She laughed at the gentle sensation brushed against her skin, like something was mouthing it to get her taste. It felt astonishingly like thousands of silky hairs brushing along her fingers and hand.
"They'refeilli," Graydon rumbled, his eyes soft as he watched her interact with the glowing balls. "They're symbiotic. Their preferred food source is thelu-ong, but ourkiwill work too. With thelu-ongbeing this close to shore for the first time in years, we've had a better than average nightly display."
"Are they dangerous?"
"No. Feel," he instructed.
She did. The slight zips of energy weren't only one way. She could feel it flowing into her as well, a constant feedback loop, strengthening and healing. All around them thefeillilit up, creating a river of light under the water as they led into the wide ocean. In other places, smaller groupings of dots floated along the waves. For a moment, Kira let herself get lost in the wonder, fancying the stars above had come down to dance with the ocean.
"I've never seen anything like it," Kira breathed.
Her eyes met his. The moment stretched between them, a magnet slowly and inexorably drawing them together.
Their bodies brushed, the movement of the waves bobbing them up and down. His lips found hers, soft and firm. She reached up, her hands landing on his shoulders as he pulled her body tight against his.
Her legs wound up around his waist as he fed at her mouth. The glow around them grew, thefeilliburning brighter as if in response.
"This is a bad idea," Kira said between kisses.
"I don't care.
She didn't either, too busy glutting herself on him. Adrenaline transformed to desire as his hands moved along her back. A bright sensation, almost too intense to bear, stole her breath.
Her fingers scrabbled at his armor, wanting to touch bare skin. Frustration hummed through her when they met hard resistance.
One of his hands landed on her breast, his clever fingers swirling over her nipple. She forgot about his armor, arousal shooting through her as her head fell back. Graydon's lips left hers to travel along her jaw and then the sensitive side of her neck.
His expression was feral, possession and anticipation crouched in his eyes. Challenge glittered in hers.
Graydon was the temptation she kept trying to resist, his presence a drug.
His lips moved over hers, his hands cupping her ass as he pulled her more fully against him. Kira wiggled against his armor. She squeaked as it peeled back, leaving bare skin for her to explore. She didn’t hesitate, her hands moving over muscle, squeezing, unsurprised at his hardness. His physique showed the commitment to his cause, developed over years. Right now, though, it existed solely for her pleasure.
Her tongue flicked out, tasting salt on his skin as a breath shuddered out of him. She smiled against him. She was glad she wasn't the only one who had trouble thinking in these stolen moments.
"Come to my room," he demanded as she trailed her lips along his jaw, nibbling on the side of his neck in a mirror of what he'd done to her moments before.
"Can't."
"You keep saying that," he growled.
Her fingers dug into his waist as she fought to resist the arousal coiling in her belly. It was harder than it should have been.
If he'd been just a pretty face, she could have walked away without a backward glance. He wasn't. His mind was as intriguing as his body.
"That doesn't mean it isn't true," she told him.
"Face it, you find me irresistible."
Surprisingly, she found his grumpy arrogance charming. More so as he dropped another kiss on the side of her neck right below her ear.
Her eyelashes fluttered shut. She cleared her throat. She was on the brink of giving in. She wanted this so much more than she could admit.
The word “yes” hovered on her lips, swallowed as a presence on the shore caught their attention. Graydon's armor crawled across his skin, cloaking his vulnerability as a harsh exhale left him, visible irritation replacing the anticipation that had been there.
"What?" he growled.
"A communication came in from the emperor," Solal said, amusement in his normally staid voice.
