How The Warrior Fell (Falling Warriors series Book 1) (22 page)

Her body jerked as Xavier continued to slam into her. The sounds of their skin slapping together rapidly echoed throughout the room, making her shiver in pleasure.Leawyn moaned, gripping a fist full of his long hair and holding it tightly. Xavier leaned forward and took her breast into his mouth, suckling softly. She groaned low in her throat when his teeth clamped down on the soft flesh. The painful pleasure of the action was shocking.

She used her grip on his hair to yank his mouth up to hers. She then pushed him onto his back, braced her hands on his chest, and started to lift herself above him. She knew her movements were inexperienced, fast, and clumsy with her need to fill the hole inside of her soul he created.

Xavier sat up and spun them around so he was on top of her. He used his grip on one of her thighs to pull her leg up and over his shoulder.

“Xavier!” Leawyn yelped and clawed his back, trying to bring him closer to her.

Xavier faltered slightly with a grunt when Leawyn squeezed herself around him and bit sharply into the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

“Mine,” Xavier growled roughly, nipping her ear. “You’re mine, Leawyn.”

Leawyn couldn’t breathe. She was dying. There was a volcano inside of her that was ready to erupt, but unable to do so. Xavier was thrusting into her at a teeth-clattering pace, the pleasure/pain of his lovemaking brought on a burning need within her that had her writhing beneath him in desperation.

It wasn’t enough. She needed more.

“Xavier!” Leawyn sobbed, holding onto him tightly. “Please!”

“Say you’re mine, Leawyn,” Xavier growled huskily into her ear. His tone thick with pleasure and need. “Tell me you’re mine. Admit it!”

“I’m yours!” Leawyn gasped, tears pooled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. “I’ve always been yours.”

Hearing the words come out of her mouth made something inside Xavier snap, and with wild abandon he lost himself. Her sharp cries spurred on something primal within him. The groans that slipped out of his mouth were almost an inhuman growl. Xavier let out a hoarse shout when his release rippled through him. He held onto her just as tightly as she was clinging to him as she shattered around him.

Xavier shuddered, unable to control the spasms of his body as he rested his head in the crook of her slender shoulders.Leawyn lay shaking in his arms, her nails still holding him to her tightly.

Their breathing was still ragged when Xavier lifted his head and looked down into her crystal-blue eyes. With a shaking hand, Leawyn pushed his sweaty mane away from his face, her fingers light against his cheek as she leaned up and caught his lips with hers in a soft kiss.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Xavier swallowed against the lump that suddenly found itself in his throat. He managed to nod as he caught a tear with his thumb and wiped it away.

Xavier braced his hands above her head to slide off her but glanced down in surprise when Leawyn clamped her thighs around him and tightened the hold she had on his shoulders.

“Stay,” Leawyn commanded sleepily. “Don’t run. Please, just stay with me.” She peeked open an eye and looked at him, telling him everything he needed to know.

Xavier nodded his head, his voice escaping him. He relaxed his shoulders and moved his body so his full weight wasn’t resting on her. His wife snuggled into his chest, throwing a leg over him and intertwining it with his own.

She drifted off to sleep quickly, but not before she whispered one last order.

“No more running.”

Xavier did not know if the command was for herself, or for him.

Either way, she was his, and he had no plans on ever letting her leave him.

T
HE LOUD CRACK
of lighting followed by the boom of thunder startled Leawyn awake.

She shivered, pulling the thick furs closer against her naked chest as she sat up. Her gold curls tumbled over her shoulders and down her back as she pushed the tousled strands away from face.

She looked around her hut for her husband, frowning when she found he wasn’t there. Wincing slightly at the soreness in her thighs as she stood, Leawyn reached over and grabbed the soft materiel of her robe and wrapped it around herself quickly.

Crossing the room, she pooled her hands before dipping them into the now cold water and splashed it against her face, gasping slightly at the temperature—it was colder than she expected.

Another boom of thunder made her jump.

“The storm must be getting worse,” Leawyn murmured.

As if to prove her point, the small window across from her decided to burst open, letting in huge gusts of wind and rain. Leawyn shrieked and raced across the room to try to slam it shut. “Damn!” Leawyn cursed when it wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard she forced it closed, the wind kept blowing it back.

Suddenly a tan, muscled arm shot out over her shoulder, and with Xavier’s help she managed to close it. Leawyn quickly latched it shut again, sighing in relief when it did so easily.

She wiped the water off her face, shaking her hands out as she looked down at herself. She was soaking wet, her robe clinging to her figure, the wet strands of her hair stuck to her lips and cheek. She glanced up at her husband, noticing he too was wet, and though he still looked formidable, Leawyn had never seen him look so . . . normal.

A soft giggle escaped her lips.

Xavier glanced down at Leawyn.

“Sorry,” Leawyn mumbled, biting her lip to stifle her laughter.

When Xavier merely raised a scarred eyebrow at her, Leawyn let another giggle slip. Soon it was full-blown peals of laughter.

