Chapter 30 #2
The door had barely closed behind them when Dravic turned to Adira and slipped off her cloak, then his, and dropped them on a chest by the door.
Four damned nights he had wanted to take her in his arms and had been forced to settle for holding her cradled against him on horseback during the day.
His gaze dropped to her mouth.
Adira saw his intent and waited.
Dravic almost kissed her. Instead, he turned abruptly toward the table.
If he kissed her now, he knew exactly where it would lead, and once he started touching her, he had no intention of stopping. They had eaten little during the day, and he had noticed Adira eating even less than usual these last few days.
He picked up a piece of cheese and bit into it, then pointed at the platter.
Adira shook her head.
“Eat,” he urged, then mumbled. “You will need strength for what I plan for us tonight.”
She heard him clearly enough and almost smiled but caught it. Instead, she shook her head again and pointed at him.
Dravic held up the cheese. “I am eating.”
Adira stared at him for a moment, then shook her head more firmly.
He frowned, trying to determine what she was saying.
Her hands went to the ties of her blouse and undid them.
Dravic stopped chewing.
She pulled the blouse hem out of her skirt and began working it up to slip off.
Understanding dawned at what she wanted and Dravic slowly lowered the piece of cheese.
“Adira.”
She looked at him.
He crooked one finger. “Come here.”
The words reached her clearly. Her heart jumped, but she showed nothing beyond the smile she would have given him upon seeing his gesture.
She slipped her blouse off, placing it on the back of the chair and discarded her boots quickly along with her stockings before she stepped toward him. A chill settled around her, turning her nipples hard to poke at the soft linen of the underdress she wore beneath her garments.
Dravic took a step toward her as well and pulled his tunic over his head, then his shirt, leaving his chest naked.
Adira slowed her steps or else she would surrender to an ache to rush and touch him… every part of him.
His eyes remained locked with hers as he tossed the garment aside and continued toward her. He saw the hunger for him in her eyes and his manhood responded, turning hard.
She continued toward him, working at her clothing as she went, letting her skirt fall at her feet and she stepped over it. All that was left was her underdress.
Neither hurried now.
There was something about the slow closing of the distance between them that sent anticipation rushing through Dravic more fiercely than if he had simply grabbed her and kissed her the moment the door closed.
He unfastened his belt and let it fall.
Adira inched her underdress up slowly as she took another step.
Dravic’s boots came off, tossed to the side, then he stripped off his leather leggings and closed the distance between them as she raised her nightdress over her head.
His hands captured her waist as his mouth came down on her breast, capturing the hard nipple between his lips.
A silent gasp fell from her lips, realizing she missed this more than she had thought. She gasped again when his lips left her nipple far too soon.
He raised his head and drew her closer. “I thought you might have another appetite in mind.”
His mouth came down on hers with all the hunger four nights apart had built in him, and Adira welcomed the force of it, her arms tightening around his neck as he pulled her hard against him.
Then she heard him breathe. Not the faint sound she had grown accustomed to while riding with him, but a deep, uneven breath that escaped him when his mouth left hers and moved along her neck.
She closed her eyes, relishing the sounds and the pleasure they brought her.
She had known Dravic’s desire before. She had felt it in his body, in the strength of his embrace and the demanding way he kissed her. But hearing what she did to him was different. It reached somewhere inside her that touch alone never had.
“Adira.”
Her name, spoken in that deep voice so close to her ear, sent a shiver through her.
Dravic felt it. His hand moved into her hair and drew her head back enough that he could look at her.
“I love how eagerly you respond to me, trust me, want me.”
Her heart stumbled.
His eyes searched hers before his mouth claimed hers again, and this time Adira gave herself over to him, determined not to allow the wonder of what she heard to betray her.
But it wasn’t easy.
She heard the fire snap sharply behind them. The scrape of their movement across the floor as he moved her a step backward. The whisper of their breaths upon their skin. And through it all she heard his breathing growing heavier, and the deep murmur of her name.
She had not known how much she had missed. How much of him had always been beyond her reach.
Dravic turned her and pressed her back to his chest, then one hand went to her breast and his other hand slipped along her stomach before drifting lower.
“I have been aching to touch you,” he whispered, then nibbled along the rim of her ear.
His voice was filled with a rough passion as if impatient but forcing himself to go slow. And she did not mind at all. She loved how his hands explored her, tempted her, satisfied her.