Page 143 of The Burning Mountain
Chandra allowed herself to be caught. When she decided she had enough of the chase and would rather be running into a pair of strong arms than away from them.
As her mouth met his, she gave herself up to his kiss, rising on tiptoes and cradling his jaw, running her hands through his hair. He had an arm wrapped around her waist and used the other to tip her head to the perfect angle to devour her thoroughly.
The tremor that traveled through her body wasn’t from the cold, but Veer took it otherwise and swung her up into his arms. “This mansion can be drafty. Our bedroom is the warmest spot here and we shall sleep there,” he said firmly. She didn’t protest.
She didn’t say anything, either, when he laid her on the bed gently and went to crouch by the fireplace, stoking the fire. A gust of heated air wafted over her, warming her chilled feet. Dark fell abruptly, making the fire the primary source of light, painting the room in flickering orange and shadows.
She rolled over to her side languorously and spoke to his broad back.
“I want to see what I imagined. When you described your disrobing,” she whispered.
He became still and then turned to her. Incredulity lit his eyes at her request.
“You heard right. I want to see you undress.”
He stared at her so long that she started to feel self-conscious. Maybe she was being too bold. Maybe men liked it when they took the lead. Maybe he thought she was too shameless.
“Never mind,” she said, sitting up. “I…”
Words died in her throat when Veer stood up suddenly. His fingers fumbled in haste when he tried to unfasten the ties to his long robe and then, with an impatient noise, ripped them apart. He flipped the robe over his head and threw it into a corner.
Firelight danced across his shoulders, lovingly delineating every dip and curve of his defined chest. She realized she had her mouth open and closed it.
“Would you…perhaps come a little closer?” she said softly.
He complied, placing a knee on the bed and leaning toward her. She touched him, in featherlight touches and long caresses, gliding strokes of lips and tiny nips of teeth that turned into ardent kisses, spearing her fingers through the crisp hair on his chest and tracing the scars that dotted his torso. Her lips found one flat nipple and flicked the hard nub with her tongue. He shuddered in reaction.
Veer held her away for a moment and then fell back onto the bed, in invitation, allowing her to do whatever she pleased.
“I don’t think you were wearing your lower garments in my imagination. You weren’t wearing much, to be honest…” she whispered, eager to explore his incredible body.
Veer looked at her through deceptively sleepy eyes. “Undress me,” he commanded.
Chandra smiled. “With pleasure.” The rest of his clothes fell to the floor, her own clumsy fingers working at the ties, with some assistance from Veer, when she got too keyed up in her haste to see all of him.
She paused for a moment, staring at his naked body, faintly wondering how she could have thought to deny herself, even for a moment. “You are beautiful,” she said, unaware that she had said it aloud until she saw the flush high on his cheeks.
“Come here,” he said, his voice rough with need and desire.
She went.
Deep groans erupted from his throat. Chandra relished the way he held her head as she loved him. With longing glances from lidded eyes, lips that curved into seductive smiles. With her mouth, fingers, and everything that she was—she loved him until his voice became hoarse, until he ordered and then begged her to stop.
She smiled, wiping her mouth, as he lifted her from her kneeling position between his legs and clutched her tightly to his chest.
“I don’t deserve you,” he said in a muffled voice, burying his face into her hair that he loosened from her plait.
“Well, who else deserves to have me, then?” she asked archly.
Veer leaned back to properly see her and said seriously, “I will kill anyone who touches you.”
“Then stop saying nonsense that you don’t deserve me and give me a night I won’t forget.”
Veer stared at her with his mouth slightly agape. Then he gave her a slow, crooked grin and moved.
Chandra halted him with a finger to his lips as he made to kiss her again. “You ought to know that my thoughts run the same.” When he continued to stare at her, she explained further.“I may come from a culture where it might be acceptable, but I have no intention of ever playing a second fiddle to anyone. So, consider this your only warning.”
Veer listenedwithout interrupting and then he spoke, “I chose well that day when I decided on you for my wife.” He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “I love you, Chandra. You are my second chance, my redemption, and I’d be a foolish man if I didn’t cherish every day we’re together.”
