Page 61 of Aubade Rising
“They’re determined you’ll go. You’re the best fighter we have. I negotiated something in return.” His eyes are wide, focussed on every word, as if struggling to comprehend.
“As soon as you return, you have your freedom.”
Something flickers deep in his caramel eyes and he turns sharply. “You could have asked for anything.”
“I know.” I shrug, then gasp as he closes the distance between us, all pretence of hiding behind his political mask gone. His tall height and broad frame block my vision; he is all I can see. His presence demands my full attention. I’m lost for words. His hands stroke the sides of my face and travel over my shoulders before he leans in to kiss me. It’s not the passionate kiss of earlier. This is more. His lips caress mine, worshipping my face, my neck, my shoulders, thanking me in ways he couldn’t possibly explain. Relief courses through me and I return the exploration, fingernails digging into his broad shoulders as he pulls me to the large bed behind him.
We tumble onto it, limbs tangling as I press myself against him. Letting our bodies speak for us, we pick up where we left off this afternoon, entangled in each other.
He breaks the kiss, breathing heavily. “I am forever grateful. They would never consider it before.”
“You don’t know that: you never asked. Either way, they’ve agreed now. They’re desperate.” I swallow the pit in my stomach at the thought of him in servitude for so long.
“Regardless, I have you to thank.” He tugs me towards him, lying my body along his side so he’s free to kiss me, his hands trailing up and down my skin. The gentle caresses across my ribs and back have me squirming. Heat pools in my stomach. I can’tthink when he’s touching me like this. His hands slide round my waistband and dip below but I pull back.
“So, when will you leave? Who will you take with you?”
He chuckles, “Not so easily distracted then.” He resumes kissing down my neck. “Tomorrow morning. The sooner the better. I need to finish this.”
I pull his face away and silence the groan building in my stomach. “You’ll go alone?”
“I work better alone.” A careless shrug, he pulls away from my hands and from the bed as the tension cools between us.
His eyes are the warm caramel I remember from the greenhouse but edged with something darker now. The weight of what he’s been asked to attempt has shuttered the light in them.
“You don’t have to do this alone.”
“I do. I’m not risking anyone else being caught in the crossfire.”
I follow him to the window where he stares into the inky blackness. When he doesn’t move, I reach to stroke his face. How he can still be so compassionate for others after how the King and the Mordros have treated him is beyond me.
“Let me at least try and return your magic; you can’t fight the Kevren Gwir, and Kitto when you’re not at full strength.”
“No.” He pulls me close, pressing me tightly against his warm chest. “I can live without it but I don’t trust anyone else. I’ll sleep better knowing you have some of my protection, even when I’m gone.”
My throat tightens and I struggle to form the words to tell him I understand what he’s saying, that again he’s putting my life before his. I pull his face towards mine, capturing his lips softly. “I understand. I’ll be there as soon as it’s done. The King will need my help to retrieve the serpentine.”
He kisses me back, wrapping me tightly in his arms. “Then we have tonight.”
Chapter 61
His hands trail a path from my shoulders to my waist, gripping tightly when they reach my trousers. His caramel eyes meet mine, questioning. I pull his lips to mine, kissing him soundly in response. If we only have tonight, then I’m done talking.
My hands dive into his thick hair, tugging his head to one side so I have better access to his mouth. His lips are soft but soon lose their gentleness as he deepens the kiss, reigniting the heat from earlier in the Koes Dowr. With no one to interrupt us now, he kisses me leisurely, cupping my face. I press my body into his, wanting to feel every hard line of muscle.
His hands roam under my clothes, tugging and pulling them over my head until I stand completely naked in front of him. A scorching fervour radiates from his bare chest to mine as he walks me backwards to the wall. The cool stone pressing into my back calms me enough to concentrate on removing his clothes. They too hit the floor and the sound causes Eskar to break our kiss, eyes glazed. He tilts my head and works his way along the length of my neck, across my collarbones, to my breasts. My back arches and I press towards his touch, wanting, needing to be closer. He chuckles at my movements; hands gripping my wrists and pinning them to the wall, he sinks to his knees. I have no illusions now about who is in control, despite him kneeling before me. His pace slows, and heat builds in my body; anticipating the next kiss or lick is agonising as he descends down my stomach. His soft hair tickles my ribcage as he worships my skin. I tug at my restrained wrists, wanting to touch him, to run my hands down his muscled back.
A deep chuckle whispers over my skin and my breath catches atthe sensation.
“Use your words, Sage,” his hands tighten slightly, letting me know he has no intention of letting me go. Not unless I beg him to.
“I want more,” my throat is dry, my body flooded with desire. I shift my weight between my feet, desperate to ease the tension inside my stomach as his mouth lowers slightly, tantalisingly close to where I need him, before returning to my breasts. The sensation is frustratingly close to perfect but it’s not enough.
“Like this?” his tongue flicks across my nipple and my legs give out. His chest presses me into the wall, refusing to let me sink to the floor.
“More,” I don’t recognise the husky tone coming from my mouth and feel my cheeks redden. I stumble as he pulls away slightly and gives me a small reprieve before his lips return to my body.
“Like this?” Eskar’s lips travel down, pausing briefly at my hipbone before reaching my centre. Everything in the room disappears when I feel his hot breath on my skin; my head falls back, focusing only on remaining standing and the sensations he’s creating.
