She wasn’t sure which one of those thingswould be more painful.
He’d been dressed and about to leave the roomwhen she woke this morning. He bent to kiss her and told her he wasgoing to check on Brokk before leaving. Things had been normal,even sweet, but she still hadn’t known what to expect from him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he lifteda strand of her damp hair and twirled it around his finger.
“Happy,” she admitted.
Maybe it was wrong to be so honest withhim—dark fae weren’t known to care about other’s feelings—but he’dasked, and that was more than she would have expected from a darkfae.
When he smiled at her, the twinkle in hiseyes made her heart do a strange little stutter before melting. Itwasn’t fair that he was so damn irresistible.
“How areyoufeeling?” she asked.
“Happy,” he replied.
Lexi’s mouth parted at this admission. Was hehappy because ofher?
She didn’t dare ask him.
Then his smile faded as his eyes fell to herneck and the faint bruises marring her skin. They were fading asshe healed, but his fingers trembled when he rested them againstthe marks. At least the welt on her head was gone.
“This will never happen again,” he vowed.
“You were dreaming about the war, weren’tyou?” she asked.
She held her breath as she waited for hisreply. Would he admit the truth or deny it, or maybe she was wrongcompletely and something else had pushed him to such a point lastnight.
“Yes,” he said.
“Do you dream about it often?”
His eyes met and held hers as he replied.“Not since coming here.”
“Why not?”
“Who knows.”
She suspected he knew, but she didn’t pushhim on it. He’d been far more open with her than she’d everexpected, and she wasn’t going to take the chance of him shuttingdown.
“The thunder and lightning must have set thenightmares off last night,” he said as he stroked the bruises onher neck.
“I’m fine,” she assured him whenself-loathing filled his gaze.
His fingers stilled on her. “Are yousore?”
“No, I told you already; the bruises arealmost gone.”
“I didn’t mean here.” He tapped her neckbefore running his fingers down her breasts. He skimmed her bellyand slid his hand between her legs. She gasped when he cupped her.“I meanthere.”
It took her a minute to sputter a response asfire burned her cheeks. “I was earlier, but not anymore.”
“Good,” he said as he caressed her throughher jeans.
Lexi lost herself to his touch until she waspanting and her body begged for release. Undoing her jeans, shehelped slide them down her thighs, and she kicked them off with herfeet.
Leaning back, his eyes turned to silver whenthey latched on to her lacy, purple underwear. She’d selected thesheer pair in the hopes he would like them. It was obvious he didas he tugged them off.
She shouldn’t let this happen here, but shecouldn’t bring herself to stop it. When he tugged her shirt up, shelifted her arms as he pulled it over her head. He smiled when hesaw her bra matched her underwear.
