His mouth was soft, tender against her cheek, then her ear, and finally her lips. Heat spread through her, she couldn’t hear anything over the rush of blood in her ears. He pushed her back, leveling himself slowly over her as he pressed her into the spongy ground. He clasped hold of her face as he kissed her with a reverence that left her breathless.
She couldn’t think straight. He encompassed all of her senses as his hand enclosed her breast. A gasp escaped, something inside of her seemed to snap as her fingers dug into his firm back and she pressed closer to him. She was lost in a sea of need. He was so strong and powerful and yet he touched her with a tenderness that was humbling and shook her to her very core.
His arm wrapped around her waist, he lifted her as he pulled her against him, and leveled himself more firmly between her legs. The buttons of her shirt had come undone; he bent to press tender kisses against her chest. His dark hair blended in with the night surrounding them, but the light of the moon highlighted the planes of his face. She couldn’t get enough of watching him as he moved over her. She dimly thought that perhaps she should stop this, they’d never gone this far, but then she realized she didn’t want to. She wanted this; she wanted him, more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.
He was back over her, his mouth claiming hers as she shook and trembled, and clung to him as pleasure swamped her. Heat flooded her; she was unfamiliar with the sensations coursing through her body as she grasped his solid biceps and tried to keep from completely falling apart. Everything was right in his arms. Right now, in this moment, there was no fear but only the love they shared.
And then Gideon released a snort. Braith froze above her, his mouth stilled upon hers as his head slowly came up. His bright gray eyes latched onto hers, burning with excitement and frustration. She was torn between longing to continue, and the reality that they were not alone.
In the end, it was Braith that made the decision. His hands trembled as he buttoned her pants and shirt back into place. A sense of loss filled her as he slowly moved off of her. A muscle ticked in his cheek as he pulled her against his side, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple as he lay next to her.
“I lost my head; I shouldn’t have let it go so far. I tend to lose myself in you.”
She thrilled at the admission. “I wish it had gone farther,” she confessed.
He chuckled as he nuzzled her hair. “Do you know the constellations?” She shook her head as she turned her attention to the brilliant sky above them. She struggled to ignore the yearning that still thrummed through her body, but a deep ache remained. “That one, with the three stars at the end, and the four grouped together like a cup is the Big Dipper.” Aria settled against him, comforted by the deep timbre of his voice as he pointed out the different constellations.
***
“Dad!” Aria squealed in delight as she raced across the clearing to the man standing in the middle of it. David’s face came alive with pleasure; his smile lit his features as he braced himself for the impact of her body. He grasped hold of his daughter, laughing happily as he enfolded her in a big hug and spun her around.
Braith warily eyed the people surrounding them as he made his way forward. He wanted to grab Aria from her father, pull her back, nestle her at his side where she belonged, but he fought the urge as her father placed her down and cradled her cheeks with the palm of his hands. The humans studied him, shifting uncomfortably as they whispered among themselves. These were not the humans of The Barrens. These humans had been abused and terrorized by vampires. They knew only fear toward his kind.
“Are you ok?” Aria’s father demanded.
“I’m fine,” she replied with a brilliant grin that eased the knot in Braith’s chest. He wanted her back, but her happiness was far more important at the moment.
“Where’s William?” David asked worriedly when he realized his youngest son was not present.
“It was too tricky to move everyone through the forest, immortal or no, they’re unbelievably loud,” she informed him with a mischievous smile. “William stayed in the caves with them.” David’s hands tensed briefly on her face. “He’ll be fine dad, I promise. We’ve been with them for awhile now.”
Her father’s gaze flickered toward him. Braith knew David disapproved of their relationship but he didn’t care. The man was not going to tear them apart. “I see.”
“Hellion!”
She released her father as her brother Daniel broke free of the crowd. “Daniel!”
She was laughing as she threw herself into his arms. Braith bristled, his fingers twitched as his jaw clenched. It was her brother, he reminded himself fiercely. Even so, it took everything he had not to pull her away from the slender man hugging her. Unlike his siblings, Daniel’s hair was wheat colored but while he didn’t share their coloring, he did have the same bright blue eyes that William and Aria possessed.
“Dear Lord you stink!” Daniel blurted.
Aria laughed loudly as she took a step back from him. “We’ve been wandering through swampland for the past three days.”
“That would do it,” Daniel agreed.
“I’m sure you’re eager to clean up.” Though her father said the words to her, his gaze was intent upon Braith.
“Very much so,” Ashby agreed.
There was a shifting among the humans, and then Max stepped forward. Anger surged through Braith. Hope spread over Aria’s face and lit her eyes as she took a small step toward him. Max held her gaze for a weighted moment before he turned and disappeared into the crowd.