Page 76 of To Kill a King
Leaning her head back against him, she moaned.
“Raise your arms over your head.” He gathered the hem of her shirt. Being sure to go slow enough to give her time to object, he swept his hands up her waist, the sides of her ribs, and her arms. Aliya’s skin erupted with goosebumps wherever he touched. Her blouse floated to the ground, leaving her upper torso exposed to the afternoon air.
Elessan pulled her hair aside and pressed his lips to her neck. “So beautiful.” He brought one finger from each hand, tracing her collarbone down to her cleavage. Her nipples tightened. His fingers drifted downward, caressing the sensitive undersides of her breasts before splaying across her stomach. They came to rest at the waistline of her skirt.
She shifted, spreading her legs a little farther apart and tilted her hips forward, encouraging him to dip below the fabric.
Aliya almost cried out when he pulled away.
“Not yet,” he said. “Lay on the bed face-down for me?”
She raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t be serious…
He chuckled at whatever he saw on her face. “Do you trust me?”
She frowned but did as he asked. Bracing herself on the soft mossy mattress with her elbows, she gazed back at him from under heavy lids.
He dug in his bag and extracted a jar. “This is liniment oil. Between training and,” he paused, “tonight’s activities, I suspect you’ll be quite sore tomorrow. This should help.”
Resting her head on her arms like a pillow, she relaxed as he poured a measure of the rub into his palm. He straddled her. Rubbing his hands together to warm the liquid, he rubbed it over her back.
She groaned and closed her eyes.
“Don’t you fall asleep on me,” he teased, grazing the lower side of her breasts with his fingernails.
She quivered as her core pulsed with heat. “Trust me, there is zero chance of that happening.”
He chuckled. The sound was deep, sensual. “Excellent.” His lips nibbled her neck as he caressed her skin, working the ointment in. Goosebumps that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room broke out across her body.
His fingers dipped beneath her waist, exploring the crease where her legs met her hips.
She squirmed and groaned.
His breath tickled her ear as his weight lifted off her. “Roll over, sweetheart.”
Finally.
She turned to face him.
Elessan’s pupils dilated, his mouth cracked open as his gaze traveled from her toes to the tip of her head. “You are so beautiful.”
Heat flooded her face, and she resisted the urge to cover herself. “Look who’s talking,” she said, watching as the candlelight danced across his face.
She reached up, running her fingers through his silken hair. “So soft,” she whispered.
He groaned, lowering his face to hers. His tongue grazed her lips, requesting entrance.
She deepened the kiss. Their tongues sparred back and forth. The smell of pine trees after a rainstorm invaded her senses. By the gods, he was an excellent kisser.
Aliya dropped her hands to pet the skin at his waist, his abs. Lower. She stumbled with the knot to his trousers. Giving up, she slid a hand underneath the waistline of the pants.
He pulled back, out of reach. “Not yet. Unless you want this to end early.” He threw her a slow grin. “I’m not quite finished sampling you.”
Aliya’s entire focus zoomed in on the sensation of his touch as her muscles tightened and back arched.
“El…”
He stared at her, his gaze burrowing into hers, as husky as his voice. “I like it when you call me that.”