Page 55 of Rise of the Gods: Vardor's Destiny
She let the words settle, and when Cassandra flushed despite herself, Roweena lifted her wine glass once more. "Cheers."
The captain coughed to cover a chuckle, while the rest of the table did their best to pretend the entire incident had been nothing but a pleasant conversation. Cassandra's gaze flicked toward me one last time, searching for some form of validation.
Which she wouldn't receive from me. Instead, I reached for Roweena's hand once again, squeezing it lightly, surprised when she didn't pull away.
That felt like the greatest victory I had ever won. Forget the hundreds of cities and towns I conquered, all the men I had slain in battle. Those victories paled compared to Roweena’s allowing me to hold her hand.
Cassandra recovered quickly, but not quickly enough. Her laugh was forced, and her eyes flashed with irritation, but shesimply lifted her glass in mock cheer. "Well, aren't you just the perfect little couple."
"Indeed," I said smoothly, watching Roweena, and only Roweena. And as I watched her, as I saw the way her pulse thrummed at her throat, the way the heat of jealousy still lingered in her expression, I knew something had shifted inside her.
The nerve of that woman. I was so infuriated, I didn't stop to contemplate why I was so jealous. But I was, or I had been. Watching Cassandra flirt with Vardor had been more than a repeat of the last six months with Thomas. There I had simply felt like I didn't fit in, like I wasn't welcome. Here, I wasn't about to let that woman push me to the side, walk all over me like Countess Harriet and her... and her... and her bitchy friends. There! I said it.
If I had learned one thing during the past six months, though, it was how ladies verbally sparred. Being put in a corner and forgotten did have its advantages. My ears had burned many times as I listened to them talk or battle each other with words.
Tonight, it had felt good. So good. I felt a hundred pounds lighter for having aired my emotions, not even caring that Cassandra regarded me with venom for the rest of the dinner. I actually enjoyed it, to be honest.
"Are you cold?" Vardor asked, standing next to me at the stern of the ship.
"No." I wasn't. The air was still warm, and even if it hadn't been, fire still surged through my veins, making me feel more alive than I ever had before.
The night was beautiful. In London, I barely got to see the stars, but here, they filled the canvas all around us. The waningmoon was barely visible, barely sending out any illumination, making it better yet.
"So beautiful," I said, craning my neck, staring at the millions and millions of stars, some brighter, some more dimmed. The water beneath us was pitch-black; hardly any waves curled the surface as the armed merchantman sliced through it.
"Undeniably so," he said, and I felt his heated gaze on me. His arm slung around my waist. A most inappropriate gesture between an unmarried couple.But we are pretending to be married, a little voice whispered. A tempting voice. And I would be lying if I said his hand resting on my hip didn't feel good. Its warmth seared through my clothes, made my skin pebble and burn.
"Just relax," he coached, and with a sigh, I gave in to the temptation. I leaned against him, resting my head on his broad chest.
A feeling of contentment and bliss enveloped me like a mantle. The way we stood felt strangely familiar, felt like... coming home. His masculine scent of amber and citrus reached my nostrils, and I closed my eyes. I told myself it was to relish the moment, but it was more, so much more.
"Roweena." His voice was hoarse, and his head tilted down toward me.
I looked up and gasped. His expression was filled with so much raw hunger and desire that my knees threatened to give in underneath me. My heart hitched, and I tried to look away. Decorum dictated I look away, but I just couldn't.
His head inched closer. Ever closer. So close I felt his warm breath caress my skin. The fluttering sensation in my stomach increased, and then his lips were on mine. It was like a jolt of lightning had hit me. Every fiber of me was on fire; every nerve, every cell burned with desire for more. Whatever thatmorewas,my body seemed to recognize it even as my mind remained ignorant.
Never in a hundred years would I have thought his lips could be that soft. The tip of his tongue teased my mouth. I should have been shocked, outraged. I should have slapped him for his forwardness. I should have screamed, yelled. But I did none of those things. Instead, I stood frozen as the hand by my hip moved to my lower back, pushing me closer to him.
"Open," he demanded. And I obeyed.
His tongue entered my mouth like a conquering army, and everything changed. The same hunger I had seen on his face raced through me, consumed me, overtook any rational thinking. My hands clutched his shirt as I held on to him. His tongue snaked around mine, exploring my mouth. Good God, nobody had told me that a kiss would feel this good. Why hadn't anybody told me?
He was searing me alive, and I didn't mind one bit. I was melting right into him. I clung to him, delirious with the new sensations spreading through me. I hardly noticed him picking me off the ground, walking us down the stairs, down the hallway. From far, far away I heard the slamming of the door as he kicked it closed with his foot. I didn't want this kiss to end. I feared the end of the kiss.
He sat down on something soft. The bed? Most likely, I didn't open my eyes. I was already lost in his arms, our lips fused. I didn't think this could get any better until his large, calloused hand began moving up and down my side. His thumb brushed the outline of my breast, and a new fire started inside me. Liquid pooled between my legs, a sensation I didn't quite understand, but it must have had something to do with the delicious emotions he aroused inside me.
His thumb brushed a little harder and his hand moved forward. He cupped my breast through the material of my dress,and I nearly exploded in pleasure. A soft moan escaped him; his tongue retreated. Had I done something wrong?
His lips retreated, only to move down my throat, up to my ear, his hot breath penetrated my dizzy mind, goosebumps spread, leaving a trail following his kisses. Fingers worked their way down the many buttons holding together my dress at my back. Material fell off my shoulders, moved down to my waist.
"What in the underworld's name is this?" Vardor snarled as his hands encountered my corset.
The world seemed to tilt around me as my eyes slowly opened. His fingers worked on the strings and loops holding the corset in place.
"How can you even breathe with that thing?" He demanded.
With a small cry, I realized I was half naked, sitting on his lap like a... like a wanton. Wanton! That's what I was.
