Chapter Forty-One
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CATERINA WOKE UP WITH her head resting on Ramiel’s bicep. Far harder than a pillow, it was still surprisingly comfortable. Or maybe having her warrior wrapped around her protectively was what gave her so much comfort.
Dawn had just arrived and she was glad to find she was still alive.
She’d passed out while the bullet was being removed and had slept like a rock.
Ramiel was frowning in his sleep, as if he was seeing something that puzzled him.
She had vague memories of a long, repetitive dream of dying over and over again.
Ramiel’s green eyes opened suddenly, but they were blank, as if he was thinking so hard he didn’t realize she was awake. Then his eyes cleared and he focused on her. A smile lit up his handsome face. “You’re awake,” he said huskily. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m great, thanks to you,” Caterina said. “I can’t believe I slept for so long.”
“Maybe using your magic so much yesterday wore you out more than you’d realized,” he suggested.
Caterina wasn’t convinced about that. She’d felt fine right up until she’d been shot in the back.
It had almost felt like she’d been drugged so she couldn’t wake up until now, but it had been a mental drug rather than a physical one.
“I had the craziest dream, but I can’t remember much of it now,” she said.
Ramiel’s brows drew down as he sat up and pulled her upright. “My dream was strange, too,” he said. “I can’t recall the details. I just remember fighting.”
“So do I,” the cambion said, now frowning as well. “I kept dying over and over, but the last time was different.”
“We weren’t alone,” Ramiel said, struggling to remember. “I can’t remember who was with us, though.”
Her stomach rumbled and she realized how ravenous she was. Thoughts of leaning over and kissing her knight fled. Not only was she hungry, she also needed to use the facilities. “Where are we?” she asked as they climbed off the bed.
“I freed the captives in the resort, then found another truck,” Ramiel explained. “I drove about twenty miles and picked an empty house at random for us to stay in.”
She glanced at the dust-covered bedding that was piled on the floor. “Is our gear still in the truck?” she asked.
“I left it downstairs,” Ramiel said. “I’ll bring your bags up to you.”
“Thanks,” Caterina said and smiled. His gaze lingered on her lips before he strode out of the bedroom.
She entered the ensuite of the master bedroom and tried the faucet. Dirty water spurted into the sink and she said a quick prayer of thanks. “I can finally take a shower again!” Caterina said in relief. The house had its own water system somewhere nearby, like a lot of remote properties.
Ramiel carried her bags inside and she gave him the once over. “You could do with a shower, too,” she told him.
“Is that an invitation for me to join you, female?” her knight asked with a sexy smile.
Her hair was a greasy mess and dirt streaked her skin. She had no idea how he could possibly be attracted to her right now, but a tent was forming in his pants anyway. “How about I get cleaned up first and you can watch?” she asked.
Ramiel’s smile vanished and heat filled his eyes. His erection grew to the point that it looked painful being all squished inside his trousers. “This is the sort of performance I’d give up my sword to watch,” the warrior said, then crossed his arms and leaned against the vanity.
Suddenly feeling a bit nervous, Caterina couldn’t back out now. They were both aroused and she sensed they were at a turning point. If she invited him into the shower, both of their lives would change forever.
The cambion maintained eye contact with her knight as she stripped her clothes off. Ramiel ran his scorching gaze from her face down to her toes, then back up again. “You have the most perfect body I’ve ever seen, Caterina Blaze,” he told her.
Caterina gave him a sultry look, then turned the shower on. She stepped beneath the water when it ran clear. The power wasn’t on, so the hot water wasn’t working. She didn’t need it, since she was getting hot from her knight watching her.
Lathering her skin, she washed the grime off, flicking an occasional glance at Ramiel.
He groaned when she ran her hands over her breasts.
A pained look appeared when she soaped her nether regions.
His gaze was fixed on what her fingers were doing.
Her warrior’s breathing was ragged and he was now gripping hold of the sink behind him.
Turning to face Ramiel, Caterina washed her hair. He had a full view of her body and the longing on his gorgeous face couldn’t have been clearer. Rinsing out the suds, she conditioned her hair and they stared at each other while she washed it out.
All it took for the knight to join her was for the cambion to crook her finger.
Stripping naked in a blur of movement, Ramiel stepped into the shower moments later.
He loomed over her, crowding her in the small space.
His hands went to her ass and he lifted her up.
Caterina wrapped her arms and legs around her muscular male, then they kissed.
The shower fogged up even though the water was cold.
They were generating heat with their passion.
Ramiel kissed her thoroughly, then his lips trailed down her neck.
He lifted her higher, then his mouth latched onto her breast. Tightening her legs around him, Caterina shuddered with pleasure as he sucked hard on her nipples.
Lowering her down again, she felt his shaft poised between her thighs. She looked down to see he was even larger than she’d expected. “You might need to soap that firehose up before you try to slide it into me,” she joked. “You’re way bigger than average.”
“It’s lucky we’re in the shower and the soap is so handy, then,” Ramiel said with a grin.
He used one hand to soap his shaft, then pressed her back against the cold tile wall.
Sliding in an inch at a time, he paused to let her body adjust. Now eye to eye, their gazes locked.
Water poured down on them, but it couldn’t break their focus.
Caterina nudged Ramiel’s taut ass with her heels to urge him to move.
While he was big, it wasn’t painful. Neither of her former lovers had been large, or particularly skilled.
Her knight was both. He thrust into her while being careful not to hurt her in the process.
The warrior set a rhythm that quickly had her heart beating hard and fast.
Bodies slippery with soap and water, she clung to Ramiel as small jolts of pleasure began to shoot deep inside her.
Her head went back and he kissed her neck, picking up his speed.
Sex had been fun, but ultimately unsatisfying before.
This time, she felt an epic orgasm coming.
Caterina had heard all about how good climaxing felt from the female members of her family.
She was finally about to experience it for herself.
Ramiel’s breathing was ragged as he pounded into her, but he was still holding himself in check. He knew she was close to the edge and slid one hand between them. Rubbing her nub, he sent her soaring into an orgasm. Her legs clamped around him so hard she almost cracked one of his ribs.
Caterina felt the link between them searching for a connection, but it didn’t find one. Ramiel was still holding back and she didn’t know why. His entire body went rigid, then he pulled out and came on the floor instead of inside her.
“What the hell?” Caterina asked, feeling insulted to the point of tears.
“It’s too dangerous for me to finish inside you, female,” Ramiel said regretfully.
“I’m not diseased!” she said, unwrapping her legs from him.
He put her down and grimaced. “I know you’re not. Cambions can’t catch human diseases,” he said.
“Then why did you pull out?” she demanded.
“You’re fertile and I didn’t want to impregnate you without your permission,” he said.
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “How can you possibly know that I’m fertile right now?”
“Knights can sense it,” he said. “So can our enemies. That’s how they managed to procreate so successfully in our past wars.”
Blowing out a sigh, her anger dissipated.
“I guess it’s probably not a good idea for me to get pregnant,” she said wistfully.
“Not while we’re in the middle of a war.
” She slapped him on the butt, then winced when she felt the slight sting herself.
“I’ll meet you downstairs, stud,” she said, then grabbed the towel she’d hung over a rail to dry herself off.