Page 23 of Forgiving a Fae Warrior

“So shy,” he mused. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before. I believe we’ve shared many a stream and changed before each other countless times.” He cocked a brow at her, suddenly emboldened by her momentary burst of modesty.

“That was different,” she whispered, backing up a step or two until she hit the stone wall and jolted forward with a slight gasp.

In the past, it had been in the line of duty—cleaning after a battle or while on patrol, a quick change after a difficult day of training. He’d caught more than a glimpse of her naked form over the years, though he’d always tried to give her and their fellow guards privacy.

“It was,” he agreed, stalking toward her. “But I…” He planted a palm against the cool stone wall before leaning in to hover just in front of her. “I don’t want us to hide from each other anymore.”

“What if I’m not—” She stuttered. “What if you don’t like…” Her gaze flicked quickly down her form and then back up to him. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip once more.

Galen never looked away from her face as he took her hand in his, his fingers brushing lightly over her mound, and pulled their clasped hands to the side. “I love everything about you. How could you doubt yourself in this of all things?”

“I—” Her mouth gaped open, but no more words followed.

“Should we stop?” Galen leaned back, giving her space.

But just as quickly, Sylvie grabbed his arm and jerked him back against her. “No.” She shook her head, some of the strength coming back into her features as she raised her chin. “If you left me again, I’d hunt you down to the end of lands.”

His cock twitched against her abdomen, earning a soft gasp.Fuck.She could undo him so thoroughly without even touching him where he needed it the most.

“We can’t have that.” His forehead leaned against hers, the length of her braid tickling his bare chest, her nipples little pebbles against his skin.

Sylvie pulled their bound hands back to the apex of her thighs. “Touch me. Please.”

It was all the invitation he needed. She released him to grasp his hip as Galen slipped his fingers into her sacred forest. Warm wetness greeted him immediately, and he groaned against her, burying his head in the crook of her neck. “You’re so wet.” He slid a finger between her folds, earning a delicate moan.

“You made me wait a long time.” Her fingertips coasted across the muscles of his lower abdomen, making them clench in response. And then she found her courage again, her palm slipping lower to wrap around his length.

He bucked into her touch, loving the way she held him and the feel of her wrapped around his cock. “A mistake I don’t intend to repeat,” he all but growled against her skin.

“Then fuck me, Galen.” She tugged at his length before releasing him. “Please.”

He slid his fingers through her folds again, earning a little whimper as he grazed her clit. She was ready for him, and he’d never been more ready for anything in his life.

Galen wrapped an arm around her back, the other swooping behind her knees as he squatted to lift her.

“Wait!” Sylvie slipped away.

His heart nearly stalled in his chest.

“Don’t hurt yourself worse. Lie down. Let me…” She licked her lips again and pushed her braid behind her, baring her chest once more. “Let me take care of you. Of us both.”

Loathe though he was to admit it, she was right. Trying to carry her off as he planned would have been terribly painful at best, a mess of falling bodies and more injury at worst. Besides, he had no bed to place her on, no place at all really but the cold floor.

“As you command.” He spied the blanket they’d shared the night before crumbled in a ball on the floor and stretched it out, laying it across the smoothest portion of the ground he could find. Then, Galen lay atop it, doing his best to keep weight and pressure off his injured limbs.

Whatever momentary shyness had gripped Sylvie when they’d undressed had vanished. She all but sauntered across the narrow space to him like the proud warrior he knew and loved.

Galen stroked himself as she approached, having no doubt he could come just from taking in the sight before him. He sucked in a breath as she straddled him, his whole body going tight and eager in anticipation.

“You’re sure?” he asked, giving her one last chance to change her mind, to realize what a mistake it was to be with someone like him.

Sylvie batted his hand away and replaced it with her own, positioning him just at her entrance as she hovered above him. “I’ve never been so certain.” Without another word, she slid down his length, moaning as they came together.

Stars danced in front of Galen’s eyes. He bucked his hips, unable to stop himself as he gripped her waist and sealed them together. She was so tight, so perfect, like they were made for one another. Nothing else in all the world could be more right.

But then she moved on him, rolling her hips and sliding along his length, and he realized that the moment they came together was just the beginning, the first step into paradise. Nothing and no one had ever made him feel this way—not as a boy, clumsy and foolish, or as a man, still uncertain of what he wanted.

Thiswas what he’d been yearning for all his life. His perfect match. His mate.

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