I fumbled with the button at the throat of his surcoat. The garment was carefully constructed so that the buttons were tucked away under a fold of fabric. How often had I admired the tailored lines that accented the breadth of his shoulders? But with only one hand, it was difficult to access the buttons, and I was not ready to let go of the bow. It felt too important to set down on the ground of this forgotten little corner of the world where we’d found ourselves trapped.
Garrick huffed a laugh against my lips, withdrawing his hands from my body just long enough to pull open the top several buttons. That was all I needed. He wore a linen undershirt to protect his skin from the wool, but that was loose and easy to shove aside. I slid my hand inside, desperate to feelthe heat of his skin under my fingertips. The soft curl of silver hair on his chest was there to greet me, and below his muscular pectorals, his heart throbbed with life.
That was what I’d been seeking so desperately without even realizing it. In the shadow of death and grief, I needed the steady, vibrant cadence of Garrick’s heartbeat to reassure me that there was, in fact, a future. Even if that future was only a few hours, days, or weeks. They belonged to us, if we were brave enough to grab them. I was still afraid. I was not sure I should trust him. But whatever remained of my heart, it did trust him, regardless of the trepidation of my mind.
My breath hitched as Garrick made love to my throat, alternating quick swipes of his tongue with long, lingering kisses that were sure to leave a mark on my fair skin. I did not care. In the Court of Lies, let this feeling between us be truth.
His mouth moved lower, to where my breasts swelled above the blunt, square neckline of my gown. He snagged his teeth on the fabric. A quick jerk of his head, and he’d rip it clean away. If he tried, I would not stop him.
Then he rocked his hips against mine, and I was the one jerking, my entire body pulsing with the shock of sensation. My legs were pressed together, settled in his lap, the rigid length of him nestled between my thighs. But I needed more.
I started to adjust my hips, only for Garrick to take control away from me. With him, the surrender was natural. He settled one leg on either side of my hips, sliding my gown up my legs and… heaven and hells, the friction was exquisite. He still wore his thick woolen trousers, but only a thin linen undergarment remained over my heated flesh.
My hand wasn’t enough to get his trousers loose, not without letting go of the bow. Garrick helped me, his other hand tangled in my hair. We tugged at the buttons, our movements frantic but strangely coordinated with one another. Then the hot length ofhim was free. I curled my hand around his cock. I’d missed every part of him, emotional and physical. Now I would claim them.
Garrick’s thoughts must have taken the same turn. He did not return his hand to cup my head but slid it between us. He dragged a fingernail along the inside of my thigh. I got revenge by swiping my hand down his length. We both moaned.
Garrick brushed his knuckles along my seam, dragging the linen against my entrance.
“You are so wet for me,” he exhaled into my ear.
I was. The fabric clung to my skin where he now massaged his knuckles, again and again, teasing me. And he called me the wicked witch.
I rubbed my thumb across the head of his cock.
“I am not the only one,” I murmured, holding his gaze as I lifted my thumb to my mouth and sucked away the bead of precum I’d swiped from his cock.
Garrick’s jaw twitched. He returned my intensity, sliding two fingers beneath my linen undergarment. The scrape of his fingers against my tortured flesh made me gasp, but his hand on the back of my neck held me in place—as he jerked his hand sharply, ripping away the last barrier between us.
He swiped his fingertips over me one last time before lifting his hand to my outer thigh so he could guide me down. His cock nudged at my entrance, my body protesting the decadent size of him for a fraction of a second before giving in. He released a slow, deep growl as he slid into me. Deeper, deeper, until he was seated fully within me, our bodies flush, my clit pressed against the folds of his trousers where we’d worked together to unbutton them.
I lifted my hips slowly, once.
After that, there was no restraining either of us. Garrick matched my pace, lifting his hips every time I pulled away, as desperate for that closeness as I was.
He reached for my hand, sliding his fingers along my forearm to my wrist—only to find my finger still curled around the bow.
Garrick threaded his fingers between mine; I spread mine out to welcome him, until we were both holding it, and holding each other, together.
The intensity in his eyes when he turned back to look at me sent me spiraling. I rocked my hips faster, every thrust driving me closer to oblivion. The angle of his cock was just right, so deep, with my clit dragging against his wool trousers and providing sublime friction.
I held on to his shoulder as my climax neared, afraid of losing it, some part of me afraid of losing him. But Garrick had me. Even when my legs began to quake, his hand was steady on my waist, strong, supporting my weight and guiding me through it.
Stars were still dancing behind my eyes when his pace changed, his frantic need rising. I clung to him, riding him to completion even as another smaller but even more intimate climax took me. My pussy clenched around him as he came inside of me, the two of us crashing down together with the same intensity that we’d risen.
We stayed there, just breathing each other in, my head on Garrick’s shoulder and his hands bracketing my waist. I could have stayed there forever, hidden away from the world. But the world was not ready to let us go.
Garrick’s fingertips dug into the soft flesh of my stomach at the first scrape of stone. Our interlude was at an end. Someone was digging us out.
I hated to pull away from him. I did not intend to hide the evolving nature of our relationship from the court, but neither did I want an audience to me straddling my Lifebind. I eased my hand away from the bow. Garrick returned it to its sling on his back with one hand while the other helped me to my feet.
By the time Garrick’s golden-faced sister kicked through the last layer of rock, we were both decent enough to face her.
Alize’s eyes flicked from Garrick to me and then back again. Her nose twitched, probably scenting what we’d been up to, but she made no comment on it. That did not bother me at all. Alize’s opinion was near the very bottom of my long list of concerns.
“Dare I hope that she was casting a spell on you that went awry?” she said to Garrick, pinning him with a look.
Garrick rolled his shoulders. I recognized the motion now for what it truly was—he was reassuring himself of the presence of the bow on his back. My chest hurt for him. But I also felt full. So full. Minutes ago, he’d been inside of me, yes. But the emotion that I’d finally let free… yes, that was love. I had not said it. I was not ready to. I knew it was free, and I suspected that Garrick knew it as well, even if I did not say it aloud.
