Page 232 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

Abruptly, she pulls back from me, her lips swollen, her eyes dazed in a way that makes pride thrum in my chest.

“Could you… would you put your hands in my hair?”

I grin, making her blush once more, but she doesn’t shy from her request.

“I will do whatever you ask of me, Grace, with pleasure.”

I thread my fingers through her hair. It is softer than I expect, sliding easily over my skin.

I cup the back of her head, drawing her back to me, claiming her lips once more.

And it is amazing how different the feeling of the kiss is now with even this small shift.

It grows faster, greedier, the pleasure of the touch rising with our hunger for each other.

I do not want the kiss to stop, but I know if I do not, I will soon become unable to, so, after a long, long moment, I gentle the kiss down, breaking apart from my Grace.

Giving us both room to catch our breath.

“I like these kisses very much,” I say, brushing her hair back from her face. “I hope you will give me many more in the future.”

Her cheeks are stained pink now, the colour not diminishing.

“That sounds good to me.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

“Thank you for stopping.”

I shake my head. “You should not thank me, truly. I am a selfish male. All I can think is how the anticipation of more is going to make it all the sweeter.”

It is early when we wake, so I look to my Grace and hold up the pelts around me, giving her a questioning look.

She bites on her bottom lip, reminding me of all the kisses we have shared, but then she shuffles to my side, tucking herself against me.

We will sleep like this from now on, I think with pleasure, as we doze in each other’s arms. She has come to trust me enough for this.

She seems more nervous here in the waking world, though, twitching at my every movement.

At first I try to hold still, but then I think it might be better to be natural, to give her a chance to grow accustomed to the shifts of my body.

To experience them and know they do not mean anything bad for her.

I stroke my fingers through her hair, press my lips gently to her forehead, and after a while, she relaxes.

I could easily spend all day like this with her in my arms, but I am conscious that my Grace needs feeding, and selfishly, I am eager to try more things with her this day.

After a light breakfast, I take my Grace’s hand and help her step over the stream, heading for the caves.

They are not large, according to Vantos, but the biggest of them contains a hot pool just big enough for getting cleaned in.

The females enjoy the hot water, apparently, and I am sure my Grace would like to clean up after our walk yesterday.

I duck inside the entrance of the largest cave, the heat of the air inside hitting my face.

My Grace does not have to duck, her smaller stature an advantage in this enclosed space.

But it is clear that she does not appreciate the closeness, her hand gripping mine tight, tension radiating from her.

Once we’re fully inside, I turn to her, catching her face in my hands and pressing our foreheads together, smiling at her.

“You are doing so well,” I tell her, and though I am unsure how many of my words make sense to her, I hope at least my gentle tone reassures her.

She moves so her face is pressed to my chest, breathing in my scent as if to remind herself who she is with, that it is not the one who hurt her so many times.

I wait until she draws back from me before gesturing ahead of us.

She nods, stepping in front of me to lead the way, giving me an enticing view of her backside as she goes.

No tail. It will be some time, I think, before I grow used to the absence.

There is not far to travel inside the cave, the ceiling sloping downwards rapidly towards the back where a small pool of hot water has gathered.

I duck ahead of my Grace, testing the heat of the water with my fingers.

The hot pools are a blessing from Lina, but sometimes they are too hot.

I am conscious of my linasha’s delicate skin.

The water is fine, though, the perfect temperature for bathing. I grin at my Grace, before pulling my top off over my head. My hands are on the ties to my leathers before I notice that she has gone completely still, her eyes wide with panic.

Immediately, I raise my hands away from my groin, taking a slow step towards her. I give her plenty of room to step back away from me if she so desires, but instead she gives me a wild sort of look - helpless and frightened.

“I am a fool,” I say, letting my shame and sorrow ring in my voice. “I thought only of the comfort of getting clean. I did not think how it would appear to you.”

My Grace closes her eyes for a long moment, forcing herself to breathe slow and steady.

Counting the breath in and out. Then she holds up a hand to me, gesturing for me to stay where I am, stop, wait, I am unsure.

I hold still as she turns and heads back out of the cave, my heartspace hammering in my chest as I hope that I have not caused my linasha a great hurt that I will not be able to heal until we sleep once more this evening.

Then my Grace reappears. She looks as though she has taken a moment to shore herself up, to conceal her emotions inside of herself.

It makes my heartspace drop, and apologies line up on my tongue that I am unsure if she will understand.

I would give them to her anyway, but before I can speak a single word, my Grace holds out a clenched fist towards me, unfurls her fingers to reveal the geberren root she holds.