Page 218 of The Edge of Darkness

“Fine.” She spoke the word so softly, that I almost didn’t hear it.

I froze and held my breath.

Did she just . . . accept my offer?

I pushed up onto my elbows and stared at the bed. Then, half-afraid she would change her mind if I waited too long to act, I quickly got to my feet.

Lightning lit the room, illuminating Nivelle’s silhouette beneath the thin sheet she was curled under. Thunder shook the cottage once more, but it might as well have been the sound of my own footsteps, or my pounding heart, as I approached the bed.

I lifted the threadbare sheet and climbed onto the mattress beside her. She stirred, repositioning herself on her pillow, tucking her chin into her shoulder.

Her bed was comfortable, though it was much too small for someone of my size to completely stretch out on. I didn’t dare make a sarcastic comment about it, though.

Nivelle didn’t say anything, but she fidgeted. Or was she shivering? I couldn’t quite tell. I turned on my side to face her.

She was shivering.

I pulled the sheet further over us both. “Is this better?” I asked.

“A little.”

“Do you want me closer?”

She waited, considering, then nodded against her pillow, so I moved. My chest pressed against her back, and she stiffened.

I tried to remain mindful of where exactly our bodies were touching because I was starting to ache in a certain place that she was only inches away from.

Fuck, I didn’t know what to do with my hands.

I swallowed, hard. “How about now?”

She arched her back ever so slightly, grazing the edge of my cock as she did so. From over her shoulder, I saw her eyes flutter closed. Her lips parted, almost as if she wanted to grin at what she’d discovered behind her.

I knew it. This was a challenge, just like everything else. She was provoking me like she always did, and all it was doing was stoking the fire within.

Well, to hell with the games. To hell with the restraint. I was done being tested.

I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her against me, allowing her to feel the extent of my desire. “I can be inside of you if that would warm you up the quickest. Is that what you want?”

She sucked in a breath, but surprisingly, she didn’t pull away.

“Perhaps,” she said breathily.

The heat was growing between us, and I knew she felt it. Her quickened heartbeat told me as much. It wasn’t just heat she wanted. She craved something else—something she wouldn’t ask for. She would wait until I offered it.

And offer it I would.

My hand splayed across her abdomen. “Warm enough yet?”

“Getting there,” she murmured.

Slowly, I slid my hand down, down . . .

A gasp escaped her as my fingers grazed her center.

Gods . . . she was dripping wet.

The tension in her thighs lessened, and she shifted her hips, allowing me deeper access. I swirled my first and middle finger in slow, smooth motions, exploring and relishing the feel of her. Then, I dipped them inside. She tilted her head back against my chest, her body going lax. A delicate moan fell from her lips, and she clinched the sheets in her hand as I pumped my fingers in and out of her.