It left Eva feeling restless, a touch violent. The urge to possess and conquer making her uninhibited as Caden hooked a finger into the collar of her sleep shirt, pulling it to the side. His head dipped as he took the muscle there between his teeth, closing down just enough to let her feel their edge but not enough to cause actual pain.
Eva dug her fingernails into the skin of his lower back as punishment.
A husky laugh sounded.
Caden jackknifed into a kneeling position, lifting his shirt up and over his head to bare a chest that even veiled by darkness could only be considered exquisite.
It was full of hard planes and chiseled lines that begged for her touch. Eva stared, too caught up in admiring its beauty to pay attention to the satisfied look on Caden's face.
Unable to resist, she reached out, her touch butterfly soft as she caressed the smooth muscles.
Caden had led a violent life and it showed in the scars that decorated his skin. Each one only adding to the attraction.
They were a road map, telling the story of a man who survived.
Almost by habit, her touch found the newest of his scars. The edges raised and slick, the scar tissue still relatively new.
Sorrow pushed aside some of the desire. He'd come so close to death. If not for the Kyren, he would have slid over the edge. A secret she couldn't share with anyone. Not even him.
Caden's hand came up to flatten hers against him, understanding on his face. "It's over."
Eva didn't respond, her gaze still locked on the spot where she knew the scar was.
He touched her chin. "I'm fine now."
Eva closed her eyes. Yes, he was. And he was going to stay that way.
"You should show me just how fine you are," Eva challenged.
Wickedness replaced Caden's concern.
He yanked Eva's shirt over her head before she could react, toppling her back to the bed. Eva held his face as she pressed her lips against his again, fighting to distract herself from her dark thoughts.
All that mattered was him. This moment and the blaze they created between them.
Caden met her fury with his own, the kiss ripping away the last of her barriers to leave her vulnerable. Her weaknesses exposed.
It would be so easy to devastate her. All it would take was a word. A look.
That was what love did to you. It ripped your chest open, leaving your heart exposed and hoping your partner would take care of it. Not crush it for their selfish needs. That they were the person you thought them to be.
Caden had proved himself worthy a thousand times over.
"It'd be worth fighting a thousand armies to live this moment with you," Caden said, lifting his head to stare down at her with desire and need.
"Careful, my commander. People might start to think you're a man of words rather than action," Eva warned.
Caden lowered his head, his lips trailing along the upper slope of her breast. His mouth closed around her nipple, a sharp zing shooting to Eva's center.
Eva's back arched as her skin flushed with need.
This time it was her control being tested.
And test it Caden did. His touch skated across the sensitive crease where her legs met her hips, making Eva jump and eliciting a number of sounds from her. None of them understandable.
In warning, Caden nipped the underside of Eva's breast. Eva forced herself to remain still, breathing deep as his fingers found her center.
They dabbled there, drawing circles around the spot she wanted him most.
