Chapter 19

I wake slowly,consciousness seeping in like the first rays of dawn. As my senses sharpen, I become aware of the solid warmth pressed against my back and the strong arm draped over my waist.

Jasce.

My eyes flutter open, and I find myself cradled in his embrace. For a moment, I consider pulling away, putting some distance between us, but then the memories of last night flood my mind. The way he had washed my hair. The care he took in untangling the knots, his touch so light and soothing.

Instead of retreating, I sink further into his arms. His steady heartbeat thrums against my back as I close my eyes again, letting the warmth of his body envelop me. The worries and doubts that plagued me last night fade away, replaced by a sense of contentment.

Jasce stirs behind me, his arm tightening around my waist as he nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck. I hold perfectly still, not wanting to break the spell of this moment.

"You smell like jasmine and roses," he says against my skin.

"I wonder why." I smile, even though he cannot see my face from this angle.

His lips press against the back of my neck, sending delicious shivers racing down my spine and igniting a flutter of desire in my core. "I like roses and women who smell like them."

"So, I could be any woman lying here, and you would like me?"

"No." He grips my hips and pulls me closer to him. "You are the only woman I like."

"You're only saying that because I'm the one lying next to you," I tease, knowing deep in my heart that it's far more than that.

The bed dips as he grabs my shoulder and turns me to face him. His intense gaze meets mine, those brown eyes with golden flecks smoldering with an emotion that steals my breath away. "You are the only woman, Annora, and if I have to live every single day proving that to you, I will."

"Jasce..." I say in a choked voice as emotions well up in my throat. "You could have any woman you want. Any woman. Yet, you came to Bakva for me. I am noth—"

He presses his fingers against my lips, silencing my words. "You are everything."

I let out a frustrated exhale and sink back against my pillow. "You have far more faith in me than I have in myself."

"I see you as you are, Annora. Brave, strong, compassionate. But you only see the scars." His fingers brush lightly over the scarred skin on my cheek, tracing the ridges with a tenderness that brings tears to my eyes.

I swallow hard and jerk to sitting next to him. "You have not had to live with them as I have."

"You think they limit you and define you, but they do not. Your scars are a part of you, yes, but they are not all of you. They show your resilience, your strength. They make you even more beautiful to me, because they are a testament to all you have overcome."

Emotions swell in my chest as I turn away from him. Nobody has ever spoken like this to me before.

"Annora," he says, his voice low. "What are you thinking?"

I shake my head. "That we are both foolish. You are the chieftain of the Hematite tribe. I am Hakan's granddaughter. Your people would rather see my head on a pike than see me next to you."

"I believe I can change things between our houses," Jasce says, his voice low and earnest.

"How?"

Jasce grabs my shoulders, shifting me back to face him. "By marrying you and having children with you."

My mouth parts as his words sink in. Jasce grins, as if he alone holds all the answers.

"That's forbidden," I protest weakly.

"I'm chieftain now, and if I want to marry you, I will marry you."

"What if I don't want to marry you?" I ask, needing to be a little stubborn, to push back against his arrogance.

A knowing smirk quirks up the corner of Jasce's mouth. "You will marry me."

"What if I don't?" I shrug, as if trying to prove I don't care about him.

He props himself up on one muscular arm, the cords of his neck taut, and uses his other hand to caress my jaw. "You will marry me, Annora," he says, "because you are already mine. Mine to kiss, to adore, to worship with my body."

"Have you ever said please in your entire life?" I ask, trying to cling to some scrap of defiance, even as my traitorous body thrills at his touch.

He leans closer and whispers against my mouth. "Mine."

The moment my lips part in surprise, he takes advantage and captures my lips in a scorching kiss. The first brush of his tongue against mine sends white-hot need lancing through my entire body.

He trails open-mouthed kisses along my throat while his hand ghosts up my thigh.

After a moment, he stills and pulls back. "If you tell me to stop, I will."

My heart swells at his restraint, his willingness to put my hesitations before his desire.

"I don't want you to stop," I say and mean every word.

His mouth crashes down on mine again, while his fingers move higher beneath my nightdress, caressing, drawing gasps and moans from my lips.

My hands move of their own accord, exploring his taut skin, learning every contour, every plane. The ridges of his abdomen ripple under my fingertips as I trace them, marveling at the strength coiled within. I slide my palms up to the broad planes of his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath my touch. His skin is hot, almost feverish, as if the fire magic within him is barely contained.

