“Mmm-hmm.”
His fingertips moved over her scalp in slow,rhythmic circles.“What was that, my tigress?”
“Sounds wonderful.”
He continued circling his fingers down herneck to her shoulders, applying a little more pressure, and herhead slumped forward with a soft groan.
“Do you want me to stop?”he asked, kneadingthe spot between her shoulders where the fulcrum of her tightmuscles were knotted.
She shook her head.“No.Please, itfeels...”
He resumed his kneading, and leaned incloser, whispering into her ear.“Wonderful?”
Sahar shivered, and he lowered his mouth toher nape and nipped her flesh where her neck met her shoulder.“Youtaste wonderful,” he murmured.
She shrugged him off.“I feel like a piece ofdried jerky,” she said, skittering away.
“Well that explains it then,” he said with achuckle.“I’m famished.”
He went to his saddle bags and pulled out thetub of soap and a clean undertunic.“Here,” he said, handing herboth.“The stream is past that copse of trees.I’ll gather somegreens upriver while you bathe.”He grinned at her raised brows.“I’d feel safer keeping you in my sights.But don’t worry, Ipromise not to look.”He wiggled his brows.“Much.”
Aleksi kept his back to her as she strippedand stepped into the stream, laughing at her curses as she wadeddeeper into the cold water heading to a small pool along theopposite shore.
She set the tub of soap on a rock, and heturned to forage for greens.When he turned back, he didn’t see herand panicked.
“Sahar?”
She broke the surface, whirled around, andcovered her breasts and with her hands.“You promised you wouldn’tlook,” she accused.
“I promised not to look much.”
Sahar lengthened her spine and narrowed hereyes.“What do you consider much?”
“Uh.”
“Well?”
Aleksi shrugged and grinned and ran a handthrough his hair.“Truly, you are a woman no man would ever get hisfill of looking at.”She didn’t rail at him, or drop down into thewater.She stood where she was and dropped her hands to her sideswith a hard, hungry look on her face.She was beautiful anddesirable, even bruised and bedraggled.
She watched, seemingly transfixed, as hepulled his tunic up and over his head, then his breeches landedbeside his tunic, and she licked her lips and surveyed his body.Her gaze stayed on his cock rising between his legs.
She let her breath out and swallowedhard.
“Sahar?”
He stared as she raised her gaze and in herglittering eyes he could see everything she was feeling, most of itechoed his uncertainty, desire, and wonder.He stepped into thewater and was standing in front of her before she had taken anotherbreath.
He stood far enough from her that his cockwaved between them without touching her.She closed the chasmbetween them with half a step, and he pressed into her belly,branding her as his throbbing need became almost more than he couldbear.He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer sothey were skin to skin from breasts to knees.She let out a longbreath with a low moan as she melted into him.
“My tigress.”Aleksi’s voice rumbled low inher ear and thrummed down her spine.His hands went into her hairand his lips were on her mouth, hard, hungry, and demanding, takingall that she was eager to give.As he took, he gave, his mouthtrailing hot, wet kisses down her neck and across her shoulderwhile his hands explored the length of her back and the swell ofher hips.He kissed her on the mouth again, long, hard, and deep ashe cupped her buttocks with both hands, and then he lowered hismouth to her breast, flicking his tongue out and licking hernipple.
Sahar gasped, and the world around them burstinto a cacophony of sound.
Aleksi’s heart started racing for a differentreason and he pushed her into the water and dropped down next toher as a flock of crows flew squawking from a tree, circling andcawing.They hugged the rocks forming the pool and watchedsilently, surveying the shoreline for any sign of what haddisturbed the birds.A stag with a full head of antlers emergedfrom the tree line to drink from the stream.
Sahar’s teeth started chattering so loudly heturned around and glared.Aleksi palmed a mouthful of water andspat it out.Gods.He could’ve gotten them killed.
“Curse me for an addlepated, weak-willedfool,” he swore as he stood, his cock swinging at half-mast aboveher face.He grabbed the soap and lathered his head, his arm pitsand his groin before dunking it in the water and handing the soapto her.“Here,” he grumbled.“Wash up quick.We need to be on themove.”
