He held me so tight, air squeezed out of my lungs. Yet I still found myself burying my face in the space between his neck and shoulder. I pulled him close, absorbing every second of our embrace. It reminded me too much of home.
He took the deepest breath. One that filled him with the reassurance he’d been yearning for all this time. He knew now how I longed for him. How I burned for him.
His hands moved from clenching my back to gently cupping my face. He looked at me with such intent, it felt as if he was studying my face on the eve of an important exam.
“I’m sorry I ran away. I should have spoken to you first. I’m such an idiot. But I was so hurt and enraged and jealous. I just—” My brows turned knitted. “Why are you smiling?”
“You were jealous?”
I gave him a partial eye roll that came with turned-up lips. “If it pleases you so much, then yes, I was very jealous. I had a family of green monsters growing all over my back.”
He chuckled, brushing my cheeks with his thumbs. My eyes tried to avoid his, but he gently nudged my chin, a delicate gesture that made me not want to.
“I’m sorry I took your valuables,” I whispered.
He gave me half a smirk. “It’s all right. I’m sure you took good care of them.”
My lips pursed and I lowered my knitted gaze. “I lost all of your weapons and I may have accidentally broken your compass…but I bought you another one….and…and I spent twenty-seven of your gold coins and eleven silvers.”
To my surprise, he let out a low chuckle, head swaying. “You’re one little troublemaker, aren’t you?”
I gave him a sheepish smile. “You’re not mad at me?”
“Mad at you? I was mad at you hours ago when you tried to die on me. Don’t you ever try to kill me like that.”
I smiled softly at him. “I’ll try not to.”
“You’d better.” He sounded dead serious, but his hands moved gently down the sides of my back and he wrapped them tightly around my waist.
“We found people from Nerithia on Mistgeil Island,” I told him quietly. “More than five hundred.”
“I know. Eldric found them, too, when I sent him to search for you.” My heart swelled with relief.
“Will your brother give them refuge here? He did not believe us.”
“He will.”
“And Marshen? He did good by me.”
“I’ll see to that. I won’t let my brother execute him. We’ll figure something out, I promise.”
My gaze lowered from his eyes to his mouth and my palms went to his face. I slowly traced every one of his features with my fingertips, as if I were blind and needed to feel every contour, every curve, every line.
“You’re the most beautiful man,” I whispered—male, I meant to say.
“You haven’t seen every man.”
“I don’t have to.”
“Well, most-beautiful-man wants to kiss you now,” he said, lifting his arm to graze my jaw.
Well, I couldn’t let him wait, could I?
Our mouths finally collided, sending an immediate jolt of lightning straight through my belly.
It started off fast and urgent, his tongue too eager to meet mine. Our grip tightened and he devoured me hard, like tomorrow was not guaranteed. But then he slowed our kiss and took his time with his soft tongue strokes and tender nibbling on my lips. He cupped my face in his palm; the other he placed at my nape as he worked my mouth.
“You’re so mine,” he rumbled against my lips. And I swore my belly warmed at just the way he said it. He kissed me deeper, his hands moving along the column of my back. My own moved along his thick shoulders, explored his arms, his broad and chiselled chest, his face. I just couldn’t get enough of him.
