“Yes.” I smiled ear to ear. “I’ve been married to a High Lord, pursued by a duke, and courted by many other rich, powerful men, and not one of them would even consider washing my hair, teaching me how to survive, asking me what I want, or caring for me in any meaningful way.” I pressed my forehead to his. “No man loved me the way you do, Grat. Love like yours is rare andmore precious than any treasure in the world. I’d be really stupid not to see that.”
“You’re not stupid,” he protested.
“No, I’m very smart,” I agreed with a cheerful laugh. “And as a smart woman, I’m never going to take what we have for granted. I’ll treasure you always, my love. And yes, I want to stay in the Wetlands with you because only with you do I feel truly happy and free.”
I kissed him again, and he held me close, making the kiss last longer. His tight, desperate embrace finally relaxed a little. His hands slid down my back to cup my backside. I pressed my body to his, smiling against his lips when his chest hair tickled my nipples.
He breathed faster, gripping my hips. Shifting me up a little, he kissed my breasts. Desire surged through me in a flush of heat. I moaned, rising on my knees and rubbing my core against his hard abs.
He jerked his head back with concern flashing through his eyes.
“How are you feeling, Khala? You’re not well. I shouldn’t be doing this…”
“Oh, but you very much should,” I murmured, rocking my hips against him.
“But—”
Taking his chin in my hand, I lifted his face up to me.
“Grat, I wasn’t hurt. I’m not injured in any way other than a minor scratch on my belly that doesn’t bother me at all. I was not mauled by a wild animal, but…” I gave him a sultry look, “I very much hope to be ravaged by a big, sexy orc.”
He said nothing. Grabbing me with one arm, he climbed out of the tub.
“What are you doing?” I held on to his neck.
He grabbed the blanket from the chair and threw it over my shoulders, protecting me from the autumn chill.
“I’m going to do it properly, in bed,” he growled, stomping toward the cabin.
Inside, he laid me down on the quilted cover spread over our bed made from solid logs, then opened my legs.
“Mmm,” he hummed, licking his lips. “I missed your taste.”
I arched my back from the onslaught of pleasure as his hot tongue lapped at me between my legs. He swirled it around my clit, then sucked on my hard, swollen bud gently.
“I don’t fuck gently,”his words from earlier rushed through my head once again.
Yet he had learned to. With me, Grat had been nothing but caring and sweet. He handled me tenderly, as if I were a delicate, fragile glass figurine, and I needed to be handled like that back when we had just met.
But things had changed since. In the weeks we’d spent together, I’d learned to trust him both with my heart and my body.
“I want you, Grat…” I breathed.
“You have me, my sweet princess.” He grinned, circling my opening with his finger.
I wouldn’t let anyone call me a princess anymore. But with Grat, it was different. I knew he loved me for me, not for a status, or a title, or for what they could bring him. He said it in a voice that no one had used with me before, either, filled with lust, tenderness, and love.
“You have me, Khala. I’m going nowhere. I’m staying right here between your legs, the only place I want to be.” He licked my clit again, sending a rush of desire through my body in a shimmer of pleasure.
I moaned, lifting my hips to his mouth.
“Come for me, sweetheart,” he murmured, and it took everything I had for me to pull away from him.
“No…” I panted. “Not without you.”
He gave me a curious look. I loved seeing him like that, glancing up at me, with his big head framed by my naked thighs. But I wanted more. For both of us.
“I want you inside me,” I said.
