Page 39 of Healer
The area below consisted of a long, narrow hallway with a series of rooms on either side, which suggested that perhaps we weren’t the first to seek refuge here. Siereita led us to a room at the end of the hall, swinging the door open to a sparsely furnished but clean bedroom. A door beside the bed led to a bathroom boasting a deep metal tub.
“Thank you,” I breathed, practically giddy at the prospect of being able to take an actual bath.
Siereita stopped, looking down her long... and surprisingly human-shaped nose at me.
“You are very small and ugly.”
“Um, okay.” From her tone of voice, I didn’t think she meant to be insulting. She only stated what she saw as fact. Beside me, I felt Hakkar quiver with amusement or anger, so I decided to be the bigger person. “My name is Agnes. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Ack-ness?” A voice that would have made a good phone sex operator stumbled over my name.
Seriously?
“Close enough,” I offered, forcing the corners of my lips upward.
“Clean yourself and rest,” Siereita’s long fingers gestured about the room. “I will bring you food.” Another long stare down her nose at me as she added, “And clothing.”
“Are you sure we can trust her?” I waited until I heard the thud of the trap door closing to ask. Siereita’s hearing could be as good as Hakkar’s, and I didn’t want to take any chances.
“Yes.” Hakkar sat on the bed, testing the mattress. “She has worked with Siemba for a long time and my Chieftain vouches for her honesty. Do you not think she is trustworthy?”
“I get the feeling she’s not all that impressed with humans,” I muttered, moving to sit beside him. The mattress felt overly soft for my taste but beat the hell out of sleeping on the ground.
Hakkar pulled me close, pressing his lips to my temple.
“I don’t need to trust Siereita,” I said on the heels of a contented sigh. “Because I trust you.”
I did trust him. More than I’d ever trusted anyone. More than my ex-husband, more than the doctors I hoped could keep me functioning and alive just a little longer. More than anyone.
Hakkar shifted us to lie back on the mattress, resting on his elbow, so he propped above me looking like a gorgeous Greek god of old.
“I will never let anyone or anything hurt you again, my Aggie.” He murmured. The words were more than a promise. It was his vow.
“I know,” I whispered. The confession of love lay thick on my tongue, but I swallowed it. Not yet.
“My Aggie,” Hakkar whispered, brushing the hair from my face with a gentle touch that he followed with kisses.
I could give him this. I would give him this because whether he healed me, whether in sickness or in health, whether together or apart, this truth remained unchanged.
“Yours.”
His gaze lingered on me for what felt like an eternity, his eyes scanning every inch of my face as if he was trying to commit it to memory. The intensity in his expression was almost palpable, and I couldn’t help but feel a rush of nerves flutter through my stomach.
Hakkar's movements were slow and deliberate as he leaned in to kiss me. His firm lips brushed lightly against mine, causing a pleasant tingling sensation that spread through my body. With gentle precision, his fingers traced along the fabric of my dress until they found the toggle at my shoulder. With a flick of his fingers, the Wilma Flintstone dress fell away from my body, tossed onto the floor in a heap.
“Tell me what you want, my Aggie.”
As he spoke, his thumb circled my nipple in a slow, teasing motion. I gasped and squirmed under his hands, my body responding to each pinch and caress. His mouth followedthe path of his fingers, moving lower and lower until his lips closed around my nipple, sucking, and biting gently. My body arched towards him, craving more as his hands roamed over my waist and hips, exploring every curve.
“You. I want you.” I managed to rasp.
I felt his lips curl into a smug smile against my skin as he continued to kiss his way down my stomach, and lower still, leaving a trail of hot kisses and tiny bites on my inner thighs. My muscles quivered and I felt my wetness against his tongue as he began teasing me with gentle licks.
God, what this man could do to my body!
I moaned, knowing myself beyond coherent speech, begging for more with the lift of my hips off the bed, offering myself fully.
“You smell so delicious,” he murmured, nose nuzzling at the small patch of hair at the juncture of my thighs. “And you taste even better.”
