Page 63 of Taming the Eagle

Groaning into his mouth, Fenella ground herself against him. She slid her fingers through his still-damp hair and down the hard column of his neck, before she explored his chest. However, the tunic frustrated her.

She wanted more. She wanted him naked.

Justin held Fenella tight and rose from the stool, crossing to the bed. And all the while, he kissed her, their tongues tangling. Setting her down on the floor in front of the bed, he reluctantly dragged his mouth from hers before he started to undo his belt.

Fenella required no urging to do the same. A smile curved her full lips as she deftly untied her belt and shrugged out of her tunic, the garment pooling upon the tiles at her feet.

His gaze took her in greedily, as if he hadn’t already seen her naked.

They sprawled upon the bed together, scattering cushions as their hands and mouths sought each other once more. Limbs tangled, they rolled over and over, while Justin feasted on her lush breasts and trailed his tongue and lips over her sweet skin. Fenella sighed and groaned under his touch, her body quivering in anticipation when he rolled her over onto all fours and slid into her from behind.

The deep, needy moan that escaped her, as he slid in to the hilt, nearly made him lose control then and there, as did the tremors that shivered through her lithe body. He loved how responsive she was to him.

Justin took her slowly at first in languorous, deep thrusts, while his hand explored the smoothness of her buttocks and the long sweep of her back.

Fenella was lost now, her hair spread out across the pillow, sweat gleaming upon her pale skin. And when she twisted, turning her face so she could glance back over her shoulder at him, the want in her eyes, her shallow, ragged breathing, undid him.

Leaning over her, Justin stroked the wetness between her trembling thighs with one hand, while he braced them both against the bed with the other.

And as she bucked and cried out beneath him, he let himself go. He took her hard, the slap of their skin filling the chamber.

Soon Justin was holding Fenella up as she unraveled under him. Heat gathered at the base of his spine, his vision darkening. And when the fluttering muscles of her core rippled down the length of his rod, he spent himself deep within her.

Panting, Justin braced himself above Fenella, even as he remained buried inside her. He placed both hands upon the bed now, for fear of crushing her under his weight. His eyes fluttered shut, heat still pulsing through him. That climax had set every nerve in his body alight, and his limbs shook in the aftermath.

Gently, he withdrew from Fenella, smiling at her groan of disappointment. He understood how she felt—he wanted to remain buried inside her forever. However, if he remained in this position for much longer, he risked collapsing on top of her.

Justin lowered himself onto the bed, pulling Fenella close to spoon against him. He then pushed aside the curtain of her hair and kissed her neck. His lover sighed her pleasure, wriggling back against him.

A wave of tenderness swept over Justin—the sensation so intense that the back of his eyelids prickled.

Mithras, he was in deep now.

He’d never thought to meet a woman like Fenella in his lifetime, least of all on this northern frontier. She roused feelings in him that nearly overwhelmed him at times, and yet he wouldn’t shy from them.

Instead, he found himself imagining what his future would look like with this woman part of it.

XXIII. STEALTH

A LOUD KNOCK at the door roused Fenella from a deep sleep.

After their first passionate coupling, Justin had taken her twice more before they’d collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion claiming them both. Limbs entwined, they’d fallen asleep.

Fenella was usually a restless sleeper, yet not tonight. Curled against her lover, her head resting upon his chest, she slumbered peacefully.

Until the knock at the door shattered her peace.

Justin came awake more swiftly than she did, untangling himself from her, and rolling off the bed. Blinking owl-like in the glow of a nearby lantern, Fenella found herself admiring the strong, sculpted planes of his body. She’d explored every inch of him tonight, tasted the salt of his skin, felt the thunder of his heart against her cheek.

The knock sounded again, impatient this time.

“Coming,” Justin called out.

Justin.She couldn’t think of him as Aquila anymore, not after all they’d done and shared.

Scooping up his tunic from the floor, he yanked it over his head. Meanwhile, Fenella pulled the covers up to conceal her nakedness. He was just making his way toward the door, when the knock sounded a third time, urgent now.

Justin growled a curse under his breath and yanked open the door. “Optio Gavia,” he barked at the man standing in the doorway. “What is it?”