He let her go, grinning as he chewed. His gaze was fixed on her chest, where the very obvious outline of her nipples was visible.

“I love it that I can do that to you,” he told her. “Makes the playing field just a bit more level.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shifted his position so she could see the bulge of his erection. “Honey, I’ve been hard for you since I got here.”

She felt her blush start at her cheeks, then work its way down beneath her tunic.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to let this meat burn.”

“That idea should probably bother me more than it does.”

He let out a low, rumbling growl that vibrated all the way to her core. “I could just feast on you.”

Another intriguing idea, but not one that was going to keep them safe. “You need real food.” She fed him another berry.

“Not as sweet as you, but close.”

He finished cooking the meat. They ate around the little fire, watching it die down.

“Will it bother you if we let it go dark?” he asked.

“No.” Not if he was here.

“We’ll be safer that way.”

“I understand. I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve had a long day. You’re injured and tired. I should let you sleep now.” He picked up the last berry and held it to her lips.

She took it and caught his finger in her teeth.

His amber eyes darkened to a deep, rich bronze. “But I’m not going to.”

She swallowed her bite. “Good. Because I’m not tired.”

He leaned closer, staring at her mouth. “When I’m done with you, you will be.”

“Arrogant man.”

“Honest man. I can’t get enough of you, Grace. Not even close.”

“Maybe not, but I think it’s going to be fun for you to try.”

•   •   •

Grace was naked under her tunic. That delightful discovery nearly shorted out Torr’s brain. His hands slid up her bare legs as he kissed her, sure that he would encounter some kind of barrier, but all he felt was hot, smooth flesh.

His hands cupped her buttocks as he pulled her onto his lap. He wanted to lay her out and cover her with his body, driving deep, but his weight was too much for her on this hard ground. The disk on her back would cut into her delicate skin, taking away any pleasure he might give her.

Unacceptable.

It was better to let her ride him, let her set the pace so she could enjoy his body as much as possible.

Heaven knew he enjoyed hers.

He wanted to take things slow, give her time to warm up again. He wanted to prove he was a gentle man who would always set her needs above his own. But as soon as his fingers slid between her thighs and felt how slick she was for him, all thoughts of restraint vanished.

He had just enough functioning mental power left to remember how to open his jeans before he settled her on his erection and pulled her hips down.

Grace let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a hiss. Her sex tightened around him, and he knew he’d been too rough, too fast.

He went still, sure he’d just broken whatever tenuous trust she’d extended him.

“Sorry.” The word was thick, barely intelligible.

She didn’t respond. Instead, she covered his mouth with hers and began to ride him.

His sweet Grace turned fierce. She nipped at his tongue and clawed at his back. She moved in a sinuous rhythm that had him speeding toward his climax way too fast.

He tried to tell her to slow down, but her mouth muted him. Her tongue demanded his attention, twirling and thrusting in a way that drove him mad.

He hadn’t known she had this in her—this hot, insatiable need to claim and conquer—but he liked it. He liked everything she did. Too much.

Her soft sounds of pleasure filled his mouth. Her sex fluttered around him, just as it had before when she’d reached her peak.

She was close, perhaps even closer to completion than he was.

That she could burn this hot this fast ignited his blood. It made him crave her all the more, something he hadn’t thought possible.

She sucked in a huge breath that pressed her breasts to his chest. If not for the need to hold her close, he would have ripped that leather from her body. He couldn’t stand letting go of her long enough to do the job, so he slipped his hands inside the back opening and cupped her shoulders.

One hard pull down and he was seated within her fully. The move ground her clit against him and made her clench violently around his erection.

He caught her first cry of release with his mouth to muffle the sound. Some distant sliver of his mind was still aware of the possible danger outside. But then her sweet body rippled around him, and nothing else mattered.

His climax poured down on him like a waterfall, drowning him in pleasure. His seed jetted from his body to find its home within hers. Each wringing clench of her sex milked him harder, demanding more from him.

Finally, when he had nothing left to give, he carried her to the ground, cradling her trembling body.

It took him far too long to regain his senses, but by the time he did, Grace was asleep.

He felt bad for taking her battered body so roughly. The shallow cuts from the Warden’s net had to sting. He hadn’t exactly been gentle with her.

Still, she was resting now, and he doubted that would have been the case if he hadn’t worn her out.

Slowly, so he wouldn’t wake her, he disengaged their bodies and arranged her in what looked like a comfortable position, with a pack for a pillow and his discarded shirt for a blanket, It was the best he could do for now.

Soon he would have her in a real bed, take her in a real shower. But he knew better than to think he would wait until then. Grace was part of him now, and he would have her any way he could get her for as long as she’d let him.

Torr washed and knelt between her and the cave entrance. His sword was on the ground in front of him, and a deep sense of satisfaction settled in his chest.

This was what he’d been born to do. Theronai or not, Grace was his woman. All he had to do now was help her remember why she loved him so they could be together as they were meant to be.

Chapter 25

Grace dreamed of Torr naked and helpless, strapped to a bed while demons consumed his flesh. She dreamed of being forced to watch while he suffered, unable to do anything to save him.