She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “Shirtless.”
He smirked at that. “Well, I was about to take a nap. I rode hard to see you.” The wordsrode hardconjured the wrong images in her head. “When Master Arther told me you were preoccupied, I figured I’d get some rest.”
“Why were you taking off your pants?” As soon as the question left her lips, she regretted asking. Why the hell did she ask that?
“I don’t sleep clothed,” he said with a chuckle. “You would have learned that eventually. Sooner rather than later.” He winked and sent her stomach flipping.
How the seven devils could he flirt so easily with her, speak to her as if no time had passed, as if a great tragedy hadn’t nearly killed him, while she was so flustered? She supposed he’d been prepared to see her exactly as she was. Meanwhile, she’d been picturing a very different version of him.
He squinted, studying her with puzzled amusement. “Why do you seem disappointed?”
“I’m not disappointed. I’m just…I didn’t expect…” She waved a hand at his torso. When the gesture failed to deliver her point, she propped her hands on her hips and asked, “Why the hell are you in such good shape?”
“Were you hoping your husband was an invalid?” His tone was teasing again, and it helped ease her nerves.
“No. Just…” Her cheeks blazed like a wildfire. She pursed her lips to hide her embarrassed smile.
“I like seeing you flustered over me for once. It makes me feel like less of an idiot.”
She shifted to the side and covered her face in her hands. “I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”
“What’s ridiculous,” Teryn said, voice dipped low, “is you haven’t let me kiss you yet.”
Lifting her face, she glanced at him sidelong, saw the want in his eyes, the serious edge of his jaw. Maybe this wasn’t the reunion she’d spent months planning for, but it was the one she’d yearned for.Hewas the one she’d yearned for, no matter what he looked like, no matter his health, his condition, his status. She wanted him. Loved him. And he was finally here. Home.
Steeling her resolve, she fully faced him again. This time she closed the distance between them of her own accord. He was so much taller than her, she had to angle her head back to hold his hungry gaze. When only a few sparse inches separated them, she lifted a hand and rested it over his chest. Her palm thrummed, with magic, with his heartbeat, with the heat of their contact. She rested her other hand at the nape of his neck, beneath his silver-white hair.
“All right,” she said, her words trembling. “I’m ready.”
Teryn’s expression softened, opened, reflecting Cora’s vulnerability as he slowly wound his arms around her waist. Then, inch by inch, as if afraid any sudden move might make her flee, he lowered his lips to hers. Their mouths met in a kiss so soft, so tender and sweet, it made Cora want to weep. He kissed her again, the pressure firmer, and all her embarrassment melted away. There was no room for it here, not where their lips met. When he kissed her once more, she pulled him closer, angled her head, and parted her lips. His grip on her waist tightened, and he slid one hand up her spine until it cradled the back of her head. She parted her lips further and his tongue swept against hers, caressing it with needy, probing want.
“Gods, I missed you,” he said against her open mouth. The words made her shudder with pleasure. He’d said as much in his letters but hearing those words, as coated as they were in desire, was better than anything she could have imagined.
“Teryn,” she whispered.
He stiffened against her, his fingertips digging into the hair at the base of her coronet. His words came out deep, throaty. “Say my name again.”
She startled at the demand in his tone, but it was a pleasant kind of shock. Memories blossomed, bringing her back to that dark night last summer, when she’d said his name again and again while he fought to retake his body from Morkai. She expected those memories to dampen her desire, but they didn’t. Instead, they reminded her that he’d come back. Time and again, whenever she’d uttered his name, touched his face, he’d come back to her. He’d fought Morkai’s possession because of the connection she and Teryn shared.
Her heart opened even more, flooding with warmth. Finally, she gave in to his order and repeated his name. “Teryn.”
He devoured the word with another kiss, one hard and unyielding. “Seven devils, I missed the sound of your voice.”
She was about to return the sentiment, but before she could, his hands encircled her waist and lifted her with ease. Her bottom hit a hard surface, and she released a grunt of surprise. It took a moment to realize she was now sitting on his dresser. Shock turned to thrill as his lips found hers again, then his hands found her ankles, her calves, her knees. Inch by inch, he lifted her voluminous skirts higher, allowing him to step between her legs. She aided his efforts, dragging her unwanted layers out of the way until she could hook her calves around his waist.
His lips left hers to trail down her neck, then across her collarbone. Slowly, he brushed his mouth over the upper curve of her breast, the flesh raised above the tight bodice of her gown. His hand cupped the other side and she was suddenly desperate to do away with her gown altogether. She arched into him, a fire burning hot in her core. She’d never felt desire so strong, not even when they’d kissed against the tree after Teryn proposed to her. The power of her yearning was terrifying. Addicting. Begging to be quenched.
She pulled him closer, tightening her legs around his waist. His lips left her breast to return to her eager mouth, while his hand slid from her bodice down to her thigh, resting over the hem of her silk stockings. His thumb slowly swept back and forth, and she was desperate to feel his fingers slide beneath her garter, unhook it, and climb higher. Yet his hand did no such thing, remaining on her silk-clad skin. The most delicious frustration surged through her, so she let her hands wander where his did not, sweeping them over his chest, his arms, his back. She slid her palm down the front of his abdomen. His muscles flexed against her palm, and a tremor ran through him.
Mother Goddess, she was drunk on the feel of him and she wanted more. She wanted every inch of his skin, everywhere. She wanted to paint their love with their bodies, their tongues…
The wordlovecooled some of the fire that had taken over her senses.
Right. None of her plans regarding their reunion including lovemaking within the first few minutes of seeing each other. Not that she truly minded, but she’d promised herself she’d express her feelings before they took a single step further in their relationship. Her surprise at seeing him looking so well may have thrown a hitch into some of her preparations, but she was determined to keep the others intact.
With a strangled moan, she pulled her lips from his and leaned slightly back. “Wait,” she uttered.
Teryn froze at the word, though his chest heaved with rapid panting.
