My body was weak and heavy with still lingeringpleasure when Tynan’s hands squeezed my hips and he pulled me onto his lap, wrapping my legs around his strong, hard waist. The change of the angle felt so unbelievable, that I could hardly pace the vigorous movements of my hips.
Deep down, I knew that this is how we would be together, so close, almost molding into each other, where there was no way to tell where my body ended and his began. Tynan’s hands were in my hair, on my back, my shoulders, sliding up and down, as if he could not get enough.
I pulled him closer, feeling my muscles tighten before the inevitable fall. I arched my back, and felt myself back on the carpet. With a groan, his body left mine as he found his release. I turned to my side watching him, hand under my cheek. There was nothing in this world, or any other, that was better than this feeling.
“Alina, don’t fall asleep. We need to get you back in your room,” he whispered, and my eyes flew back open.
I nodded, too lazy to move, not having a care in the world, when I felt his hands adjusting my dress and pulling me up to my feet.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand and leading me to the exit.
I glanced back, taking in the broken dishes, the silverware strewn about, the vase and the peonies scattered across the carpet.
When we got back to my room, Tynan led me to the bed and carefully took off my dress and the corset.
“Was that your plan all along, to seduce me?” I asked, enjoying his careful touches.
“No, I was going to abduct you.”
“Really? I would love that.”
For the first time in days, weeks, months my chest felt as light as a feather. Everything that loomed over me vanished into thin air. The simplest, easiest, way out I could ever envision had been right in front of me all along. All I had to do was trust my own instincts and believe in what I felt about him.
“What was your plan?” he asked, after successfully releasing me of all of my clothes.
I could see how distracted he became, seeing me completely naked right in front of him. His eyes roamed over the modest lines of my breasts and waist, caressing me as the lightest of touches.
“I was going to escape tonight,” I said.
“Alone?” He lifted his head and it was me this time who could not keep my hands away from him.
I touched his silky hair and tugged it, the same way I had done in my dreams. We fell back together onto the bed. It was still so surreal that two people could have a whole life together without actually living it. I could almost sense the smells of wild flowers and the feeling of the moist air on my skin. The taste of wine on his lips, when I kissed him back in Darragh.
“Something tells me that I would not have gotten far,” I said, enjoying his hands sliding down my hips.
The rain was picking up outside while we laid face to face on my bed, touching, teasing each other, exchanging lazy kisses and quiet confessions. The quiet, tender moments turned into something else when he placed my leg on top of his and carefully pushed inside of me. We moved slowly, never breaking the kiss, while his hands slid down my back, my thighs where our bodies connected. His name was on my lips once again as I descended into the sweetest oblivion.
“Sorry... I can’t seem to get enough of you,” he said, stroking my back, when both of us were too spent to do anything, but snuggle up together.
“I don’t mind.”
“You need to sleep. We have a difficult flight ahead of us.”
“Where are we going?”
“Back to Darragh for now. Then we’ll work on getting through The Fall.”
“Together?”
“I’m never letting you out of my sight.”
I smiled and my eyes closed.
The sun was shining through the partially drawn curtains, the window was open. The fresh breeze brushed against my skin, but something did not feel right, and the light whisper of a nagging feeling that something was amiss, made meopen my eyes at last. When I looked at the other side of the bed, I saw nothing but the crumpled sheets. I bit my lip, fighting the momentarily anxiety. I moved my head, noticing that the muscles in my body felt stiff and overworked.
Where was Tynan?I pulled the blanket over my shoulders and sat up.
When my eyes landed on the blank, emotionless face of Corliss, my heart nearly stopped. The woman stood by the side of my bed in her light grey dress that covered the very top of her neck. Her hands were clenched in front of her stomach, and her lips were tightly pressed. I shifted my gaze and saw Sally standing beside her with swollen lips and messy hair, eyes full of tears as she quietly sobbed, not daring to lift her eyes.
