Chapter 29

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

MIRANDA

G ovek swung Miranda around and plopped her down on top of the desk, not once breaking the kiss.

Her head spun, and her thoughts whirled. The aching need that swelled in her gut was drowned out by the taste of him, the feel of his hot skin on hers.

She was going to be his forever. Forever .

It didn't seem long enough to her. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, as he kissed a trail down her cheek, to her neck. Licked her frantic pulse. She shivered, writhed. Her thighs parted.

He gripped her dress and yanked it over her head, tossing it onto the floor. She wanted Govek next to her skin. She helped him where she could.

His head was back at her neck, breath teasing her ear. Electric skitters raced down her spine as he exhaled heavily.

She felt the sting of teeth as he nipped the bandage over her neck and shoulder. He pulled it free .

The dark red scabs from his bite were visible at the corner of her eyes. They tingled under the intensity of Govek's gaze as he examined them. He dipped in and lapped at them with his wet tongue.

Her back arched, and her eyes popped open. Her skin prickled with the intimacy of the gentle teasing of his tongue. The mild sting mixed with zinging pressure drowned out all her rational thoughts.

Oh fuck, it shouldn't feel this good.

She was going to make him bite her all the time. Her whole body would be littered with his marks.

He was slow, easing his tongue over the injury. He bathed her wound so gently it made the room spin. So slowly, it made her daft. Her head felt like it was full of spun sugar.

He trailed kisses and licks down to her breasts. He yanked the damp covering free and bathed her nipples until she was panting. She squirmed and writhed. Her harsh demands that he hurry up were ignored.

His gaze slid to hers, gold and green and raging fire. She lost her breath.

This male loved her. He wanted her. He would never let her go. She relished that truth as he worshipped her body. Ran his big, calloused hands roughly over her sensitive flesh, down her sides, over her navel.

She moaned as he parted her legs further, delved his fingers into her folds, slipping easily around her slick clit. Electric pleasure danced up her spine, making her body twitch. She burned for him, ached for his touch.

He returned his mouth to hers and drank up her whimpers of pleasure. He pressed the bulge of his cock against her pussy .

He still had his fucking pants on.

She reached around, desperate to get them off. Her fingers slipped and fumbled with the ties—like they always did.

He chuckled into her mouth, flooding her with his spicy taste, the warmth of his amusement. She was drunk off it.

He moved to help her and simply snapped the damn tie off. Her breath hitched as his cock sprang free. She shifted, thrusting her hips to beckon him.

He pressed deep into her in one incredible surge, filling her up, stretching her to her limit. She dug her fingers into his ass, wanting him deeper. Demanding more.

Instead, he forced her to lie down. Her back pressed into the scrolls he'd littered on top of the desk. He put a massive hand in her hair, palm nestled atop her forehead. He held her steady as he withdrew.

She groaned, unable to reach around him at this angle, to hold him. She caressed his chest instead, dug her fingers into his skin. "Govek, please . Harder."

He hummed with pleasure but set out a deliriously slow pace. She bucked into him as best she could, wrapping her legs around him, digging her heels into his ass, willing him to move.

He gripped her hair and pulled her head back. The sting felt so fucking good but barely compared to the shuddering, rolling, longing that his gaze speared through her.

His eyes were pools of light and warmth. They glittered in the dim of the room. His brows were set with bliss. His lips parted. He looked at her with reverence, worshipping her.

Pleasure danced in her veins. Heat skittered through her stomach as he pressed in deep. So deep .

She couldn't bring herself to even blink. He caught her up in his slow thrusts, his gentle caresses. His love. It flowed around her in waves. Lapped and churned and built until she was consumed by him.

The tension grew. Her fingers clawed at his chest. The spicy scent of him flooded her senses. He thrust deep, grinding against her clit. Delicious heat flushed her body, rose up the back of her throat.

Her body tightened and his slow, measured thrusts dragged her over the edge. A cry spilled from her lips as ecstasy skittered up her spine, soaked into her head. Tingled across every limb.

Through it all, she didn't blink, didn't look away from Govek as he too fell over the edge, drowning in pleasure. His shuddering roar spiking more bliss in her. He moved both hands down to yank her hips close. Pressed deep. She felt totally consumed. Completely absorbed. He touched her soul.

