We kissed and touched in her bed until the fire nearly went out, which meant at least an hour had passed. I tasted her nipples and her lips and her skin. I listened to her moan for me like I was deep inside her.
I made my way down her chest and stomach until I hooked her legs back and tilted her hips. My arms kept her in place, and I listened to her breathing, like she knew what I was about to do.
I pressed my mouth to her lower lips and kissed her, and the gasp she made was practically a scream. As if she’d never known pleasure like this, she sucked in a harsh breath and stiffened. I gave her soft kisses at first, to let her adjust to the intense feeling between her legs. But then I kissed her like I wanted, swiping my tongue against the nub that made her gasp and teary in the eyes. “Oh fuck.” She trembled and moaned and cried, as if her little body couldn’t accept everything I gave her.
I knew she was at the end, writhing and squirming like she didn’t know how to prepare for the surge of pleasure that would rip her into two. I reached for her hands, interlocking our fingers, and I let her squeeze me as I continued to kiss her nub as hard as I kissed her mouth.
And then she came with a cry, a cry that was so loud, others might have heard it. There were tears and winces and moans, her hips bucking against my mouth like she’d lost control of her body. Her hands gripped mine the way a soldier gripped the hilt of his blade. Her moans dwindled in sound but not intensity,and slowly, the high started to fade lower until it disappeared altogether.
There was nothing I wanted more than to take her.
But I moved back up her body and kissed her again, let her taste herself on my mouth, dug my hand into her hair as I felt my shorts grow damp from the wetness between her legs. I knew she must have felt the hardness I was containing.
I moved to the spot beside her on the small bed and pulled the sheets over us both, covering her to her chest.
She seemed winded and exhausted by what had happened. It took her a moment to roll onto her side and face me, her eyes containing a dreamlike quality I’d never seen before. She looked me in the eye for a long time before she came closer, hooking her leg over my hip and her arm around my neck.
Face-to-face, we lay there in the silence, her blue eyes on my dark ones, and we stared at each other as the fire slowly burned out behind her. I slid my hand up her cheek and into her hair, pulling the tangles from her face, seeing her eyes soften at my touch. She even turned into the embrace slightly, like my warm affection meant the world to her. Her hand went to my wrist, and she closed her eyes, like all she wanted was this—us.
14
MORCO
When I opened my eyes, I was on my back and she was nuzzled into me, her arm over my torso, her head on my shoulder, her hair on my arm. She appeared to be sound asleep, her chest gently rising and falling with her breaths, her naked body clinging to mine for warmth.
It was time to leave and start the day, but the haze of peace that enveloped us was too profound. I couldn’t recall a time when I had chosen to appreciate a moment rather than rush to the next one. My heart beat fast in excitement but slow in contentment. I looked down at her slightly, seeing her shoulder pop out of the top of the sheet, her lips slightly parted as she breathed.
It was my first time.
First time holding a woman through the night. First time watching someone sleep. First time savoring a moment.
If it were Allegra or someone else, I would leave, even if it woke them up. Walk out the door and start my day like the night didn’t happen. But I lay there with Hanne, because the last thing I wanted to do was end this.
An hour passed, and I drifted off at some point. Woke up when I felt her draw a breath and shift in my embrace. I opened my eyes, and I looked down at her, her eyes glazed over with the fog of dreams. She seemed disoriented for a few seconds, but when she realized I was there with her, a smile spread over her mouth and reached her eyes. She shifted herself into me again, this time squeezing me.
I turned on my side to face her, feeling her hike her leg over my hip. I touched her thigh then moved my hand to her ass, where I gave it a gentle squeeze.
She cupped my cheek, and she continued to glow with happiness, like I was all she needed. She trailed her thumb along my jawline and the hair that had thickened through the night. She touched my short strands of hair before she traced the veins that popped in my neck. “You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
Heat moved through my body, absorbing into my flesh and blood. It burned white-hot until it slowly faded. I’d received declarations of love. Been asked to father children. Been asked for a single night of passion if that was all I was willing to give. But her compliment meant far more than all the others.
My mouth moved to hers as I rolled her onto her back, kissing her like I had nowhere to be, like I wasn’t the chief of my people with endless responsibilities, not when I was lost in her, a woman who craved my kiss more than food in her stomach.
She snaked her fingers up my hard chest as she moaned into my mouth. All I had to do was touch her, and she was engulfed in flames that burned her to the bone.
She hooked her other leg around my torso and pulled me close, bringing my hard length in my shorts right against her slit. She moaned like she had when I’d kissed her last night, like the pressure and heat were exquisite.
The temptation was too much, and I knew I was seconds away from being trapped. I slowed down our kisses, bringing them to a close rather than adding logs to the fire. Her mouth refused initially, but she eventually let the moment fade.
She was naked underneath me, with perfect tits and a body that practically begged for mine—and it was a miracle I had the strength to leave. I left the bed and pulled on my trousers before I dragged my shirt over my head.
She sat up in bed and covered herself with the sheet.
I sat in one of the chairs and tugged on my boots.
She continued to watch me.
I knew she didn’t want me to go.
