She curled her hand into a fist against his skin, biting back the tears that tried to escape. For just a second, his voice sounded so unsure—almost hopeful. She knew enough about him to understand how starved for affection he was, even if he didn’t ever admit to it. She didn’t understand everything he had done, wasn’t sure if she truly believed all he had claimed today. But even so, the split second of true vulnerability in his tone broke her heart a little.
“I should,” she whispered.
He searched her expression. “Don’t pity me, Nya. I made my choices, and I’m no victim.”
“I don’t?—”
“Then why are you looking at me like I’m some wounded animal?”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Fine!”She slapped her hands against his chest. “Fine, I am. But it’s not because I pity you—it’s because I don’t like it when you’re hurt. It’s why I asked about the healing and why I didn’t want to leave you when you were injured. My father wasdying,and I…” Her breath hitched. “All I could think about was the horrible sounds you were making as you tried to breathe.”
His expression shifted, morphing into something almost angry. “You went to that place to save him, didn’t you?”
She blinked at the sudden shift in subject. “What place?”
“The dark place. The void.”
She tilted her head. “Yes, but how do you know?—”
“Observation and guesswork,” he cut in, almost too quickly. “Thanatos is your grandfather.”
She furrowed her brow and stepped back, confused at where this was going and growing cold as the water cooled on her skin. But when she pulled away, he caught her wrist. She stumbled, pressing a palm to his thigh to keep from falling face-first into the water. Even as she caught her balance, neither of them moved away. On a wild impulse she was sure she would regret later, she took a step closer, standing between his spread legs. He was watching her with wide eyes, both their chests heaving, when she leaned in and brushed her lips against the curve of his neck.
The action was completely instinctual, and she had little idea why she’d done it other than it felt right. A groan rumbled from Morgen’s chest, and his hand shot to the curve of her hip beneath the water. When she nipped the same spot with her teeth, he tugged her even closer, his other hand sliding up her ribs. His fingertips brushed the underside of her breast, and a whimper slipped past her lips. He paused, and she dragged her teeth against his skin again, this time harder, eliciting a rough moan from him before he cupped her breast, sliding his knuckles over the pebbled skin.
“Oh gods,” she gasped, fisting a hand in his hair.
His breath shuddered, and then he dipped his head, swirling his tongue across the wet fabric directly over her peaked nipple. Her back arched, and she cried out, hardly caring as the sound echoed in the cavern around them. An ache spread over every inch of her, blurring her thoughts and overtaking reason. But when she climbed onto his lap, he paused.
“Nya,” he said, breath ragged as he searched her gaze.
There was very little separating them, and she could feel the heat of his hard cock brushing against her.
She swallowed hard, her voice breathless. “It’s not a big deal. We’re married, aren’t we?”
“That does not mean?—”
“Besides, it’s not like it’ll be anything new for you.”
His brow creased. “What do you mean?”
“Imeria said you’ve been with lots of women.”
He exhaled a short laugh, his head falling to her shoulder for a moment until he looked at her again and said, “I probably should have clarified this earlier but…she was lying.”
“What do you mean?”
He traced his hand up the length of her torso, and she shivered. “I mean,” he said tightly. “She was making things up. I…I’ve never…” He turned his head, his cheeks flushing.
She blinked a few times. He was a virgin?
“Are you lying to me?”
He shook his head and for some reason, she believed him. Maybe it was because the tops of his cheeks were still heated and pink, or the way his hands shook slightly as they traced over her body. Even so, it didn’t make sense for so many reasons; he was decades older than her, and she hadseenthe way the women here looked at him. Why wouldn’t he have been with one of them, and how could she possibly be more experienced in this regard than he was?
