Page 108 of The Stolen Kingdom

“But she could’ve! I could’ve—” Valda’s lower lip trembled. “Fuck!” Valda walked to Maris and embraced her in an overbearing hug. “I felt you. I felt your fear and yet I—”

“You did what you needed to do, Valda. You brought everyone here safely,” Maris said, her hands rubbing Valda’s back, feeling the rippling muscles underneath the blouse. “We had a plan, and we needed to see it through.”

“You are more important than any fucking plan, Maris…” Valda said, pulling away and grabbing the ends of Maris’s tunic. “You are the only thing on my mind when I am doing this. If the Vulcanians or any Skylian were to take you away from—”

“You will continue the mission to get my people to safety… because that’s what I want,” Maris said, hands clutching Valda’s wrist.

Frowning, Valda pulled Maris’s tunic over her head. The anger Valda radiated dissolved as she explored Maris’s skin, her hands trialing over the spots on her arm and stomach.

“She hurt you…”

“I drank Sealian water. I am sure these marks will be gone in another day or so—”

“Maris, when I met you, the only scar you had was the one under your chin, now…” Valda sighed, got on her knees, and pressed her lips to a dark spot over her stomach.

She touched Valda’s cheek and tried to push her away, only to have Valda clamp her thick arm behind her thighs. “Valda—”

“I don’t want you covered in scars like me. Your skin doesn’t deserve it.”

“Oh, please.” Maris chuckled, hoping it would lighten the mood. “Am I less attract—”

“Don’t you dare ask me that. You knowdamnwell I am controlling myself right now. You feel what I feel,“ Valda hissed.

Maris’s breath hitched before she peered down at Valda.

“You know I want to kiss every mark on your body until you are writhing underneath me…”

Inhaling deeply, Maris’s hands came to smooth Valda’s unruly hair away from her face. Although completely dirty and covered in sand, Valda was still beautiful. It was hard for her to deny herself to Valda.

“Maybe we should clean you up.”

A spark of want ignited in Valda’s eyes as she slowly released her iron grip on Maris and allowed her to walk away. Maris went to gather water in a large bucket and some fragrant oils. Valda stood in the middle of the tent, not saying one word. She didn’t need to, Maris could perfectly feel that the one was on the verge of losing control. Maris could feel her gaze burning all over her backside as she prepared to wash Valda.

Turning enough to face her, Maris pointed at Valda’s blouse. “Off.”

Valda huffed in slight annoyance, but she unbuttoned her blouse.

“Am Ithatdirty?“ she asked, a soft curve forming at the corner of her lips.

“Filthy, if I am being honest.” Maris worked quickly, using her powers to gather a large amount of water to wash over Valda’s hair, careful not to make a mess. Once she collected the dirty water, she moved it to an empty bucket before doing the same with Valda’s face.

After listening to Valda sigh contentedly, Maris brushed her fingers over the wraps covering Valda’s chest.

Valda’s arousal called to her through the bond, and for a moment, she found the sensation becoming so familiar, that it didn’t really dawn on her that if something were to happen to Maris, Valda would feel the breaking of the bond. She had seen how her mother reacted when her father died, and she didn’t want Valda to experience something as horrible as that.

“Off?” Valda asks in a whisper, her voice drawing Maris out of her thoughts.

Maris blinked and raised her gaze to Valda’s. With half-lid eyes, Valda pulled Maris closer, her large hands rubbing against her lower back while pressing her wet forehead with Maris.

Maris combed some strands away from Valda’s face before answering her question with a quiet, “Yes.”

“I shouldn’t be asking your permission to undress.” Valda flashed a cocky smile before tugging on the wraps. “You love it when I am nude.”

“You are not wrong, but also you are grimy.” She brushed her fingertips over Valda’s back before wrinkling her nose. “You are sweaty, and the sand is sticking everywhere.”

“It’s good for exfoliation,” Valda muttered, before throwing the dirty chest wrap aside.

Once Valda was undressed from the waist up, Maris let her eyes wander over her lover’s body. She gathered water again and meticulously wiped away the sand and grime. She began at her shoulders and neck, then her broad back, stomach, and chest. Maris didn’t stop until she was completely clean.

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