Page 96 of Tamed By Her Touch

“Come,” Sendar said curtly. “We need to go.”

Kaelus followed him toward the corridor, though every instinct in him rebelled at walking away from Clair. Just before he crossed the doorway, he gave in and looked back.

She was still standing beside the table. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were swollen from his kiss, and she was watching him.

Their eyes met and Kaelus nearly turned around to kiss her again. Instead, he forced himself to follow Sendar.

Behind him, he heard Maera say something softly to Clair, followed by Clair’s breathless little laugh.

Kaelus clenched his jaw and kept walking. He was irritated with himself and afraid he was getting into the fake relationship they were role playing much too deep. This arrangement was only supposed to teach him how to pretend to worship Clair as his goddess.

The problem was that with every passing hour, pretending seemed less and less necessary.

15

CLAIR

Clair stood beside the breakfast table and watched Kaelus disappear down the corridor with Doctor Sendar, trying very hard not to think about the fact that her entire body was still tingling from the places her fake husband had kissed her.

But no matter how she tried to push the thought away, it wouldn’t go.

Her lips felt swollen from his kiss and her nipples were still tight beneath the soft metallic fabric of her dress, from the way his mouth had pressed against them. But worst of all was the warm, throbbing ache between her thighs where he had knelt and kissed her so intimately through the thin fabric of her gown.

She could still feel the heat of his mouth there and the firm pressure of his big hands on her hips as he pulled her closer, almost as if he had forgotten that there were other people in the room watching them.

In fact, for a few seconds Clair had forgotten about them too. All she had been able to think about was Kaelus kneeling in front of her with his face pressed between her thighs and how badly she had wanted him to lift her skirt and finish what he’d started.

Stop it, she told herself firmly. He already made it clear last night that nothing is going to happen between you. The man practically drew another black line down the middle of your relationship and told you to stay on your side.

Unfortunately, her body didn’t seem to care.

“My dear, are you all right?”

Maera’s voice startled her out of her thoughts and Clair looked around and saw that the other woman was watching her with an amused little smile on her face. Varell had left the room as well, apparently going to attend to his duties with the Council, so the two women were alone.

“I’m fine,” Clair said quickly. Then she realized she was still standing with one hand resting unconsciously over the place Kaelus had kissed between her thighs and jerked it away. “Absolutely fine.”

Maera’s smile widened.

“Of course you are.”

Clair gave her a quizzical little smile.

“I’m sorry—am I missing something?”

The other woman shook her head.

“Oh, no—nothing.”

Clair raised an eyebrow.

“That was definitely not a nothing smile.”

Maera laughed softly.

“I was simply thinking that your husband seems to be learning our customs very quickly.”

“Oh, he’s a fast learner,” Clair said dryly. “When he wants to be.”