Until he took her flying again. That could give this intimacy a run for its money.
She pulled back, looking down at him, his glazed eyes not really giving away how he was feeling.
“You okay?” he asked, brushing back a strand of long brown hair behind her ear, and trailing his hand down her cheek after letting it go.
“Yes,” she answered, nodding along needlessly. But her mind had gone a little blank, and all she could think of was Drey lying in front of her.
She didn’t wait for him to say anything else, and leaned down to kiss him, pressing herself even more into his body. She filled her kiss with more passion than she’d ever imagined possible, and his hold on her body soon tightened. One of Drey’s hands strayed to the lacing on the back of Aledwen’s dress. She felt him tugging at the strings, and anticipation built inside her. She knew where this was going, and for the first time in her life she was truly excited by the prospect.
He pulled back from her, his face screwing up in concentration, still struggling with her laces.
“Do you need a hand there?” she asked softly, her voice coming out far huskier than she imagined it would.
“No,” he replied instantly, resolve plain in his expression. But he was still struggling with the ties.
Even so, she left him to it. If there’s one thing she’d learned over the years of only being able to watch life at court, it was that sometimes, letting a man believe he was needed and in charge, led to an easier time of it. They liked to feel necessary.
Aledwen applied that logic now.
“How fond are you of this dress?” he asked after a few moments more struggling.
“Not particularly.” It was an awful colour, but comfortable and formal, perfect for the meeting with Fane she’d dressed for.
“Good.” A wicked smile replaced the look of concentration, and a harsh ripping sound alerted her to what he’d planned.
A small giggle escaped from her lips as the dress fell away in two halves. The tattered fabric was a problem for later. As was telling him he wasn’t allowed to rip her dresses every time he undressed her. So far he was two for two after all.
“Better?” she asked coyly, kissing him chastely before rising to her feet and getting rid of the rest of her clothing. She should feel self-conscious, and somewhere underneath it all, she did. But the feelings growing inside her far overshadowed that. Her only thoughts were those of Drey and the pleasure he could bring to her.
The pleasure she could take.
He really did bring out a different side of her, and she couldn’t even bring herself to care. Maybe this was who she was really meant to be, and the slightly meeker version of herself was the shell before the man.
No. She stopped in her tracks. She wasn’t ever going to be defined by a man. Any man. She was owning this moment because she wanted to. And if this moment ended, it would be on her terms.
The idea settled well within her, and she smiled to herself, pleased her realisation had come now, and not after she’d slept with him. The difference was only going to be a matter of minutes, but that wasn’t the point.
Aledwen’s skin heated as he gazed at her with hunger in his eyes. “Come back closer,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with tension.
“Are you sure?” She smiled at him, surprisingly coyly for how out of the ordinary she was feeling.
“Yes, I want to taste you.”
Jolts of desire shot through Aledwen as she removed the last of the space between them. “So you can eat me?” She almost covered her mouth with her hand, shocked at how forward she was being.
Drey chuckled throatily, his eyes never leaving her. “Only if you beg me to.”
“Is that a challenge?” Aledwen cocked her head to the side, and attempted to look serious. Failing within moments. There was no way she could, not in this situation, when her body was desperate for his attention and crying out to be touched.
“Would you like it to be?”
She bit her lip, studying him intently. Did she? “What kind of game?” The words slipped out before she’d really considered if they were a good idea. But she trusted him, and knew he wouldn’t do anything to actually hurt her.
“Let’s see who begs first.”
A soft whimper tried to escape from her, but she just about managed to stop it from sounding. Looked like she wasn’t going to stand a chance. At least it was going to be fun to lose to him.
“And the winner?” Her voice cracked as she asked, and the anticipation was mounting by the second.