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I tilt my head back and meet Ortak’s eyes. My breath hitches because for the first time, I can read him. I can almost hear his thoughts echoing mine. His desire for me matches the desire I have for him. How in the hell could I have missed it before? Without a word, he holds his hand out for me to take, and I have zero hesitation in doing so. He pulls me up to standing and drags me willingly into his arms.

Our mouths meet and for a second I wish we could kiss with tongues and teeth gnashing, but when Ortak palms my breast, all thoughts of tongue kissing are forgotten.

“We should go to my tent if we plan on going any further than this.” I don’t want to scar either Gannen or myself if he happens to wake up.

“Is that what you desire?” Ortak asks.

“More than anything. Do you?”

He caresses my face in the most gentle way. “More than anything.”

“Will you carry me?” I’ve resisted any help since I started using the crutches to get around, but I want to be in Ortak’s arms. I don’t want to waste any time and he’ll get us there much faster than with me hopping.

He sweeps me up in his arms—bridal style—like he did once before and carries me out of his tent and into my own. The low-burning fire gives off a dim light, but it’s bright enough for Ortak to locate my pile of furs and lower me to them. He covers my body, but rests most of his weight on his side.

“You will have to teach me how to pleasure you. How to be gentle with you.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to be gentle.”

Ortak caresses my cheek. “Even in mating, Krijese must fight and battle. There is no tenderness. No being gentle. I do not wish that for me. For us.”

Each new piece of information I learn of his prior way of life breaks my heart even more. I lay my hand on his chest. “Then gentle is what you’ll get.”

I trace my fingers over his shoulders, down his arms, and up again. Next, I draw lines along the length of his spine and around to his ribs before returning to his back and mapping the entire surface of it.

“Where should I touch you?” Ortak asks.

“Help me take my shirt off, please.”

I lift up so he can draw it up my torso and over my head. He places the piece of clothing on the ground near us. My bra is next. I unclasp it and push the straps off my shoulders. Ortak drops it on top of my shirt. Not once has he taken his eyes off me. Tiny flashes of silver appear in his eyes, and this time I know I’m not imagining them.

“What causes those small flickers of starlight?”

He cocks his head. “Where?”

I stroke his temples on either side of his head. “In your eyes. This is the second or maybe third time I’ve seen them happen.”

Ortak blinks. “You see them in mine?”

“The specks of silver are faint, but there.”

“They are found only in kits. By the time a Krijese is an adult, they no longer appear. As though life has snuffed them out. Except, after Kala mated Iris, his returned during moments of high emotion.”

A grin tugs at my lips. “So what you’re saying is that you’re experiencing high emotion right now?”

“Perhaps.” He doesn’t quite smile, but his mouth slit flutters like he’s trying.

“My eyes may not have silver sparks to express my high emotion, but I can tell you that my breasts are really sensitive, and I love having them touched and played with.”

Ortak palms one and the callouses on his fingers and hand abrade my flesh in the most delicious way. I arch at the contact, pressing myself harder into his touch, needing more. He carefully kneads the pliant orb. Arousal spikes and a bolt of desire spears my center. I part my legs so that Ortak’s thick thigh settles in the cradle of mine.

“Yes, just like that.”

Pleasure ripples through me, and I ride a wave of ecstasy. He takes the lead and moves from one breast to the other, giving them both his full attention. His fingertips dance along the ridges of my ribs, and I giggle at the way it tickles. Ortak explores my upper body with a tenderness I’ve never experienced before. His touch is soft and loving, but it’s also exhilarating and sexy and makes me breathless.

He leans down and rubs his cheek along mine. Once. Twice. Then he travels down, rubbing against my sternum until he reaches my stomach. Through half-lidded eyes, I take Ortak in as he learns my body and what brings me pleasure. His tusks move outward and his mouth slit parts only far enough for his tongue to dart out. He circles around my belly button, barely tasting me, before he lifts his head and stares down at me.

I can sense the question in his gaze and I nod my assent. That long tongue loops around my nipple and squeezes. A moan of pure pleasure spills from my lips. I thread my fingers through Ortak’s floks and clutch his head desperately to hold him in place while he continues his sensual assault.