He leaned in and swirled his tongue where his hand had been. Immediately her fingers went into his hair and she held him closer, gasping out his name with that hitch of breath that let him know he drove her wild. She drove him wild, too. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her flush against his entirely clothed body. He loved how her soft curves flowed against him, molded to him. She shared her warmth and her light without asking for anything in return. He still wanted to give it to her.

“Lie on the bed,” he rasped, rubbing his chin against her breast so she could feel the faint hint of whiskers abrading the sensitive skin.

She nodded and pulled from his arms, taking her place against his pillows. She watched as he divested himself of all his clothes, her pupils dilating and obliterating the green as her desire mounted. He kept his gaze on hers as he finished stripping naked and held out his arms.

“You do love this show,” he said with a laugh.

She smiled up at him. “It is my favorite of all time.”

His smile fell, for he knew it was the truth, even though it was said in jest. What a gift that was, to know what he meant to her. No one had cared for him as steadfastly as she did. He’d pretended he didn’t want that.

Now that he had it, he didn’t want to lose it. His mind fled again to all he knew about Anne’s disappearance. All the times Thomasina had asked him for more information and he had pretended not to have it. All the times he’d lied by omission and distraction and failed to deserve the faith she placed in him.

“Oh, don’t do that,” Thomasina purred as she sat up and caught his hand, dragging him toward the bed. “Don’t run away in your mind just when I can’t wait for you any longer.”

“I would never do that,” he promised, pushing aside his troubling thoughts.

After, he would tell her. It was time to offer that vulnerability in the face of all she had given him. It was time to accept that she was his partner and deserved to be part of his search.

For now he kissed her ankle as he joined her on the bed. He dragged his tongue along her calf, hesitating as he rubbed his chin on her knee, stroking his fingers along the back. Her eyes squeezed shut and she shivered at that touch. One of many he had found drove her wild. God how he loved exploring them all, inch by inch.

He moved higher, parting her legs as he kissed a soft trail to the apex of her thighs. He could already scent her desire, sweet and heady. He opened her wide, draping her legs over his shoulders. She lifted to him, no longer shy or shocked by this.

“Please,” she murmured.

“Always,” he said as he licked her. Her flavor burst on his tongue, earthy and sweet, and for a long time he feasted on her flesh, stroking her with long, languid licks as she keened and murmured his name. Eventually those licks grew shorter and more focused as he slowly circled her clitoris and drew her toward release. She grasped the coverlet, twisting it until her knuckles went white. Her neck strained and he watched as she fell over the edge of her orgasm. Her sheath fluttered beneath his mouth and he drove her on and on, relentless in his pursuit of her pleasure even when she was twitching and begging with wordless murmurs.