Page 75 of The Seeker
“And I am yourreshon.” He tried not to trip over the words.I am yourreshon.He wanted to shout it. Wanted to whisper it against her lips. Wanted to write the words on her skin.
Patience.
He could tell she was discomfited by the words, but he said them again. “I am yourreshon, Meera. I don’t consider that an opportunity. I consider it a gift.”
He couldn’t interpret her expression. Surprise, maybe? The surprise angered him, but it also made him want to kiss her. He slid from the bed to kneel before her, taking her soft cheeks in his hands. His thumbs brushed across the flawless copper skin, and he stared at her lips, a deep pink fuller on the bottom than the top.
“I spend a lot of time thinking about your mouth,” he murmured.
“It’s just a mouth.”
He angled his head and licked across her lower lip. “It’s a delicious mouth.” He bit her bottom lip softly, then drew back until she leaned forward.
Their lips met with no haste. Rhys eased into her kiss, tasting a hint of orange and vanilla as he drew the moment out.
Reshon.
His heart sang it, but he forced himself to be cautious, building Meera to a simmer until her arms went around his neck and her fingers played with the hair at his nape. She slid her hand into the back of his shirt, stroking soft fingers along his spine and tracing the raisedtalesminked across his shoulders. He was drunk on her touch.
He scooted forward, easing his hands along her hips until he cupped her backside in his palms. She was round and soft and he loved it. Her bottom filled his hands, and a sigh came from her throat when he squeezed and pulled her closer. Her legs parted and she pressed herself against him.
Rhys groaned at the sweet ache. He could smell a hint of sweat on her skin. He released her mouth and kissed down her neck, tasting the salt and sucking on the soft skin. He ran his teeth along her collarbone, sliding his tongue into the soft dip at the base of her neck.
She was a feast. Teasing his neck and shoulders. Playing her fingers in his hair. Her thighs pressed against his hips.
The kiss turned from luxurious to heated. He could feel her pulse, rapid beneath her skin. Her fingers gripped his hair as something inside Meera unfurled. He could sense her magic reaching out to touch his.
He slid his fingers along the inside of her thigh. “Let me touch you.”
She drew back, desire and caution battling in her eyes.
“Okay,” he said, “not yet.”
“I didn’t say no.”
Rhys smiled. “Yes, you did.”
Meera frowned. “It’s not… I want you.”
“And I want you.” He captured her mouth again, teasing her tongue until she softened under his hands, but he didn’t press for more.
Patience.
“You don’t trust me enough. Not yet,” he whispered in her ear before he drew back. “We have time. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yes, you are,” she whispered back. “You’re going into the Atchafalaya Basin tomorrow. Roch got the boat this afternoon. But Iamgoing with you.” Her eyes sparkled. “Are you as excited as I am?”
“To find a source of lost Irina martial magic? Yes.”
“Andrecord a nearly extinct language.”
Rhys smiled. “Malachi was right. You are such a geek.”
“I still don’t understand how a word originally used for eighteenth-century German circus performers came to be used for learning enthusiasts.”
Heaven above, he adored her.
Rhys walkedMeera back to her room, kissing her good night before he turned and saw Roch trying to disappear into a wall.
