This Battle Lord's Quest by Linda Mooney

and that includes Mutah! What do you want me to do? Wear a dress every
day and prattle over which dessert we should serve in the main lodge? Or maybe
I need to join the sewing circle. I’m told they’re short-handed.”
    The vision of Atty in a dress, her hair neatly done
up at the nape of her neck, and sitting amid a bunch of gossipy women, suddenly
burst his fury balloon. Unable to contain himself, he started to chuckle, which
soon became a laugh. Atty stared at him in surprise, a smile forming on her
beautiful lips.
    Reaching for her, he pulled her against him and
buried his face in her hair. Holding her tightly, he kissed the top of her ear.
“Dearest heavens, Atrilan. You are going to send me to an early grave.”
    “Liam needs those medicinals. He’s been out for
ages, but with Madigan having so much trouble with her pregnancy, he hasn’t
dared leave the compound to go looking for them. I promised I would keep an eye
open.”
    Lifting her into his arms, he walked over to one of
the easy stuffed chairs and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. She raised her
face for his kiss, and her hands slid up his chest before circling his neck to
grab his hair.
    He possessed her. He loved her. Opening his soul,
he finally allowed all the tension to drain out as she moaned a breath into his
mouth. A hand cupped a breast, and when he felt he couldn’t wait any longer, he
broke the kiss, jerked up her blouse, and bent to take the pale pink nipple
between his lips.
    The red anger that had infused him turned into
desire. Red heat became white at the sensation of her bottom squirming against
his erection. He started to take her down onto the rug, when she stopped him,
shoving him back against the chair.
    “No,” she panted, and reached for his belt. “I
can’t wait.” She unbuttoned his breeches to allow his length to spring free of
the confining material, then started on her own pants. Yulen realized that at
some point she’d managed to kick off her boots. A moment later, she shed her
breeches, and snuggled back into his embrace, her knees on either side of his
thighs.
    Carefully, Yulen held his shaft as she lowered
herself over it, gently bobbing up and down until it was slick, before her
tight channel fully enveloped him.
    “Love me, Yul. Love me.” She clamped her mouth over
his without giving him a chance to reply. It didn’t matter. What did matter was
the need to have himself inside her. To feel her wet warmth closing in on him,
gripping him, and tightening as he repeatedly plunged into her. Her hips
quivered in his hands as he worked her up and down. And as she grew nearer to
her release, she gasped and threw back her head, baring her neck and throat to
his kisses.
    They made love with silent, furious intent. Not
like the usual slow, sexually-charged times when they were alone, either in bed
or in some out of the way locale where no one would accidentally stumble over
them. Or where their son would least be likely to interrupt. On those rare
occasions when they could take their time, they filled the moment with words of
passion.
    This was not one of those moments. His deep-set
fear had left him starving for her, until all he wanted to do was to have her,
and love her, and reassure himself through her body that she was back safe with
him.
    When it was over, and they held each other in a
tight, sweaty embrace as they tried to catch their breaths, Yulen felt the
sting of tears in his eyes. His arms held her closer, until he could detect the
rapid beat of her heart through his skin.
    “I can’t lose you, Atrilan. You are my life, my
heart. Without you, I am nothing.”
    She answered him with a kiss, then slowly climbed
out of his lap. “As much as I would give anything to stay and do this again, I
need to check on Mattox and make sure he’s fed decently, instead of scarfing
more of Berta’s butter cookies.”
    He nodded as he got to his feet and buttoned his
pants. “And I need to debrief the squad that accompanied