Page 98 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

“Want me to take you home?”

She started to shake her head, then realized he didn’t mean to the dorms. He meant back with him. Back home. The thought of curling up together under the sheets was much more appealing than staying in a busy club and pretending to socialize.

“Yes, please,” she whispered, barely able to hold herself up.

“Here.” He turned her to face him and took out a bandana from his jeans pocket, discreetly using it to clean her and then kissing her on the lips. “All good?”

Something had changed about him tonight. She could sense that he wasn’t holding back as much as usual, and it sent a thrill straight into her heart.

The faintest trace of concern glossed over his eyes, and she nodded as a smile pushed up her cheeks. As brutal and unforgiving as he could be when playing her Sir, he was just as tender and watchful when being the knight sworn to her side.

“More than good.”

FORTY-EIGHT

Salvation might not have been a strong enough word.

He leaned against the bathroom door frame, content to watch in fascination as Ivory shifted through the most mundane tasks—brushing her teeth, combing her hair, inspecting her face as she removed the last traces of makeup. Her dress hung in a dark curtain over her hips, ruffling where it ended mid-thigh. Her calves tightened as she stretched onto her toes, bare feet curled in two graceful arches.

Every inch of her was perfect. Sublime.

Her eyes found the bite marks on her neck, perhaps noticing them for the first time—but instead of being upset, a small smile lifted the corner of her lips. Damn. This woman must have been made just for him. Without meaning to, a low rumble emanated from his chest.

That was when she caught him staring. With a blush, she turned away from the mirror.

“All done?” he asked, only a little disappointed that the show ended so soon.

“Yeah.” Her breath caught as he pulled her to him. He brushed his palm over the side of her neck and tipped her head back for a kiss.

Fresh mint tingled his tongue as he swept it over hers, taking his time and reveling in her returning caress. Her hands curled around his biceps, lips softening as he licked and sucked until they deepened to the strawberry red he loved so much.

She pulled away with a giggle. “It’s really too bad we never got to take that bath.”

“Never too late.” He ran his hand down the curve of her spine. Even as he suggested it, fatigue pulled at his bones. But if his sweet witch asked, he wouldn’t decline.

She smiled and blinked up slowly, processing his words. Then she sighed and leaned into his chest like it was her favorite place on Earth. “I think if we tried that now, I’d fall asleep in ten minutes.”

He chuckled. “A quick shower?”

Quick being relative, of course. Compromising the hour-long bath he wanted for a five-minute shower wouldn’t cut it. But he could try to keep their activities limited to aftercare, ensuring she felt well enough for what he had planned for tomorrow.

“That sounds nice,” she replied.

He dropped his hands to the hem of her dress, eager to remind himself of her body all over again. “Arms up.”

She obeyed, and he peeled off the fabric that veiled her beauty. It dropped to the floor with an unceremonious woosh.

He held her gaze for a second, peering into her jade eyes as they flickered with the same questions all women had standing naked before their lover. The questions he’d already answered but would reinforce as many times as she wanted.

“Do you remember what I told you the first time you were in my apartment?” he asked. “What I said you were worthy of?”

She swallowed and peered at him through her lashes. “You said I was worthy of worship.”

Her voice quieted as the word left her lips, fragile in its fleeting existence, yet nothing short of monumental in meaning.

She remembered after all this time. “Very good.”

He let his gaze travel down the length of her body. Her chest rose with a tense breath, but he didn’t stop. He wanted her to see the lust in his eyes, the awe that wove through his being at merely being in her presence.

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