I cannae go tae sleep like this.
As Kai lowered his hands from his face, she gently took hold of one of his arms. Instead of allowing him to bring it down between them, she ushered it up a little. He shifted toward her, taking her silent cue. Wordlessly, Ava tucked herself into Kai’s side, resting her head on his shoulder. When Kai’s arms came up around her, they were firm, in a way that she loved, for they were possessive in their protectiveness.
Kai’s eyes shot open.
The dream was still with him, making his heartbeat echo in his ears. It had started as many others, with him and Ava together, only, this time, it had become sexual very quickly indeed. They had no longer been in this cave, but in his bedchamberat Dunvegan Castle. He’d been delicate, even gentle with her, knowing now what she had been through and how any sort of physical intimacy might scare her.
In his dream though, she hadn’t been scared ofhim.He’d entered her, her legs wrapped around his hips, her back arching with the pleasure of it. He couldn’t stop gripping to her in the dream, exploring her, his fingers trailing across her strong stomach, the perfect curve of her hips and the toned thighs. As he’d moved faster, her cheeks had blushed crimson red, her lips parting as she moaned, whispering his name.
“Hmm.” Ava made a sound in her sleep and Kai turned rigid.
Somehow, in the night, they’d ended up even closer to one another. They were both on their sides, with Ava tucked in front of him as his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close. She was fast asleep, her blonde braid hanging down her back between them, the curve of her hip very noticeable beneath his arm that rested over her.
Kai tried to raise his head a little, move his chest, enough to peer at her, when he realized that his dream had had more of an effect on his body than he had been prepared for. His length was rock hard. In fact, he was even straining his trews, desperate to be free of them. Kai had to shift his hips back, suddenly terrified that Ava would notice in her sleep what she had done to him.
“Mmm. Kai?”
His movement had woken her. He stilled completely, his arms still around her, though at least now there was enough of a gap between their hips that she would not notice just how hard he was.
“Good morning,” he whispered, his voice gravelly and deep.
She didn’t pull away from him. She must have been awake enough by now to have noticed the way they were embracing one another.
He was aware that his lips were practically in her hair, ever so near to her neck. It would be so easy to shift his head and plant a heated kiss on it, but he would never do that to her. He would never take affection from her, especially not after what she had told him the night before. “Aye, it’s another good lesson fer ye.”
“A lesson? Ye wish tae give me a lesson in seduction now?” she said sleepily, stretching a little. It proved another distraction again, for her hips came tauntingly close to him. He had to grit his teeth, straining to keep his own hips away from her, even as his hand adjusted, marveling at the slim curve of her hip.
“Aye, I dae.” He quickly decided it would be a good distraction for himself. “The tone ye use with a man can be as seductive as the way ye look at him.”
“How?” She giggled a little, stretching once again. This time, he was forced to adjust one of his arms, his hand resting on her tartan skirt. It would have been so easy to lift that skirt andexplore beneath, to hear her moan his name, cry out in pleasure as he entered her… only if she wanted him to.
He kept his hand as still as possible.
“Yer voice can be somewhat… challenging,” he began slowly.
“That’s what ye need tae be as a warrior.”
“Aye, I ken that, but ye are nay longer training tae be a warrior. Ye are training tae be something else,” he reminded her. “Talk tae me in a lower voice, a softer one.”
“Now?”
“Aye, now. Talk… softly.”
“And say what?” Her voice was a little sharp.
“Anything. Tell me, about yer dreams. What happened in them?” He hoped it would be a distraction. He was not particularly keen on the prospect of telling Ava his.
“Like this?” She had deepened her voice. “Ye wish me tae tell ye about me nightmares of riding through the snow?”
“Nightmares?” His hand tightened protectively on her hip. “And nay, nae like that. Ye sound like ye want tae clear yer throat.”
“Oh, I cannae dae it, Kai.” She huffed, wriggling a little where they lay. He looped his arm further around her, holding her close, moving his lips toward her ear.
“Ye can dae it,” he whispered in her ear. He was following every instinct he knew he should be pulling back from, but he couldn’t help it. “Soften yer voice and tell me about these nightmares.”
“I…” she said something so quietly it was completely unintelligible.
“Too quiet, Ava.”
