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There was nothing but the heat of his mouth, the warmth of his touch, the overwhelming rightness of being here with him. I cupped his shoulders, holding tight.

When we finally drew back, he rested his forehead against mine, his dark eyes searching.

Did he see how much I longed for him?

Did he feel it the way I did, a slow, aching pull that promised no way back?

Chapter 25

Ruugar

With my forehead pressed against hers, I breathed her in.

Beth was here, accepting my grass. My kiss. The taste of her lingered on my mouth, and her fingers still clung to my shoulders, her body close but not retreating, not showing any sign of regret.

Fates help me, I was falling.

A war waged inside me. I needed to be careful with her, not just because she was tiny compared to me, but because she trusted me. Trusted this. But the need to pull her closer, to claim whatever this was between us, ached so fiercely I wasn’t sure I had the strength to resist.

She stroked my shoulder, sending fire through my skin. “Ruugar.”

The way she said my name—it wasn’t a question. It wasn’t uncertainty. It was something deeper, something pulling me under.

I swallowed hard, stroking her cheek, then glidingmy fingers along the edge of her jaw, the corner of her mouth. She parted her lips.

An invitation.

A growl surged up my throat. I answered her without words, capturing her lips again. This time, I didn’t hold back.

She tasted sweet, a mix of warmth and something purely Beth. I deepened the kiss, testing, learning the feel of her lips, savoring the soft moans she made as I slid my fingers along her arms then moved my hands to her breasts. I cupped them. Her breath caught, her hands sliding up. She eased her fingers through my hair, holding tight. That undid me. Every beat of my heart belonged to this woman. The softness of her lips and the warmth of her touch filled every crevice of my being. I was falling deep, and there was no end in sight.

Heat tore through my veins, and I stroked my thumbs across the ripe buds forming on her chest.

Was this too much or not enough for her?

Moaning, she pressed against me, molded herself to me, her body soft where mine was hard. She clung to my hair as if she never wanted to let go. The softest sound escaped her throat, something between a sigh and a plea.

I pulled back enough to look at her face, enough to catch the dazed way she gazed up at me.

“Beth,” I rasped.

Her lashes fluttered. “Hmm?”

“If I stay—” I said, my voice rough.

She pressed a finger to my lips. “I want you to stay.” Her words cut through what little resistance remainedinside me. But she hesitated, her eyes darting away before meeting mine again. “You need to know something, though.”

The vulnerability in her eyes ripped through my heart. I would do anything to protect her, to make her feel safe. She was the sun in my dark world, and I couldn't let her think otherwise. What did she need to tell me?

“I want this, but I don’t exactly know what I’m doing.” Her shrug came out rueful.

Oh. I hadn't thought she'd saythat. Everything inside me froze. Beth was inexperienced.

Her teeth caught her lower lip. “I mean, I know things, obviously. I’ve just never?—”

A sharp ache twisted through me. She was untouched, and here she was, offering herself tome? A sometimes-grumpy, stoic, lonely orc who had nothing eloquent to say, nothing pretty to offer a precious woman like her.

“It doesn’t scare me,” she said. “But if it scares you?—”