Gavriel was still breathing hard, muscles tense, trying to steady himself as she slowly released him. But Althea didn’t move away. She stayed on her knees between his thighs, her hands resting lightly on them, eyes locked with his in a way that made heat coil low in his stomach again.

He brushed his thumb across her swollen lower lip, wiping a faint trace of him there. The soft smear made his jaw clench all over again.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered, voice rough and ...