Page 33 of Temel

He slid his hand beneath the thin material as he had done the night before, the warmth of his rough palm against her skin making her quiver.

“And this?”

While he waited for her to answer, he gently kneaded the soft flesh.

“It feels good,” she admitted, and he smiled again.

“Too good?”

She gave a choked laugh. Was it ridiculous to be afraid of the sensations he created? Or rather her reaction to them? But he didn’t look critical or disapproving; he simply waited patiently for her response. The fact that he was being so careful with her made her heart melt a little more.

I’m playing with fire, she thought, but she shook her head.

“No, not too good.”

He slid the straps of her chemise across her shoulders, taking her dress with them. The callused tips of his fingers lingered on the sensitive skin of her shoulders for a long moment before he pushed them both down, leaving her exposed to the waist. She immediately covered her breasts with her hands and he didn’t try to stop her, even though his eyes gleamed silver as he watched.

Even her own hands sent tingles of pleasure down her spine—but his had felt better. Gathering her courage, she let her hands drop.

“Beautiful.”

The appreciation on his face calmed her nerves, as did the way he watched her face as he slowly cupped her breasts again. She’d been right—it did feel so much better when he touched her—and she instinctively arched into his touch.

“Look,” he ordered, his voice strained, and she obeyed.

The sight of her pale flesh overflowing his big blue hands added to the pleasure coursing through her body, a pleasure that only escalated when he tugged on her rosy, swollen nipples. Her body was quivering again, and then he raised her breast and leaned forward, his mouth covering her nipple, shockingly hot and wet and wonderful.

This was nothing like nursing a baby, she realized, clutching desperately at his horns as he curled his tongue around the taut flesh and then sucked. Fire streaked from her nipple straight to her throbbing clit and she cried out. He immediately pulled back, silver eyes going to her face.

“Too much?—”

“No,” she gasped, tugging impatiently on his horns.

She caught a brief glimpse of his smile before his mouth closed over her again, sucking harder as his fingers worked her other nipple, before switching to her other breast. He went back and forth, driving her body steadily higher as she urged him on until he finally clamped down hard, his teeth scraping one swollen bud as his fingers tightened over the other and her climax swept over her.

As soon as she cried out, he pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair and murmuring praise as she shuddered against him. When she finally stopped shaking, she pulled back to look up at him. His face was warm and… affectionate, and her heart ached as a corresponding warmth filled her own chest. As she’d suspected, the physical intimacy had only made her feel closer to him.

“This was not what I intended when I came here,” she murmured.

“Did I push you too much?”

She shook her head, raising her hand to smooth away the line between his brows.

“No. I wanted everything you did.”

Which was perhaps the problem. She wanted him to touch her, wanted the sensations he created with his hands and his fingers and his tongue. But she needed time for her head to catch up with her body. And her heart.

She pulled her chemise back up, although she left her dress around her waist, then curled against him as he settled back down facing the fireplace.

“Now let’s try another type of intimacy,” she said softly. “Tell me about your father.”

CHAPTER 14

Temel tensed at Ida’s request, then forced himself to relax. How had she guessed that the subject was so difficult for him? But she had trusted him to touch her even though she felt vulnerable—the least he could do was give her the same trust.

“My mother died giving birth to me,” he said slowly, and she took his hand but remained silent. “So it was always just the two of us. He never showed any interest in another female. I was never really sure if it was because he had loved her so much—or because he had what he wanted, a son, and he didn’t need another female.”

Her fingers tightened around his at the bitterness in his voice, and he forced himself to continue.

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