“Come here,” he said, tugging her closer.
She let him without protest.
Joshua’s mouth went dry as he scented the air. The smell of her arousal was heavy between them. Confusion spun in his mind. She hated it when he told her what to do. So why was she reacting like this today?
Maybe it was less about telling her what to do and more about the obvious care for her? He’d come to her defense with Jenny… could that be what had changed things between them?
Abruptly, it didn’t matter. She was here, her need scenting the air. He was here; they were alone. And he was so very tired of being the strong one that kept himself from holding her the way he wanted.
“We need to get back to town. It’s safer there,” he said, but when he tugged her closer, he stepped forward, pulling her flush against him. Heat radiated off her chest, through their shirts. The feeling of her body molding itself against him made every nerve ending in his body come to life.
“Town’s busy,” Kira said. “People are there. They can see what we do. I’m tired of being watched. Tired of letting other people decide for me.”
A thrill washed through Joshua’s spine. But with it came something else, a deep worry that he couldn’t ignore. Chelsey had said Kira was bad at sharing her feelings. He took a deep breath and cupped Kira’s face in his hands. Everything depended on how she answered this.
“Do you want me to annul the marriage?”
Kira’s eyes narrowed. “So what? Chelsey comes back, and you decide you’d rather marry her?”
“What? No, I—” Joshua cut himself off as Kira’s lips twitched. He growled as he walked her backward until she was pressed against the tree. The bark lay in long, soft strips. He was grateful she’d chosen a cedar to hide beneath. They wouldn’t be able to do this with a spruce or pine. “Little minx. How am I supposed to get hold of you when I don’t know when you’re serious or teasing?”
“Kind of feels like you have a good hold on me already,” Kira moaned.
He slid his hands down her hips, tightening briefly on her ass. Kira bit her lip, panting as her hands came to rest on his shoulders.
“You didn’t answer me,” he growled, leaning in close.
“Huh?”
“Whether you want to annul the marriage.”
Kira huffed, as though the question annoyed her. “After all the work I did to get my name changed? I’m not going back to Smithson, thank you very much. I don’t want to annul anything. Besides, the Elders would only agree to an annulment if we hadn’t consummated the marriage. And from how you feel right now—” She rocked her hips forward, pressing against a particularly hard part of his anatomy, “—that’s not going to be the case for much longer.”
That was good enough for him. He kissed her neck, his hands moving again. The desperation and buildup of tension from the past days were too much for him. He’d slept in her bed, touched her body, and he’d made sure that he was so focused on the medical aspects that he hadn’t allowed himself to consider anything else.
Oh, but his body knew what he’d been missing. Now, the taste of her exploded on his tongue, the sound of her gasps filled his ear, and that delicious scent drove him mad. He couldn’t touch her fast enough, couldn’t linger over the dips and curves of her body. He wanted to strip off her clothes all at once and remove each item with deliberate care.
It seemed ridiculous that he couldn’t have both at once.
“Joshua,” Kira moaned, her hands dancing over him. “Joshua.”
She trailed off into a moan as his mouth closed over her nipple, poking hard through her shirt. He clamped his teeth lightly over it, swirling his tongue over the tender pearl. It wasn’t until she moaned again, louder this time, that he remembered how badly she’d been injured recently. Was it pleasure making her moan, or pain?
He pulled back, and Kira whimpered, tugging him closer again. Joshua chuckled, one hand on her hip as he pressed her into the tree.
“I have to check your bruises,” he said, all seriousness.
Kira wrinkled her nose. “Why do you—” She cut herself off, going red again. She bit her lip. “Oh, yes. Yes, you had better check them.”
Joshua traced his fingers over the neckline of her shirt, tugging it down to the top of her bra. He leaned forward, peering into her cleavage. Her skin was still slightly discolored in places, but nowhere near that terrifying black-purple it had been the first night. He let her neckline spring back into place and ran his hands over her fingers, pausing only once to swipe his thumb over the wet spot above her nipple.
Joshua pulled her shirt over her head and reached around her to unfasten her bra clasp. Kira’s eyes tracked his movements, her own hands moving over his body with a passion and desperation that made him want to weep. She touched him as though her life depended on it.
“Hmmmm.” He cupped her breasts in his hands, enjoying the sensation of her soft skin. “It looks like you’re healing up nicely.”
“Maybe you should get a closer look,” Kira rasped as she dropped her hands to the buckle of his belt. She pulled him toward her and worked at loosening his belt.
Joshua bent over her, kissing one of her breasts, pursing her lips over the same nipple he’d tasted through her shirt. It pebbled in response, hardening as he flicked his tongue over it. He moved to her other breast, repeating the motion on that nipple. As he did so, Kira pushed her hand into his pants and started to massage him. He groaned into her skin, peppering her skin with his kisses. He moved up, his tongue sliding against her clavicle as his hands slid down. He hiked her skirt to her waist and pulled her underwear to one side.
