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Zarrah thought it would be wild. Thought it would be a frantic, desperate union of two lovers long denied and soon to be parted. Instead, it was a slow and achingly sweet rebuilding of their hearts, her breasts pressed against his chest, only flesh separating their thundering hearts. His lips against hers, so his breath was her own. His body buried so deep inside hers that for this precious moment, they were one.
The ship rocked them, wind gusting over their bodies as tension rose in Zarrah’s core, gathering and building until she crested with an intensity that blinded with its brightness. It rippled through her even as she felt Keris climax, heard him cry out, his cock pulsing and filling her.
All she could see was stars, the map of their story in the sky of her mind, and her heart wept because without him, she feared there would be only darkness.
He picked her up. Carried her to the bed and eased her under the blankets, though it was the heat of him that warded away the chill. She did not want to give him up. God help her, she did not want to give him up.
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she felt him brush it away. Tasted him as he kissed her. Heard him as he whispered, “I love you, Valcotta. I will have you or I will have no one, because where you go, my heart goes with you.”
For a long moment, she could barely breathe much less speak, then she said, “I want you to call me Zarrah now. Because there will be no more walls between us. No bars. And no borders.”
“Zarrah.” His voice caught, and he repeated, “Zarrah.”
And it was with her name on his lips that she allowed exhaustion to claim her, falling asleep in his arms.
70
KERIS
After she’d drifted off, he’d risen to close the window against the driving wind and rain, drawing the sodden drapes and plunging the room into relative darkness before checking that the door lock was secure. Only then did Keris climb back into the bed, his chest aching as she curled into his arms, her feet cold against his shins.
And then he slept.
And slept.
For how long, Keris didn’t know, only that when he woke, it was dark, the storm rattling the windows, the seas rougher than they were before. The motion of the ship rocked Zarrah’s still-sleeping form against him, her breath warm and steady against his throat.
He loved her. God help him, but helovedthis woman more than life. This fierce, beautiful creature who’d been thrown into a pit of hateful snakes and had not only survived but had emerged stronger. No longer someone whose pain could be manipulated and used, but as the commander of her own future, seeing clearly where once her eyes had been clouded by grief and hate.
He wished he could claim the same. Maybe then he’d be worthy of her.
Zarrah stirred, and in the dim light, he watched her eyes open, dark pools that he’d gladly drown in every day for the rest of his life.
“Is everything all right?”
“Everything is perfect.” He stroked back her tangled curls, his cock stiffening as the blanket pulled back to reveal the pert curve of her breast, her nipple hardening under his gaze.
“The seas are rough.” Her voice was breathy, and he smiled, lowering his mouth to flick his tongue over the dark peak before asking, “Does it bother you? The waves?”
She sighed, eyes fluttering shut. “No.”
He closed his mouth over her breast, sucking and biting, relying half on his memory of what she liked and half on his instinct of what he thought might undo her.
He traced a finger over the hard muscles of her abdomen, circling her navel before sliding his finger between her legs. She was hot and wet, thighs parting to allow him to stroke her sex while he continued to kiss and suck at her breasts. He circled the tight bundle of nerves with a featherlight touch, knowing it would drive her wild but wouldn’t make her climax.
“You’re a tease.” She caught his face and pulled his mouth to hers, biting his bottom lip nearly hard enough to draw blood, the sweet pain making him want to forget foreplay and drive himself into her like some wild beast. Which was very likely why she’d done it. Zarrahknewhim like no other woman ever had. Ever could.
Instead of taking her bait, Keris slid a finger into her slick core, slowly stroking her. Zarrah bucked her hips, trying to increase the rhythm, but he only smiled against her lips and moved his weight, holding her hips down.
“You’re not a tease; you’re a fucking devil,” she moaned, and he laughed, adding a second finger and kissing her throat, nipping at the lobe of her ear, his teeth clicking against the ruby earring she still wore. Her nails raked down his shoulders as he added a third finger, barely keeping his lust in check as Zarrah sobbed his name, her breath coming fast, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Please,” she gasped. “I need you. All of you.”
And he needed her. More than air in his lungs and blood in his veins, heneededthis woman. Twisting onto his knees, he spread her smooth thighs wide and thrust himself deep inside.
Zarrah’s back arched and she pressed a hand to her mouth, biting at her own skin as she smothered a scream. Then her legs were wrapped around him, one heel digging into his back and the other his ass, adding such force to his thrusts that Keris had to brace a hand against the wall to keep from collapsing against her.
He wanted toseeher. Needed to watch her writhe beneath him, her exquisite face tight with building pleasure, one hand on her breast and the other… He groaned, nearly coming at the sight of her fingers stroking and circling her sensitive flesh as he pounded into her, the faint flickers of light coming through the drapes reflecting off the lacquer on her nails.
