Niel stared down at her for a long moment, and she saw him swallow.
“We don’t know yet what my brother will say. Perhaps he will reject the terms altogether. There is nothing to do tonight. Please, Ayla…”
He was begging her to not press the matter. She wasn’t going to forget and let him throw himself into danger just to give her a protection she might not even need, but he wanted tonight, and she could not deny him that.
Ayla drew a deep breath and nodded reluctantly.
One Last Night
She stared up at him for a long moment. Niel’s arms stayed around her. His dark eyes studied her face carefully.
And then, slowly, he bent down and kissed her.
Niel’s mouth was soft against hers, his lips tracing her own, his hands tight on her back as he crushed her body to his. Ayla softened against him, pushing her fears to the back of her mind. Tomorrow was uncertain. But if the terms of surrender were accepted, she’d convince Niel to run instead of submitting to the Queen’s forces.
She would make sure it was not his last night of life, but it could still be their last night together. That was almost as grim of a thought. A desperate, loud part of her did not want to let him go. There was no shortage of reasons why the two of them did not belong together, and yet, her whole body, heart and mind, wanted nothing but him.
It was Ayla who deepened the kiss, her hand gripping the back of his neck. She parted her mouth and drew him with hertowards the bed. They broke apart when they reached it. The look on Niel’s face was wide-eyed, like he did not fully believe it was happening. He stared at her as she sank down to the mattress.
For a moment she feared he was going to deny her, and braced herself for a rejection. From what little he’d revealed about Hannes, she knew he might not want intimacy with another person. And if he did not want to make love, she would not push the matter. She’d be content just to hold him, and to be held.
He stayed standing, looking down at her, hands briefly clenching into fists before he uncurled them.
“Would you have me, Ayla?” Niel asked her quietly.
She blinked up at him, a little surprised, having thought her own feelings were obvious.
“Only if you want me,” she answered. “You do not need to push yourself. I do not ask it of you.”
“Yes,” he answered, so quickly he was almost interrupting. “Yes, I want you. Need you. But I hardly know what I’m doing.”
“I guessed as much,” Ayla said, and smiled despite the way her heart tightened until she feared it would burst. “That doesn’t bother me. It isn’t as though my own experiences were good ones. We’ll figure out the right way together.”
He nodded, but didn’t move to join her or take her back into his arms. She unfastened her cloak from around her neck, withdrew her feet from her slippers, and crawled to slide beneath the bed’s blankets.
“Come, then,” she offered, as she tugged the covers back up against the cold. She blinked as he drew a knife from his boot before tugging off his shoes, and another from his waistband. His dark eyes were trained on her as he lifted the blankets and slid in beside her, until mere inches separated their faces.
Then Niel’s mouth found hers, and his hand settled on her hip. She inched herself against him.
It was still cold beneath the covers, but Niel was warm. An ache pulsed between her legs, desire burning in her even though they'd just begun. His mouth was so tender against hers, gentle and yet not hesitant, like she was exactly what he wanted. He kissed her like she was delicate and precious. And in his arms, she felt safe, and fearless in a way she could never remember feeling before. Her body thawed against his warmth.
For a moment their lips parted. Niel's eyes sought hers out, questioning, as if checking that she was alright. Ayla smiled, and he smiled back. She inched tighter against him, until their bodies were not just flush but pressed hard to each other, and found his lips again. He grinned as he kissed her, even despite their doomed circumstances. His hand left her hip and slid around her, tightening on her back.
Ayla ground herself to him, twining her upper arm around his neck. His tongue slid between her teeth as she hooked her leg over his. They kissed, slow and deep, not gentle now, but like a fire burned between them. Like they could not allow any space between them at all. As his tongue swept into her mouth Ayla moaned against him. The ache between her legs became unbearable.
He pressed against her, his cock hard through his trousers. She rolled her hips against him in return, sending a bolt of pleasure through her, and was rewarded by the way his hands fisted into her dress. Niel groaned and closed his teeth lightly over her lower lip. Ayla repeated the motion. She broke the kiss and slid her mouth down to his neck, pressing her lips to the edge of his jaw, rough with the beginnings of stubble.
In a smooth motion, Niel rolled on top of her. The dress was up against her hips, and she hooked her legs around his thighs, pulling him tight. His weight pinned her down, warm and secure. She was safe in a cage of his arms. His breath hitched as he pushed against her, pressing his length against heraching groin. Ayla ran her hands over the muscular bulk of his shoulders and dragged her nails down his back, over his clothes. She wanted him closer. Wanted nothing between them.
She let go and grabbed the front of his tunic, looking up at Niel. He ground his hips against hers with an expression of such ecstasy it looked like pain.
“Do you want to take this off?” she whispered.
Niel sat to strip the garment without hesitation. While he did so, Ayla loosened the laces of her dress and worked it over her head. With the blankets peeled back she shivered in just her shift. She balled the dress up and tossed it to the floor. He stripped another layer until he was shirtless. She had only a moment to admire the way his broad chest tapered down to a trim but muscular waist before Niel yanked the blankets back up to their jaws. He was beside her again instead of on top of her.
“It’s so cold,” she complained.
He pulled her against him. He was warm, and she fit snugly against the bare skin of his hard chest. Then he went stiff as her hand settled on his bare skin of his pecs, the knight’s jaw clenched. She met his eyes.
