Page 54 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
Swallowing hard, she tried to sound coherent. “Yeah, let’s get going.”
“Come on,” Wolf said as he linked their fingers together and guided her further away from the group.
Her hand tingled with the thought of running it all over his body, and her mouth watered at the prospect of kissing him again. The sound of the people laughing, talking, and singing quieted as they reached a small building used for changing. She couldn’t help but feel bad for causing a scene and leaving early.
“I just need to change out of my ceremonial regalia.” He pulled open the door and then stopped. “Can I ask you for a hand?”
He didn’t need to ask her twice, and she nodded. Anything more, and she would’ve thrown herself at him again. She’d decided she needed to try a different tactic. He stood under the dim light and held out his arms to the side. The long feathers draping like a bird’s wings made her stomach flip and flutter as she stared at them and the muscled arms underneath.
“There are little leather ties. You just need to undo the knots,” Wolf said, and his voice seemed a little huskier than normal, or maybe it was just her ears. She quickly wiped her hands on her dress and reached for the first knot. They weren’t difficult to undo, yet she purposely went slower than she had to, just to spend more time undressing him.
“Finished,” she said, the word squeezing through her tightened airway.
Wolf turned to face her, removed the tall, elegant headdress, and laid it on one of the benches scattered about for changing. One piece at a time, he removed the rest of the outfit, and it was like she was receiving the slowest striptease of her life. She licked her lips as the last of the pieces was removed, and Wolf gently laid it down with the rest.
Her hand working of its own accord landed on the bare skin over his heart. There was a scar closer to his shoulder that the top of the wolf tattoo covered. She hadn’t noticed it until now. It was round, and when he didn’t remove her hand, she slid her hand up his muscled chest until she could touch the mark. He placed his hand over hers as her finger touched the spot.
“Were you shot?” She looked up into his eyes, and he had the same look when he talked about Duke and the soldier that didn’t come home.
“I was.”
“In the Army?”
He raised an eyebrow at her, obviously wondering where she’d learned her new information. “Yes.”
“Does it still hurt?”
She stepped in a little closer until the waves of heat coming off his body caressed her skin. She could almost hear the pounding of his heart, or maybe it was the drums outside, but it didn’t matter. She felt alive.
“The physical pain is nothing more than a dull ache, but the mental pain is always sharp like a knife.” Reaching up, he cupped her cheek and brushed away the strands of hair hanging in front of her face. “I’ve met the demons that haunt you, Walela. They can be tamed.” His eyes never left hers. “I’m sorry about Unole.”
“Don’t.” She placed a finger on his lips. “He has no place here between us.” Her body trembled as the electrical charge between them continued to grow.
“You’re right. He doesn’t,” Wolf said when she removed her finger from his lips.
The brandy color of his eyes looked fierce and more intense than she’d ever seen as he lowered his head and hovered his lips just above hers. She wasn’t letting him back out of this kiss. The control she’d been clinging to slipped, and Maeve entwined her fingers behind his neck and kissed the man like he was her last breath.
Maeve moaned into his mouth as the kiss deepened. The passion was coursing through her veins hotter than her blood ever could. They were moving. When her back hit the cool wall, it forced a frantic groan out of her mouth. He pulled away from her lips, and she stared into his eyes.
“What are you doing to me, Maeve?”
“Just kiss me, don’t overthink it,” she whispered, trailing her fingers along his wide shoulders.
He shivered under her touch, and she could tell he was fighting it still. Why? She didn’t understand anymore when their connection was so potent. She gripped his shoulders hard and rose up on her tiptoes to get closer to his mouth. He leaned an arm on the wall above her head and closed his eyes. She thought for sure he was going to say no again, but in the next heartbeat, his lips found hers, and this time he was the aggressor.
No kiss had ever felt so good or tasted so sweet, dark, or delicious. Maeve clung to him as their lips moved in perfect synchronicity, and their tongues battled as they explored each other’s mouths. She wanted him naked and inside of her. She wanted to feel him let the rest of his caged personality loose to do whatever he wanted to her body. A thread of the old desperation snaked its way into her mind, and she battled it back, not wanting to ruin what was happening between them.
Panting, he broke the kiss and continued to lean on his arm, looking into her eyes. “The drums have stopped.”
She wouldn’t have been able to tell with the pounding of her pulse in her ears. “Can we go back to your place now?”
Nodding, he turned away from her, grabbed the T-shirt on the bench, pulled it over his head, and switched out his boots. Gathering his regalia into his arms, they made their way out to the truck. As they pulled out of the parking lot, she took a chance and laid her hand on his. Wolf surprised her by threading their fingers together, his thumb rubbing over her hand.
The simple touch made her want to purr and growl. She wanted to strip out of her dress and climb on his lap in the truck, not caring if they crashed. Knowing that thought was nuts, she bit the inside of her lip hard until she could think straight.
They pulled up the driveway, and Duke lifted his head from where he was lying on the porch. He jumped up from his spot to greet them as they opened their doors.
“Hey, Bud.” She gave Duke a pat and an ear rub before meeting Wolf at the front of the truck.
