storm, she'd turned her back to Gray, and he'd draped his arm over the dip of her waist. Being cradled in his protective embrace proved as intoxicating as she'd always dreamed, providing the sense of contentment she'd always craved. Not to mention utter carnality.
As his warm breath caressed her neck, she studied his hand. His fingers were long and thick, the ends callused. There was a light dusting of pale hair below each knuckle.
Those hands were capable of lethal violence as well as the greatest tenderness. Gods, she wanted that tenderness with every ounce of her being.
Why hadn't he touched her since they'd left the city? Why hadn't he attempted to make love to her? They'd come so close. So wonderfully close. As she remembered, her lips plumped, her mouth watered, and moisture pooled between her legs. He'd kissed and touched her hungrily. She'd kissed and touched him hungrily. His decadent flavor had teased her mouth, and the strength and warmth of his embrace had surrounded her in a sultry haze of pleasure.
She wanted that again.
She wanted him.
Had he lost interest in her?
"What's wrong, Prudence?" Gray asked, his voice husky and rich with sleep. "You went stiff on me."
Jewel forced her body to relax. She needed to get her mind off Gray and sex and kisses and nakedness and - She'd talk about Dunamis. That always sobered her. "What if I told you Dunamis doesn't actually exist? Not the way you think, at least."
Now he stiffened, his entire body tightening around her. "What do you mean?" His tone wasn't angry, merely hardened with curiosity.
The darkness was so thick, she didn't try to turn and glimpse his expression. "What if it's not a gemstone?"
He remained silent for a long while, and his hand began kneading her hip, sending ripples of pleasure through her blood. "You wouldn't be asking me these questions without reason," he said. "So, let me ask you a question. If Dunamis isn't a gemstone, what is it?"
A cold sweat broke over her body. She'd just had to get her mind off Gray, hadn't she? Now look what she'd done. How could she answer him without admitting the very thing she didn't want him to know? "I wish everyone would leave it alone. Perhaps any hands, even those of your government, are the wrong hands to own it."
"That's a chance I'm willing to take."
How she'd feared, and still feared, that very answer. "You never answered me," she said softly. "Would you still destroy it?"
"I can't answer your question until you answer mine." He kissed the back of her neck, his lips lingering over the sensitized cord of her shoulder.
She almost cried out in relief and need at the first brush of his lips, everything forgotten except him. Except Gray. There was no reason to keep her mind off his loving if he planned to give it to her. "Do that again," she whispered.
"I shouldn't. I've tried not to. But I can smell you, smell your sweetness, and I'm tired of trying to keep myself in check. Tired of thinking all the reasons not to." Lightning brightened their tent for the briefest of seconds, blending light with shadows. "You lied to me earlier, you know," he said, his fingers inching up and cupping her breast.
Her nipples hardened. She arched her back, arched into him. "Mmm, I most assuredly did not." "You most assuredly did lie to me, Prudence."
"I didn't." She groaned as he licked the edge of her ear. "I swear I didn't."
"You didn't bathe naked. Don't worry, though," he said, his voice husky and rich. "I can help you fix that."
"Right now?" she asked breathlessly, trying not to beg. "You're going to touch me? Like before?" "Do you want me to?"
"Yes. Please." Her tongue flicked out in an attempt to lave her parched lips with moisture.
"I've been meaning to ask." He slid his hand lower, lower still, until his fingertips played at the hem of her shirt. "Why are you still a virgin, sweetheart? What were you waiting for? Marriage?"
"You," she admitted on a moan. "I was waiting for you."
Gray's cock jerked in reaction to her words. For hours, he'd been waging a desperate war - touch her/don't touch her.
Guess who won?
He'd been hyperaware of her every move, every sigh. Desire hammered through him. Hell, when had it ever left? He craved her like a drug, and he was helpless to resist. He was becoming addicted to her, wanting her constantly, needing to mark her as his, to watch