father's dock and was gone within seconds."
"And no one noticed?"
He shrugged. "Not in time."
Terror clutched at her. "What do you mean, not in time?"
"Someone gave chase," he admitted, seeming rather unconcerned. "But we lost them before we'd even sighted Naxos."
He turned, and with a shocked gasp she saw a long, livid line of red on the side of his face. "You're hurt!" Instinctively she started towards him, extending one hand towards the bloody scar.
"Just a flesh wound." Theo wrapped his hand around her own, brought it to his cheek. Ariana's breath caught in her chest as she stared at him, her hand against his face. She was suddenly conscious that they were very alone, and she was wearing only a rather skimpy nightgown. The bedroom stretched darkly all around them, the king-sized bed only a meter away. "Were you worried for me, Ariana?" he asked softly.
"Worried?" she repeated jerkily. "I was terrified. I still am. You could have been killed--"
"But I wasn't."
"How did you get that scar?" He shrugged and she said, numbly, "it was from a bullet, wasn't it? Aries has carried a pistol before. You almost had your head blown off."
"He missed by a mile."
"You're bleeding--"
"Ssh." He drew her closer so her breasts brushed his chest. She felt the heat of him through the thin cotton of her nightgown, felt an answering heat rise up in herself. "Don't fuss," he said softly. He drew his hands through her hair, brushing the heavy mass away from her face. "Not when there are so many other, better things we could be doing."
And then he kissed her, not the swift, hard kiss of earlier this evening but a sweetly passionate kiss that promised much so more. The kind of kiss Ariana had been aching for.
Her hand crept up to bunch on the hard muscles of his shoulders, her fingers slipping underneath the neck of his tee-shirt to smooth the hot, satiny skin beneath. Her mouth opened under his like a flower in sunlight and he took full possession, his tongue sweeping inside as his hands slid from her hips to her breasts, the thin cotton of her nightgown already too much of a barrier.
"Theo..."
He smiled against her mouth, gently hooking one leg behind her knees as he laid her on the bed. He pushed away from her for a moment, gazed down at her with that faint smile. Ariana blinked back at him, her heart hammering with both anticipation and nervousness.
"You are so very lovely," he murmured. He stretched out next to her, feathered kisses along her cheek, the corner of her mouth. Ariana stilled under those gentle touches, for she felt instinctively that this was an end rather than the beginning she so badly wanted it to be.
"Theo...?"
"I'd be a brute," he told her, kissing her jawbone, "if I were to take advantage of you now. You're tired, emotional, and overwhelmed, and tomorrow is our wedding day. I can wait, kardia mou . So can you."
Kardia mou . My heart. A careless endearment, yet it still made that wayward organ tremble. She didn't want to wait, even as she acknowledged that Theo was right. Everything had happened so fast, been so much. She didn't know what she felt for Theo, for their future, if they even had a real one. And yet her body throbbed and ached with unfulfilled desire, with desperate need.
Theo had been right, she was desperate. Desperate for him.
He started to rise from the bed and she caught his face in her hands, reveled in the feel of his stubble against her fingers.
"Don't go," she whispered and he gazed down at her, a faint frown between his eyes. "Do you mind? I want you to sleep with me. I mean, just sleeping."
The frown smoothed out and he smiled as he tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. "I knew what you meant."
"Then--?"
"It will be an exercise in self-control, but yes, I will." He gestured to his still-bloody cheek. "Just let me go get cleaned up."
Ariana nodded and climbed into bed, her body thrumming with both remembrance and anticipation. A few minutes later Theo came back into the
"And no one noticed?"
He shrugged. "Not in time."
Terror clutched at her. "What do you mean, not in time?"
"Someone gave chase," he admitted, seeming rather unconcerned. "But we lost them before we'd even sighted Naxos."
He turned, and with a shocked gasp she saw a long, livid line of red on the side of his face. "You're hurt!" Instinctively she started towards him, extending one hand towards the bloody scar.
"Just a flesh wound." Theo wrapped his hand around her own, brought it to his cheek. Ariana's breath caught in her chest as she stared at him, her hand against his face. She was suddenly conscious that they were very alone, and she was wearing only a rather skimpy nightgown. The bedroom stretched darkly all around them, the king-sized bed only a meter away. "Were you worried for me, Ariana?" he asked softly.
"Worried?" she repeated jerkily. "I was terrified. I still am. You could have been killed--"
"But I wasn't."
"How did you get that scar?" He shrugged and she said, numbly, "it was from a bullet, wasn't it? Aries has carried a pistol before. You almost had your head blown off."
"He missed by a mile."
"You're bleeding--"
"Ssh." He drew her closer so her breasts brushed his chest. She felt the heat of him through the thin cotton of her nightgown, felt an answering heat rise up in herself. "Don't fuss," he said softly. He drew his hands through her hair, brushing the heavy mass away from her face. "Not when there are so many other, better things we could be doing."
And then he kissed her, not the swift, hard kiss of earlier this evening but a sweetly passionate kiss that promised much so more. The kind of kiss Ariana had been aching for.
Her hand crept up to bunch on the hard muscles of his shoulders, her fingers slipping underneath the neck of his tee-shirt to smooth the hot, satiny skin beneath. Her mouth opened under his like a flower in sunlight and he took full possession, his tongue sweeping inside as his hands slid from her hips to her breasts, the thin cotton of her nightgown already too much of a barrier.
"Theo..."
He smiled against her mouth, gently hooking one leg behind her knees as he laid her on the bed. He pushed away from her for a moment, gazed down at her with that faint smile. Ariana blinked back at him, her heart hammering with both anticipation and nervousness.
"You are so very lovely," he murmured. He stretched out next to her, feathered kisses along her cheek, the corner of her mouth. Ariana stilled under those gentle touches, for she felt instinctively that this was an end rather than the beginning she so badly wanted it to be.
"Theo...?"
"I'd be a brute," he told her, kissing her jawbone, "if I were to take advantage of you now. You're tired, emotional, and overwhelmed, and tomorrow is our wedding day. I can wait, kardia mou . So can you."
Kardia mou . My heart. A careless endearment, yet it still made that wayward organ tremble. She didn't want to wait, even as she acknowledged that Theo was right. Everything had happened so fast, been so much. She didn't know what she felt for Theo, for their future, if they even had a real one. And yet her body throbbed and ached with unfulfilled desire, with desperate need.
Theo had been right, she was desperate. Desperate for him.
He started to rise from the bed and she caught his face in her hands, reveled in the feel of his stubble against her fingers.
"Don't go," she whispered and he gazed down at her, a faint frown between his eyes. "Do you mind? I want you to sleep with me. I mean, just sleeping."
The frown smoothed out and he smiled as he tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. "I knew what you meant."
"Then--?"
"It will be an exercise in self-control, but yes, I will." He gestured to his still-bloody cheek. "Just let me go get cleaned up."
Ariana nodded and climbed into bed, her body thrumming with both remembrance and anticipation. A few minutes later Theo came back into the
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