“I was worried about you.”
“I was, too,” he said with a soft chuckle.
“You need to eat and you need to feed,” she told him.
“First, I need a shower,” he rasped as he pushed himself up. “I’ve been in this bed for days.”
“May I assist you?”
“I would be honored if you would.”
Acadia briefly wondered if he recalled the conversation they’d been having prior to this setback. The one where he had apologized, believing he had taken advantage of her during their time together. She wanted to bring it up, to assure him that she was here in a capacity other than as his nurse, but she refrained.
It only took a couple of minutes to get them both beneath the hot spray. Kaj was sturdier than she’d expected him to be, and Acadia considered that a good thing. In fact, she was sure he was in much better shape than before Obsidian had worked that second round of magic. She hadn’t expected the relief it brought on, but it was so much, she actually swayed on her feet.
“Come here, Acadia.”
When Kaj held out his hand to her, she took a step forward, allowed him to pull her into him. Their naked bodies pressed together as he wrapped his thick arms around her, holding her close. Acadia rested her head on his chest and returned the gesture, ringing his waist with her arms. In that moment, she let herself cry, hoping the water would conceal her tears.
“You need not worry about me,” he whispered, his words spoken softly over her head. “You’ve taken good care of me.”
Perhaps. But that didn’t change the fact she’d spent the past few days worried he would succumb to those injuries and she would spend the rest of eternity without him.
Kaj shifted, forcing her to lean back. His finger curled under her chin, urging her to look up at him.
His green eyes glittered with health and warmth, and yes, she saw heat in there, too. His body was coming to life as they stood beneath the water, and hers was answering the call. Her relief that he was all right was soon overshadowed by the heat their bodies generated when in such close contact. And when Kaj reached for the bottle of soap on the ledge, Acadia took a step back, watching him as he poured a generous amount in his palms before requesting she turn around.
Not sure what his intentions were, she did, giving him her back. To her relief, he pulled her against him, his arms coming around, soapy hands beginning their leisurely stroll over her skin. He started with her shoulders, down her arms, her hands, back up. When he moved on to her chest, her breaths became labored. When he moved down to her breasts, she was panting. He teased and fondled as he caressed her so gently it was all she could do to remain on her feet.
Minutes passed as he paid attention to every inch of her, getting more soap when the suds had been washed away. He kneeled behind her, working down the fronts of her legs, then up the backs. Kaj cupped her bottom, lightly teased between her legs, cleaning her intimately before moving higher. By the time he was standing tall, she was once again swaying, her muscles loose, her body aching for his.
Then it was his turn. While he soaped up, an endeavor that was not quite as reverent but equally provocative, Acadia watched. His skin glistened as water sluiced over him, running in rivulets down his chest, his thick thighs. She wanted to offer to assist but couldn’t quite focus, so she settled for observing. His erection was thick and heavy as he lathered himself, the suds briefly shielding him before being washed away.
“I want to make love to you,” he rasped.
She swallowed, her heart expanding, her belly fluttering. No one had ever made love to her before. It was something she’d read about in fiction books that Obsidian brought in. The idea of two hearts bonding as one, two bodies joining in a dance as old as time.
Once they were both rinsed, the water was turned off, towels were retrieved, bodies were dried. Then Acadia took his hand and led the way to the bedroom. She was the first on the bed because she wanted him to know she was willing and eager. This wasn’t him taking advantage of the situation, this was her offering herself to him.
When he joined her, it was to cover her with his warmth before his mouth found hers. They remained like that for long minutes, her hands exploring him while their tongues mated.
And while her body grew more insistent, her desires raging out of control, Acadia could’ve been content to stay just like that for the rest of her days. During the time they’d been together, Kaj had become important to her.
Enough that she realized and accepted that … she was in love for the first time in her life.
Although Kaj had been intimate with femalesbefore, never had it felt like this.
Perhaps that was because he felt more alive than ever before. He wasn’t sure it had anything to do with his near-death experience so much as it related to how he felt when Acadia was with him. With her, every touch, every taste was significantly more intense, a joining of more than mere bodies.
He wasn’t sure when it had happened, or even how, but he had fallen for the female. No, amend that. He had imprinted on her, his soul claiming her as his own for eternity. It was what they referred to asmielix zan,an affliction that affected males of his species. He had bonded with the female, and there would never be another who could take her place in his life.
As he held himself over her, Kaj wanted to mark her with his scent, to infuse her with his venom, to tie her to him for eternity.
He couldn’t, of course.
For one, Acadia wasn’t aware of his feelings for her, his needs. She was caring for him and yes, he got the feeling she had developed some affections for him, but as for whether she was willing to bind herself to him for the rest of their existence, he didn’t know. And he didn’t think now the appropriate time to ask.
No, right here, right now, their bodies were eager to merge, and he was content with that. He’d spent weeks worried that he was making assumptions about desires that weren’t there. However, she had corrected his thinking when he’d apologized. And here they were, his body finally mending appropriately, his heart still belonging to her even if she wasn’t aware of it.
