn't name. He kissed me like I was something precious… like he’d been waiting for me. His lips moved against mine with a tenderness that made my chest ache.
My fingers found the hard planes of his chest beneath his gray tunic. His heart thundered beneath my palm. He made a sound low in his throat—half groan, half growl—and the kiss deepened. His tongue swept against my lower lip, and I opened for him without hesitation.
This. This was what kissing was supposed to feel like. Fuck! He knew what he was doing.
Every kiss I'd ever had before this moment paled in comparison. This was fire and safety wrapped together, desire and comfort intertwined so tightly I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. His hand tightened in my hair, tilting my head back to give him better access, and I arched up into him, not caring about the bruising.
His other hand found my waist and urged me closer until there was no space between us. The furs slipped away entirely, and I didn't care. All I cared about was the heat of his body against mine, the way his muscles tensed beneath my fingertips, the desperate sound he made when I scraped my nails lightly down his chest.
He broke the kiss only to trail his lips along my jaw, down the column of my throat, finding that sensitive spot where my pulse hammered wildly. His teeth grazed the skin there, and I gasped, my back arching off the furs.
"Hannah," he breathed against my neck. The way he said my name was like a prayer, like a curse, and it cracked something inside me wide open.
I pulled him back to my mouth, kissing him harder and hungrier. My fingers tangled in his dark hair, and he groanedinto my mouth as I tugged. His hand slid down my side, over the curve of my hip, pulling my leg up around his waist. The movement pressed us together in a way that left no doubt about how much he wanted me, with the hard ridge of his dick pushing against my core.
I needed him badly.
A sharp knock struck the cabin door.
We froze, his mouth still pressed to my throat, my leg still wrapped around him. The knock came again, three hard raps that echoed through the small space.
"Your Majesty?" a muffled voice called from outside. "We tracked the flare. Is everything well?"
CHAPTER 21
Hannah
My heart pounded, and Kai's entire body went rigid against mine. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then he pulled back, his eyes still dark with want but rapidly cooling into something harder—much like his dick, which was still pressed hard against me.
