Page 91 of The Edge of Dawn

She tilted her hips forward slightly and felt his hardness against her lower belly.

Oh.

She stiffened in anticipation.

He was so big. Undeniable.

This was it. There was no going back.

At last, he released her lips and looked down, and the expression that crossed his face was startlingly raw.

He was… open to her… in a way she’d never seen before.

Pure.

Almost innocent, although a man like him could never be considered innocent.

“I can’t believe you,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

“You had better.” In a single seamless movement, he lifted her into his arms and carried her across the sand and the smooth stones until they came to a spot where the ground was covered in lush, velvety moss.

Effortlessly, he laid her down on the soft, alien vegetation, lowering himself until he was kneeling before her.

He made it all seem so effortless. He was impossibly graceful, like the lithest of dancers.

Jade couldn’t help but marvel at what she’d caught.

How?

Something extraordinary.

Someone she was certain would never harm her. He’d seen her at her worst, and he hadn’t abandoned her.

Maybe they were more alike than she’d first realized.

On his knees, he paused for a moment, the dappled light dancing across his platinum-silvery features.

A warm tingle danced across her body. Like she was being enveloped in a mist-like energy, but it was only his aura, this so-called ka’qui, coming into contact with hers.

That’s what she guessed, anyway.

It didn’t matter.

It all felt good.

“I never expected to find one such as you,” he whispered hoarsely. “And to think that you would even be so willing.” His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. “I can smell your need, my sarien.”

Sarien?

Jade didn’t know what that meant, but as it rolled off his tongue, the word struck deep. It felt resonant and ancient—as if that word alone was the key to the Universe.

His brow furrowed. His obsidian eyes were pools of unending desire. “What can I do to cause you pleasure? I know very little about such things, so tell me what you need, Jade.”

The way he said her name…

Good lord.

Lying on the soft earth, looking up at his face, which had become so shockingly gentle, the sight of it made her forget to breathe.

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