Though my eyes were closed, I was fully aware ofherbody, the soft flesh under my palm, the hint of her ribcage beneath it and the luxuriant curves just above that.
The silky curtain of hair flowing against my chin and neck and chest.
The cushion of her bottom resting in the angle of my abdomen and thighs.
Shaded stars, there was no chance I was going to fall asleep.
I’d never felt more awake in my life, absorbing the feel of her with every inch of skin that came into contact with her.
It puzzled me, why this was so… affecting. It was far from the first time I’d been in an intimate position with a woman.
Though, like all Elven people, I couldn’t bond with anyone until I was ready to make things permanent, I’d done other things with women. Fun things, pleasurable things—for both me and them.
Maybe this felt different because I was of bonding age now. We’d been taught that as we aged, the drive to find a permanent mate would make it harder and harder to resist goingall the way, so to speak.
I’d never had any trouble stopping myself, and I’d certainly never met an Elven woman I wanted to spend eternity with.
Unlike my brother, I hadn’t been looking, choosing instead to spread my attentions around, never spend too much time with one woman, never let things get too deep.
The closer you allowed someone to get, the more damage they could do to you. I had learned that lesson well.
Raewyn wasfartoo close. In every way.
Feeling the warmth of her body and smelling the intoxicating scent of her skin and hair, I was struck by a sensation akin to standing at the edge of a seacliff.
One small step forward could cause you to lose your footing and go crashing to the jagged rocks below, your body washed out by the waves to be lost forever at sea.
Dryads. Mountain lions. Human temptresses.
No, traveling through the countryside wasn’t safe at all.
Chapter6
Unsuitable
Raewyn
Somehow despite the unnerving feeling of Pharis’ big body spooning mine and the mind-scrambling scent of him all around me, I had managed to drop off to sleep.
Saol water to the rescue again.
I woke to the sound of him re-saddling Dargan. Hearing me sit up, Pharis looked at me over his shoulder.
“It’s dark out. Time to ride.”
He sounded cranky, his tone no-nonsense.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cloak,” I commented.
He didn’t respond. He was still shirtless, though thankfully he’d put his riding breeches and boots back on.
Actually there was nothing to be thankful for. Even partially dressed, he was a disconcerting sight, his bronzed back and shoulders a mass of muscle that gleamed in the firelight.
The entire rear view of him, in fact, was something to behold.
When he turned around, the front view was even more troubling.
The powerful physique I’d observed from the window of Stellon’s suite was far more impressive up close, and the constellation of abdominal muscles I’d felt pressed against my back all too recently looked even better than they’d felt.
