Chapter 78 When I'm done with you
Ira’s POV
My heart slams against my ribs like it wants out. And I'm not longer sure if it's because I wasn't expecting to see him or it's the glistening sweat rolling down his neck, in-between his pecs, over his solid abs, tangling in the trail of slick hair down to his…
“Commander,” Cortis salutes, her eyes failing to hide her shock.
Ruel strides closer, his shoulders flexing with each step. steps fully into the clearing. Tall. Broad. Gray eyes fixed on Cortis with a cold fury that makes the warm sunlight feel suddenly thin.
Cortis rises slower, brushing her hands on her leathers. Her face is calm, but I see the tension in her shoulders.
“Commander,” she says, voice even.
Ruel doesn’t look at me still. His gaze stays pinned on her.
“I assigned you the eastern ridge this morning,” he says, low and sharp. “This certainly isn't you doing that.”
Cortis nods once. “I finished early. Rita requested that I gather some herbs for her so….”
His eyes flick to the basket, then back to her. “And you decided Ira was necessary for that.”
Cortis doesn’t flinch. “I needed assistance.”
“You took my servant deep into the woods,” he says, voice dropping colder. “Far from patrol lines. Without clearing it with me first?!”
My servant? My cheeks burn with embarrassment. Why does it sound so possessive. And why in the world does my ear tingle at the sound.
Cortis lowers her gaze a fraction. “I apologize Commander, it was poor judgment on my part.”
“You’re damn right it was poor judgment.” He steps closer, his tone darkening. “Dangerously poor. Get back.”
“Yes, sir.” She turns to me. “Let’s go…”
“I’ll handle Ira,” Ruel cuts in, his voice hard as steel. “You take the herbs to Rita and wait for me in front of my study. We’ll finish this discussion there.”
Cortis hesitates only a heartbeat, then nods sharply. Without another word, she brushes past him. Her footsteps crunch away through the trees until the forest swallows the sound.
Leaving me alone with him.
“I’d rather follow Cortis than stand here with you right now.” I mutter under my breath.
His eyes snap to mine at last, his grey orbs looking darker than I’ve ever seen them.
“You’d rather,” he repeats, moving forward slowly.
“Yes.” I say confidently, although my heartbeat spikes as he takes another step until he's near enough for me to feel the anger steaming out of him.
“I saw,” he says low. “How close she sat. How she leaned in. How you looked at her.” Annoyance slips into each syllable as he speaks. “What, you’re that desperate you’d let her take your mouth right there?”
His thumb drags along my jaw, slow and deliberate. I slap his hand away hard enough that the sound cracks between us.
“You avoided me for days,” I snap, eyes locked on his. “Barely acknowledged I existed. And now you’re acting like I belong to you.”
The second the words leave my lips, they repeat like a wail inside my skull.
Damn it!
I feel my fingers curl into fists as I force my eyes from widening in shock. The blood in my face drains then rushes back twice as hot.
Ruel’s brows lift, his mouth parting just enough to show he didn’t expect that slip. Then something tighter clamps over his features, pulling his jaw taut, a muscle ticking there while his gaze searches mine, weighing how much truth was in that accidental confession.
And then, slower, heavier, the restraint frays and his pupils darken, the corner of his mouth curling in a way that’s almost cruel, the raw hunger in his gaze also unmistakable.
He lets the silence stretch just long enough for me to feel every degree of heat in my cheeks.
“Ira,” he says my name and a shiver courses through me. I try to keep a straight face when his fingers slide into my hair, threading slow until his palm cups the back of my head, anchoring me exactly where he wants me.
“Careful what you admit, sweetheart. Sounds an awful lot like you’ve been waiting for me to take you.”
Heat coils low in my stomach, sharp and unwelcome, but I don’t pull away. I can’t. My breath stutters against his mouth as he leans in, close enough that I feel the words more than hear them.
“I stayed away because being near you… it does things to me,” he says quietly, soft lips brushing the corner of my cheek. “Your scent, your taste…”
I shamefully squeeze down on my dress, leaning into his thumb gently stroking the nape of my neck.
The lazy rhythmic circle makes every tension involuntarily drop off my spine.
“And then I watch her about to steal what I’ve been denying myself…” he pauses, letting the words sink in, letting me feel how close his mouth is, how easy it would be to close the distance myself.
Hypnotized by his lips I find it impossible to tear my gaze away.
“No one…” he breathes, harshly grabbing my hair, tilting my head so my eyes meet his dark gaze. “No one gets to taste you, no one but me.”
I gasp into the kiss, and he takes the opening, his tongue sliding against mine, claiming deep. His free hand grips my waist, pulling me hard against him until I feel the solid heat of his body, the rapid thud of his heart matching mine.
I clutch his shirt as he hungrily backs me up until bark meets my spine. The oak traps me between rough wood and a starving male.
His lips break from mine, drifting lower, lingering until he kisses my throat. His tongue licks my trembling pulse when he finds it.
He then brushes it with his teeth. The act alone is enough to make my breath stutter. My body responds before my mind does as a quiet, shameful sound escapes me without permission.
“You like it when my hands are on you, don’t you?” he murmurs against my skin, his voice rough.
The only answer I give is fisting my hand in his shirt and pulling him back to my mouth.
The sound he makes is low and approving as he kisses me harder, one hand sliding down to claim my hip, drawing me in.
My mouth opens in a soundless gasp when he rocks his hardness against me.
His fingers find the hem of my skirt, bunching the light fabric slowly. I stiffen as cool air kisses my thighs, my mind racing, considering every disadvantage of letting him touch me.
But then his rough palm glides up bare skin.
I moan into his mouth. Ruel swallows the sound, kissing me breathless. Suddenly all I feel is heat, want, the scrape of bark at my back, the crush of his body against mine.
“When I’m done with you,” he says quietly, into my ear, "Your body will never desire another.”