He rolled her onto her back, her laugh catching like song.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” he murmured, kissing her brow, her cheek, the corner of her mouth.
She tugged at the hem of his smallclothes, bold through her nerves.
“We can do it again?”
His voice cracked, ragged with awe.
“Dask, Amerei—ask me like that, and I’ll never stop.”
His hands slid to her hips, drawing her close until she was flush against him. The pillow above her head caught his eye—a relic of all that once kept them apart. He dragged it down, tucking it beneath her hips, teeth gritting at the sight of her offered up to him like that.
“What’s this for?” she asked.
He rose over her, palms gliding down her body, hunger steady in every movement.
“So you’ll feel all of me, the way I feel you. So I can give you everything, hold nothing back. But only if you want it.”
Her eyes shimmered—fear and wanting twined. He felt her tremor, saw her breath catch—as if she half-believed he could break her, and half longed for him to try.
Then she nodded, breathless.
Her legs slid around his waist, drawing him close with startling boldness.
“Dask, Ami…”
His lips brushed her brow, voice rough, coaxing.
“Hold me however you want. High, low—change them as you please. I’ll take you every way your body asks me.”
She laughed softly, half-wonder, half-nerves.
“We’re still… practicing, aren’t we?”
His forehead pressed to hers, laughter shaking through him.
“Stars, yes. Practice on me, love. Try everything. I’ll worship you for every way you break me.”
Her boldness sparked again. Slowly, trembling but brave, she lifted her legs higher, resting them along his shoulders. The motion dragged a gasp from her throat and a guttural sound from deep in his chest. His whole body jerked at the closeness, his control fraying.
“Amerei—” his voice cracked, breath shuddering. “Dask. You’re going to ruin me like this—”
She giggled, startled by her own daring, the sound bright as the candlelight flickering over them. Then she eased back, legs sliding down to wrap his waist once more.
He laughed—wrecked, breathless. She’d undone him without even letting him inside.
“See?” he murmured against her lips. “Every way you move wrecks me. Every way.”
Her chest rose with sharp anticipation, hands roaming his back with hunger she no longer tried to tame. The firelight caught her emerald eyes, turning them wild—stormlight on water.
“What is it, love?” he whispered, restraint fraying to threads. He was terrified of overwhelming her, desperate not to stop.
Her lips curved. “Are we truly alone?”
He caught her hand, kissed her palm. With a breath, he listened—Endowment whispering through the halls, the faint hush of empty corridors.
“No footsteps. No voices. The north wing is empty.”
