Chapter 6

Chapter Six

She was on fire. Every part of her burned for him. He was the breath that filled her lungs, the blood that pumped through her heart. The heat and yearning that swelled within her.

The desire that blazed in his eyes took her breath away. She tried to pull him down on top of her, but he resisted, reaching for the fastening of her pants instead. He removed them and her underwear with the same speed as he had her other garments. Her skin flushed with need as his gaze ran over her from her breasts to her waist to her hips to her sex and then down her legs before slowly moving back up her body with the same hunger.

His hand flattened on her stomach, his thumb sliding along her side. He wore a curious expression she couldn't read. Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he stood and removed the last of his clothes.

All thought left her mind when she saw the size of his arousal jutting outward. Kora rose onto her elbows, eager to take him in hand. He kneeled between her legs and settled over her like a prowling animal. She lowered onto her back and watched him as he moved over her. His thick arousal lay between them. Then , he was kissing her again. A slow, deep, seductive, soul-stealing kiss.

It was amazing. It was glorious.

But she needed more. She needed him inside her.

She tore her mouth from his. " Please ."

" What do you want?" he asked in a voice roughened by need.

Kora stared into his beautiful eyes. " You ."

Her words sent a rush of thundering need through him. Derek touched her face and stroked down her neck to the outside of her breast. He cupped the globe, letting it fill his hand before bending and wrapping his lips around her pert nipple.

He felt the tremor that went through her. She moaned, her nails digging into his back as she rocked against him. He suckled the turgid peak until she was moaning incoherently. Then he moved to her other breast. The moment he cupped her sex, she came apart in his hands.

Derek watched the pleasure that washed over her face and through her body. He slid a finger into her wet heat and circled her clit with his thumb. She sucked in a breath, her eyes flying open to lock with his. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as her eyes rolled back in her head, and another orgasm ripped through her.

Warmth spread through her, sending her floating on a wave of ecstasy the likes of which she had never felt before. And she never wanted to come down.

Derek's delicious weight was atop her. She whimpered when he removed his hand from her. A moment later, he rubbed the length of his cock along the swollen folds of her sex. She opened her eyes to see him looking down at their bodies. The elation she saw on his face sent a thrill curling through her. Then he maneuvered the head of his arousal to her entrance.

His gaze lifted to meet hers as he slowly pushed inside her. Kora gasped at his size. He planted his hands on either side of her, holding his body up. He pulled out of her and gradually filled her again, going a little deeper. She looked between their bodies, watching the way he moved in and out of her.

She spread her legs wider as her body began to adjust to him. Their gazes met, held. He moved with measured movements until he was seated within her. He kept up the slow, deep thrusts. She thrilled at the movement of the muscles in his back and shoulders. Their bodies grew damp as they slid against each other.

He gradually increased his tempo until he was driving into her, hard and fast. Desire twisted low in her belly, building toward another climax. She reached for it, eager for more. He didn't disappoint either. She wanted. He gave. It wasn't long before she cried out from the intense orgasm that ripped through her. She clung to Derek , her body shuddering.

He held her tightly, never letting go, not even when he buried himself deep and his seed filled her.

Kora woke to the feel of fingers inside her. She moaned as Derek nestled his chest to her back, her top leg thrown over his.

" I'm no' done with you yet," he murmured huskily, rocking his hard cock against her bottom.

She sucked in a breath when he circled her swollen clit with his finger. Then it was back inside her, pumping. A second joined the first. Everywhere he touched, pleasure followed. She could just lay back and experience it all. But that wasn't the kind of lover she was.

Kora flipped and rolled him onto his back before straddling him. He shot her a smile as she brought his rod to her entrance and lowered herself. He reached for her breasts and teased her nipples, sending pleasure straight to her sex. The feel of him moving inside her was bliss. Her body was an instrument, and he played it to perfection.

She dropped her head back as she rode him. His long fingers gripped her hips, holding her as he urged her faster. She came apart when his thumb found her clit.

And when he held her after she collapsed atop his chest once they'd orgasmed together, she told herself it meant nothing. She needed a release, and he supplied that.

The next time she woke, he put her on her hands and knees and filled her from behind. He held her firmly as he thrust hard and fast, their bodies slapping together. She didn't think she had any more to give, but she came alive in his hands. A moan fell from her lips when he reached around and stroked her clit.

Their harsh breaths filled the room. She wanted to touch him, but each time she tried to move, his fingers dug into her hips more.

" Next time, you get to choose," he ground out.

