Page 63 of Between Wrath and Mercy

His eyes flickered before he leaned forward, pressing his mouth against the sensitive skin where my neck met my shoulder, and I let out a quiet sigh. His lips were so soft and having them on me was a dream—a memory and prediction in one. He traced his teeth over where he’d kissed me, and I shuddered. Sliding one of the straps of my nightgown off, he slowly traced a path across my neck and chest, leaving open-mouthed kisses, before baring my other shoulder. I let out a breath and tilted my head back slightly, eyes closed.

“Do you want me to stop?” His voice was a low growl as he continued grazing his lips across my shoulder and neck. He’d learned a thing or two in my absence. The man before me was confident and demanding, so unlike the one who’d touched me with trembling hands. My nightgown felt spectacularly thin as those same hands roamed their way up past my hips, fingertips gently dancing up my sides. And I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with only this.

“Never,” I whispered, leaning forward, my breath on his lips.

He let out a sound low in his throat, and any restraint he held onto cracked. Grabbing my waist and pulling my legs around him, he stood up, knocking over the chair he sat on with a clatter. I threw my arms around his neck, stifling a cry of surprise.

“I’ll hold you to that, Em.” He spoke into my neck before he continued kissing me there, carrying me across the room.

Feeling him against me, right where I wanted him, made me ache. His mouth moved to my lips, and he kissed me with a frenzied need as he brought me into the study and gently lowered us down onto the trundle bed. Bending down over me, he finished what he’d started and exposed my breasts, sitting back on his heels between my legs. My nightgown was rucked up around my hips, and he watched me as his hands roamed, feeling my soft skin beneath his calloused hands.

“Fuck, you’re perfect.” He exhaled before dipping his head to kiss my shoulder. Each large hand cupped a breast, a thumb swirling over each peaked nipple. He traced a path across my collarbones, his tongue and mouth grazing my skin. He was warm, heat radiating from his body—his beautiful body I’d always admired in every form. As I slid my hands across his shoulders, I decided this was my favorite version. Feeling him move, I delicately traced across his back and shoulders as he continued to kiss a path across my chest. I raked my nails through his hair, and he let out a low groan before he took my nipple into his mouth and rubbed the other between his thumb and forefinger.

“Rain…” I was breathless, the warmth of his mouth and body melding with my own, sending waves of dizzying heat across my skin and through my core. When he heard his name on my lips, he made a sound in his throat and gently teased me with the hint of teeth. I couldn’t help it as I arched off the bed, pushing into his mouth and tilting my head back, a low moan escaping my lips. I put one hand in his hair and fisted the sheets underneath me with the other. He stopped kissing me for a moment, and our eyes met. The look he gave me took my breath away, and I was sure every feeling I had was written across my face. Every feeling I wasn’t supposed to have, considering this was only a distraction. He watched me as he licked from between my breasts up to the space between my collar bones and then kissed his way back down. I gave a delightful shiver, never wanting it to end.

“Rainier?”

We both froze as Dewalt’s voice drifted down to us, and we heard the creak of the stairs. Rainier sat back on his knees, and I bolted upright, pulling my sleeves back up and running my fingers through my hair.

“Get up!” I hissed at him. I stood, reaching for my robe as Rainier stepped behind me, tugging my nightgown down from where it had bunched at my hips. I felt his breath on my neck as he pushed up close behind me, continuing to kiss across my shoulder. I pulled away and threw on my robe before scampering back into the main room to cuddle under a blanket in one of the armchairs. Rainier walked to the table with no urgency whatsoever, the hard outline beneath his pants apparent. He was casually leaning against the table and drinking from my glass of water when Dewalt rounded the bottom of the stairs, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

He looked at Rainier standing there, and I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t notice what I couldn’t take my eyes off.

“Heard something down here, everything alright?” His eyes scanned the room, finally resting on me. Surprise etched his features, but he didn’t say anything else before he glanced to the other side of the table, spotting the overturned chair.

“Emmeline couldn’t sleep, and neither could I. We’ve been keeping each other company. She’s still the clumsiest woman in the world.” Rainier gestured to the chair, and I hoped our friend believed the lie. It was an effort to keep myself from groaning as Dewalt raised a single brow. He wasn’t stupid—he knew. I was frustrated; I wanted time to wrap my head around it all without having to think about the others finding out.

Dewalt glared at Rainier as he took a few steps around the table and slowly stood the chair upright. I watched Rainier swallow as he stared back at his friend. Dewalt slowly turned his gaze on me, and I felt his judgment weigh heavily as he scanned my face. His eyes lingered on my hair a few seconds too long, and I fought the urge to brush my fingers through it once more. I wondered if the source of his disdain was the obvious lying or if it was something else.

“Well, you two better try again. It’s late.”

“I’m feeling pretty worn out now.” Rainier took another swig of his water before setting it down on the counter. Dewalt disappeared up the stairs after shooting us both a look I could only interpret as disappointment before Rainier walked back toward the study. At the last moment, he turned to me, a surprisingly soft smile on his face.

“Goodnight, Em.”

“Goodnight, Rain.” He blew out the lamp in the study, and I heard him lay down in the trundle bed while I sat there for a few moments, blissfully free of thought. Eventually, I stood, but I didn’t move toward the stairs.

“Rain?” I whispered it, ready to leave him alone if he wasn’t awake.

“Mm?” His voice was tired and quiet, and I felt a tinge of regret realizing he must have been on the verge of sleep.

“I don’t. I don’t hate you anymore.” The room was silent, and I waited a few moments before I turned to go upstairs. He must have fallen asleep because I couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t reply to that. As I rounded the table, halfway to the hallway, I heard a low chuckle coming from the study.

“If I knew it was that simple, I would have kissed you sooner.”

I rolled my eyes and headed up the stairs, but I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t think about joining him in the study.

Chapter 22

Iwokeupdisoriented,forgetting I was in Elora’s room. I’d slept deeper in her bed than I had in days, and other than the confusion about where I was and the pang that went through me when I realized she wasn’t here, I felt almost normal. I heard a voice cut through the quiet coming from below the window, and I wondered if it was what woke me. Stretching, I realized I’d slept far past dawn, the mid-morning light filtering in through thin curtains that needed replacing. I felt lethargic, not wanting to move. When I’d gone to sleep, everything felt heavy and relaxed.Toorelaxed.

“He’s going to get her killed.” Dewalt’s tone alarmed me. Was he talking about Elora? I sat up straight, confused because I was sure someone would have woken me if there was an immediate urgency. I heard another voice, quieter, but I couldn’t make out what they said.

“She would. She won’t see it differently.” He sounded frustrated. I reached for my robe, putting it on as I eased over to the window, trying to stay out of sight. Something twisted in my stomach, telling me this was a conversation I wasn’t supposed to hear. Part of me felt guilty for eavesdropping, but something told me this was important. I looked down and saw the source of the other voice. Lavenia stood facing Dewalt, arms crossed and looking grim. They were off to the side of the house, likely not realizing Elora’s window was right above them. Lavenia was hard to hear, so I focused on her lips, hoping that between watching her and my limited hearing, I’d be able to understand her.

“And Emma will have our protection, Dewalt. I don’t know why you’re so upset about this; it’s his decision to make.” I felt my lungs tighten, and my heart drop. They were talking about me. I was the one getting killed in this scenario. It was preferable to Elora being the subject of this conversation, but not by much.

“You two don’t know Keeva like I do. If she’s still at court—” I saw Dewalt’s head shake, his long, dark hair shimmering as it slid over itself. “We can’t take Emma there.” His foot tapped on the ground, full of nervous energy.

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