“Rath,” I said brokenly and grabbed his waist to pull him into a kiss.
The blanket fell to the floor, but it would be safe there. As safe as I was with Ratharin. I moaned and moved against him, but he eased back, laughing softly.
“Don't you want to see the rest of the house?”
“Later.” I undid his belt. “Now you deserve a reward for two reasons.” I dropped to my knees and stared up at him.
Rath stared back, his long hair falling around his classic Varraen face. The points of his ears poked up through the dark, glossy veil, and his eyes gleamed in the shadows it created. He was back to his calm, steady self, even as I drew his shaft out of his pants. But then his eyes went half-lidded, watching me bend forward.
I grinned around Rath's flesh when he sucked in a breath. That calm was shaken again. His long fingers slid into my hair and dug against my scalp. His hips jerked forward. But that was all I noticed before his taste and the silken feel of him took over. Then my reactions to him became prevalent. The way I strained against my pants. The way my mouth watered around him, needing more of that Ratharin taste. The way his smell invaded my head. I took him deeper. Moved faster. Tightened my lips.
“Ember!”
I moaned in anticipation.
With a wordless roar, Rath came, adding a new delightful flavor to his ambrosia. I drank it down, thanking the Goddess for this incredible man who had apparently been mine from the start.
Licking my lips, I sat back on my heels and stared up at him. Rath was glorious standing there with his cock out, the flesh going flaccid but glistening beautifully. He was still panting when he pulled me to my feet. Rath didn't bother to tuck himself away because he was already hardening again when he lifted me into his arms.
“Next on the tour is the master bedroom,” Rath said as he carried me to a doorway.
Grinning at him, I said, “I hope you bought a sturdy bed.”
Rath snorted. “I knew we'd be sharing it with Xaedren. It's Ladrin-made. Nothing can break that bed.”
“Let's test that.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
I woke up tangled in silk sheets and silken hair. Smiling, I looked over my shoulder at Rath, who was wrapped around me, his face nestled against my shoulder. I gathered his hair—he'd forgotten to braid it before bed—and slipped it over his slim shoulder. Then I rolled back onto my pillow and stared out the window just a few feet away.
Leaves. That's all I could see. You'd think that would be annoying, that there would be no point to a window if the view was covered. But the viewwasthe tree. The tree and its residents. And I mean those other than us. Currently, a bird was perched outside the window, its exotic plumage vibrant against the deep green background. But even if it hadn't been there, the lushness of all those leaves was beautiful. It made me feel safe and free at the same time.
“Good morning,” Rath said in his sleepy voice.
I turned in his arms and brushed my lips over his. “Good morning. This bed isn't just sturdy, it's also really comfortable.”
He grinned. “I'm glad you like it.” Then he laid back to stretch—that long, lean body getting leaner. The sheet slid down, revealing more of his chest, and I couldn't help stroking a hand over his nipples.
“Don't start that.” Rath grabbed my hand, but then he used it to draw me with him out of bed. “Not yet, at least.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as he led me out of the room and onto the narrow landing that joined the bedrooms at the top of the house.
“Up,” he said and winked.
“I thought we were as far up as we could go.”
“You thought wrong.” He opened a door and revealed a set of sharply angled stairs.
I followed him up and out of a hatch at the top. We emerged above the trees, a sea of rustling green below us and a real sea—or a channel of it, rather—glittering on the horizon. It felt as if we were in the sky, especially with a lack of a railing around the flat roof. It wasn't that large an area, so it couldn't have been the entire roof, just a section of it kept flat for our perching pleasure. And what a pleasure it was.
I could make out other such platforms among the treetops, but they were widely spaced and none of them bore occupants currently. It was probably too early in the day. Speaking of which, the sun had finished its climb in time with us, turning the orange sky blue. Rath slid in from behind and wrapped his arms around me. Together, we watched the world wake up.
But I quickly realized we were still naked. And one of us was very aroused. Which, of course, aroused me.
“I love you,” I said as I turned toward Rath. “Thank you for all of this.”
Grinning, Rath bent his head to kiss me. The crisp morning warmed. Again, it felt as if nature were in harmony with our love, brightening and heating as we did. Rath eased me down onto the roof as we kissed, guiding me to my back. We lay down together, bodies twining, and luxuriated in the decadence of making love in the sky.