Kora smiled, pleased to know he wanted more. Thoughts soon halted as desire swelled. She pushed back against him, meeting Derek each time he drove into her. He hit just the right spots, sending her spiraling to climax.

" Now ," Derek growled as he reached down again and found her clit.

Her body reacted on command, shuddering around his cock as he gave a final thrust.

Rain beat a steady drum atop the roof of the hut. Water dripped inside from holes in the ceiling. Kora opened her eyes to find herself on her side, facing the hearth, where a fire burned. She slowly looked behind her, but Derek wasn't there.

She didn't know whether to be glad about that or not. After all, she had said only one night. She blew out a breath and rolled onto her back, wincing at the delicious soreness of her body. She had needed a night where nothing had mattered but pleasure, and Derek had delivered, just as she had known he would.

Kora sat up and looked around for her clothes. She rose and quickly dressed before glancing outside. The dark skies made it difficult to determine if it was day or night. She was chilled and didn't relish going outside in the rain, but she was hungry. There were still some berries on the bush. They would have to last her until the rain let up.

She went to the hearth to warm her hands and spotted a sack hanging on a peg. Kora frowned. It wasn't hers. She looked around the small hut again, then removed the bag from the hook. She peered inside to find dried meat and bread. She wasn't too proud to accept food. She had gone hungry enough to know only fools turned away such things.

It rankled that Derek wanted to pay for their time together. Still , she pulled out a slice of meat and bit into it. It wasn't until she had eaten half that she realized he might have accidentally left it. She hastily returned the bag to the peg but finished the slice she had already taken. He hadn't had a sack when she saw him yesterday. Though he could have put it inside before she arrived. She hadn't noticed anything other than him after returning.

Kora walked around some leaks in the ceiling. She went to the door and moved it to look outside. There was no sign of Derek . His clothes were gone. The likely reason was that he had left. She wasn't a deep sleeper. She should've heard him moving about.

She leaned against the doorway, watching the rain as she combed through her hair with her fingers. Her thoughts drifted to the hours spent in Derek's arms. He was a skilled, demanding lover. And nearly as insatiable as she was. A smile pulled at her lips. She didn't regret a single moment. While she hadn't planned such a meeting, it seemed fitting as a last hurrah before the end. Because whatever happened to her, it would be an end. Either her life or Villette's .

Movement caught her eye across the grass near the trees. A murky figure took shape, striding toward her. She recognized Derek's tan shirt that was now plastered to his hard body—a body she knew intimately. It wasn't until he was nearly upon her that she noticed he carried something. She looked down at the skinned ritbit to his face and moved aside for him to enter.

Water dripped from his long, black hair onto the floor. He set the small animal over the fire to cook and then faced her.

" I was hungry," he stated.

She glanced at the bag she'd found earlier.

" Everything all right?"

Kora hesitated. Was everything all right? She had convinced herself that Derek had left. It had been convenient so she didn't have to get through an awkward farewell. She had been happy about that. Sort of. The night had been incredible. In fact, it had been the best night of her life. But now he stood before her again. He didn't just know where she slept. He had returned. She didn't know how she felt about that. He had stripped her of more than her clothing during the night. He had somehow divested her of the walls she'd put around herself. She was exposed, bare in a way she had never been before.

And she wasn't sure how to reverse it.

Or even if she could.

Or wanted to.

She realized he was waiting for a reply. " I don't know."

" You'll feel better when your belly is full," he said matter-of-factly.

Kora stood mutely as he stirred the fire before lowering himself to the floor and leaning back against the wall. She should tell him to leave or leave herself. Yet she needed someone who knew the area. Derek just might be that someone. If she could trust him.

The danger she sensed in him hadn't vanished after sharing his bed. Derek wasn't a man to be messed with. All someone had to do was look at him to know that. Even if she hadn't seen the villagers treat him with respect, awe, and trepidation, she would've known to be cautious around him.

It was that same danger that drew her.

He didn't carry weapons that she could see, but she recognized a fighter when she saw one. It was in how he viewed others, in the way he carried himself. And in the manner he spoke. He could rule the village if he wanted, but he didn't. Maybe he led another group. She looked at his large hands and long fingers. Those hands had held weapons before. She was sure of it. Her gaze returned to his to find him studying her as intently as she was him.

If she was to triumph over her enemy, she needed to plan, and the only way to come up with a solid scheme was with information. That meant trusting others. She just hoped she was making the right decision.

" Have you lived in the area long?" she asked.

" A very long time."

" Then you know about the dragon that's near."