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I STARED AT THE blackness surrounding me. Not even the stars cast light into this dim room. Had I been laying here for minutes or hours? At least I was breathing normally now, but I couldn’t tell how much time had passed while I was trapped in a panic attack. All I knew was sleep was not happening, even though my eyes seemed to droop with exhaustion. I glanced out the window and let my eyes adjust as I zeroed in on Hippocrates’s closed door.
I craved the safety of his arms, wondering whether he could chase this worry gripping every cell away. Waiting until daybreak seemed unsurmountable enough to yank me from the bed. I felt my way along the wall to the entry to the courtyard on my side of the abode. Once outside, my eyes adjusted, and I was able to easily skirt around the table and chairs between my section and the family’s bedrooms. I bit my lip at the two doors. I believed his was the one closer to the archway. If I was wrong, that would at least make for an amusing story in the light of day.
Uncertainty gripped me, and I closed my eyes trying to recall which one had been open when he pointed. I chose the one farthest from the front entry. I stood before the door as doubts regarding my actions swarmed.
I was already shirking my duty, but that cold fact didn’t stop me from reaching out and turning the latch. The door creaked as I pushed it open.
Blue eyes peered out from the dark, and I prayed it was Hippocrates.
“I cannot sleep.” I wrapped my arms around my midsection and cupped my elbows.
Someone slid out of the bed and crossed the distance. I held my breath until he stopped in front of me. I had not chosen the wrong door, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Hippocrates’s hair was in disarray from sleep, but his kind smile warmed me, along with the view of his naked form. “So, you decided to come and have your way with me again?”
The mirth in his voice heated my cheeks. I hadn’t come for more sex. I had come to have his strong arms wrapped around me, to keep Henrick out of my head. But now that I was there, that option didn’t sound half bad.
He took my hand and studied my face.
“What are you doing?” I whispered as he stepped into the courtyard. I had expected him to draw me into his room and not back outside.
“Bringing you back to your room, where any noise we make will not disturb my parents’ sleep.” He glanced back at me.
“Oh.” I let him lead me the rest of the way. When he dropped my hands and closed the shutters to the courtyard, the darkness wrapped around me. Only the soft swish of his feet on the floor preceded his arms pulling me flush against his naked form.
“I promised you a more leisurely experience, and yet when I am this close to you, my body borders on frantic, as if it knows something we do not.” His lips found mine, and the kiss started with a slow tongue swirl that brought a growl into his groan.
My entire form flushed with heat, and for the second time tonight, my dress puddled at my feet. I gave in to the sensation of him because I knew this was temporary. My bubble would burst soon enough, and I vowed to make the most of this while I could.
We explored each other with the tenderness of lifetime lovers. I memorized every swipe of his tongue, every caress of his hands, and every sound he made. I cataloged the way he tasted in my mouth, from his tongue to his cock and every centimeter between. His musky male scent enveloped me, and I couldn’t seem to get enough.
After hours of decadence in each other’s arms, we laid side by side, breathless and staring at the ceiling. The light in the room had changed enough for me to see his profile as I turned my head.
His lips were as swollen as mine felt from being kissed, sucked, and nibbled with gusto.
He gazed at me with a hint of a smile. “I am going to pay dearly for all this nocturnal activity today.” He wiped his face. “But it was worth the exhaustion that is surely to set in later.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and started to sit up on the edge of the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to try to get some sleep before I leave the house.” He glanced toward the window. “And my parents will not be welcoming if they knew I stayed in your room tonight.”
His smile, along with the red glowing in his cheeks, made me relent, even though I didn’t think I’d get any more sleep than I had before Henrick invaded my mind on behalf of Odin.
Still, after Hippocrates slipped away and I threw the shutters open, welcoming the coming of dawn, I lounged on the bed, and my eyes fell closed.