Somehow, she came again.Back arching off the bed as the pleasure hit, her nails carving fresh lines down his back, she exclaimed with excited surprise and urged him on.
He kept going until she had extracted every last pulse of pleasure, then let go, pulsing hot inside her with a groan ripped from his soul.
They stayed together, joined, greedily drawing in air for a long time.“Still breathing?”he murmured as he swept damp hair from her brow.
“Barely,” she admitted, gazing into his eyes.
He pressed a kiss to her mouth, then slanted a grin.“Good.Because I’m nowhere near done collecting interest on seven years?—”
A soft chime rang through the stateroom, making them both smile.“Breakfast delivery,” Elijah explained.
“Rain check?”she suggested.Without waiting for a reply, she slipped out of bed and went to freshen up.
Steam clouded the shower like a veil, while the faint clink of porcelain as the steward set up the breakfast table kept her thoughts grounded in reality.Danger was a given where Elijah was concerned.He would protect her, and as long as there was breath in her body, she would protect him.
Wrapping herself in a fluffy white robe, she called out, “Coming, ready or not.Wow.That looks good.”Her mouth watered as she stared at the plates laden with delicious treats.“I could eat everything on that table without any help from you.”
“Sex gives me an appetite too,” Elijah admitted with a wicked grin.
The smell of coffee, warm croissants, berries, and jam was irresistible.Elijah was too.He was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t read.“Do you have to make it so hard to breathe?”
“I could say the same about you.”
* * *
They stared at each other as morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows.His steward had opened these wide, allowing a light breeze to ruffle her hair.
This was their first meal in quite some time.It was made even more special by Sable.Had they ever been so relaxed?It felt almost normal.The future demanded vigilance, but they were used to that.Here and now, it was just the two of them and the peace he’d longed for and never found.
“So, the next few days,” she began.
“Will be hectic as we get everyone settled.”
“And then?”
“We keep moving.Avoid predictable patterns.Expect retaliation and prepare for it.No ports that broadcast our presence.No stops that leave us exposed.”
“We remain at sea?”
“Not necessarily.Blood and Thunder owns a private island.You’ll be welcome there,” he added as Sable’s eyes asked the question.He grazed her thumb in a grounding gesture.“When you’ve allowed me to, I’ve taken care of you.I always will.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me.I need you beside me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”Closing his hand around hers, he brought her palm to his lips.
“Do you ever think there’s a world beyond this?A normal one?”
He let the question hang.“I think about it.More than I used to.But normal isn’t built for people like us.”
“But it could be,” she said, hope in her voice.“I like to think that somewhere, sometime, normal will be possible,”
“Coffee without danger,” he suggested as he poured them both a second cup.
“If you’re pouring, there is no danger.”
“Mornings that last longer than five minutes,” he suggested, glancing at his cell.
“Sun on a terrace without anyone watching,” she supplied with a grin.
