I chewed my lip, nerves humming. My eyes drifted again to where his hand vanished. The heat in my body surged. My thighs clenched, and I bit down on a gasp.
How did anyone resist him?
Tall. Sculpted. Sin incarnate.
A vision flashed—me straddling his hips, jacket undone, lips brushing his chest as I peeled him free of leather. My hands moved lower, my mouth trailing after…
The fingers in his trousers twitched.
I jolted, my knee smacking the bedframe.
Frozen. Breath held. I waited.
He didn’t stir.
I winced and placed my palms on the mattress.
He moved.
An arm hooked under mine. In a single pull, he dragged me onto the bed. My head struck near the footboard. His hips pinned me down, one hand catching my wrist, pressing it above me.
A whimper escaped me. His body settled into place—heat and weight claiming the space between us.
Sky-blue eyes blinked, then his brow creased as he scanned the room, muscles taut, every inch of him alert.
My chest heaved in short bursts. My nerves screamed—move, speak,breathe. He felt so good against me, his hard frame pressed into my soft curves.
His gaze fell back to mine. “Are you alone?” His voice, hoarse from sleep, rasped across my skin.
I caught my lip between my teeth and his stare dropped to my mouth. I writhed, hips rocking into his. A surge of pleasure cracked through me. My spine arched.
“I came to talk,” I gasped, forcing myself to keep my eyes open, to hold his gaze and not surrender to the heat.
His hand shifted to grip my side and he sat back, pulling his body away from me. He drew the cape aside and his stare swept over my gown, darkening. “Gods, Nienna. You didn’t come here to talk.”
My chest rose in hard, uneven bursts. He winced and let himself drop beside me, limbs stiff, a groan tearing loose as he hit the mattress.
“Sun above,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “I feel like a dragon chewed me up and spat me out.” His gaze drifted to me, trailing up from my chest before locking on my face.
A twist of guilt pulled at me. I shifted, propping myself on one elbow. “You spoke with my father?”
He grunted and stared at the ceiling, then drew his lids shut. “The man won’t give you up easy.”
“But he’s open to negotiations?” I asked, scrutinizing his every move.
He turned, rubbing his chest with a grimace before pinning me with a sharp look. “Nienna. I’m not leaving this island without you.”
My lips curved. The moment his eyes caught the moonlight and his mouth tugged into a crooked smile, something warm bloomed low in my belly.
“We need to talk, though,” he said. “And I doubt that’ll happen if you stay dressed like that.”
I glanced down. The silk clung dangerously close to baring my breasts.
With a sigh, he swung his legs off the bed and pushed to his feet. He moved to the window, scanning the skies—always cautious—then crossed the room to a small dresser.
“You said you love me.”
His voice cut through the hush. I sat up straight. The playfulness, the teasing edge had vanished. What remained wasn’t regal or commanding, but it carried weight. Not authority. Something more raw. He leaned against the drawers, a twitch beneath his eye.
