Chapter 84. Holding Her Tight

Gavriel didn’t give Althea time to think at all. In one swift move, he lifted her from his lap and laid her down on the clean side of the long wooden table. The cool surface against her back made her gasp, but that sound quickly turned into another when he stripped away the last of her clothes.

She was bare before him now, her skin flushed and trembling under his gaze. Gavriel stood for a moment, drinking in the sight of her, his chest rising and falling with restraint that he didn’t bother to hide.

“Perfect,” he muttered, his voice hoarse, almost reverent.

Before she could cover herself, his lips were already trailing fire over her skin. He kissed her collarbone, down her shoulders, across her breasts, lingering long enough to make her arch toward him. Each kiss grew rougher, hungrier, until she felt like he was devouring her with nothing but his mouth.

Althea gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair, not knowing whether to push him away or hold him tighter.