Riyan let go of my hand and lowered his head to untie his boots. My hands crept across my leather waist cincher as my stomach fluttered in anticipation. I unlaced the cincher and my belly relaxed as it burned with need. Riyan lowered himself onto both knees and then his eyes metmine again.
“We’re only going to do what feels good,” he said. “If anything hurts,we stop.”
I nodded. He gave me a little smile and then silently leaned forward. He took off my left shoe, then my right. His left hand wrapped around my ankle as his right hand explored up my calf, the rough skin on his palms catching the fabric of my stocking. He tried to lightly tug the stocking off and his brow furrowed whenhe failed.
I laughed softly and raised the hem of my skirt abovemy knees.
“Garters,” I said witha smile.
“I suggest you untie them if you want to keepthem intact.”
The idea of him tearing off my clothes was thrilling, but I quickly unlaced both garters before I could decide if I wantedthem destroyed.
Riyan caught my hands right as I untied the second garter and kissed them. He kissed my hands not with the respectful admiration of a gentleman, but with a passionate adoration that made myheart thunder.
Riyan gave my knuckles one last kiss and pulled my stocking off. His left hand wrapped around my calf, kissing the skin on the inside of my knee, then the side of my calf, then my ankle as he freed my leg to the chilly air. I shivered and gripped the sides of the mattress as he repeated himself on myother leg.
He rose after planting a soft kiss on my ankle and his fingertips traveled up the sides of my legs. His massive hands wrapped around each of my thighs and his thumbs pushed the hem of my skirt even higher upmy knees.
He kneaded the soft flesh of my thighs and I couldbarely breathe.
Riyan licked his lips. His eyes gleamed with mischief as they met mine. “You’ve already seen me naked—why don’t you return the favor? It’sonly fair.”
He wanted to keep things fair, did he? Howdeliciously noble.
I smirked as my hands grabbed the hemline of my blouse. The fabric caressed my peaked nipples as I pulled my blouse over my head and tossed it to the side with a flick of my wrist. A couple of lilies fell from my braid and tumbled down my collarbone andmy breasts.
Riyan’s eyes widened when he looked down at my bare chest and he let out a shuddering breath. My confidence waned as he stared. I wanted to cover up my breasts with my arms, but I remembered Riyan’s order fromthe meadow.
Don’t you hidefrom me.
“I hope I did not disappoint.” I squeezed my shoulders forward. “I know you must haveexpected bigger—”
Before I could finish, Riyan gripped the hair on the back of my head and forced my lips up to meet his. The slight tug on the roots of my hair was shockingly exhilarating. His other hand wrapped around the side of my waist and held me down as my backarched up.
He broke the kiss and his lips hovered over mine before he moved lower.
His hot breath wrapped around my neck. “Do you feelit too?”
I shivered. “Wh-what in particular?”
“The pull between us.” He moved lower. “That burning inside that’s guiding my every move. That gold fire.”
His lips and the tip of his nose caressed my collarbone before he kissed me between my breasts, right over my pounding heart. “Right here.”
The tongues of magical golden fire flared at his touch. Even though our bond burned me from the inside, I closed my eyes to savor the warmth of his breath on my bare chest. “Y-yes. Pleasekeep going.”
He dragged the tip of his tongue all the way down my middle and tasted my belly, only stopping where my skirt metmy skin.
I opened my eyes and found Riyan looking up at me expectantly with both hands around my hips and his fingers gripping the waist ofmy skirt.
“I did get to see you,” I said through heavy breaths. “It is only fair,after all.”
Riyan chuckled low in his throat and tugged off my skirt and undergarments in one swift pull. The rumpled clothes smacked against the wall after he threw them like they had offended him.
Once I was naked, Riyan went quiet. He studied what was between my parted knees for a few breaths and his silence made my stomachcave in.
“Did you not study diagrams of women at the military academy?”I asked.