Jasce shoves my nightdress up higher, baring more of my skin to the cool night air. His calloused fingers skim along my inner thighs, sending goosebumps prickling in their wake.

His heated gaze devours me from head to toe before settling between my legs where I ache for him most. Slowly, oh so slowly, he traces a single finger along my sensitive flesh, sending sparks shooting through me straight to my core.

His hands roam higher, skimming the swell of my breasts through the thin fabric of my gown. Heat pools between my thighs as he teases me mercilessly.

He unlaces the ribbon binding my bodice, parts it, and lowers his mouth to one aching nipple, and I cry out in surprise. The sensations are so intense—the scrape of his stubble against my sensitive skin, the wet heat of his tongue.

At the same time, his fingers slide between my legs, stroking me. He teases me, circling but never quite touching where I need it most.

Unable to take it any longer, I reach down and guide his hand to where I ache. He obliges my unspoken demand, rubbing me in time with the rhythm of his tongue on my nipple. With each touch, I climb higher and higher, reaching a place I have only reached with him.

How I want this moment to last forever and forget everything else. It's probably a foolish thought, but one I relish.

The world spins as I crest that peak, the pleasure breaking over me in wave after wave of sweet, almost unbearable release.

"Good girl," he says against my lips.

I shudder at his praise, the words coiling tightly in my stomach and shooting tingles through every inch of my body.

Jasce's mouth moves over mine again, slower now, gentler as he slips a finger inside me, stretching me, preparing me. I know enough about what happens between a man and a woman to know he's trying to make my first time less painful.

He is patient and thorough, his fingers moving in a rhythm that has me moving against him and gasping with each new sensation.

I want more.

He seems to sense my readiness as he pulls his hand away. I make a sound of protest, which is quickly silenced by his lips on mine as he positions himself at my entrance.

I want this.

I want him!

With a gentle push, he enters me. Discomfort lances through me momentarily, but it is soon replaced by a pulsing warmth.

Jasce remains still, allowing me time to adjust, his steady gaze never leaving my face, searching for any sign of discomfort. After a moment, he moves inside me with slow, measured thrusts. Each movement builds on the one before and sends shockwaves through me.

I meet his rhythm with an urgency borne from months of desire. My hips rise with his, and my hands clutch at his back, pulling him closer, deeper.

He is everywhere. In the taste of his lips on mine, in the scent of him filling my nose, in the way his skin feels against mine.

All-encompassing. All-consuming.

His mouth leaves mine as he presses heated kisses down my neck. I tilt my head to give him better access. His movements become faster, more insistent. His thrusts drive deeper.

His hand moves down my side, fingers trailing a path of fire along the curve of my hip before slipping between us. I gasp as he touches me where we are joined.

His thumb circles that spot again, the one he had discovered with his fingers earlier. With each pass, my body tightens, my pleasure climbing higher and higher until I hover on the edge of another precipice, bigger, more powerful than before.

He feels it too. His breath hitches, his motions becoming less controlled, more desperate.

"Look at me when I fuck you," he commands.

My eyes snap open, locking onto his. I see a world of passion mirrored back at me, so intense it steals my breath away.

His thrusts turn erratic, his grip tightening on my hips as he drives into me with a fervor that is almost frightening.

But I am not afraid.

I welcome it, relish it, match it thrust for thrust. My world narrows to the rhythm of our bodies moving together, the slick sound of skin on skin echoing in the quiet room. I see nothing but him, hear nothing but him.

His rhythm falters, his body stiffening above mine, and I know he's close. A sense of satisfaction surges through me, knowing I have brought him to this point.

"I want you to come with me." He increases the pressure on that sweet spot, his thumb moving in relentless circles that sends a rush of bliss through me with each stroke. "Now."

A cry tears from my throat as waves of pleasure wash over me. It's like nothing I've ever felt before, a shattering climax that leaves me shaking and gasping for breath.

Jasce follows a few heartbeats later. He gives one final thrust, his entire body convulsing before collapsing onto me.

We do not speak. There are no words for moments like this, for sensations that sear your very soul. Instead, we lie entwined, our bodies slick with sweat and exertion.

Soon, I'll pull away, but not yet. Right now, I want to relish this moment where I finally gave myself to Jasce, and he gave himself to me.