“Stop,” he utters as I reach my fingers under his shirt, caressing the lean, shredded muscles of his abdomen. His trim yet wide build is evidence of years of training from Demechnef.
“I want to touch you,” I say breathlessly.
The hunger in his eyes strikes me like a bolt of lightning. My words seem to unhinge him. He snatches my hand from his stomach, bringing it to hook around his neck. The space between us is eliminated, and I’m reeled into his broad frame, chest against chest.
His forehead touches mine. “I can’t have your lips yet…” He’s out of breath, gripping my waist as he holds me against him. “But you can have mine.”
My jaw falls open as he tightens his grip around my body like a snake. His head dips down to the side of my face, and I choke on a gasp. Warm lips graze my jawline.Oh my God!
He drops a trail of light kisses, then stops. “Do you want to know what my tongue feels like close to your ear?”
Bolts of heat spark in my lower belly.Say no. Say no!
“Please,” I say.
Great.
He flicks his hot tongue over my earlobe, teasing me with his wetness. I become pudding in his arms. My bones disappear, and I’m a limp noodle against his chest. He sighs, low and deep into my eardrum, and I can’t hold back the breathy moan that slips out of my mouth.
Dessin stiffens, growling against my skin. It’s then I feel the weight of his erection and the sheer size of his arousal against my lower belly.
Everything about him is intoxicating. I’m losing my morals. I forget why we’re here.
We came here for a reason.
“Wait,”—I push against his chest—“I have questions.”
He blinks. Face unreadable. “Shocking.”
I take a moment to catch my breath, forcing my eyes to watch the rippling of the water around us. Guilt and confusion grow like a tumor in my chest, but I shove the feeling away so I can focus.
“Do you ever wonder what it would be like if your life was different? If you lived a normal life, with a normal occupation, and a normal wife, and you were happy? Have you ever thought about that?” I want to know what he thinks about in his spare time.Which he, unfortunately, has a lot of.I want to know his fears and his desires.
His eyes soften, he takes a breath. “I’ve thought about it,” he answers, looking away at the waterfall. Squeezing his eyes shut and blinking a few times. Someone is talking to him.
“And?” I push. “Is that something you wanted?”
“I’m not cut out for that lifestyle. That kind of future isn’t in the cards for me, Skylenna.”
I shake my head. “That’s not what I’m asking. Have you ever wanted that?”
He looks down at the narrow canal flowing between our bodies, rushing along the crevices of my wet, wrinkled navy dress. “Why would you ask a question like that?” He sighs as if this topic is draining a great amount of energy from his being.
“Why won’t you answer the question?”
“Why?!Because look where I am, Skylenna. I spend every second of my life locked in a cage. I am a sadistic murderer, marked the most dangerous man alive. How can someone like that ever be allowed to have a family? To live a normal life?” His lips hover above mine, and he’s so close, so full of emotion. It’s a rare moment when I can provoke this. Although the point he makes is true and heartbreaking, I can’t help but feel accomplished for being able to pull this out of him. And yet, it hurts me even more that he’ll never be able to have this.
“But if things were different?” I ask again, defining my question.
“Ifwehad met a different way?” he utters the question so shocking it sends sparks up my body.
I freeze.What did he say?
“If we hadwhat?”
“If I were a normal man living a normal life, would that life be possible for us?” he asks, and suddenly I can’t tell if he is serious. The Dessin I know has a motive for every question. How is the Dessin I know asking this question right now? Does he see me in the way he is implying?
“Us?” I manage to croak out. “I don’t understand…”