He fell forward, bracing his elbows on the desk as his body continued to shudder in aftershocks. She wrapped him up in her arms, soaking up his warmth. Every time she twitched, he did too.

He nuzzled the side of her cheek, trailing kisses along her jawline, lapping his tongue down her neck. He grazed his lips along the bite mark again. It made her blood sing and her eyes mist, and she turned her head to kiss his ear, murmuring. "I love you, my mate."

He hissed, groaned. His body shuddered with pleasure that forced him back up as he rained kisses all over her face. "My mate. Mine."

"Yes. My mate," she agreed, just to make him squirm again. She relished that she could make this powerful male collapse.

His beaming smile looked so goddamn good on him. She would spend the rest of her life getting him to smile like this. Every day. All day.

"I'll take you home." He lifted her into a seated position. Her legs were still spread around him. Her breasts were firm against his chest. She shivered, squirming, wondering how he could have so much self-control. "We will have a bath, a meal, and a good night's rest."

He stepped back, picked up his bloody, tattered clothing. He muttered a dark curse as he tried to pin his pants shut to no avail. He'd torn them too badly.

Her hands moved to her bodice, and she found it irreparable. Her bra too. Shoot, this dress belonged to Savili. She snorted. "That was a bad idea, wasn't it?"

"We'll get more from the storeroom." He chuckled dryly. "Again."

"Doesn't really help now, though. How will we get home?"

"You can use my cloak." He shrugged out of it. Her cloak had been forgotten at the spring. She hoped she could get it back. It was the one he'd given her when she'd first met him.

Who could ever have guessed they would be here now? She felt so warm and full she wanted to collapse with joy and never stop.

"And you'll go naked?" She giggled. "Just letting your bare ass shine for all to see?"

"Already gave them one show today," he said. "What's one more? "

"Oh my god." She laughed, her body going flush. To think he could make jokes about all the insanity they'd been through. "Govek, you're terrible. I love you."

He chuckled, plucked a kiss to her forehead and went to fetch her dress. It had landed next to a row of trunks by the window seat. Something must have caught his eye because he reached over and popped the lock off as if the metal was made of chalk.

Her eyes widened at the heaps of gold coins within. Govek went still.

"Is that . . . money?"

"I don't know. Orcs have no use for jewels and precious metals. Only goblins mine it."

She gulped, wondering what that implied. She knew nothing about goblins. "Did Ergoth steal it?"

"Unlikely," he said before he snapped open the next one. It was filled with opulent fabrics—purple and green and bright blue silks. "We can use this, I guess."

"I think your bare ass would be less conspicuous," she quipped, earning a grin from him. "What's the last one?"

He popped it open and, lo and behold, leather—hats, shoes—and a few pieces of cotton clothing.

He lifted a shirt and shook it out to judge the size. It would be way too small for him, but he could probably make it work. He handed her one of the other shirts before searching through the rest, obviously looking for something bigger, but to no avail.

"This is good quality," he said, fingering the stitching of a pair of leather slacks. "I could make two pairs for you from this. You still want trousers, yes?"

She grinned at the image of Govek sewing her new clothes like the sexiest of seamstresses. "Is there anything you can't do? You're skilled at pretty much every trade necessary to survive." She trailed off as his smile showed tension.

How many hours had he spent stitching up his own clothing? Teaching himself to carve? To cook? Even to fish and hunt?

By himself. All alone in his home on the outskirts of the clan. Out of necessity. Not want.

The depths Ergoth had gone to isolate Govek were horrifying. She wrapped her arms around him, wishing she could take all his pain away. He leaned in to nuzzle her chest.

She stroked his wet, sticky hair back. God, they needed baths. Needed to wash away this awful day. She moved her hand down to brush his arm.

"You should do me a nice favor and skip the shirt." She traced his muscles with her fingertips. "I'll keep you warm for the walk."

His haunted eyes heated, and he hummed with pleasure. The deep rumble quickened in her veins and made her squirm. "Woman, keep that up and we won't be getting home at all."

"You promise?"

He gulped, eyes fixed to her lips as if he were going to kiss her again. "Fuck, woman. Don't tempt me." He continued to go through the chest before he paused, leaning back on his haunches. "You know, we haven't fully discussed it yet."

Her brow pinched. "What?"

"Having sons."

