Chapter 37
Katelina forced a ball of nervous air down her throat and climbed slowly onto the bed until she was sitting next to Jorick. Her hands suddenly absorbed her interest as she tried to force all thoughts from her mind, especially the ones about how close he was to her.
He gently cupped her face and turned it towards him. "You don't need to be afraid," he said gently. "My anger isn't with you."
His raven hair fanned out on the pillow, thick and shimmery like some exotic silk. His dark eyes were trained on her, his smooth skin as flawless as marble. She nodded, like a child confronted with their first glamorous idol; lost and star gazing at something more beautiful than she could ever hope to be.
He raised himself up on one elbow. "Even if it were, I wouldn't hurt you." His face was suddenly very close to hers so that his breath brushed her skin.
She managed a nod in return and tried desperately not to notice him; not to notice the feel of his hands or the warmth of his breath or the nearness of his well-muscled body. But her attempts at ignoring him failed and she found herself staring into the dark pools of his eyes, lost in endless lakes of onyx. He leaned closer, though she was unaware of it until she felt his lips against hers, soft like warm rose petals. What little resolve she had vaporized, and she leaned towards him. She slid her arms around the base of his neck and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss as a low moan slipped from her throat.
He gently caressed the back of her neck and made goose bumps race along her spine. His other hand slid gently down her arm and her flesh responded as though her shirt didn't separate his touch from her. He seemed to flow against her - his hands caressing her, his lips tasting her, his body a warm blanket pressing her down into the bed, where she went willingly. She snaked her arms around his back and slid her hands under his shirt to find his smooth skin hot to her touch.
Her heart hammered in her chest and the memory of her dreams came back to her; fresh and hot like the moment she found herself enveloped in. A tiny part of her mind was telling her to stop. It tried to remind her of the horrible things she'd seen and the dark secrets she'd already learned and yearned to hide from, but somehow its persistent buzz was nothing more than the sound of a fly in her ear.
His lips left hers and slid down in a soft, moist trail across her face to her neck. He stopped to taste the hollow beneath her jaw and she moaned. Her body rose to meet his. She pressed herself against his warmth and felt his strength pressing back.
She slid her hands and down the length of his back, then over his torso, and delighted in the moan that escaped his lips.
He leaned up, and pulled at her shirt until she had no choice but to let him slide it over her head. He dropped it to the floor. Her eyes followed it and the nagging voice in her head grew loud and clear as she studied the garment puddled against the ugly carpet. Don't you know what he is? What do you think you're doing?
The voice was silenced when his hands moved across her naked stomach. She met his dark eyes as he cupped her breasts. A soft smile played on his lips as he gently kneaded them. His intense gaze made her blush, so she closed her eyes and let herself drift away, enjoying his touch. It had been so long since anyone had touched her like this, or at least it seemed so long.
The thoughts disappeared as he brushed his lips across her tender skin. She gasped and held his head in place, her fingers twining in the long dark silk of his hair as he teased her. She arched her back to press herself deeper into the recesses of his mouth, taken over by the burning need to feel him.
She untwined her hands and tugged at his shirt. She needed to feel his naked flesh against her; to touch him. He stopped, and leaned back again to quickly peel the clothing off and toss it to the floor where it landed in a tangle with hers.
He quickly returned to her open arms. She pulled him tightly to her. His hot, muscular chest pressed against her. A shudder of delight ran through her as his mouth sought her naked shoulders and traced a trail of kisses along them.
He soon peeled away all her clothes so she lay beneath him completely naked. His hands seemed to be everywhere at the same time, liquid pleasure drowning out her thoughts until there was nothing but her longing for him, her ache to have him, to feel him surrounding her until there was nothing left in the world but him. No nightmares, no fear, no death. Just him, and her and waves of pleasure.
She forced him back, and tugged at his pants. He helped her and leaned back on his knees to discard the last of his raiment. Her eyes raked his naked body and she found herself staring at a pale expanse of male perfection that made her chest ache.
He didn't give her long to contemplate his well sculpted form before he was back, his lips on her skin, his body gently pressing between her thighs. She opened herself to him willingly. Her knees gripped his waist and her hands found his broad shoulders. She gasped and tightened her hold on him as he slid into position. The tiny part of her brain that had been buzzing earlier gave a single shout, trying to get her attention, to tell her that it was almost too late, but it was drowned out as he entered her, possessing her and filling her.
She moved beneath him, her body rocking in time to his, her eyes half closed. Waves of pleasure radiated through her. She gripped him tightly and could feel his muscles moving beneath his skin as he thrust again and again. He lay flat against her, his lips suckled her neck and his tongue licked her smooth skin. She moaned and tilted her head back, letting him have more. Then the pain came for just an instant; almost like a pin prick. As it faded, it was replaced by something she'd never felt before. It was as though he was everywhere at once, both inside and out, surrounding her in rapture until she could only make tiny whimpering sounds. Images flashed behind her closed eyelids, too fast to comprehend or understand, and feeling after feeling rolled over her, all wrapped beneath a thick blanket of ecstasy. She started to think that her brain might not be able to handle it, that she would die from the pure pleasure.
She could never say how long it lasted. It might have been a moment or an hour, but in a sudden heated rush it was over, and she lay panting, her mind wrapped in a fog of endorphins.
He released her but he stayed where he was, his head bowed. Finally, he slid off, and dropped next to her in the bed. Wordlessly, he gathered her up in his arms and pulled her to him. He buried his face in her hair. The long blonde strands mingled with his raven tresses as he nuzzled her neck, and murmured things too quiet for her to really hear. He gently brushed her hair away from her face and traced the contour of her cheek with his fingertips, his breath still heavy and ragged.
She turned her head toward him, seeking his face, but found only his dark hair. He held her so tightly that she could feel his heart pounding in her chest. It left her unable to distinguish which beats of the intertwined rhythm belonged to her. She swallowed and closed her eyes, trying to calm her erratic breaths. The quiet buzzing in her mind was muttering the word regret, but it didn't register. Did she regret what had just happened? Would she regret it tomorrow?
He loosened his hold on her and pulled back to study her, a soft smile on his perfect lips. As she gazed into his black eyes she decided that nothing mattered but the warmth reflected in their depths and that regret was something to think about in the morning.
