Page 12 of Great Falls Rogue
“No.”
“Let me lead,” he says into my ear, his final pause seeming to compress the energy of the world into a single movement. “Stop thinking and let your body listen.” He squeezes my hand once, and, with the first step, the male movesthroughme. Powerful thighs step between mine, propelling the pair of us across the wide empty terrace.
“Left. Right. Together,” he murmurs, his body molding mine into the motions, making us rise and fall and twirl.
Wind hits my face, the stars starting to spin. For a moment—just a moment—I feel like I might actually be dancing, River’s perfect movements embracing uncertainty, guiding my body with gentle cues of pressure and step.
We spin. Again. Again. A—
I step on him.
His hand only tightens around me, a steady assurance that he isn’t letting me go. He sways again, finding the rhythm before thrusting us into motion.
Left foot. Right. Together.I recite the instructions in my head.Right—no
This time, I somehow manage to crash into the male, only River’s firm hold preventing me from tripping over the hem of my own dress. Heat fills my face, a bouquet of embarrassment and regret. He invited me into the magic of a dance—and not justadance, butthedance, the night’s crown jewel to mark the clock turning to Ostera.
And in return, I’m body-slamming him.
“This isn’t happening,” I say, pulling my hand from his grip. “I can’t learn how to dance in the course of a single song.”
“You are right,” River says, but instead of releasing me, he only tightens the grip. His gaze pierces me, powerful and steady and deep enough to brush along my soul. “Can you trust me, Leralynn?” he whispers. “Not forever, but just for this song.”
I nod, and suddenly, I am in the air, my body flush against his as he spins us to the rising music. Faster and faster, the breeze filling and lifting the layers of my blue dress. My breath quickens, my lungs opening to the hyacinth-filled air.In the night sky, the stars circle us in perfect harmony to the song. To us.
More strings join the chorus, the Ostera waltz rising to its inevitable climax. River takes us into a spin so fast and powerful that the world disappears in a swirl of speed and color and streaking stars. When the final note vibrates through the air, he brings us back to the same railing where we started, his eyes locked on mine as he settles me back to the ground.
I feel as though I’ve been running, my breath quick with energy that wakens all my senses. Around me, the world rocks into gentle focus, but I can’t take my eyes off River’s, the mix of joy and pain in his eyes gripping my soul.
He gently loosens his hold.
I tighten mine.
“Leralynn,” he warns, a tremor racing through his muscled frame. The male’s pulse beats so hard that I see it in the hollow triangle of his neck.”Thank you for the dance.”
I try to let him go, but my fingers won’t obey my command. The heat from River’s body envelops me, everything but his piercing gray eyes falling away into irrelevance. I draw a shaking breath, feeling him do the same. The bicep beneath my left hand coils, the calloused fingers holding my right palm softly scraping my skin.
“Lera. We need to stop.” His words hitch, and when he tries to step away again, I feel the hardness pulsating between his thighs.An oh-so-familiar hardness that I haven’t felt in far too long. “This is wro—”
“No.” A desire as powerful and primal as the male himself grips my chest. My fingers dig into River’s flesh. My mouth tingles with the need for him, my whole body as desperately tight as the mystical strings of the Great Hall violin. Rising to my toes, I grip the back of his neck and suck on his lower lip.
“Stars take me,” River rasps, his hardness giving a tight jerk against me. With the next heartbeat, he lowers his head, covering my mouth with his. His lips are soft at first, as if seeking permission—despite the thundering need making my thighs so wet that I’m sure he can scent it. It’s almost surreal, the press of his warm mouth, after more than a month of missing my commander, longing for him from afar.
When I open for him with a soft, helpless moan, River cracks. His tongue plunges into my mouth, an inaudible growl rumbling in his chest. Claiming me with a primal need that turns more possessive with each stroke of his tongue. His hands come around to grip my head and back, trapping me between his powerful arms and body, the restraining hold magnifying each sensation.
His woodsy taste makes my head spin just as the stars did. Within his strong hold, I feel safer than I have since stepping foot into Great Falls. When he scrapes his canines along my lips, the sting of edged pleasure shoots down to my core, echoing from my bunched nipples, my thighs, the arches of my feet. My sex clenches, my damp underthings sliding along sensitive skin.
His hand tangles in my hair, and I moan into his mouth. My hips press forward, my mound seeking the pressure of River’s large thigh, the rock-hard muscles shifting beneath the warrior’s skin driving up my need.
Dong. Dong. Dong.
I jerk, the bell’s rich toll driving ice down my spine. No. No, it can’t be midnight. Not now. Not yet. My fingers dig deeper into his flesh, trying to stop time.
Dong. Dong. Dong.
Inside my soul, duty pounds against desire, each extra heartbeat of stolen time with River worth the safety of all realms.
Except it can’t be. Not with others’ lives at stake.
