He was not at all happy with what had been decided. But his protests had all been countered. If he wasn’t so…personally,emotionallyinvested in the situation, he likely would’ve been the first to agree it was a sound plan. Clever and efficient with a sort of poetic justice that appealed to his sense of drama.
But—
He glanced at Eleanor who walked beside him with her cloak securely hiding her features. He could barely make out the tip of her nose peeking out from the shadows of her hood.
Her bravery had astonished him once again. Not a brash, ostentatious thing, this woman’s courage was quietly fierce, like a thread of steel woven within silk. And he suspected that she had no idea how strong and bold she really was.
But that didn’t mean she had to willingly place herself in harm’s way.
No matter how many times he vowed to himself that he would keep her from danger, he constantly seemed to bring her closer to it.
He must have expressed his frustration out loud as she turned to him, her soulful eyes finding his instantly. Likely reading his expression, since he wasn’t bothering to conceal his distress, she offered a reassuring smile.
“This is going to work,” she said softly.
“I know,” he replied. “That’s what scares me.”
She arched a brow. “You? Scared?” Her tone was teasing. “I didn’t think that was possible for an adventurer of your experience.”
“I’ve never experienced this,” he grumbled under his breath just as they arrived at the gate to her garden.
“Never experienced what?” she asked gently.
He ignored her question as he reached for the latch to open the gate.
She stopped him with a hand on his forearm, stepping forward to block his movement.
Phin flicked his gaze to hers and his breath became trapped mid-inhale.
Her beauty stunned him. It sang through his blood, swirled like life in his veins, and wrapped around his heart. It was her bravery and compassion and uncertainty. It was her reluctant humor and her grace and her intelligence.
She tilted her head. Her stare seemed to darken and his attention fell helplessly to her lovely rose-tinted lips.
“What have you never experienced, Phin?” The words were a husky whisper, and if he weren’t so enamored with her, he might have had enough wit to suspect that she already knew the answer to her question. As it was, all he managed to conceptualize was that she was seeking an answer from him. And he’d already learned that he’d give her anything she desired.
The hand which had reached for the latch, now swept around her waist as he stepped into her. Aligning his body to hers while he pressed her back against the stone wall of the garden. His voice was raw and graveled. “This.”
Holding her sultry stare, he lowered his mouth to hers. Already tilting her chin upward, she looped her arms around his neck. Eager. As if she’d instigated the kiss from the start.
Maybe she did.
He didn’t care.
A low, humming moan of satisfaction rolled in his throat as he brushed his lips across hers. Silky soft and honey sweet.
Her sigh was warm as she swept her tongue along the seam of his lips. He pulled her closer and let her in. A husky sound of pleasure and need slid from her and her arms tightened. The kiss twisted and plunged, deepening with increasing passion.
Phin’s body hardened and his blood thrummed. The urge to claimand keep was a force within him. It overwhelmed caution and inspired some primitive need.
“Take me to your bed,” he demanded in a graveled tone against her mouth.
A soft laugh spilled from her throat. She pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his lips before tipping her head back against the wall to gaze up at him with a sparkling gaze.
“It’s the middle of the day,” she noted with a smile.
His arms tightened around her. “I don’t care.”
Her smile widened for a moment. But then she sighed and glanced aside. Her arms loosened around his neck until she had the freedom to twist her fingers playfully through the hair at his nape, sending tingling shivers down his spine.