“I’m sorry!” she gasped around her laughter. “It’s just . . . you look so,” she waved her dainty hand, vaguely encompassing his person, “so drowned!”

Xavier’s lip twitched, fighting a smirk. “You don’t look much better.”

She looked down at herself, laughing as she shook her head. “No, I suppose not.”

Leawyn was still giggling quietly, but sobered when Xavier’s fingers gently took one of her wet strands and pushed it over her shoulder.

She caught his hand, pausing its soft stroke of her cheek. Bravely, Leawyn stepped away from him. Keeping her hold on his hand, she slowly moved them backwards, stopping when she reached their bed.

With a slightly shaking hand, she caressed his hard abdominals for a moment before putting more pressure on them until he sat down.Xavier stared up at her warily, unused to this new Leawyn.His eyes darkened when she took a deep breath and untied the knot to her robe and lowered her arms so it pooled to the floor at her feet, leaving her bare to him.Keeping eye contact, Leawyn straddled his lap, resting her hands on his shoulders and dipping her head so her lips were level with his.

Xavier’s hand shot up, grasping her jaw, effectively stopping her lips from touching his.

“Why are you doing this?” he growled, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Never have you asked for my touch, yet now you are, two nights in a row.” When his question was not met right away, he squeezed her jaw harder.

Leawyn closed her eyes against the pain, gripping his hand with hers.

“Xavier . . .” Leawyn pleaded softly.

“Why?” Xavier growled, making Leawyn wince. “Tell me!”

“Because I’m tired of feeling empty!” Leawyn cried out, glaring at him defiantly as her eyes glistened with unshed tears of sorrow and pain.

Xavier stilled, his grip going slack. Leawyn jerked her head away from him, and he quickly grabbed a fistful of her hair at the nape of her neck to still her.

“Do you want me?” Xavier asked, voice low.

Leawyn closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. On her exhale, she opened her eyes. “I shouldn’t, but . . . yes,” she whispered. “I want you.”

Xavier used the grip he had on her hair and tugged downward, making her head tilt back and exposing her neck. He brushed his lips against her silky skin, his tongue tasting her. Leawyn’s breath hiccupped, shuddering when his breath cooled her heated skin.

“How?” Xavier’s tongue flicked against her throat again. “Slowly? You want me to—” Xavier’s lip trailed up to the underside of her ear. “Make 
love
 to you?” His eyes matched his mocking tone when he pulled away to meet hers.

“No,” Leawyn whispered, reaching up and watching her fingers as she traced one of the scars on his face. “No,” she said again, her head giving a small shake as she brushed her thumb against his lips, pausing to meet his eyes once again. “I imagine you’re not capable of love.” She pushed his face away roughly. Xavier narrowed his eyes as they flashed darkly. He smirked for the briefest second before his lips grew still.

Using his knee, he quickly thrust it upwards, throwing her off balance. She let out a quick gasp of surprise before her chest collided with his. Using his grip on her hair, which tightened to bruising force as he pulled her even closer against him, he stilled her meager struggles to put space between them. Xavier grasped her jaw with his fingers, looking her straight in her eyes.

“Do you still hate me?” His voice was a deep timbre as he asked the heavy question.

The tension thickened as they stared at each other, engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Every unsaid word was spoken through their eyes.

“Yes,” Leawyn hissed in his face, her eyes burning. “I still hate you.”

Xavier closed his eyes at her confession. Leaning forward, he buried his nose into her hair and inhaled her sweet scent.

“I don’t care,” he said bluntly. “You will never escape me, Leawyn. You’re mine, forever.” Xavier breathed the words into her ear, nuzzling her cheek before pulling back.

Leawyn’s breath blew harshly out of her nose. It was the calm before the storm.

Quick as a snake, she lashed out, grabbing hold of his lip with her teeth and pulling as her nails dug into his scalp. Xavier grunted in pain and quickly flipped her over onto her stomach and jerked her hips up. He grabbed hold of both of her hands with one of his and placed them high above her head.

Leawyn struggled with all her might before gasping when Xavier attacked her neck with his lips. His other hand bunched the material of her dress and dragged it upwards. As he tilted her neck to give himself better access, Xavier gave a sharp, quick thrust of his pelvis, and she groaned when the feel of him filled her from behind.

The storm masked the sounds of their pleasure.

“O
NCE THE RHOXOLANI
join, we’ll have all the tribes at our side so we can officially plan our attack and get rid of this nuisance of an army once and for all.”

“Hear, hear!” Tyronian approved, slamming his fist down on the wooden table, causing the candles to rattle.

Tristan shot an amused look at Tyronian.

“When will we leave?” Tristan asked.

“You will stay, brother. Tyronian will go with me.”

Tyronian’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he glanced between Tristan and Xavier. He used the sudden tension that filled the room as his cue to leave.

“I shall prepare, then.” Tyronian pushed himself from the table and exited the tent quickly.

Xavier leaned back in his chair with his right arm stretched out on the table in a relaxed manner. He studied Tristan, who outwardly looked calm. Xavier knew he was anything but.