She felt herself tense as air roared outside the ship, piercing their small bubble.
"Relax, angel. Spread your legs for me. Let me touch you better."
Those erotic words made her melt. Her legs fell open, unfurling from where they had been tucked close to her body. His arm moved under the water, and she watched the muscles in his bare chest flex as he touched her, her mouth dry.
The water made everything wetter as his large fingers stroked at the apex of her thighs, making her cheeks flush and soft sighs ripple from her lips, like the water around her. Then, she felt her body lock up in fear because they were at sea on a ship in the ocean, and they could die, she could drown, they all could drown, and?—
His finger pressed firmly against her, as if in reprimand. "Don’t think about it, angel." His head moved closer to her, the image of his horns rippling across the bathwater as his lips tickled her cheek. "You’re here with me, and I’ll always keep you safe." A kiss against the pointed tip of her ear, his fingers stroking over her core. "I love you."
Her release shattered through her, making her body lean toward him. Her side cut into the wooden lip of the tub, as her face pressed into his chest, small puffs of air gasping against his bare chest.
"Okay?" His voice grumbled through her.
"Yes," she replied, so spent that she didn’t care anymore when the water tickled her skin and the ship rocked softly.
Az’s hand slipped out of the water, droplets trickling down his forearm in rivulets as he,again, brought his hand up to his lips, tasting the fingers that had been between her thighs. He groaned deeply.
She wanted to ask if she truly tasted that good, but embarrassment held her tongue.
They were both quiet as he washed her hair as best as he was able. When the fingers that massaged her scalp made herwings twitch and a slick dampness gather between her thighs, he grumbled, "They’re waiting on us. We’ve taken too long already."
She nodded, near drunk on him, on this.
The tangles were free from her hair, as it hung damp around her shoulders. He helped her stand, wrapping a towel around her. The scratchy material rested strangely because of her wings. He unfolded a bundled set of clothes she hadn’t seen.
A pair of billowing, tan trousers, and a white, flowing blouse, the back ripped to accommodate her wings, uneven cuts as if done with a dagger, leaving a mere small strip at the upper part.
Luella eyed the clothes. "Oh, that’s…"Revealing, she finished inwardly, and too large.
"It’s all they have," Az supplied. "Do you want me to help you dress?"
She nodded, abashed. The same hands that carefully laid out the clothes had been between her thighs, yet the idea of himdressingher made her blush.
"You’ll need to… drop the towel." A faint dusting of dark pink bloomed on the high points of Az’s cheeks as he fiddled with the clothes.
Her hands let the towel go with a soft sound as it fell to her feet. The air shivered over her naked flesh. She didn’t tell him to close his eyes.
Az met her gaze, amber eyes heated as he stepped closer to her, holding out the billowing trousers for her to step into. His eyes didn’t leave hers, but she found she wanted them to. She lifted a foot to step into the trousers, but she wavered, off-balance.
"This isn’t going to work," Az muttered. He fell to his knees before her naked body. The tips of his horns brushed her chest as he stared up at her. Each breath was hot against her bare navel, and her toes curled against the wood. She had just been sated byhim, yet she wanted more. His hands hovered over her bare hips. "Can I touch you? Just to keep you steady, angel."
She struggled to find her voice. "Yes."
His large, hot hands fell to her hips, fingers spanning over the entirety of her flesh. He was so large, everywhere—he could easily fit her waist between his hands. Against the soft curve of her hips, his thumb pressed into the swell above her backside, digging in as a groan fell from his lips. She wanted to kiss him again. The space between her thighs throbbed. It was like, now her appetite had been whetted, and she would never get enough. She never felt so powerful as when he touched her. When he was on his knees before her, subdued in her presence.
"They’re waiting on us," he repeated, but his voice held no strength. It was a weak plea against what was inevitable:
Their collision.
With his hands, he gently tugged her forward, her feet stumbling as his chin bumped into her stomach. His breath skittered over the place she was most desperate for him.
Her hands fluttered before her as he held her eyes, lips pursing as he pressed a delicate kiss against the spot under her navel. Her stomach jumped under his touch, electrified. She felt his deep, throaty groan throughout her entire body. She raised her hands, fingers hesitantly curling around the base of his horns. He shuddered from her soft touches, and she skimmed the tip of her finger over the side, reveling in the softness of him. His dark curls were like silk under her hands as she tunneled her fingers through his hair, skimming over his horns as she did so.
"Angel," Az groaned, "we cannot. Believe me when I say that I never want to leave this room. Each time you look at me with your gorgeous blue eyes, I have to talk myself out of locking the door and barring them from you forever."
She knew he was right. She felt the weight of the others through the threads. They were all tense, taut, and one breath away from unraveling.
That didn’t stop her from whispering, "Just one more kiss?"
