Her body lit up like a torch, igniting with sudden arousal. She didn’t know if the disk on her back was feeding her some of his desire, but she felt her skin heat and her nipples bead up against his chest.

She needed him, too. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“I can’t wait. I need you. Here. Now.”

“Yes” was the only response to the fierce command ringing in his voice.

He stripped her tunic over her head, breaking their kiss just long enough to do the job. A second later, his nimble fingers unraveled the knots holding her underwear in place. She was naked from her knees up, wearing only the leather straps around her calves to hold her shoes in place.

His mouth moved down her body, hot against her neck. She felt the sweet sting of his teeth and strong suction bite at her skin. She knew he’d left a mark for everyone to see, and a small part of her reveled in it.

His big hands seemed to be everywhere, stroking her, cupping her breasts and bottom. Her whole body was alive, vibrating with a shimmering sense of completion.

This was the man she loved. And he loved her back. The sheer power of that was so overwhelming, so unbelievable, she wasn’t sure she would ever get used to the idea. She wasn’t big enough to hold so much emotion, so much sensation, and yet she couldn’t shy away from even the tiniest scrap of it.

He left a trail of stinging love bites leading all the way to her nipple. His mouth covered her, the suction almost too much for her to take. She dug her fingernails into his scalp. The action made him moan, which vibrated her nipple in a way that had her careening toward climax.

He lifted his head and looked up at her. The heat in his gaze was enough to set her skin on fire. “Not yet. Not until I’m inside you.”

Her fingers tugged at the drawstring holding his pants closed. She reached inside and let her fingers quest over him, gently, as if it were the first time she’d touched him.

In some ways it was. She’d been with him before, but never as herself. She’d been only a shadow then, only a part of the whole. Now that she knew who she was, who he was, she was going to enjoy him all the more.

Torr hissed in pleasure, going still as if to regain his self-control. His fingers clenched around her hips, and she could feel him tremble.

His loose pants slid down his legs. Grace fell to her knees, taking him in her mouth as she went.

The strangled sound he made was one that went to her head, making her feel powerful, feminine and completely desirable. His hands cupped her head, his fingers threading through her hair for a firm grip.

She couldn’t take all of him, but he didn’t seem to mind. Each shallow thrust made him pant with need. Each sucking pull made his fingers curl and tighten in her hair.

“Too much,” he said on a sigh.

She pulled off of him and licked her lips as she looked up. “Not enough. Not even close.”

Before she could go back for more, he lifted her body. She was forced to grip his hips with her thighs to keep her balance. The move spread her legs wide and gave her a clear view of his erection gleaming between them.

“Watch me take you.” The low command made a shiver race across her skin. “I want you to know you’re mine.”

She didn’t need to see him slide into her to be convinced of that. Her heart had been his for years. The fact that she knew it now only made their joining that much sweeter.

He shifted her weight, lining them up just right. She saw the wide head of his penis wedge just inside her body, felt the slow stretch as he eased into her. By the time he’d lowered her all the way, connecting them completely, she was barely able to pull in her next breath.

The memory of him breathing for her rose to the surface. She’d been so weak then, barely alive, and yet she’d felt his presence and knew she was safe. Whatever happened to her next she didn’t fear because Torr had been there with her.

Grace kissed him, wordlessly thanking him for not giving up on her, for getting her to Brenya, and for saving her life. Twice. He hadn’t sought any thanks or praise, but she swore she’d find a way to tell him properly how she felt. Later. Much later. For now, all she could manage was to cling to him while he moved inside her.

The pleasure he gave her was like a firestorm burning fast and hot. The angle of their bodies made him brush against her clit with each stroke. She barely even felt her orgasm building before it bore down on her and pushed the breath from her body.

“That’s it, honey,” whispered Torr against her cheek. “Just like that. So pretty.”

He picked up speed, which made each rippling wave slam into the next. By the time she found the strength to pull in a breath, she felt his arms tighten around her. He pulled her down and covered her mouth with his as the first pulse of semen surged within her.

The last fading remnants of her orgasm fluttered around him as he came. He held her like she was the most precious thing in the universe, and in that moment, she believed it.

Torr sagged to the ground. He eased her back onto the damp leaves, and stared into her eyes while he caught his breath. The tender sweep of his fingers over her face melted her heart even more. He was so much a part of her now, both physically and emotionally, that she knew she’d be indelibly marked by his presence.

Just as he’d said, she knew she was now his, and the knowledge both exhilarated and terrified her.

“One of these days, I’ll have you in a proper bed,” he said.

“Back at Dabyr, maybe? They had the best mattresses there.”

His finger stilled in the act of petting her. “You remember?”

She was almost afraid to say it for fear she’d forget again. “Everything. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

“You remember us?” he asked, with such tenuous hope that it broke her heart.

How hard must it have been for him not to tell her who he was and what they’d meant to each other? And why had Brenya demanded that of him?

Some things are better left forgotten.

That had been her consistent answer, and yet Grace had no idea why the woman would say that. Sure, there had been some ugly times in Grace’s life, but they were nothing compared to the beauty of the love she shared with Torr. How could Brenya—a woman who was never wrong—be so mistaken?

Grace kissed him again, long and slow, hoping to ease his worries. “I remember us clearest of all. I remember how you saved me, how you breathed for me, how you gave me up and let me go when coming here was my only hope for survival. That couldn’t have been easy on you.”