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She gave him a side eye and threw a threadbare quilt at him.

He caught it with his manacled hands and spread it over himself with some difficulty.

He jerked his chin at her. ‘Sleep well, Élisa.’

With that, he rotated his back to her.

Even without eyes on her, he sensed her movements.

She turned down the fire sticks, and the light in the hollow dimmed.

Pulling off her sturdy half-boots, she shimmied out of her suit, leaving on its thin inner lining.

Her body fell to the pallet, and her musk swamped Riv. His core responded with a jolt even though he couldn’t see all of her.

She took a while to settle in, squirming as she tried to find her sweet spot. It was a ritual that reminded him of how only his touch and stroking of her back had quietened her at night.

He longed to do the same now, to press his lips to hers and rock her into a passionate orgasm, which was how she’d preferred to fall asleep back then.

His cock swelled and pushed against his suit, and he almost groaned.

She must have discerned his thoughts because her limbs locked on their thin accommodations, and her breath hitched. ‘Don’t get any ideas, Ribau.’

Her voice was hoarse and cracked with weariness, but his heart still lurched at the sound.

‘You’ve nothing to fear from me.’ He tweaked his intonation and made it drowsy, adding a long yawn for good measure.

She went on. ‘The only reason I’m sleeping this close is because the chasms get very cold at night. We get icy winds that can cut through you if you’re not warm enough. I’ve no time to deal with your frostbite in the morning.’

He thought there was no such chance, feeling his body heat up with her being in close proximity.

He wanted to touch Élisa, feel her lying naked in his arms, and thrust into her until she screamed for mercy.

After all these years, would their lovemaking still be as intense and wild as it had once been?

The thought of it had him almost cumming.

Damn.He didn’t have to take it this far, but couldn’t stop himself.

He sent a rush of noids to his groin to shut down his unbidden reaction.

What didn’t help was the sound of her breath shallow dips and falls so close behind him it shot electricity down his spine.

It took a few prolonged, torturous moments before she sighed as she gave in to exhaustion, slipping into slumber.

She was most likely so tired that she dropped off as soon as he’d made her forget worrying about his behavior.

He had the hidden advantage of his noids, and he dispatched them a command to scrub out any toxins from his body, circumventing the need for an extended shut-eye.

Now that she was lost in much-needed rest, he turned to face her. He wanted to stay awake to study her in sleep.

To make up for the seven thousand and one nights he’d existed without her by his side.

Even though they weren’t touching, his eyes fell all over her, drinking in the little he could see.

The curve of her shoulder, the nape of her neck, the silvery, silken hair glinting from the low flames of the fire, the rise and fall of her breath.

It had been too long since he’d had her so close, warm, and precious.