Page 22 of The Arabis Triad

“Please excuse my lack of clothes,” he said. “You stirred again with nightmares. We thought it was best we keep you asleep. A warm body holding you was the only way to settle you.”

“So you had to come into my bed naked?” Not that she had minded so much last night.

A sexy smile snaked over his kissable mouth. She found her attention riveted to those lips and she knew how effective they could be. “It isn’t your bed. We’re in Paxt’s private cabin.”

They were so intent on sharing last night, it flashed though her mind they had shared with each other. But their attention had been focused on her. They hadn’t kissed or touched each other.

“You have different cabins?” she asked.

“Of course. This craft is big enough to have one for each of us,” Ashir said.

This close, he was absolutely stunning. His shoulder-length dark-blond hair was roughly pushed back from his forehead. His beard lent him the look of a man from yesteryear in a totally hot sort of hipster way.

Tattoos branched up from his chest to end in swirls and shapes along his neck. From what she saw of his hand, the back was covered with strange symbols, bright magentas and purples nestled between thick midnight black.

She always had a thing for tatts. And now horns, it seemed. She swallowed hard. As hard as the rod that throbbed along her back.

“So then, when will you give me a cabin of my own?” Her voice was low and hoarse. Could she be more obvious!

His smile broadened, and a glint lit his eyes with a spark of deep purple. “This is your cabin. Coltan’s cabin is also yours. As is mine. Every room you see in this craft is yours. You own it all.”

Her mind stumbled. That little niggling deliberation she should have acted on last night came back to her in full force. What the hell had she been thinking?

“I think you have the wrong idea about me,” she began.

He chuckled, a deeply masculine sound. Humor danced in his eyes. He stroked her cheek with the back of a knuckle. “I know you more than you know yourself at this moment. There is no wrong idea to be had. You simply need to understand what you are us and you will never question it again.”

“But…”

He pressed a gentle, lingering kiss on her shoulder, and a warm shiver shimmied over her skin. She drew in a shaky breath. He’d barely touched her and yet she yearned for more. A smile changed his kiss and her breath snagged. He was incandescent when he smiled, sexy yet still retaining a boyish quality. He knew exactly what he did to her, and it was without ego. He simply enjoyed her reaction.

“Do you like me doing that, mate?”

Her head fell back to the pillow. “My name is Evelyn.”

“Evelyn.” He growled her name, sending a shiver through her body. “Well, Evelyn. I have you to myself for the first time in a day, and I intend to show you how strong our bond can be.”

She frowned. “A day?’

He kissed a path down her arm. “Yes. Paxt was the first to stay with you. And then Coltan. And now it is my pleasure.”

“Then… how long have I been sleeping for?”

“A day and a half on this planet. I’m not sure how that corresponds to the time of your physiology, but you needed to heal and we thought it was best you sleep. But now that you’re awake, we can start our campaign to show you how and what we feel about you.” The kisses ended at her elbow and then traced a path back up, stopping at her breast. His warm breath floated over her nipple that went instantly erect.

She licked her lips, remembering just how that mouth felt on her nipple. And her reaction to it. Her gaze flickered between his mouth and his eyes.

All she could think about was the wicked things he’d done the night—day—before. Her body took control over her mind. She arched her back, just slightly, but enough for her nipple to graze his lower lip.

He chuckled before leaning over her and devouring her nipple. A sigh bordering on a groan was wrenched from her throat when he flicked the hardened nub with his tongue. She barely wondered how someone could possibly be so good at this, when he flattened his palm on her thigh.

He pressed the full length of his body against her back. From shoulder to toe, he wrapped around her. His hand slid up her thigh, past her throbbing core to palm her belly. His fingers massaged her soft skin, while his mouth laved her breast.

Her eyes fluttered closed at the overwhelming sensation. She’d been with boyfriends before, but none had done anything like this to her. Her reaction was so fast, so complete. It bordered on wanton, but in no way did she feel devalued. She wasn’t used to going from zero to a hundred in a millisecond. It had never happened before. No one had managed to come close, and even though her mind was so reserved, her body knew what it wanted. She couldn’t deny the pull any longer. It was simply too powerful.

Her legs parted. “Touch me, Ashir.”

“As you wish.” His voice vibrated against her breast.

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