47. Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Lea
L ea wasted no time stripping out of her dress the moment they returned to their quarters to sleep. She knew he didn’t blame her; the heat was absolutely stifling. Lea almost longed for the sun to set as much as she longed for Alaric's demise. She put on a thin shift before turning around. Her heart raced as she met Gray’s eyes, silently begging him to hold her. To make her forget everything that was happening, just for a few moments.
She stepped forward into his arms, and he placed his chin on the crown of her head, inhaling deeply. Eight petals remained. She was certain he was counting them, calculating how long they had before the gods' threat came true, but it was no use. The petals fell as they pleased, without any distinguishable pattern or timeframe. Did they have days left? A week? Surely, they weren't out of time yet. The thought made Lea’s shadows expand and her lungs squeeze.
“Are you okay?” Gray asked, as if sensing the turmoil inside her. She was sure it was an echo of his own, that they were both terrified of what would happen next.
“Fine. As good as I can be, I guess,” Lea said, and Gray squeezed her tighter. She wished he could keep his arms around her forever, holding her together in the way only he seemed to be able to do. If she asked, she was certain he’d do it. Simply hold her until they found Alaric and ended this whole cursed war.
“We should rest,” Gray said, stroking her hair. Always trying to take care of her, even when it wasn’t what his body wanted. She knew what he needed—could feel his yearning for her thick and hard against her stomach as they embraced.
“We will,” Lea said, slowly trailing a hand up his chest. She cupped his cheek and met his eyes again. The longing and devotion inside them made Lea breathless. Nearly weightless. He wouldn’t deny her what she was asking for, even if they needed to sleep—needed their strength for what lay ahead. Because they needed this just as much.
Gray led her by the hand to the bed, pulling her nightgown over her head and pulling back the covers. Lea slid in, the cool kiss of soft sheets awakening her body. Lea heard the rough scratch of a zipper, the heavy thud as Gray’s sword belt dropped to the floor. He climbed in behind her, tucking her firmly against his front, his warm body cocooning her from behind.
Lea wiggled backward against him, and he grabbed her hip, his thumb caressing the arch of the bone as his fingers crept closer to her center. “Are you sure you don't want to sleep?” Gray asked. Lea didn't answer, instead grabbing his hand and sliding it up to cup her breasts. Her skin was on fire, her flesh craving his closeness, and her shadows sneaking out and wrapping around them like a cocoon. Gray had dipped down to her neck, and he pressed soft kisses against the hollow of her throat, his fingers dancing across her nipples, moving from one to the other with a reverence that made her core turn molten.
Reaching back, Lea cupped the back of his head as she enjoyed the sensation of his strong fingers teasing her, his lithe muscles supporting her, and the magnitude of his love wrapping around her. His hand dipped between her legs, and he slipped a finger inside, but Lea needed more. Needed to be as close to him as possible.
“I need to feel you inside me,” she begged, her voice a low whisper of need.
Gray’s chest rumbled as he bent her knees further, lining himself up with her entrance and slowly pushing inside. He filled her immediately, and Lea moaned his name. His fingers trailed up her leg, slowly, until he reached her hip and held her in place, steadily increasing his pace as he pumped in and out, their pleasure slowly building
It wasn't rushed, but a slow worshiping of each other's bodies. The end of the war was coming, and so much was uncertain. But this? Their love for one another? It was their only constant. The only thing Lea could truly depend upon.
Lea’s body went taut, tensing as a pleasure built from her toes and spread up her legs.
“I love you,” she moaned, ecstasy coursing through her blood, her breaths becoming shallow and her heart pounding until she exploded, crying out Gray's name as he did the same. He buried himself deep inside her as he came, reminding her of all the ways he loved her.
And once everything had been said, they laid there together, panting and intertwined, unable to move from each other’s embrace. Unwilling to break apart. They didn't speak the words, but it was clear from the way they held tight that they both knew this could be the last time in a very long time they would be together like this. And so they simply laid there, savoring each other's closeness until they drifted off to sleep.