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With a heavy sigh that turned into a frustrated groan, I reached over and pulled open the front windows slightly. The night air was a cool welcome blanket on my heated, angry skin. I could curse myself for my stupidity all day long, but at the end of the day, there were three very real, very tiny lives on the line. All I could do was pace around this house and hope that Cedra and Ana would be able to get the panels fixed in time to help Ella.
Just as I finished the thought, I heard a slight rustling in the field and Cedra emerged from the tall grass, her frame shrouded in moonlight. Her stride was purposeful as she strode up the front steps and entered the house.
Her eyes caught mine in the moonlit darkness, and I sensed a look of determination in them. I felt her energy surround me like it usually did, swirling around me like a blanket, comforting me in a way only she could.
“How are the bab—”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence. Without stopping a beat, she took me in her arms, her lips hot on mine, and a soft moan of protest bubbled in my throat.
But my mind and body had varying ideas. My arms twined around her neck, and I pressed myself closer to feel our bodies fit together like they had always done.
But this felt different. Her fingers felt hesitant, desperate. They trembled as they ran down the bare length of my arms.
I pulled my lips from hers, loving the rosy pink shade hers had quickly become.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, breathing lightly against her lips.
“I don’t have the words nor the means to thank you for the sacrifice you made today.”
I frowned. “It wasn’t a sacrifice. I wanted to make sure Ella and her babies were okay.”
She looked into my eyes again and I could feel her reaching out through our partial bond, prodding gently to see how I really felt.
“I should be upset that you think I don’t mean what I say.”
She had the sense to look sheepish. “I’m not used to such generosity. You offered it so freely, without hesitation.”
I shook my head. “When I fled home, I took that necklace because I wanted to give myself a head start when I was free. I needed something that could help me put down roots somewhere, build a life, create something I was proud of. But... I don’t need that anymore.”
I have you.
I didn’t have to say those words out loud. Wordlessly, she gathered me into her arms and just held me for a moment. I felt her breathe deep against the crown of my head, as though she were trying to memorize my scent. With a small smile, I pressed my nose against the front of her shirt, taking in the smell of the fields and wind and sweat. My Cedra.
“Always,” she said out loud, catching my thought.
I felt her smile against my lips as she took them again, slowly this time. Gods, she was so patient now, her lips moving leisurely over mine. Taking her time. She nibbled on my bottom lip, tugging, licking, suckling and I moaned into her mouth, asking without words for more.
When she picked me up and settled on her favorite chair, I didn’t hesitate to straddle her hips.
The long white dress I wore tangled around my thighs, and I tugged at it, sending a few buttons flying in my haste. I heard a chuckle from Cedra as she tried to help me.
“No,” I said, holding her hands.
The moonlight flowed through the large windows behind the chair, casting a beautiful silver glow on my skin. But it also left Cedra in shadow, her eyes almost alight in the semi-darkness.
I lifted a hand to the top button of her shirt, undoing it as she watched me. The buttons slid through their openings easily, revealing the white undershirt that was plastered to her wonderfully taut body. I let out a little moan of anticipation as she shrugged out of it, throwing it over my head to land soundlessly on the floor.
She leaned forward to capture my lips again but I turned away and pressed a forbidding finger to her seeking lips.
“No.”
Her brows furrowed in question, but I only smiled and pushed her back against the thickly cushioned sofa. She regarded me with open curiosity as I undid the band from my hair, shaking out the tight curls.
“Gods, I love your curls,” she breathed, lifting a hand to touch them.
I caught her fingers before they could delve into my hair and quickly pinned it back over her head, pushing her into the soft cushion with my weight.
“No.”
