Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
A Night of Decisions
Right or wrong
Adira stared at the closed door.
What had she done?
It was not shielding the king that troubled her. She would do that again without hesitation. It was what had followed. She had gotten angry with the king. Worse, she had jabbed her finger at his chest.
Her stomach twisted at the thought.
She had no right to show such anger toward him. No right to challenge him as she had, her hands flying, her temper making her forget that the man standing before her was not simply a man.
He was the king, and she had poked him.
Adira closed her eyes, wishing she could take back that one foolish moment. But he had made her so angry. Furious that he would condemn her for protecting him when she could not have stood by and allowed harm to come to him.
She had not thought about who he was. She had only thought about him. Now she thought about little else.
He could punish her for what she had done. He could decide he had tolerated enough from her. He could send her away.
The thought brought a tightness to her chest. Surely, he would not do that.
She opened her eyes and looked again at the door.
There were times she sensed that he cared for her. His hand reaching for hers. The way he watched her. His kisses. The things he shared with her that he shared with no one else.
Or had she allowed herself to see something that was not there?
Was she being foolish? Perhaps she had mistaken his kindness for something more simple because she wanted—
The door opened.
Adira stiffened.
Dravic stepped inside and shut it behind him.
She turned fully toward him, an apology already forming in her mind though she had no idea how she would make him understand it.
She never got the chance.
He crossed the cottage without saying a word.
Adira barely had time to draw a breath before his arms closed around her and his mouth came down on hers.
His kiss was hard and demanding, stealing her breath and whatever apology she had intended to offer.
Adira froze only an instant before her arms went around him.
That was all the invitation Dravic needed.
He drew her tighter against him, one hand spreading across her back while the other slipped into her hair, holding her as his mouth moved over hers with a hunger he no longer tried to restrain.
Adira felt it in him. The force of his embrace. The urgency of his kiss. The way he held her as if letting go was no longer something he was willing to do.
She answered him just as eagerly.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, holding tight as she returned his kiss with none of the uncertainty of their first ones. She knew his mouth now. Knew the pleasure of it, wanted more of it, and when his lips met hers, she welcomed him.
Dravic groaned against her mouth.
The sound was lost to her, but she felt the vibration of it where their bodies pressed together, and something about that small discovery sent a shiver racing through her.
He broke the kiss only long enough to draw a breath, his forehead nearly touching hers. He had walked out that door believing he could leave her.
He had been a fool.
His mouth claimed hers again.
This time Adira met him without hesitation, her arms tightening around his neck as the kiss deepened. Whatever uncertainty had filled her moments ago disappeared beneath the certainty of his embrace.
Dravic’s hands moved over her back, drawing her closer until there was no space left between them. He wanted her. There was no denying it any longer, no command stern enough to silence it, no duty powerful enough to make him walk out that door again.
He broke the kiss.
Adira immediately sought his mouth again, but he held her still.
His eyes shifted toward the bed, then returned to hers.
Adira followed his glance. understanding came quickly.
When she looked back at him, he was waiting. He did not gesture. He did not tell her what he wanted. He simply waited for her answer.
Her heart beat wildly as she stared into his eyes. She had never believed this would be hers. Never imagined a man would look at her as the king did now, wanting her and yet demanding nothing from her.
She nodded… once.
Dravic’s mouth was on hers again.
The kiss changed. The anger that had driven him back through the door was still there, but something more powerful had joined it.
Weeks of restraint he had not realized had been there gave way beneath hands that no longer seemed willing to keep their distance and kisses that left Adira clinging to him.
He ended the kiss reluctantly, but he needed to be sure.
He looked into her eyes. There was no hesitancy. She knew immediately what he was asking.
Had she changed her mind?
Adira looked to the bed, then back at him and nodded firmly.
He didn’t hesitate. He swept her up into his arms.
Adira startled, grabbing hold of him as he carried her toward the bed. Her surprise quickly vanished beneath a smile she made no attempt to hide.
Dravic saw it and stopped.
