With a smile, she laid her hand over his heart. She raised her eyes to his and he was unable to look away. Had anyone ever looked at him with such tenderness? It wasn’t an emotion valued by his people. But with Mikayla he realized it wasn’t the weakness he’d always assumed. Under her gaze, he felt stronger than he ever had before.
“If this is a mistake,” she purred, “then I might as well enjoy it.”
She arched under him, rubbing her breasts against his chest, and all thoughts of being noble vanished.
* * * * *
Mikayla grinned as she watched the pleasure flash across Ciar’s face. She knew this was a mistake, one she would no doubt regret for a long time to come, but even so, there was no chance of her turning away from him. His arms around her was perfection. Like she belonged in his embrace.
His hands touched her bare flesh with such tenderness it nearly broke her heart. She was the one who had done this to him. Yet he still touched her as if she were precious. Mikayla closed her eyes, enjoying the thrill of his fingers teasing over her sensitive skin. His hot breath branded her as he leaned down to press his lips to her breast.
“How did I resist you for this long?” he mused, as if to himself. “You are a goddess.”
She couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
His paused. “I would.”
Her eyes snapped open. What had he said? Surely she’d misheard him. She opened her mouth to protest but he was quicker. Catching one aching nipple, he scraped it lightly with his teeth and nearly sent her shooting from the bed.
“Ciar.” His name was a breathless gasp.
“Yes,” he murmured, his hands cupping her breasts. “I always imagined you saying my name just like that.”
Her snort of derision was cut short when his fingers slid down her body to trace along the top of her jeans.
“Liar, liar,” she teased.
“Hmm?” he queried, clearly focused on other things.
Mikayla thought of the months waiting for him to notice her and right now, she didn’t care. The old pain was gone. Maybe he’d resisted her at first, but this proved she’d gotten him in the end. Maybe not the way she truly wanted but this was enough. He should know that.
Reaching down, she lifted his face to hers, forcing his attention away from the zipper of her jeans.
“I don’t need meaningless pillow talk,” she told him. “I know exactly what I was to you before this spell. We don’t need to pretend this is something it isn’t.” She grinned, her eyes dropping to his mouth. “What we have now is more than enough.”
His silver gaze grew stormy. “Pretend?”
She pushed him backward onto the bed. Rising over him, she licked her lips slowly, loving the way his eyes followed each movement. “I’m a sure thing. I don’t care about the past.”
His fingers flicked over her nipples. “What if I do?”
She sat back, astride his hips. “I’m still not enough for you?” she demanded, arching a brow as if silently daring him to find fault with her.
“You’re maddening,” he groaned, pulling her head back down to kiss her.
Mikayla enjoyed the touch but her heart raced for a different reason. Was he about to push her away? Surely he wouldn’t be so cruel as to brush her off now. Not when she was half naked in his arms.
“You knew I wanted you the first time we met,” he whispered against her lips.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “But not afterward. You didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Hell, you barely glanced my way.”
“Doesn’t mean I didn’t notice you.”
She let out a puff of air.
His eyes narrowed at her reaction. “The second time we met, you bumped into my elbow and spilled half my beer on me.”
Mikayla frowned. “So?”
“Everyone in the bar froze.”
“No doubt waiting to see what retribution you’d exact on my clumsy head,” she pointed out. “Is there a reason for this stroll down memory lane?”
“Your sisters looked ready to unleash all kinds of hell on me if I so much as touched you.” He chuckled. “But you never even hesitated. You grabbed napkins from the bar and tried to dry my shirt. You even tried to cop a feel.”
She blushed. “I think we’re both pretty clear on what I wanted from you.”
“You were a witch. One I’d desired before I learned the truth about your origins. And there you were again, treating me like I wasn’t someone to be feared.” Ciar looked up at her with gentleness in his eyes that she’d never seen before. Not when he looked at her. “Anyone else would have run away. You were the only one in the bar who didn’t consider how I would react.” His hands wrapped around her waist, trailing along her skin. “You treated me like a man,” he told her softly. “After that I couldn’t stop watching you, even knowing what you are.”