Everyone still sleeps, and the forges are empty, but dear gods, what if someone walks in and sees us?
Then I think of the passionate kissing I saw at one of my first parties under the mountain, and I feel better—but only slightly.
I expect Teo to calm my thoughts or pick me up and whisk me away. Instead he says, “Relax,” and works to remove the armor he strapped onto my legs.
I shudder as his fingers dance around my calves and inner thighs. His hands slip up under my gown, reaching toward the strip of cloth around my hips and pelvis.
He grins at me, and pulls it to the side. I gasp, and he claimsthe sound with his lips as he strokes momentarily before thrusting a finger inside.
“I live for such noises. They are nearly sweeter than any song,” he murmurs against my mouth.
Each sound is swallowed by his excellent kisses, and I lean into the sensation. Every inch of exhaustion is shoved backward as my hands go to his laces to, release him.
He groans.
I fist him, but he has other plans. He wraps his still-bald tail around my back and pulls me forward. Time has taught him just how to angle the puzzle of our bodies and I sink right onto his cock.
It’s such a sweet pain.
I let out another sound, and he grins as he works out every delicious sensation that I’ve grown to acknowledge as love.
No sooner than my eyes had fluttered closed, they reopen as he puts his hand on the side of my face.
I grip at his forearms, and his eyes meet mine. At first, it is a passing heat, but then he doesn’t release me. My chest contracts as we move.
Pressure builds in my lower belly, but it’s nothing compared to the way I am laid bare before him looking endlessly into those eyes. Vulnerability as I’ve never known it.
Tenderness as every person deserves to experience at least once.
A new connection forms between us, one that lasts past the time of release.
When our moment finishes, a tear slips down my cheek. Not from pain or sadness, but from gratitude.
The urge to apologize comes up once more. I swallow it down and throw my arms around his neck, kissing him as he slides out of me.
This is intimacy as I have never known it.
“I love you,” I whisper against him.
His arms tighten.
“I love you, te amo, mihk daourn,” I sob into his hair as he clutches me, saying the phrase in every language I know.
He pulls me back, and his eyes crinkle. “I’ve never said that to you before. Not in my language.”
“Thank you, my mate, for giving me wings to fly.” I pull back, placing my hands on either side of his face. “I will protect you with my power, my influence, and if necessary, my own body.”
The memory of our wedding vows pours out of me. His large, blue eyes glisten.
“Whenwe have a family, I will also protect them. I am yours, body and soul.” The small change of the wording, from ‘if’ to ‘when’ seems to break what little resolve he has. He presses kisses against my cheeks and murmurs sweetness through our bond.
We stay like that for far longer than we should, but I can’t bear to bring myself away from that spot. From his eyes… filled with quiet love.
Part Three
Chapter 39
Rholker
