Page 24 of Of Kings and Thieves

Do what? Col asked innocently.

Asshole. I pulled him down for a scorching kiss, pouring all the emotions coiling inside me into the slick slide of our mouths.

Our gazes were locked, our minds connected. We experienced each other’s sensations until we both fell into a wave of pleasure. His fingers gently touched me in all the right places, sending warmth and anticipation through my body.

I gasped at the pleasure flooding me, and then I realized his hands were near my face, not between my legs. But I distinctly felt his fingers searching, sliding between my legs to find me wet and ready for him.

I arched into him, and Col grazed his thumb against my lips. Our new connection allowed me to feel what he wanted me to feel, and for the first time in ages, I wondered if he was using his power of compulsion on me.

Yes, he answered the unspoken question. All sensation in my body ceased for a moment, leaving me breathless and wanting, and I found myself gazing into Col’s worried eyes. Do you want me to stop?

Don’t you dare.

Col growled, his mouth finding mine as he, through our bond, made it feel like he forced his hips against mine, pushing deeper and faster until I felt my control slipping away. My breath caught, a low moan erupting from my throat as I felt my climax building, faster than ever before. While holding me gently, Col murmured words of encouragement in my ear, mentally pushing me further still until finally I broke apart beneath him with a cry muffled against his shoulder.

Instead of following with a release of his own, Col settled next to me, caressing my body with gentle hands.

“Do you want me to finish you?” My fingers searched for the hard ridge inside his pants and squeezed him.

Col stilled my hand. “Not tonight, love. You need to rest.”

I scoffed, but as my heart rate and breathing slowed, exhaustion quickly replaced the euphoria I had been feeling.

We lay there for a while, our breaths mingling in the cold night air. When at last the haze of pleasure began to dissipate, Col pulled away from me slowly and rolled onto his back to stare up at the trees above us.

“That was incredible,” he said, wiping a hand over his face.

I agreed, tracing his raven tattoo with my fingertips.

“How’s your head?”

“Okay,” I said. The headache had returned, but since I was sated and comfortable, I didn’t mention it.

We lay there quietly, content to enjoy each other’s presence until sleep began to creep over us both like a gentle whisper under the stars above.

A bone-deep contentment suffused me, along with the bittersweet knowledge that I couldn’t stay. I opened my eyes and watched Col’s chest move up and down, my hand resting over the raven tattoo.

My family needed me. As much as it pained me to leave Col, I knew where my duty lay. Perhaps his quiet strength was rubbing off on me.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat, steeling myself to do what was right. I cleared my throat, hating to disrupt the peaceful silence but knowing I had to. “Killian said I should be well enough to travel in a couple of days.”

Col went still against me, his breath catching. I felt the skip of his heartbeat, the tension seeping into his frame. When he spoke, his voice was carefully neutral. “He did, yes.”

“My family needs me,” I said softly. “I’ve already been away too long.”

He pulled back to search my face, a muscle ticking in his jaw. I could see the effort it took for him to remain calm, to not argue against what we both knew was inevitable.

“I understand,” he said at last. His eyes gleamed wetly, and he swallowed hard. “Will you at least allow me to accompany you? I don’t like the thought of you out there alone again, especially with your injury. I never should have left you in the first place.”

My throat tightened, gratitude and sorrow warring within me. I reached up to cup his cheek, running my thumb along the edge of that regal jawline. “I can’t ask that of you. Your people need you.”

“You’re not asking,” he said gruffly. “I’m offering. One journey, to ensure you arrive home safely. Then I can return to whatever fate awaits me in Iron Deep.” His eyes burned into mine, willing me to concede. “Please. For my peace of mind, if nothing else.”

How could I deny him when all I wanted was to remain by his side? But wanting and doing were two different things, a lesson life had taught me harshly. I owed it to my family to put their well-being before my own selfish desires. So far, I had failed badly, and I didn’t intend to keep making the same mistakes.

“Col...” I faltered, tears burning the backs of my eyes.

He pressed his forehead to mine, his ragged breath fanning across my lips. “Tell me you need to do this alone, and I will accept it. But if there’s any room for compromise, any way I can be there for you, please allow me this.”

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