Page 134 of Valkyrie Unknown

He brushed his mouth over mine, and surprise and electricity jolted through me. What the?—

Davyn slid his hand down my jaw to grip the back of my neck, and deepened the kiss. With our lips crushed together, tongues sparring, the rest of the world fell away. He kissed me, held me, as if we’d always been together this way.

Had we?

When Davyn pulled back, he stayed close, his hand on my neck as he stroked my cheek with his thumb. He searched my eyes. “Are you sure, Öngull?”

A pet name? “What did you call me? What does that mean?”

He looked surprised, and gave a stuttered chuckle. “You already know this.”

“I do, but I like to hear you say it.” Playing along was easy, and I couldn’t help but crave another one of those kisses.

“Öngull,” he repeated. “Because you’re my angel. Strong. Swift to deliver justice and mercy. Ethereal and better than any god. Are you certain you’re all right?”

Not in any way. “The news has me shaken. So many deaths.”

“You weren’t one of them. That’s what I care about.” Davyn glided his hand down my arm to grasp my fingers, and tugged me with him as he turned away. “I know what will help.”

Because he frequently did. He led me into the bathroom, and we stopped next to a much larger tub than had the right to fit in this apartment. Which was why we’d rented the place.

No.

Yes. Because it was big enough for both of us.

Both…?

Of course. Why was I fighting myself on this? Why was I questioning at all as he started the water running, then stripped off my dress. My bra and panties. Then removed his own clothes. We did this all the time.

We live together. Nakedness happens, but not like this.

Exactly like this.Gods,I’d always liked the way he looked naked.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” His concern and the way he studied me, devouring me with his gaze, erased the odd confusion inside.

I nodded. “Still shaken by the news. That it happened. That it wasn’t about me after all.” That must be where the conflict inside came from. I should be grateful neither Davyn nor I was there, but it meant the prophecies…

“Come on.” He slid into the tub, back to one edge, then prompted me to join him. “Let’s put your mind on something else.”

A twinge echoed in my mind. This wasn’t Davyn and me. We didn’t do this.

If that was true, why did it feel so natural?

Because the two of us together was normal and I was being weird.

I pulled my hair into a high ponytail. Nearly-too-hot water hugged my feet, then my ankles and calves, as I climbed into the tub. I lowered myself between Davyn’s legs, and settled in. The way he wrapped around me, his warmth pressing into me, soothed my fractured mind.

“I know it’s hard to see these things. Events play out as you were told, but you’re not a part of it.” Davyn’s voice low, rumbling through my back with each word. He soaked a loofah, then brought it behind me to let the water spill down my skin. “There are an infinite number of ways to interpret these things. Your time will come.”

He meant to be soothing, I assumed from everything else going on, but his words gnawed at me instead. What if it didn’t?—

Davyn brushing his lips along the back of my neck silenced my thoughts. “For now, be grateful you weren’t there. I am.”

He grabbed the body wash from the shelf next to the tub, and I heard the spurt of him squeezing a dollop into his hand. His palms slid along my back. The motion of his applying soap was a slow, deliberate touch that both calmed me and sent sparks dancing through me.

He rinsed my back, then grabbed more soap. This time he slid his hands up my stomach. When he reached my breasts, there was no hesitation, and a loud groan slipped from my throat as he cupped me and twisted my nipples between his fingers.

Fuck. This slow, seductive build was something I couldn’t imagine with anyone but Davyn. The deliberate touches and rough hands with tender movement. The way he spent extra time focused on that one spot, pinching and teasing until need throbbed between my legs and I squirmed from his touch.

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