Kira rolled her hips, causing both of their breaths to catch.
Graydon's hands slid under her shirt, finding smooth skin. They wandered up the length of her back, creating a trail of fire.
Kira's head dipped back from the drugging pleasure. "What about the chaterlings?"
Her thoughts splintered as Graydon kissed his way along the side of her neck. He found a sensitive spot, nibbling it for a second before pressing his lips to the edge of her jaw.
"What chaterlings?" he whispered.
Graydon tipped Kira onto her back, coming to crouch over her. Kira held still as he brushed hair away from her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone as thoughts moved behind his eyes.
"You're not the only one afraid of loss," he told her a second before he sealed her lips with his.
Kira wrapped her arms around his shoulders as his body moved against hers.
It wasn't enough. She needed more.
As if he heard that thought, his hands dove under her shirt. He broke their kiss, sweeping the scrap of material up and over her head in an instant.
Kira lay there, bare from the waist up, except for her bra.
Graydon's gaze swept over her. "The most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
His hands traced the path his eyes had just taken. They started at the base of her throat. Dancing over her collarbone until shivers tightened her nipples. Warmth pooled at her center as his fingertips sketched the upper swells of her breasts.
Kira panted. "Graydon."
A throaty rumble came from Graydon. His gaze half lidded as ki manifested around his hand. It sparked, crackling over her skin.
Her clitoris pulsed.
"Shit," Kira breathed.
She yelped as Graydon yanked down the cups of her bra. Because of the way the constricting band sat, it pushed her breasts upward, making them look like a juicy offering.
Graydon stared. Long enough that Kira started to feel self-conscious.
"Mine," he growled.
His tweaked her nipple. The spark of ki that followed had Kira's hips lifting, the pleasure pain making her see dots of color.
"You know I heard you talking to me when I was in my coma," Graydon said conversationally.
He bent, fastening his lips around one nipple while his hand massaged the other. Kira's hips bucked, her urgency growing.
"Hearing the oath of Aliria from your lips may be one of my all-time favorite memories."
Kira cried out as the ki he was using set her nerves alight.
Graydon drew back, waiting for her to look at him. The smile he aimed at her was wicked and full of all the things he planned to do to her. "Consider this my long delayed gratitude for the honor you did me. By the time it's over, you won't remember anything but how to scream my name."
His eyes never left hers as his hands moved slowly to her pants. He unsnapped one button and then another. Kira's breath quickened as he slowly drew down the zipper.
He slid a hand into her pants, the tight fit not giving him the leverage she needed.
"Please, Graydon," Kira moaned.
His chuckle was husky as he dipped a finger into her folds, drawing a circle over her clitoris before withdrawing.
Kira wanted to cry at the emptiness he left behind.
Her pants were gone in the next second. Across the room before she could blink.
Kira raised onto her elbows, letting Graydon look at her. From the dark light in his eyes, he liked what he saw.
"My coli. My breath."
He lowered over her, exploring with an agonizing slowness that quickly drove her a little mad. He took his time, pausing here and there. Kira's hips lifted. Needy sounds escaping her.
Finally, his mouth reached the place she most wanted it. He pressed a kiss over her clitoris, the touch butterfly soft. A tease.
Everything coiled as he fastened his lips over the sensitive nub, lashing it with his tongue.
Kira cried out. Her core clenched. Her climax hovered just out of reach.
Her fingers threaded through his hair as she pressed his face against her, her hips rolling in search of her pleasure.
Something opened up inside Kira. A parched desert sucking down every drop of sensation. Graydon's soul's breath acted like a gentle rain, soaking into the cracks and gluing them together.
His ki speared into her center. It was the shove she needed. Kira detonated with a startled cry, the climax on a deeper level than just the physical one. It went all the way to her soul.
When her vision cleared and she could think again, Kira opened her eyes to find Graydon staring down at her. His face tender.
Kira felt him poised at her entrance, his hard length scorching.
He waited for her to look at him before pushing inside. The fullness stretched her. Kira caught her breath as the overly sensitive nerves protested.