Amrin stared at me anxiously while sheets pooled around her waist, exposing the soft swell of her breasts and the marks I’d left across her skin.
Mine.
My control slipped another fraction.
“What exactly do you think happened here tonight?” I asked softly.
“I…” Her face turned impossibly pink. “I mean… we had sex?”
I barked out a rough laugh despite myself.
“We did indeed, little lunar butterfly.” My thumb stroked slowly across her cheek. “But it was more than that.”
Her breathing changed instantly.
“Sten?” she whispered.
Gods.
The way she said my name.
Like a prayer.
Like a question.
Like she was already half afraid of the answer.
I cupped her face fully then, brushing away tears I hadn’t even realized had started slipping down her cheeks.
“Why are you crying?”
She shrugged helplessly.
And that destroyed me.
Because she genuinely didn’t seem to know.
Emotion leaking from her faster than she could contain it.
I pulled her immediately onto my lap again, needing her closer.
Always closer.
Her naked body settled against mine with a soft gasp while I wrapped both arms tightly around her waist and buried my face against the curve where her shoulder met her neck.
Fuck.
Her scent.
I inhaled deeply.
Vanilla.
Jasmine.
Female heat.
And beneath it now—me.
