The rage of their initial coupling subsided and everything had fallen into a hush. Fire dwindled in the hearth, neither of the lovers concerned with finding more fuel. They lay together, intertwined and exhausted as they ran their hands lightly over one another.
They lay there, somewhere between the anger and hurt of the past years, and the trials yet to come. For now, all they craved was touch in the lingering firelight.
Exhaustion and contentment, however, did not diminish desire. Like a heap of coal stoked to reveal embers beneath, a touch of the thigh or the brush of lips against a neck was all it took and he was coaxing her with his hand, or inside of her, or she was clutching at his hair with his head between her thighs.
If their union on his desk was fury, this was adoration. Seeking to investigate every unknown aspect of how their bodies worked together, to explore every unfamiliar sound and reaction; to please and to watch each other come undone over and over like a mantra.
And now, after his teeth grazed her earlobe and stirred embers, Daine was on top of him moving in a slow, deliberate rhythm that stole his breath. He grasped her hips, thumbs sliding over skin that was slick with sweat. She moaned and watched as he shuddered and bit his lip-a sign that he was close.
She gasped, failing to hide a wicked grin. Already she knew his tell; already she was unraveling his secrets just as he was coming undone. She pressed down, pausing and enjoying the frustrated sound that escaped his throat, before moving her hips in small circles. She wanted to know what he liked, what made him lose control, what pushed him beyond his limits and still made him beg for more.
He shuddered again, hands gripping her tighter, and she knew he was lost. She ground her hips more firmly against him, feeling the heat and tremors of his body in turn. She hadn't reached her own release yet, but she thought of everything he had done to her that night with his hands and mouth and tongue-testing her own limits-and knew she wouldn't be far behind.
She slowed in time with him, watching the rise and fall of his chest under a slick sheen of sweat as he regained control of his body. His grip loosened and he ran his fingers along her sides with a lightness that made her shiver.
When she looked at him she was taken aback by the expression she found there-that she had found there each time she looked at him but sent her stomach into flips every time. Lust, yes. Love, certainly, but something else she never expected and wasn't sure she had the words for. Worship, maybe.
Numair pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair and back. She felt their hearts beating-fast and uneven and in unison. He whispered sweet nothings into her ear like a prayer, warmth in her chest rising to join with the heat still coiled in her belly.
He turned them so that she lay back and covered his mouth with her own, muffling the groan of disappointment at the loss of him within her. She didn't have long to wait, however, as his hand slid over her hips and between her legs to stroke her in a steady pace that he was determined to master. He coaxed her, tongue working against the skin her breasts, and listened for the signs of her undoing as she grasped the carpet beneath them and arched her hips to press more firmly against his touch.
It didn't take long and then she was shuddering as he held her body close to his, basking in the sound, taste, and touch of her climax.
He wiped a damp curl from her face as her body uncoiled and lay next to her so that the length of their bodies pressed together. He continued to stroke her hair, softly so that the tiny movements of each strand sent shivers along the nape of her neck and she reached out to stroke his chest, and arms, and face, and anything she could reach.
Somewhere far off bells rang out, signaling nothing but the early morning hours to those on watch for the sound did not permeate the haze of Numair's study. They lay together, more intertwined and more exhausted but just as unwilling to let any space come between them.
The fire crackled as a log fell from its perch and disturbed the coals once more, releasing a flurry of sparks as new flames found life.