Chapter The Promise
Eleanor moved, a pleasant smile gracing her lips as she opened her eyes. The room was still dark, and she was covered in a new sheet, that reached up to her neck. She smiled again, then turned to Conaan.
His breaths were even, and his face was turned to her, his hand resting delicately on her stomach, his lashes moving only slightly.
She leaned back, propping the pillow so she could watch him. Her fingers slowly traced his face, dropping to his sharp jawline. She smiled and moved even closer, her face nuzzling into the base of his neck.
He smelled beautiful, and she sighed, her fingers wrapping around him as she savoured his beautiful scent, and his warmth, her eyes closing once more.
It was dusk now, and she smiled to herself. A whole day with no interruptions, it had been more than her best dreams. She smiled, a little sigh escaping her lips, every detail etched in her mind.
With a small movement, she grabbed one of the clean sheets Conaan had apparently covered them up in before he fell asleep, then wrapped it around her. She walked out of bed, the sheet falling to the very small of her back, while she held the front up.
Not likebit mattered anymore.
She walked to the large mirror, where a burning torch was next to, so she could see her reflection in it.
Slowly, he moved her hair to the right shoulder, her eyes softening as she saw it. A bright red spot that was almost shaped in a very small heart.
Her own mark was a heart. No, Conaan’s heart.
She smiled to herself, bringing her fingers to gently caress the spot. It was the most beautiful mating mark she had ever seen.
She heard the sheets ruffle, and she took her time turning. When she did, Conaan was fixing the waist line of his slacks. She did not have to wait too long as he covered the distance, his head leaned to where the mark was.
He placed a small kiss right on it, then leaned up, his face nuzzling into the side of hers.
“Does it hurt?” He asked, his voice deep and husky, and hell, maddening. It was the sort of voice that could make the most sane woman out there tremble on her knees, her honor, her heart on a platter in front of her.
She did not reply instantly, and he moved, gently placing small, teasing kisses on the side of her face, his fingers gently wrapping around her stomach.
She leaned back onto him, arching against him, her eyes closing, her chest heaving with the same pleasure that had lured her to sleep.
“Hm?” He asked again, pausing for a minute, his eyes opening to examine her.
She was flushed, and she managed a smile, then turned to the mirror again. Canaan’s reflection complemented hers, and she had never seen something so perfect.
“It is perfect.”
He smiled, then nuzzled back into her. “I am glad you think so.”
She smiled, moving a little to give him more of her skin to feel. “You think there is a way to capture this moment forever?”
Conaan looked up, then into the mirror. He pulled her even closer, his eyes tender as he took in the reflection.
“Sure enough, I will remember this forever.”
She chuckled and turned slightly to him. “So will I.”
He nodded, his hand gently caressing her stomach through the thin sheet, his eyes fixed on the mirror.
He suddenly rested his head in the crook of her neck, his breaths slow. “Thank you, Eleanor. For trusting me.”
She raised a brow, a small laugh escaping her. “There is no one I trust more.”
He nodded, kissing her cheek. “I shall not let you down. I shall make the world fall at your feet if that is what you want. If it is I you need on my knees, you shall have that too.”
She breathed, easing into him. He leaned into her neck, and she reached her arm to cup the back of his head. His grip tightened around her waist as he slowly sought her lips once more, nothing but the rising sun and the mirror as witnesses.
She broke away first, her lips lingering in front of his, half parted, breathless.
“You just snatched my conscience.”
Conaan smiled. “I did?”
He moved away first, kissing her forehead, then her jaw line, then her hand, then her neck, then every bit of skin there was to kiss.
“And much morre,” she managed to say, finally turning fully to him. Her hands wrapped around him, and he turned it, his lips still gladly feasting on her neck.
“Tell me.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I will tell you some other time.”
He nodded, his fingers slowly tracing up her spine. “We burned in this fire, but it is not quenching just yet.”
She smiled against him. “Is it like a forest fire, then?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No. It is really small, and has placed a hold on my heart, and it has never been good without it.”
Eleanor moved away from his embrace, her eyes holding his. “Do not leave my side, Conaan. I shall crumble at your feet if that is what it takes for you to stay.”
He smiled, wondering just how needless it was for her to say it.
“You do not need to crumble at my feet. You need to stand on your feet and kiss me like tonight, and I assure you there is no place I would rather be.”
She laughed, moving forward to him, her nose brushing his. “Is that so?”
“To be honest, I do not think you know what your worth is. I have waited so long. I have given you everything. My soul, my heart, my body...I would be nothing but unclad bones by the time I leave.”
“That is a promise, my love.”
He chuckled, leaning to her ear. “Pretty dangerous if you address me that way right now, Eleanor.”
She laughed. “Promise, my love.”
He smiled, pulling her to him, the sheets falling away. “I promise.”