We lay together in silence, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, head settled against my shoulder. From across the hall, the faint sounds of Lilibet's peaceful breathing filtered through the air. I'd never felt so protected or cherished in my life. Even back on Earth, the few men who’d put up with my crazy schedule and devotion to my work had never made me feel like this.
When Diarvet shifted against me, I thought it was a signal he wanted to sleep, and rather reluctantly, I made to crawl out of the bed. His hands went to my waist, large palms spanning my ribcage as he held me immobile. I met his gaze, his eyes the deep blue of the twilight sky, catching and reflecting the moonlight streaming through the window.
"Will you stay?" he asked, vulnerability naked in his voice. "I feel more peaceful when you're here."
Instead of answering with words, I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him, soft and reassuring. A chaste kiss compared to our earlier one, but heartfelt. When we broke apart, I settled beside him on the mattress.
"I'm not going anywhere," I promised.
Diarvet rolled onto his back and slipped an arm around my shoulders, drawing my head to lie on his chest. I sighed, relaxing against him. His body was so strong and warm, and it felt so right to be held by him like this.
"Thank you," he whispered, and I felt the brush of his lips atop my head.
As I lay there listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, I found myself marveling at how much my feelings for him had grown. When had this male become so precious to me? I thought of how he'd kissed me earlier, so full of eagerness and passion. How he'd turned to me for comfort and trusted me with his darkest memories. There was something about Diarvet that called to the deepest parts of me. Even broken by nightmares,even trembling with remembered trauma, he was still thinking of our safety, still worried about protecting us. I pressed a soft kiss to his chest, right over his heart, and felt him relax further. Yes, I realized with startling clarity, I was starting to fall for him. It was the last thing on my mind before sleep claimed me.
I awoke to the sound of birds outside the window heralding the dawn. For a moment, I was disoriented—wrapped in warmth, my cheek pressed against something solid and comforting. Then awareness crashed over me as I felt the powerful body beneath me shift slightly.
Diarvet.
I was still curled against his chest, his arms wrapped around me. The realization should have been awkward, should have made me pull away, but instead it felt right. Natural. Like this was exactly where I belonged.
I raised my chin, surprised to find him awake and staring at me.
"Hey," I whispered, feeling awkward.
Amusement flickered over his face along with something that caused a fluttering low in my belly. "Hey."
We didn't say another word. We didn't need to.
His hand came up to cup my face, thumb brushing across my cheek with infinite tenderness. The look in his eyes, vulnerable yet intense, made my breath catch. Without thinking, I leaned into his touch, and then we were moving toward each other, drawn by an invisible force neither of us had the strength to resist.
When our lips met, it was soft at first, tentative, as if we were both afraid this moment might shatter into nothing but dreams and wishes. But then his other arm tightened around me, pulling me closer, and something ignited between us. A fire that had been smoldering since we met. The kiss deepened,became hungry, desperate—all the emotion and connection we'd built pouring into this single moment.
Strangely, my mind flickered to a favorite story on the oncology ward...The Princess Bride. Specifically, the part about the kiss—Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. No offense to William Goldman, but Wesley and Buttercup didn’t have shit on me and Diarvet when it came to kisses.
He drew me more fully atop his chest, holding me close as his lips devoured mine with an intensity that made my pulse race. I kissed him back with everything I had, my fingers threading through his dark hair. His lips were warm and demanding, moving against mine with a skill that made heat pool low in my belly. When he rolled us over, so I was beneath him, his powerful body caging me against the mattress, I felt the hard planes of his chest pressing against my breasts, the weight of him settling between my thighs. My body clenched with desire, every nerve ending alive with want. I felt completely safe, completely wanted, completely consumed by the need burning between us.
We broke apart only when breathing became necessary, foreheads pressed together, sharing the same air.
"Jolie," he whispered, my name a prayer on his lips.
I pulled his lips back to mine, feeling the intoxicating sweep of his tongue as it traced the seam of my lips before delving deeper. A soft moan escaped me, the sound swallowed by his hungry mouth as pleasure coursed through my veins like liquid fire. His fingers tangled in my hair, the gentle tug sending shivers down my spine as he held me exactly where he wanted me, angling my head so he could plunder my mouth with thoroughly… devastatingly. His other hand, still wrapped in the white bandage I'd applied earlier, began a tentative explorationof my body. His fingertips trailed along the curve of my waist, thumb brushing against the underside of my breasts through the thin fabric of my sleep shirt, each touch igniting sparks beneath my skin.
We were completely lost in each other, drowning in sensation and the intoxicating taste of each other, when a small, innocent sound pierced through the passionate haze.
The faint hum of a little girl awakening, followed by the soft rustle of blankets being pushed aside.
We froze, waiting anxiously as the sound of tiny feet hit the floor and padded in our direction. Lilibet was coming. Diarvet rolled off me, but he didn't release me; his arm stayed snugly around my waist, holding me close. Neither did I scramble to get off the bed. It was like there was something unspoken between us. Something that knew Lilibet was ours to protect, to love… together.
I'd always been so careful to shield Lilibet from what happened in the harem, never letting her witness the heated exchanges, intimate encounters, or anything else that went on between Qurbaga or any of the girls. Still, I knew she had picked up on far more than a child her age should know. Yet, with Diarvet, it didn't bother me that she would find us lying together. It felt almost comforting that she would notice our closeness and know that we would be together for her, a steady, loving presence no matter what storms arose.
The bedroom door pushed open with a whispered creak. Lilibet stood in the doorway, her wild pink curls sticking up in every direction, teddy bear tucked under one arm. She didn't seem surprised at the sight of me in Diarvet's bed. Instead, she broke into a run, arms wide.
"I want to sleep too," she proclaimed, launching herself onto the bed.
Diarvet caught her with a laugh that told me the nightmares he'd suffered the night before were gone for now. He lifted her, snuggling her in between us. Lilibet sighed happily, then curled against his chest. In seconds, she was asleep again.
I lay my head on the pillow, my gaze never leaving Diarvet's dark blue eyes. The future was still some odd dark thing filled with uncertainty. But I knew I wanted this. All of this. The sweet, protective male beside me, the child we both adored lying between us, the hope of something more.
