Page 18 of Smoke and Blood

The big man beside her watched her work as he nibbled on the items in the smaller pouches.

When she placed the lid on it, she dusted off her hands and glanced at him.“Will you set this in the fire, but more towards the edge?I need it to cook fast but not boil over, and we lose our meal.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

She watched him as she ate her snack.

With ease, he picked up the pot, now laden with the water and the ingredients.He moved close to the fire, and without mittens or concern for the flames, he set the pot right at the edge.Aodh rearranged a few hot rocks he had ringed around the fire to keep it contained so the pot could balance perfectly in the heat.

It never ceased to amaze her how fire didn’t injure the dragon-shifters.They not only wielded and commanded it, but their bodies seemed to absorb it like hers reacted to moisturizer; it gained nutrients from the fire.

“Done.”He turned and smiled at her over his shoulder.“Anything else?”

“Nope.”She shook her head and finished off the dried fruit.“We just have to wait.”She frowned.“Sorry.It probably would have made more sense to make sandwiches instead of creating something that would take almost two hours.”

She felt like an idiot.Kai sighed.

Staying low, Aodh came over to her and placed his hands on her thighs.“Hey.It is perfectly fine.Nothing else on my agenda this night but spending time with you, mate.”

Reaching up, she cupped his face.“Thank you.You’re so kind to me.”

He slid his hands up to her hips.“It is not without ulterior motives, little flame.”

She caught the cobalt-blue flame dancing in his eyes.She caressed his jaw with her thumbs.“What are they?”

“Taking you for a swim.”He stood and tugged her to her feet.

“A what?”

“We have time, so we will spend some of it playing in the water.”He took hold of the belt at her waist and untied it.

“But...but.The stew.”When he reached up to drag her top off her shoulders, she covered his hands.

“You said it would take well over an hour.So, we have time.”In a flash, he had her shirt off and started on her pants.

“Aodh...”Kai glanced over her shoulder into the darkness beyond the firelight.

“No one else is here but us.”He dragged her pants over her hips and down her legs, placing kisses on her stomach and thighs.When her pants were at her ankles, he unlaced each of her boots and removed them.

“What about the scouts?”She placed a hand on his shoulder to keep her balance as she stepped out of the pants and glanced up to the sky.

He shrugged.“Maybe.But, they will not disturb us.”

She didn’t want them staring down at her nakedness either.Kai crossed her arms over her breasts.

“Your body is gorgeous.”He stood before her and pulled her hands away.“There is nothing for you to be concerned about.”

“To you.And in the privacy of our suite.”She worried her top lip with her teeth.

Pulling her toward him, he slid his hands over her waist until he was cupping her ass.“To anyone who saw you.”His talented fingers were making designs over her skin.“You’ve lived among us and have seen our drahkelles.They are not slight women, and you fit right in.And your softness makes you even more beguiling.”

Aodh trailed his fingers down the back of her thighs.“I’ve had to give a sharp eye to more than a few males in the territory for watching you.”

Her cheeks heated.She had consigned herself that she was Aodh’s mate, so he was attracted to her both sexually and on some mysteriously magical level.However, men never gave her more than a passing look, and knowing that men had noticed her made her feel some sort of way.Her heart fluttered as her shoulders sat back a little further.Not that she needed or wanted any man but Aodh, but seen as attractive by anyone bolstered her self-image.However, it was the man before her who honestly charged her blood and helped her hold her head high.

“Then, if we are going into the water, one of us has too many clothes,” she teased, reaching for his vest.

“Oh, gorgeous, you just had to say the word, and I’d be out of my things in a flash.”That was about how long it took him to strip.

---