Only for the first time, something else, someone else, was more important. His sisters’ lives weren’t on the line, only his.
And Jamaeh’s.
This wasn’t fair of him. He was taking advantage of her exhaustion. He started to pull away, but she yanked him back and thrust her tongue into his mouth. All his good intentions flew out the window.
Window! He pulled back long enough to check the two openings. They were situated high on the walls to allow air to circulate and let in light while keeping the worst of the sun’s rays out. And the grass blinds were down. No one could see them.
“What’s wrong?” She ran her fingers through his hair, the tips grazing his scalp. He felt the caress all the way to his feet.
“Nothing. Wanted to make sure we were secure.”
“This probably isn’t the time or place.” She glanced at the windows and then the door, likely assessing their safety.
Did she want to stop? “It could be worse.” Her slender throat tempted him, so he nibbled a path from her jaw to the top of her shoulder. She tilted her head to the side to give him access and moaned.
“Last night was the wrong time.” She ran her hands over his shoulders, making him curse his clothing. “We could have died.”
A growl rose up from his throat. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Shit, he had to stop making promises he might not be able to keep.
“We’ll do our best, but there are no guarantees. I want you.” The last was said in a whisper, as if she feared someone outside would hear.
“I want you, too.” That was an understatement. His heart pounded and his balls were trying to crawl into his body. “We can take it slowly and stop whenever you want.” It might kill him, but he’d do it. It would destroy him to see fear for him reflected in her eyes.
This woman was special.
Mine! It echoed in his brain as he found the ends of the band binding her breasts and began to unwind it, exposing her smooth, light-brown skin. Mine! It echoed in his heart as he exposed the perfectly shaped mounds, tipped with dark nipples. Mine! It echoed in his soul as he leaned forward and dragged his tongue over one tight nub.
“Yes.” The breathy moan was all the answer he needed. He cupped one firm breast, using his thumb to caress the tip, while he pleasured the other. She swayed, coming dangerously close to toppling over. He caught her and eased her down onto the chair, kneeling beside her.
She blinked several times, the sensual haze clearing from her eyes. When she wrapped her arms over her chest and glanced away, he wanted to howl with fury. He caught her chin in his hand. “Let me take care of you.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. Gods, he loved her mouth. It was made for kissing.
“Why did you stop?” The uncertainty in her voice almost broke him.
“I want you.” When she looked doubtful, he took her hand and laid it over the front of his cloak, pressing it against his erection. When her fingers closed around it and squeezed, stars exploded behind his eyes.
“Then why?”
“I don’t want you to have regrets.” This was too important to him.
“The only regret I’ll have is if we don’t do this.” Her green eyes were steady and calm. The dark circles beneath them were a testament to the sleepless nights they’d endured and the battle they’d fought.
She pressed a hand against his cheek. The pads of her fingers were rough, not smooth, hands used to hard work. He turned his head and pressed a kiss in her palm.
“I’ve never wanted a man the way I do you. Nothing in life is promised. None of us know the moment of our death. It could be an hour from now or seventy years in the future. I want this time for us. I need it.” She looked over at the basin of water and wrinkled her nose. “I should clean up first. I probably don’t smell very good.”
“Let me.” He rose and collected one of the basins, bringing it back to the table. It was crowded, so he moved the basket with food to the floor. He’d feed her after they were clean.
“Let you what?” The suspicion in her tone made him grin.
“Take care of you.” He set the rest of his supplies on the table. “Let me wash you.”
“You’re a little overdressed.”
“That’s easily taken care of.” In record time, he had his cloak and shirt off and his battlesuit peeled down around his waist. “Now we match.”
Her smile was slow and sweet and made his cock ache. She dropped her hands into her lap. “Now we do.”
His laugh surprised him. He’d thought he’d forgotten how until he’d met her. She was a breath of fresh air, a reminder that life should be about more than simply survival. He wet and soaped a washcloth and made quick work of her face and neck. The goggles and headscarf had kept the worst of the dust from her.
“Hmm, the feels good.” With her eyes closed and lips parted, she looked more like a woman being sexually pleasured instead of being bathed. It was all one and the same—foreplay for the main event. If he didn’t explode before then.
“It will get even better,” he promised.
Her pulse fluttered in her throat. He blew gently on it and goose bumps rose on her damp flesh.
“I’m not sure I’ll survive,” she joked.
“You will.” Her arms were next. The muscles were sleek and feminine and rippled beneath his fingers as he washed them. Her fingers were slender and long, the nails short and unpolished. She wore no makeup, at least not that he’d ever seen. She didn’t need the embellishments. Her natural beauty was like a morning sunrise—spectacular.
After rinsing the cloth, he moved on to her breasts. They moved up and down with each breath she took. He carefully washed the mounds, avoiding the tips. Her breathing grew more erratic. “Stop teasing,” she protested.
Instead of using the cloth, he ran his tongue across one hard bud before closing his lips over it and sucking. Her groan was music to his ears. She held nothing back, giving him her response freely and openly.
He was greedy and wanted more, wanted everything.
When he was satisfied, he did the same to the other. She clutched his head, pulling him closer. It almost killed him to stop, but she was still half-dressed. They were both panting hard when he pulled back. “Stand up.”
“What?”
“Stand up,” he repeated. Not waiting, he caught her hands and pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was steady, he went to work on her pants. His hands actually shook as he released the last fastener and shoved them down.
Her stomach was flat, her curves subtle. She’d lost weight these past several days, and she’d been slender to begin with. Too much hard work and not always enough food. Her underwear was plain, unadorned white. He’d never seen anything so sexy.
Falling to his knees, he buried his face against her stomach and inhaled deeply, catching the slightest hint of her arousal. He wanted to tell her how much he admired her, how deeply she’d snared him, but he kept silent, allowing his hands to do the talking.
He slid his palms under the leg edging of her panties and cupped her ass. It was firm and full. She was trembling. He pulled back and looked up at her. She was pale again.
Cursing himself for leaving her standing while he indulged himself, he skimmed her underwear down her legs and pushed her back onto the chair. Keeping his eyes down, he removed her boots, socks, and clothes. “Almost done.” The washcloth was back in his hand and he made fast work of her legs and feet. He sucked in one breath after another, doing his best to avoid looking at her mound, knowing once he did, nothing else would matter.