"Trust is never more profound than when we close our eyes in another's arms."
—Old Elucian saying
To say that I didn't appreciate Shovia's comment about Kailin being all chummy with Commander Ravel was a huge understatement, but I did my best to shove my jealousy into a corner of my mind and focus instead on my seduction plans for tonight.
Provided that Kailin had the energy to play. She looked exhausted, but the smoldering looks she'd been casting my way indicated that she was just as desperate for intimacy as I was.
"You smell like the wind," I murmured as I leaned to smell her hair. "And a little like a dragon."
She huffed a laugh. "I'm not sure if this is a compliment or an insult."
"A compliment."
"Good save."
As we got into our room, the familiar, faint mineral scent of stone and the soft hum of a heating vent were like an aphrodisiac to me, signaling that this was where I was free to make love to Kailin. This simple, utilitarian space had become our sanctuary.
"Don't scare me like that again." I pulled her closer and rested my forehead against hers.
"I'll try not to get summoned by any more dragon queens," she promised.
"Good." I kissed her softly, a gentle brush of lips that tried to communicate my worry, relief, and love. "How tired are you?" I asked.
She smiled. "Not too tired to make love to you."
"Good answer."
"Close the door," Kailin said.
Her smile had that shy-then-brave tilt I loved, like a door inching ajar and then thrown wide open. I obeyed her command then I eased backward until the backs of my legs met her bed. She came with me, fingers hooked in my belt as if claiming spoils.
We undressed each other in silence broken by laughter when buttons caught or boots stuck. The laughter dissolved into kissing and the kissing into something hungrier.
"You're mine tonight," she said, her voice husky.
"I'm yours every night."
We didn't bother joining the single beds into one. We'd slept in Kailin's room for three nights without doing anything more than kissing and touching, and we were starved for each other.
Sliding under the thin cadet blanket and the softer one Kailin had brought from home, we embraced, her warm, softskin against mine. I loved the way she looked at me just before we touched, her eyes steady, mouth set with intent, my warrior queen. When she kissed me, the world narrowed to two heartbeats and the rhythm they worked out together. Nothing mattered in the space between us. All the conspiracies, traitors, prophecies, doors that opened to other worlds, even the assassination attempt, could all wait for when we were done relearning each other.
I traced the delicate map of her shoulder blades, listened to the steady climb of her breath when my mouth followed the line of her ribs, reveled in the way her hands found the back of my neck and held on. She tangled her leg over mine and pulled me closer, a wordless request I was more than happy to grant.
Her camisole slid off her shoulders, and I chased its path with my lips, tracing every inch of revealed skin. She arched beneath me, nails lightly raking down my back, urging me closer.
When I reached her breasts, she gasped, back bowing as I took her nipple between my lips. My hand wandered lower, slipping between her thighs, and I felt her shudder at my touch. Slick, ready. I teased her slowly, drawing out each sound she made until she was whispering my name like a prayer.
"Alar…"
I entered her carefully, savoring the way her body welcomed mine. Her eyes fluttered shut, then opened again to hold me there, locked together. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper, and we began to move as one. The rhythm built slowly, like a tide, each wave higher than the last.
Her breath came fast, lips parted, cheeks flushed. I kissed her throat, her jaw, her mouth, drinking in every sound she gave me. She clung to me fiercely, hips rising to meet mine, urging me harder, faster, until she broke, crying out and trembling around me as her release tore through her.
The sensation pulled me over the edge with her. I buried my face in her neck, groaning as I climaxed, my entire world narrowing to the wild pounding of our hearts.
Afterward, we stayed tangled, slick with sweat, the sheet a crumpled mess beneath us. I stroked her hair back from her damp forehead and kissed her mouth.
She looked at me with that half-smile of hers, equal parts tenderness and challenge. "How tired are you?" she said and tugged me down for another kiss.
