Meanwhile, she was already sinking back into the depths of sleep.
Growing anxious, he quickly laid her down on the bed and gently brushed the disheveled strands of hair away from her forehead.
Her delicate eyelids fluttered before slowly opening to reveal unfocused eyes.
"...We're in your bedroom?"
Looking around the softly lit room in confusion, she slowly pushed herself upright.
Varkas gently pressed her back onto the cool sheets.
Then, yielding to the impulse he had suppressed ever since finding her by the spring, he slipped his tongue into the hot, damp warmth of her mouth.
Startled by the sudden, desperate invasion, she instinctively drew back her neck before wrapping both arms around his back.
Feeling a shiver race down his spine at her gentle touch, he greedily explored the soft warmth inside her mouth.
The sweet moan that escaped her throat dampened his lips.
Grasping her small chin, he pushed his tongue even deeper.
When he brushed against the sensitive roof of her mouth, her head fell back.
One hand cradled the slender neck that looked as though it might snap, while his thumb slowly stroked the violently throbbing pulse beneath her skin.
The uneven trembling that traveled into his palm only fanned the heat burning through his body.
"Varkas... I can't breathe."
Having reached her limit, Talia weakly pounded his shoulder with her fist.
Varkas reluctantly lifted his head.
His gaze lingered on her swollen, flushed lips before drifting to her shimmering eyes.
Even in the darkness, those vivid blue eyes sparkled with tears.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though a cold blade had pierced straight through his chest.
Once, he had believed that sensation came from hostility.
Now...
He was beginning to understand what these overwhelming feelings she awakened within him truly were.
Leaning over her once more, he pressed damp kisses against her reddened cheek.
He lingered there before lightly catching her small earlobe between his teeth.
Her slender shoulders trembled.
"Don't... do that. It feels strange."
"How strange?"
While soothingly stroking the narrow line of her back, he continued placing soft kisses over her closed eyelids.
Looking flustered, she suddenly pulled his neck toward her.
Then she lifted her head and gently bit his earlobe.
A violent shudder like lightning tore through the back of his neck.
Clenching his teeth to keep from letting out an undignified groan, Varkas lowered his head.
As though indulging in a mischievous prank, she lightly nibbled at his ear before breathing warm air against it.
"It feels really strange, doesn't it?"
Then she let out a quiet little laugh.
His entire body rigid with tension, Varkas slowly raised his head and glared at her.
The next instant, he caught her head in one hand and captured the smug smile on her lips with his own.
Wet, intimate sounds filled the room.
Like a man dying of thirst, he relentlessly explored every corner of her mouth.
He imprisoned her soft tongue, drawing from it with unconcealed greed before tracing the moist inner flesh of her cheek.
Moaning softly, she tangled both hands in his hair.
Savoring her frantic touch, he seized the shirt constricting him and ripped it open.
The cool night air washed over his burning skin.
It did nothing to quell the fire raging inside him.
He flung the shirt onto the floor beside the bed before climbing over her once more, gathering her slender, supple body into his arms.
Pressing kisses along her delicate jaw, he slowly traced each bone of her spine through the thin fabric of her nightgown.
Part of him wanted to strip away every piece of clothing she wore.
But if he went that far...
He knew he would never be able to stop.