Her breath caught in her throat. Sons. Children.

He searched her face. "Is it too soon? "

She wrapped her arms around her stomach, "I... don't know." He waited, his expression so easy and unjudgmental that she was able to gather her thoughts. "I've always wanted them. Always . But..."

Guilt warred in her, churning her stomach. Logically, she knew there was nothing she could have done for her babies on Earth. She knew that. But...

"I... think I need more time to process. To heal. Is that okay, Govek? Will you wait for me?" She chewed her lip.

But she shouldn't have even been worried because Govek's expression softened in that way that always made her heart thunder and he reached out to pull her into his frame. He pressed his forehead to hers, let his warmth soak into her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

"I would wait an eternity for you, Miranda. My mate."

"My mate," she whispered back, and he hummed out a breath that was laced with such warmth and pleasure that it all but melted her. Then he slowly moved away.

And their foreheads stuck together.

"Oh god." She laughed as they finally came apart. She rubbed at her sticky forehead. "We're disgusting." Boar blood, sweat, wine...

He chuckled and turned to dig around the bottom of the chest.

"What are you looking for?"

He pulled his arm out with a green bottle in hand. "This."

"What is—hey!" She yipped as he poured the contents on top of her head. "What was that for?" Tingling prickles laced over her skin, and she scratched at her arms. "What the heck, Govek? "

He smirked at her, having poured the rest of the bottle onto his own head. Her eyes widened as his skin went from sticky and red from boar blood to smooth and clean. Even his hair looked fluffier, boasting bouncy looking waves.

"What is this?" She took the now empty bottle from his hand. "Cleaning magic?"

"Yes." He sounded a little breathless. She glanced up to find him ogling her. His hands went into her hair, smoothed through the now unknotted locks. He tipped her face up to his view and breathed, "Fuck, Miranda. The Fades did me the most incredible service when they brought you to me."

Her heart fluttered, and she kissed him again, sweeter this time. His lips were clean, and his taste was unfettered. She wanted to drink him up, but he broke away.

"We really will get caught here if we do not leave soon," he grumbled, pulling another pair of pants out of the chest and judging the size. "And if it's Sythcol who finds us, we'll surely regret it. That tincture I wasted is very difficult to make. Takes him many moons to work up."

"I mean, what else should it be used for if not cleaning off?"

"A jar that size is usually used to clean the entire hall."

"Are you serious? Jeez, why did you use so much? How filthy was I?" She looked down at her skin and found it completely unmarred. She felt smooth and perfect. Like she'd just had a whole day of pampering at the spa.

"Once opened, it must be used quickly or it loses its effects. Enjoy being cleaner than you ever have been." He grinned. "Because I plan to dirty you again very soon."

She beamed. "Right now?"

He snorted. "Put on your clothes."

"Fine, fine. "

They readied together, working in their easy tandem. The effortless nature of it brought her so much joy—a soul-deep contentment that radiated undertones of bliss as they pulled on shirts and pants and covered their bodies.

But their hearts were still on full display.

Govek looked damn good in these clothes. He could only get the bottom two buttons of the shirt closed, which left a generous view of his muscular chest, and the pants were so tight around his ass they must have been stitched by the gods themselves, otherwise they would have torn open already. She was tempted to demand he never wear properly fitting clothes again.

She reached out and gave his butt a squeeze as they exited the office. He shot her a surprised look.

"You sure you won't go naked for me?"

He huffed, trying to look irritated even as his expression was drenched with pleasure. "Perhaps after I get us to the ground."

"Get us to the ground? Aren't we going to take the stairs?"

"And get waylaid by every fucking orc lingering in the hall?" He went to the balcony railing. "Fuck no."

"Don't tell me you're going to do what I think you are." Her stomach dropped.

He looked over the edge to examine the route he was obviously planning to climb down. Then he turned and held out his hand. "Come, my mate. Or do you not trust me to keep you safe?"

"Oh, you jerk. You had to put it like that, didn't you?" She let him swing her up into his arms. She clung to his neck as he climbed over the railing .

"I'll never let you fall, Miranda," Govek vowed. "I will never hurt you."

The intensity of those words struck her. The meaning behind them. Her heart melted at the solid look in his eyes. He truly believed it. Finally.

She kissed him hard and fast. "I love you, Govek. Now take me home."