Page 69 of An Unlikely Knight

When she opened her eyes, she gave him a sleepy smile. “Have you been watching me sleep?”

“I have. You’re beautiful.”

She leaned forward and kissed him. It was a soft and sweet. “Some would say it’s creepy.”

“I want to wake up every morning like this, looking at you.”

When she reached for him and pressed her body against his, Padriag was immediately lost in her.

They made love with the desperation of two lovers finding each other again, their bodies joining with passion so strong it enveloped them completely.

Erin’s husky moans and calling out his name filled him with need, with want, with a sense of purpose as they raced toward the peak that would not only shatter their souls, but bond them in a way only lovers understood.

Their cries of release intermingled as they floated, clutching onto each other as their bodies shuddered and trembled.

Erin recovered first. With an expression of a well-satisfied woman, she raked her fingers through Padriag’s hair. “You are so very special to me.”

Her words made his insides warm. “I cannot fathom being with anyone else.”

A shadow crossed her face, and she searched his eyes for a long moment. “Padriag, you have to take time for yourself. It is important that you spend time getting your bearings, figuring out what you actually want to do. As much as it would break my heart, it would be selfish of me to expect anything from you.

He rolled onto his back bringing Erin to lay over him and looked into her eyes. “I have been waiting three hundred years for you. I know without a doubt you are the woman I want to be with.”

Everything within him seized, waiting for her reply. It was too much to hope for. That Erin would feel the same soul-deep longing that had gripped him the first time he’d seen her. Not for one second had he tried to push feelings for her away. The pureness of love was the one thing he could never deny, not after so many years without expecting anything beautiful in his life.

“I want to tell you something,” Erin replied, and his heart stopped. She was about to let him down gently. He almost laughed, there would be nothing gentle about it.

Her cheeks blossomed pink, and she pressed her forehead against his. Finally she lifted her eyes, searching his. “I have no doubt that you are the man for me. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but ... I am yours Padriag Clarre. My entire heart and soul are yours.”

Tears sprang to his eyes as her words seeped into his mind, skin, body. Pulling her tightly, he kissed Erin’s temple. “Thank God.”