“You make me want to forget who I am and where we are.” His voice deepened. “You’re so fucking dangerous. I don’t know if I’m more afraid of you or that witch.”
“I’m not a witch.”
He just laughed and dipped his head again to suck her nipple into his mouth. His teeth scraped over her sensitive skin, and he bit down lightly. Her hips bucked and he withdrew to lick the spot, soothing the sting.
When he looked up again, his blue eyes pierced right to the heart of her. “Come for me, angel. I can’t take much more of this, and I want to see you come apart.”
He curled his fingers, dragging his fingertips against her inner wall as his thumb pressed down ruthlessly on that sensitive nub, rubbing in a tight circle.
And she was flying.
Her vision flashed white as her body convulsed, tightening around the fingers still inside her. She clutched blindly at his shoulders as he leaned over her, murmuring soft words of praise as he eased her down.
When it was over, he pulled his hand from her body and grabbed the edge of the blanket to cover her again. She rolled toward him, and he stiffened, but then his arm came around her, and he drew her into the shelter of his body.
She could feel his cock, still hard and straining against the fabric of his breeches. She reached for it, but he caught her hand and moved it away.
“No.”
“But…” She tried to reach for him again, but all of her muscles seemed heavy, limp. “You said…You wanted…”
He’d said a lot of things that she couldn’t bring herself to repeat right now when he was looking at her like that—all clear-headed and remote.
“Not tonight,” he said, voice rough. “Not here. Not like this. Go to sleep, angel. I’ll keep watch.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and tightened his arm around her back. Something inside her eased, settled. He would keep her safe, she was sure of it. And it felt good here nestled in his arms. Safer than she’d ever felt.
Even if they were in the Black Woods hunting for a witch.
His fingers drifted through her hair. He murmured something so soft she couldn’t make out the words. It sounded like a prayer. She fell into a deeper sleep than any she remembered and didn’t wake until first light.
26
Rowan woke slowly, the smell of damp wood and ash surrounding her. Weak morning light filtered through the tree branches overhead. The scratchy edge of the woolen blanket tickled at her nose.
Her first thought was surprise that it was so late. The sun was already up. Casrian hadn’t woken her for watch.
Her second thought was awareness of the unfamiliar ache in her body. She was sore. Not from riding Copper and sleeping on cold ground. But in a lovely, sated way that had her rolling onto her back and stretching her arms overhead.
Memories flooded in with the motion and heat rushed through her. An image of her writhing beneath Casrian while his fingers pushed inside her. His hooded blue eyes staring down at her so intensely. His hard cock rubbing against her thigh. She’d begged him to fuck her, and he hadn’t. He’d made her come…
God.
He’d finger-fucked her into oblivion, then he gathered all of her shattered pieces back together and guarded her all night.
With a groan, she sat up and looked around the camp. Her gaze found Casrian. He crouched beside the fire only a few feetaway, preparing tea. She could tell by the heat in his eyes that, yes, that had actually happened last night. It hadn’t been a strange dream. She could tell by the careful way he watched her that he was waiting to see how she would react.
Maybe he thought her mind had broken under the strain. That she’d become witch-snared like those men. She wondered if he regretted touching her even though she asked him to. She wondered if he regretted stopping her when she tried to touch him.
Heat crept up her neck. She might be forthright, but she couldn’t seem to find the words to ask.
“You didn’t wake me for watch,” she said, her voice rough.
“You needed the sleep.” His gaze never wavered from her face. “Are you all right?”
So many ways to answer that.
She pulled the blanket around her as she folded her legs into a more comfortable position. She wasn’t wearing clothes. She didn’t know how to rectify that without giving Casrian an eyeful. Well, more of an eyeful than he’d already had. She felt strangely vulnerable considering what had happened.