For one suspended moment, he simply looked at her. She had been afraid of him once. Now she rested willingly in his arms, trusting him with something neither of them could take back.
His hold tightened. He would remember that… always.
He carried her the remaining steps to the bed and lowered her to her feet beside it.
She was unlike any woman he had ever bedded. Those women had been experienced and there to please the king. There had been no uncertainty, no need for anything beyond pleasure.
Adira was different.
She stood before him with no experience to guide her, yet there was no mistaking her willingness to be there. She trusted him, but that wasn’t all.
She loved him. He saw it in her eyes. It sparked like a flame, an eternal flame that would never dim or fade away. It would remain strong and grow ever brighter. He knew it. He could feel it.
The realization settled heavily upon him.
Trust and love were not easily given, especially by a woman who had once feared him. Yet somehow, over the months they had spent together, she had come to trust and love him.
And bloody hell if he did not feel the same about her.
He ran his finger along her cheek faintly as he held her gaze.
He wanted her. Gods, how he wanted to make love to her, but wanting her was no longer enough. He wanted her to remember this night and know they had chosen every moment of it.
His fingers went to the ties of her blouse and undid them slowly, waiting to see how she would react.
He watched her gasp silently and moved his hand to his own garments and began to slowly disrobe.
Adira was not ignorant of the act of coupling, having seen animals during mating season and coming upon a man and woman when at market one day.
Feena had quickly pulled her away from the entrance of the alley where the man had the woman against the wall, both fully dressed and he shoving into her hard.
She did not understand what pleasure mating could bring… until now.
She ached with the want of the king, to mate with him, to give her heart to him, and though nervous, she began to undress.
Dravic hurried and finished to stand naked in front of her, his hand reaching out to stop her. He wanted the pleasure of undressing her, revealing her little by little, enjoying the torment that would grow his manhood ever harder and flame her growing desire.
Adira let her hand fall away, letting the king have his way.
He took his time, slipping her garments off piece by piece ever so slowly.
His hand grazed her skin lightly, the side of her breasts, the curve of her waist, along her hips, and she silently gasped when his fingers brushed the triangle of hair where Feena had made it clear she was to let no man ever touch.
But she wanted this. Wrong or right, she wanted this.
How could it not be when she loved him and she saw the love in his eyes he had for her?
It would all settle later, for now, she simply wanted to get lost in their love.
When the last of her garments dropped at her bare feet, she smiled softly and ran a slow gaze over him and a shiver of pleasure ran through her.
Another tingle of pleasure surfaced when his fingers brushed over her nipples that had puckered tightly.
His faint touch grew them even more taut, and she would be only too glad for him to touch her again and again.
She stepped closer to him.
He lifted her chin with his finger as he brought his lips down on hers, not soft or hard but with urgency as if he simply could not resist her.
He lifted her then, holding her close, their naked bodies firm against each other and he held her there a few moments before placing her down on the bed.
He followed her, stretching out beside her.
He did not want to wait. He wanted to slip into her, ride her fast and hard, but that was not the memory he wanted her to have of this night. Besides, he wanted to explore every inch of her with his hands and his lips. Make certain he left his mark on her. Make sure he claimed every inch of her.
Everywhere he touched was soft and yet firm, like no woman he had ever felt. She responded to his every touch, moving into it eagerly as if she could not get enough, as if she never wanted his hands to leave her.
And he didn’t want to stop. His lips traced the path his hands traveled. There was a sweetness to her skin that he favored and so enjoyed.
Her breasts were just the right size, full and firm in his hand, her nipples taut against his tongue, her waist a slender curve that flowed over perfectly rounded hips, and the softest triangle of hair that covered the precious bud his fingers eagerly skimmed over.
Adira was lost in the pure pleasure of his tender touch.
And she wanted to do the same, touch him.
She reached out to touch where she could.
His muscled arms. His hard chest. Along his firm back.
And she loved running her fingers through his hair and holding tight there when his mouth settled on her nipples.