The gentle massage sent passion boiling through her, and she moved like a kitten beneath him, groaning and purring.
He took her nipple into his mouth.
Willow gasped as his tongue swirled over her sensitive tip. Her world spun in a desire-filled cloud, and she curved into his stroke. His hand glided down her flat stomach to the curve of her hips.
It wasn’t enough for Willow. She wanted him. She reached between them and touched him to find he was fully aroused and stiff.
He trailed light kisses up her chest to her neck and then claimed her lips again. He covered her entirely like a blanket, her breasts crushed against the hardness of his chest. Her fingers skimmed over his muscled arms and up his back to his hairline. With every beat of her heart, passion throbbed through her body.
She shoved him over, unwilling to wait a moment longer, and opened his breeches. He sprang forth, rigid and ready.
Urgently, heated and eager, she sat up to push her leggings down and pulled one leg out of them. She spread her thighs over his hips and slowly eased herself onto him, welcoming him into her body. When he had entered her, she sat for a moment, relishing the feeling of being completely full.
His mouth opened, but no words or sounds came out.
She lay against his body, heat rising from him like misted fog. Slowly, she undulated her hips, up and down over his shaft. Her breathing deepened with each thrust.
He rose to meet her, and together they found the tempo binding their bodies together. The friction of skin against skin set her nerves ablaze.
She leaned forward to kiss his lips as a feeling of ecstasy grew, lifting her higher and higher. She soared so high she believed she could not take one more moment of exquisite torture, and suddenly, delight shattered inside her. The pleasure was explosive, and she gasped in sheer rapture.
When she ascended to earth again, she realized he was quivering inside her, and she quickly angled her hips, so he fell from her.
He gazed at her with utter disappointment.
She almost smiled but knew enough to continue his satisfaction and grabbed his manhood with her hand, stroking him up and down.
He tilted his head back with a groan, and moments later, his seed erupted. Sated, he released a contented breath.
Willow wiped her hand on a leaf.
He reached for her, drawing her close and cocooning her in love. “That wasn’t what I meant when I said I wanted to savor you. You are barely undressed.”
She grinned against his firm torso. “Next time,” she whispered, cherishing the feeling of contentment he left in her.
Sunlight burned against Willow’s eyelids. She thought of Sage, and her mind awakened and began to churn. She had to track her sister. She would continue to search villages along the river to see if anyone had seen her. She refused to think of the reason Sage’s trail of parchment had ended. She focused on finding her.
Willow’s head was cushioned in the crock of Christian’s arm. She opened her eyes and her gaze settled on him. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell slowly with his breathing. His square chin was covered in black stubble. His scent, deep and musky like the woods after a rain, reached her. She was breathless watching him. He was everything she had ever wanted. His presence helped ease the worry clouding her mind.
She had the urge to kiss his lips. She resisted the impulse and slowly sat up, not wanting to wake him. She eased herself from beside Christian and quietly stood, gathering her clothing. The book she had gotten from the priest in the chapel in Bois fell from the folds to the forest floor, and Willow stared at it. She had been careful not to drop it when she was removing her clothing the night before.
Birds chirped angrily in the branches above her head. She glanced at them in annoyance. “I know,” she whispered. She should tell him. Her shoulders drooped.
Christian hated his brother. He wouldn’t understand why she was working for Simon. He wouldn’t understand how she could have promised to bring the red book to his brother. Her original plan had been to take her book from Christian without him noticing and give this fake book to Simon. Then, when Christian left, she would still have her book.
Now, everything had changed. She didn’t think Christian would abandon her, but the horrible thought buzzed in the back of her mind like an annoying bee. He might still go.Look at you now, how alone you are. Where are your sisters? Where is your father?
She shook the thoughts from her head and bent to pick up the book. God’s blood, she hated books. Shewouldtell Christian, she vowed. She inhaled in preparation and resolve, looking at him over her shoulder.
A leaf fell from a tree, floating down to the ground. She followed its path to the floor. Still, no four-leaf clover.
It would hurt him to know she was working with his brother. He would feel betrayed. Guilt and embarrassment consumed her. Knowing he hated his family, how could she tell him? And yet, how could she not? She would tell him…when the time was right.
Christian heard humming and opened his eyes. He sat up and followed the melodic tone with his eyes. It was Willow’s voice. She was fully dressed and checking the bridle on his horse.
He watched her for a moment, the curve of her bottom and the swing of her braid. A smile bowed his lips, and he reached for his leggings, pulling them over his legs before standing.
Willow glanced at him. “Good day, sleepy.”
