Ivar's Escape (Assassins of Gravas #2) - N.J. Walters Page 0,28

owed. So be it. She’d given her word and would uphold it. He respected that.

Honor is everything.

Those three words echoed in his soul. They meant something, something important. Before he could grasp what it was, Delphi returned.

“They’re gone. We’re safe.” She sheathed her weapons. “Are you okay?” Lips turned down, concern etched on her pretty face, she came toward him.

It was crazy to want her, but he did. Having her had become vital to his very survival. She might kick his ass for this, but what was life without some adventure? “No, but I will be.”

When he scooped her off her feet, his ribs protested, but he ignored the discomfort. The hot springs and salve had taken the pain down to a manageable level. And this was more important. He carried her through both chambers and back to the large boulder where their supplies were still hidden.

“Ah, what are you doing?” There was no fear in her voice, only an honest questioning.

He knelt with her still in his arms, reached around, and spread out one of the blankets. The items that had been wrapped in it tumbled out. He settled her back on the thin covering and loomed above her, his hands planted on either side of her head.

“I’m going to make love to you.”

Chapter Eight

She didn’t know whether to be amused, eager, or scared to death. Adrenaline pumped through her body and not because they’d almost been discovered. That she could handle. This thing between her and Ivar was something else altogether.

It was beyond her scope of experience.

She knew dozens of ways to kill a man but nothing about making love with one.

They were lying behind the boulder where they’d taken shelter, but there was still enough light flooding in from the hot springs cavern for her to be able to see him. His lips were pulled into a firm line and his jaw was clenched. The furrow between his eyes deepened as he frowned.

He was above her, the muscles in his arms trembling slightly from exertion, a reminder that he wasn’t anywhere near full-strength. The salve and soak had done him good, but he needed rest.

Like a bubble bursting, she sighed. One of them had to be sensible. “You’re not healed. You have bruises and possibly cracked ribs.” How was he even holding himself up like that? It had to be painful.

He lowered himself until their lips were almost touching. “I’m well enough.”

It was oh so tempting, but she didn’t want to add to his pain. “No, you’re not.”

Expecting him to take offense at her words, she was taken aback when he laughed. The warm, masculine sound seeped into her bones, turning them to liquid.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He pressed his pelvis against hers. She moaned as the weight and heat of him settled on her like a cozy blanket. The hard and thick length of his shaft nestled snugly against her mound.

It was delicious. There was no other word for it. And when he nipped at her bottom lip, she was helpless to do anything but respond. He gave a low groan of approval when she parted her lips and stroked her tongue over his. They sank into each other, the kiss slow and languid. There was no sense of urgency as she tasted and stroked, learning the textures of his mouth, what made his body clench and what made him sigh. And he responded in kind.

It was startling to realize she didn’t know her body nearly as well as she’d thought. He controlled her with nothing more than temptation, a promise of more to come.

Somewhere along the way, she’d speared her fingers into his hair so he couldn’t escape. Her breasts were swollen and her core throbbed.

Just a little longer.

For once in her life, thoughts of her family and the mission faded beneath the power of something greater.

Need to stop.

He left a string of kisses along her jaw, ending at her ear where he caught the lobe between his teeth and gave a sharp nip. “I want you, but it’s your choice. It will hurt me more to leave you than it will to love you.”

Love. The word echoed in her brain. Oh, she knew he didn’t mean it, not in the sense she wanted. Not that she necessarily wanted him to love her. But she’d always longed to be loved by a man, to be important to someone other than her siblings, to come first in someone else’s life.

It was nothing