Page 45 of Ashes of Betrayal

And now, she couldn’t think about anything else except that they were both naked, firelight bathing their sweat-damp bodies, and that she ached for him.

He was taking his time though, sucking her sensitive nipples with agonizing sensuality. And all the while, an aching, melting sensation pulsed between her thighs.

Reaching down, she raked her fingers through his short hair and hooked a leg over his thigh, tugging him closer. “Please, Cailean,” she gasped. “More.”

Releasing the nipple he’d just been lathing with his tongue, he favored Bree with a smoldering look that made her belly clench and moved sideways, onto his back upon the furs. Then, he drew her up onto her knees. “Turn around.”

Trembling now, Bree complied, allowing him to slide underneath her, parting her legs wide as he did so. She now knelt over his face, looking directly at where his swollen shaft reared proudly toward her.

Bree’s breathing quickened at the sight of it, the crown glistening with his arousal. Sighing, she leaned forward, one hand wrapping around the base of his rod. Her lips parted then, and she greedily took him deep into her mouth. A moan escaped her as she did.

Breathing a curse, Cailean gripped her hips and lowered her down so that his breath whispered over the aching flesh between her thighs.

And then, an instant later, he was devouring her.

Hunger twisted in the cradle of her hips, and she sank against him, giving herself up to sensation.

Stroking his bollocks with one hand and gripping the base of his rod with the other, she sucked him, taking him in as deep as she could. The tip of him hit the back of her throat, and her eyes watered, but she didn’t stop.

She was as ravenous for him as he was for her—and the deep groans that rumbled through his chest now merely drove her wild.

This act was intense, so much so that it wasn’t long before she shattered against his wicked mouth, hot pleasure throbbing and rippling through her loins.

She gave a choked cry, even as she brought his rod deeper still.

And then, Cailean’s hips arched up to meet her mouth, a strangled sound ripping from his throat as he spilled.

She drank him deep before, still shuddering from her release, she licked the long, glistening length of him.

Panting, Cailean lifted her off his face.

She moved around so that he could pull her against him. And there they lay for a while, their bodies glistening with sweat, both breathing hard as the hearth popped and crackled.

They fit perfectly. Throat constricting, Bree traced her fingertips over his damp skin, following the inked swirls and designs, and the infinity serpent that coiled around a bicep.

New beginnings.She swallowed hard.If only it were that easy.

There was no getting away from it. She’d spilled too much blood, taken too many lives, to deserve a happy ending.

Cailean had tried to convince her that wasn’t the case, but the heaviness in her chest said otherwise. This encounter had been thrilling, and unexpected, but it changed nothing.

“Stay with me.” The words, softly spoken, drew her out of her thoughts.

Bree raised her head, meeting his eye. “What?”

His woad-blue eyes were dark in the firelight. “I was an arse earlier … and I’m sorry,” he said, his voice roughening. “But forget what I said. Don’t leave me tomorrow. Come with me to Cannich. Help me find Eilig.” His gaze grew limpid as it fused with hers. “Let’s start again.”

Bree’s lips parted, her heart slamming against her breastbone. “You don’t—”

“I do,” he cut her off, anticipating her protest. “I’m no good at this, Bree … but for you, I shall try.” He reached up then, his thumb skimming down her jaw and across the swell of her lower lip. She shivered under his touch.

Ancestors, she wanted him still. A needy ache now built deep in her womb.

“You’re not the only one with regrets,” he went on, his voice lowering once more. “I just don’t let myself dwell on them.” He brushed the back of his knuckles down Bree’s cheek. Her breathing grew shallow at the emotion that now glistened in his eyes. “But despite all my snarling and grumbling, I don’t regretyou.”

Bree’s mouth tugged into a half-smile. “Even though I’ve brought you no end of trouble?”

He laughed, and his sudden mirth took years off his face. A moment later, his expression grew serious, his gaze softening. “You have,” he replied huskily. “My wild, willful wife.”

---