Fate's Edge

thrilling jolt shot through her, so intense she jerked back, then immediately leaned into him, eager for more. He kissed her neck, sending small shivers down her spine. His fingers made small, slippery circles, sliding, hot, clever, touching just right. Pleasure spiked inside her, the pressure rolling, concentrating down, toward that spot and his hands, each touch bringing the rush of euphoria closer, as if it spiraled down. Her breath was coming in short, rapid gasps. The tension built and built. She felt as if she were flying, her brain flooded by bliss and Kaldar.
    The pressure came together into a single tight knot. She couldn’t stand it any longer. It peaked, and a wave of exquisite, intense pleasure swept through her, quick and followed by spasms.
    He thrust into her, his shaft a hot hardness inside her. She locked her legs behind him. They moved in a steady rhythm. She kissed him, winding herself around his body, echoing every thrust, feeling every movement he made inside her. A steady ache began to build in her again, that same insistent, exhilarating pressure.
    Someone tried the door handle. She clamped her hand on Kaldar’s mouth. They froze. If they got busted, she would say . . . To hell with it. She didn’t care.
    On the other side of the door, a woman made an irritated “Hmm” noise. Kaldar pulled out of her—she’d almost gasped in frustration—and moved across the carpet to the door.
    Another “Hmm.”
    The sound of retreating steps seeped through the door. Yes!
    Audrey slid off the desk. Her gown had to go. She wanted to feel him, all of him, without too many annoying layers of fabric between the two of them. Audrey pulled the dress off and dropped it to the floor.
    Kaldar crossed the distance between them. She turned her back to him. His hands closed about her, cupping her breasts.
    “I want you,” she whispered.
    “Marry me,” he told her.
    “No.” He just kept asking and asking. What if he kept asking for the rest of her life? What then? “Why does it have to be marriage?”
    “Because I want to be with you forever, and that’s the only way I can prove it. I want to stand there in front of everyone and promise to love you. It’s a promise you can’t break.”
    His hand slipped down on her thigh, pushing her legs wider. He thrust into her, sliding in, harder and harder, in a possessive rapid rhythm. She braced her hands against the desk. He wrapped one arm around her waist, clamping her to him, his fingers hot on her skin. His right hand slipped down, over her hip, over her stomach . . . She tensed in anticipation. His fingers found that same sensitive spot, stroking her back to the edge, where the bliss waited. She pushed against the desk.
    The pressure inside her crested.
    Kaldar released her waist and leaned back, thrusting fast, deep, hard.
    Joy drowned her, radiating through her in waves. They came and came, flooding her, overloading her senses. She felt weightless, exhausted, and happy.
    He shuddered behind her. A second later, he pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. She sagged against him, so thoroughly tired and completely content. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to speak. She just wanted to stand there, wrapped in him.
    He kissed her cheek.
    She was so happy.
    Footsteps sounded down the hallway. Probably one of the Texas sharpshooters—the boot had a heel by the sound of it.
    They couldn’t stay like that forever. Sooner rather than later, someone in the ballroom would notice they were gone. No matter how much she loved being held like that, they had to clean up, get dressed, and go on with their plan before their absence drew enough attention to put them all in danger. Audrey gently pushed at Kaldar’s arms, and he let go.
    A bottle of water stood on the desk. Audrey swiped it, wet a handkerchief, and wiped her breasts, her waist, and then her thighs. She smelled like Kaldar. She wished she could curl up just like that, with his scent on her, and fall asleep while he held her.
    She tossed the handkerchief to Kaldar.
    “I told you you would like it.”
    “You are so humble.” She brushed a quick kiss on his lips and pulled on her gown.
    “Wedding at the end of the month, then?”
    She pulled the clasp out of her hair and shifted it back into a decent hairstyle. She wanted the wedding. She wanted him whichever way she could get him. “Maybe.”
    “Is that a yes?”
    “I’ll think about it.” She was in love with Kaldar. She knew it.