Shield's Lady

you have heard only what you want to hear. “I accept your offer of a truce, if that’s what you want to call it. If you’d rather we didn’t discuss our marriage until we return to Serendipity, I’ll go along with that, too.”
    “Thank you, Gryph. This will all work out for the best. You’ll see.”
    “But that still leaves us with a problem.”
    “What problem?”
    “The matter of that single bunk in the cabin.” His hand flexed on her shoulders.
    “Gryph, I’m not sure how we should handle that problem.”
    “You were willing enough to start an affair with me the other night,” he reminded her.
    She touched the tip of her tongue to one corner of her lips. In the silvery moonlight her eyes were very deep and filled with unanswered questions. “Yes,” she said with a simple honesty that took away his breath. “I thought an affair with you might be very…well, very interesting.”
    “Ah, there you go again. You have such a delicate way with language. Well, I suppose I should be glad you at least find me interesting.” Gryph slid his hands inside the hood of her cloak, finding the slender column of her throat. He held her lightly, stroking his thumbs along the line of her jaw. “You’ve said that you can’t bring yourself to admit you’re married. Can you think of yourself as involved in an affair with me? For the duration of this truce of ours, can you have the affair you intended to start two nights ago?”
    A tremor went through her. Gryph could feel the rising warmth in the silky skin of her throat. His fingers shook a little as he continued to stroke her skin.
    “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’m not sure what to do. Nothing worked out as I thought it would, including that.” She looked up at him with an aching longing tinged with deep wariness. “I thought it would be so different.”
    “It will be this time,” he promised her recklessly. “That first time I was a clumsy, blundering idiot. I apologize again. I will apologize for that fiasco for the rest of my life, if that’s what you want.”
    “Well, you weren’t that bad,” she offered consolingly.
    He nearly choked on his laughter as he realized just how serious she was. “Thank you, Sariana. That’s very generous of you.” He urged her closer until the folds of her cloak brushed against him. Her unique fragrance filled his senses. Gryph forced himself to speak carefully. “I would like a second chance, Sariana. I want to show you how it should be. Spend the time of this truce having the affair you wanted to have with me. We’ll let the future take care of itself.”
    She parted her lips to answer him. Gryph decided he didn’t quite trust the response that hovered on the tip of her tongue. She was still poised on the brink, the passion in her at war with her practicality and reason. He needed to find a way for her to let the passion subdue her natural caution.
    Carefully, lightly, restraining himself until his body throbbed with the effort, Gryph kissed her. He brushed his mouth against hers, demanding nothing, apologizing yet again for the way he had bungled their first time together, pleading for a second chance.
    Intuitively he knew it was the humble plea that won the battle for him. Sariana, for all her strength, fortitude and will, was defenseless against his earnest, entreating approach. Gryph realized suddenly that she could not turn down his silent appeal any more than she had been able to refuse Luri’s gift of the scarlet-toe. There was a deeply empathetic side to her nature. It was one of the things that made her a Shieldmate.
    Sariana trembled again and then her arms emerged from the folds of the cloak and stole softly around his waist, Gryph’s sense of relief and triumph was enough to make him shudder. Cautiously he deepened the kiss, tasting again the enticing warmth of her mouth. His hands slid farther into the cloak, seeking the small, delicate curves of her breasts. He froze when he realized he could feel her nipples very plainly beneath his palms.
    “Hunter’s hell, woman, you aren’t dressed.” He pulled back slightly, thoroughly outraged. “What do you mean by coming on deck wearing only your nightclothes? You haven’t even got a robe on underneath your cloak.”
    She looked up at him, bemused by the passion that was just beginning to unfurl within her. She concentrated for a moment on his complaint and then smiled reassuringly. “No one can see how I’m dressed beneath my