A Kiss of Fire (A Kiss of Magic #2)(66)

“I can’t,” he whispered on belabored breaths. “I can’t wait.”

With that he surged inside of her. Withdrew and surged into her again. He didn’t start off slow. He simply kicked into a deep, rending rhythm. He thrust hard and fast, their bodies undulating together. Her hands gripped at his shoulders, his sides…his hips. His mouth seized hers. Their tongues dueled even as their bodies tangled together. His rhythm was like punctuation. Hard and short and demanding.

“Oh God,” he rasped. “Arianna! Jova!”

Sin felt release clawing up through him, from deep deep inside of himself. From the part of his soul that called her jova. Love. The Kiltian word for love. His orgasm descended on him with a fury. He slammed into her one final time and it exploded out of him. Part of him realized he had left her behind, but he couldn’t stop to take care of her even though he wanted to so very badly. She was right. They would need to begin again. But before that could happen he had to survive his release into her. It drained him of all of the tension of the past weeks…months…years. All of it jetted out of him and into her. He spilled seed and emotion into her and became stark and vulnerable. Did she know? Did she understand she had the power to destroy him?

He had to fight back the tears that threatened to expose him. He buried his face in her neck, gasping for breath and some semblance of control over his emotions. Her hands were in his hair and she was trying to pull his head back so she could see into his eyes. He couldn’t allow it. Not yet. Not until he had regained himself.

So he hid his vulnerability by kissing her along her neck and shoulder. He listened to the rasp of her breathing, let it ground him.

“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I should have waited for you.”

This time when she pulled his head back he let her. He met her beautiful amber eyes and hoped he had hidden enough of himself away.

“I take it as a compliment,” she told him with a sweet smile. “And I know next time you will do better.”

“And you know this how?”

“Because I’m beginning to know you. And you always strive to do better.”

“You are right about that,” he said softly.

He was still inside her and she was still inside him. He wondered that she couldn’t see it. Or maybe she did but was choosing to ignore it. He wasn't sure his emotions belonged in her world. Not yet anyway. She wasn’t ready to let them in.

That was all right.

He would wait.





Chapter Eighteen


“Dendri?”

Dendri looked up from the papers on his desk to see his wife in the doorway. He had been pouring over some estate records in an attempt at keeping his mind off the things pressing on him. He owned a large, self-sustaining villa and surrounding estate that included everything from dairy to vineyards to fresh produce. The winter was when everything slowed down and he was able to go over the accounts with the steward. The steward had left him to it about an hour ago, the hour having grown very late.

“Yes, love, what is it?” he asked, his attention half distracted by his work.

“I was thinking maybe you should try and get some sleep. You haven’t been sleeping well.”

That brought up his full attention and he surged out of his chair and crossed over to her.

“I’m sorry, love, have I been keeping you awake?” He reached her and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“No the forty-pound weight sitting on my bladder keeps me awake. You I can handle.” She winced slightly and stretched out her back. “Although I do have a devil of a backache today.”

“That might be the forty-pound weight again. Let’s go to bed and I will massage your back.”

“Oh that sounds heavenly. Are you sure I’m not taking you from your work?”

“But you just said—“

“To sleep. That’s different than slave labor.”

He grinned at her and placing a hand at the small of her back he guided her out of his study.

“It’s a labor of love. Better I see you happy than anything else. That is my mantra in life.”

“Well far be it from me to interfere with your mantra,” she said with a grin.

He led her through the maze of rooms in the house and into their bedroom.

“Is Bess asleep?”

“Yes. We were up late talking. You know how girlfriends can get. Have I ever thanked you for letting her live here with us?”

“Only about a hundred times. I told you…your friends are my friends. And I hope the feeling is reversed.”

“I like your friends. Except for one or two. Well…one.”

“She is no longer my friend. Not since I heard what she said to you. She only comes here because she is Wil’s sister. Otherwise, if not for Wil, I would have barred her from the house long ago.”

“No. I’m glad you haven’t punished Wil for Olla’s cattiness. He’s a good man and a good friend. Why, just the other day he—“

Yasra stopped short. She gasped. Then she looked down at the ground.

“What is it?” he asked, following her gaze.

She was standing in a small puddle of cloudy water.

“What the hell is that doing there? Did you get your feet wet?” Dendri asked.