There was no hesitation, no holding back, there was no longer a reason for restraint. We were together for the foreseeable future, and it seemed that neither of us was leaving anytime soon.
Not unless we met with a premature death during training.
Yes, it was a complication for me, and yes, I would have to navigate carefully between Kailin and my duty, but I would find a way. I wasn't giving up on what could be the best thing in my life because I was afraid of juggling two dragon-sized responsibilities at once.
Her lips were soft beneath mine, yielding at first and then responding with an enthusiasm that sent fire racing through my veins. I pulled her closer, one hand sliding to the small of her back while the other tangled in her lush, golden hair.
She made a small sound against my mouth, something between a sigh and a moan, and it nearly undid my self-control. I deepened the kiss, tracing the seam of her lips with my tongue, seeking entry. She granted it without hesitation, her own tongue meeting mine in a dance that was at times a challenge and at times a surrender.
We stumbled backward until her legs hit the couch, and we collapsed onto it in a tangle of limbs, never breaking the kiss. She ended up beneath me, her body so soft and yielding under mine, her curves fitting perfectly against my angles.
Her hands were exploring now, one gripping my shoulder, the other sliding down my back, pulling me closer.
When we finally broke apart for air, her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen, and her eyes were dark with desire. The sight of her, disheveled and wanting, sent a surge of possessive satisfaction through me, primitive and powerful.
I braced myself on one elbow to avoid crushing her, using my free hand to trace the line of her jaw, her throat, the delicate collarbone exposed by the V-neck of her academy-issued sweater.
"Alar," she breathed, her voice husky.
I brushed a strand of hair from her face, marveling at how soft and silky it felt between my fingers. "I've been wanting to do that since that night in the cave."
"Me too." A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. "Why did you wait so long?"
I chuckled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry about that. I never dared to believe that we would both get in."
That was the truth, just not all of it.
"Don't apologize," she said, her fingers trailing along my jaw in a touch so light it almost tickled. "I was holding back because of the same fears. I was sure that the pilgrimage would end with you going back to Eluria and me getting a desk job in the map department."
The realization that she wanted me as much as I wanted her was intoxicating.
I lowered my head to kiss her again, slower this time, but no less passionate. Her hands slid into my hair, holding me to heras she arched up against me. The contact sent shocks of pleasure through my body, and I had to force myself to maintain some semblance of control and not reach with my hand under her sweater to cup her breast.
Would she mind?
What if I was going too slow?
We were in a public space, and although we were already in a compromised position, I hesitated to make it even more scandalous. I was a gentleman, and it was my duty to protect my lady, which meant not exposing her in public.
That didn't mean we couldn't explore more, though. It only meant that both of us needed to remain clothed during our explorations.
My lips left hers to trace a path along her jaw, down the slender column of her throat, lingering at the pulse point where I could feel her heartbeat racing beneath my mouth. She gasped, tilting her head back to give me better access and tightening her fingers in my hair in a way that walked the delicious line between pleasure and pain.
She wanted me, and I wanted her, and there was no reason for us to torment ourselves anymore. We just needed to go somewhere private.
"Kailin," I murmured against her skin, "perhaps we should go to your room after all."
The suggestion hung in the air between us, loaded with implication. Kailin might not be ready for everything that such privacy might allow, but I didn't want to risk us being discovered like this in the lounge.
She pulled back slightly to look at me, her expression a complex mixture of desire and uncertainty. "Yes."
Her answer sent my imagination spinning in directions that tested the tenuous hold I was barely maintaining over my arousal, but before I could respond, the lounge door swung openwith a creak that sounded as loud as thunder in the charged silence.
We sprang apart like guilty teenagers, though not quickly enough to disguise what we'd been doing. Kailin's hair was tangled, her lips were swollen, and her sweater was askew, but the most telling was the tent in my pajama pants.
Shovia stood in the doorway, her expression shifting from surprise to guilt to amusement as she took in the scene. Her own appearance was put together, but the languid satisfaction of her entire demeanor and the faint mark visible on her neck told the story of what she'd been up to.
"Sorry to interrupt, but it's almost curfew, and you don't want Jarren to find you here like this."
