Page 44 of Mortal Heart

Arkady sat on the bathroom counter next to his clean clothes, eating what looked like a blueberry scone and wearing the change of clothes she’d put in his saddlebag: jeans, boots, and a tight dark gray T-shirt.

“Hey,” she said and tossed him a towel. “We need to talk.”

12

ARKADY

If she’d thoughtRonan looked damn good in leather and motorcycle boots, that was nothing compared to how fine he looked in water and nothing else.

He caught the towel she’d thrown, but he didn’t wrap it around his waist or even make a move to dry himself off. He did, however, step out of the shower onto the mat so they were only about a foot apart. He smelled of Carly’s homemade herbal soap and hot skin. Judging by the thick steam in the air, he’d showered in scalding water. She’d done the same. It had been the kind of night that demanded a good hot scrub-down, and it wasn’t over yet.

“So talk,” he rumbled.

That was unmistakably a challenge: have a conversation while he stood naked and dripping wet only inches away, with all that muscle and other glorious things on full display.

His scars looked much better now than when she’d seen them at Alice’s house. Back then, they were bloody cuts that indicated just how cruel his tormentors had been, especially their desire to inflict suffering and shame.

In the interim, they’d healed enough to become slightly raised lines forming neat rows of runes. Looking at his scars now, she suddenly understood Ronan’s impulse to kiss her throat where Farrell had bitten her. She wanted to run her tongue over them and make them into something different. At the moment, however, she had some business to settle.

She ate another bite of her scone and met his stony gaze. “I’m only going to say this once. You can accept it or not. I saw your scars because I happened to be standing next to Alice when she looked at them, not because I pulled back your covers while you slept. And I didn’t look at them again, even when Alice and Sean left me alone with you. It didn’t occur to me to do so. At least give mesomecredit. I wouldn’t have wanted someone to look at my wounds if I’d been in your condition.”

His expression didn’t change. “And the reason you didn’t tell me this earlier?”

“I wanted you to show them to me on your own terms when you were ready. I figured it would hurt you to find out I’d seen them without you knowing. I made the choice I thought would hurt you less. Maybe I chose wrong. I suppose I should have known it would come out anyway.” She offered him the other half of her scone. “Want a bite? You’ve got to be starving.”

“You finish it. You need the nourishment. I’ll get my own.” He moved closer until he was between her thighs, as he’d been hours earlier in the parking lot at the Pelican when she was sitting on the hood of Ren and Stimpy’s car. He was naked now, however, and unlike that earlier confrontation their mutual desire stirred the air between them.

She took a chance and leaned close enough to gently lick his wet, scarred skin. He tensed but held his ground as her tongue explored the lines. He tasted of soap and sea water, though the shower had certainly used fresh water. Another clue to his true nature, she supposed.

When he didn’t move away or stop her, she continued her careful explorations, moving across his scars and then to his chest, where her tongue curled around his nipple. She grazed him with her teeth there too, and smiled when he twitched in response.

“Carly told me a mortal heart offers great joy.” He raised her chin with his fingertips. “So far, mine has only felt pain and loneliness.”

“That doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.” She entwined their fingers, causing him to drop the unused towel at his feet. “You remember what I told you about scars?”

The corners of his mouth turned up. “They only have power if you let them?”

“Yes.” She ran her tongue along his breastbone, licking up the water that clung to his skin. “I don’t need to know what the scars are about. They’re battle scars and that’s enough for me. You can see all of mine too, if you want.”

“I will,” he promised, his lips close to her ear. “Every single one.”

Despite the near-tropical heat in the bathroom, she shivered. “Whatever your scars meant to begin with, now they’re proof that you got back up when you weren’t supposed to. They were meant to crush you, body and soul. Instead, here you stand, a man fighting for the life he wantsandthe lives of those who can’t fight for themselves.” She looked up into his startled eyes. “They’re your medals of valor.”

His face lost all expression, and he said nothing for a long time—so long that she thought he was going to reject what she’d said. But when he finally spoke, his voice was suddenly thick with emotion. “My medals of valor. Because you said so?”

Exasperated, she let go of his hand. “No, you asshole—becauseyousaid so.”

With a low growl, he pulled her against his body, cupped her head, and kissed her.

She’d thought he’d been a fantastic kisser before, but those earlier kisses paled in comparison to this one. This kiss contained what felt like his entire being and one hundred percent of his attention. Even in their most intimate moments in her kitchen and the dungeon, she’d sensed he remained reserved, as if he had to keep some part of himself secret or even protected from her. Now he seemed to come alive in her embrace. His power, whatever it was, grew until it thrummed in the air.

Maybe it was that hum of power that filled her with longing, or maybe it was the raw hunger in his eyes, but she couldn’t resist the urge to see him lose himself in pleasure. She pushed him back, slid off the counter, and went to her knees in front of him. Before she could lean forward, he stopped her with a gentle touch on her shoulder. “You don’t need to,” he told her, though she could see the desire in his eyes, and his body quite obviously voted in favor of the idea.

Equally irritated and aroused, as she’d been for almost the whole time she’d known him, she brushed his hand off her shoulder. “I know exactly what I need, and whatyouneed,” she retorted. “So shut up and enjoy what you’ve earned.”

He chuckled softly. “Your wish is my command.”

She began by stroking him lightly and teasing him with her tongue, enjoying the way he reacted and the sounds he made. He was every bit as magnificent as she’d guessed and then some. And delicious as well—even more so the more of him she took into her mouth. And try as she might, no matter how much she managed to fit into her mouth and throat, she couldn’t take all of him. She watched him as he watched her, their gazes locked as she moved, and his breathing grew heavy.

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