I swore I was just helping raise our daughter

Sarisa sucked in a breath so sharp it was almost a gasp, her eyes closing. Her heart thundered, pulse racing beneath her skin. Heat pooled in her belly—sweet, dangerous heat.

"Lara…" she began, but trailed off, unsure what to say.

Lara's fingers stilled on her back, just resting against her now. Sarisa could feel the tension in her shoulders, the way her breath hitched and held.

For a moment, they didn't move. Time stretched thin. Sarisa's heart thumped against her ribs.

Then, slowly Lara pressed another kiss to the top of Sarisa's spine. It was a ghost of a touch, barely there, but it sent sparks down Sarisa's legs. She swallowed hard, leaning back just a fraction, inviting more.

Lara obliged. Her lips glided lower, pressing open-mouthed kisses down Sarisa's back as her fingers worked at the zipper again.

The motion was so slow, so deliberate, that Sarisa felt each individual tooth give way. The gown sagged around her hips, but she didn't care.

She didn't care about anything but the press of Lara's lips, the way her hands trailed down her ribs, mapping the shape of her. Her head fell forward, her breath shaky.

"Sarisa," Lara whispered, and there was a world of want in that one word.

"Don't stop," Sarisa managed, her voice barely a thread.

She expected Lara to turn her around—expected, maybe even wanted to be pushed up against the mirror or thrown onto the bed.

But Lara stayed behind her, the tension building between them like a storm about to break.

Sarisa heard the rustle of fabric, the sound of Lara tugging her own shirt off. Then warm hands slid up her stomach, fingers tangling in the loosened gown. Without a word, Lara eased the fabric off Sarisa's shoulders, letting it pool at her feet.

Sarisa shivered, exposed and vulnerable in just her slip. Lara's breath warmed her bare shoulder, her own skin on full display, and suddenly she was blushing—gods, she couldn't remember the last time she'd blushed like this.

Lara's lips brushed the shell of her ear. "Tell me to stop," she breathed. "Tell me to get out."

Sarisa shook her head, eyes closed, and reached back to thread her fingers through Lara's hair.

Lara made a sound like a laugh or a moan, and Sarisa felt her smile against her neck. The kiss that followed was hot, wet, and made Sarisa's knees buckle. She braced herself on the edge of the trunk, Lara's hand firm and steady on her hip.

It was all she could do not to beg.

Lara's other hand slid up her ribs, skimming the silk of her slip. Her palm was warm, calloused, and Sarisa arched into the touch without meaning to, craving more.

Her breasts felt heavy, sensitive, and when Lara cupped them, Sarisa had to bite back a whimper. Lara squeezed gently, thumbing her nipples through the silk, and Sarisa's head fell back on her shoulder.

"You're perfect," Lara murmured against her ear, the words sending a shiver down Sarisa's spine. "I want to do things to you that would make you forget your own name."

"Then do them," Sarisa whispered, turning her head to look at Lara.

Lara's eyes were dark, hungry. She was half-naked, her leather trousers hanging low on her hips, and suddenly all Sarisa wanted was to feel her, skin to skin.

She pulled at the slip, tugging the strap down her shoulder, and Lara understood. With a growl, she tugged the fabric away, letting it slide to the floor.

Sarisa turned in her arms, her breath catching. Lara's eyes roamed over her—hungry, reverent—and she felt beautiful, desired in a way she'd never experienced.

Without a word, Sarisa reached for Lara, tugging at the waistband of her trousers. Lara obliged, shoving them down with a breathless laugh, and then they were skin to skin, chest to chest, and it was everything Sarisa had ever dreamed of.

She pressed a hand to Lara's chest, tracing the lean muscle, the scar that curved beneath her left breast. Lara's heart hammered under her palm, and Sarisa kissed her—slow, deep, tasting of wine and honey.

Lara shuddered, her fingers threading into Sarisa's hair, and she felt the length of her desire against her thigh.

"I've wanted this for so long," Lara whispered against her lips. "Dreamed of it. Fantasized about it."

"Me too," Sarisa admitted, though she'd never let herself put words to it. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, even when I tried."

Lara smiled, kissing her again, and again, until Sarisa was breathless and laughing. "Gods, you're incredible," Lara murmured. "I could eat you alive."

"Then do it," Sarisa breathed, tugging her toward the bed.

Lara went willingly, pushing Sarisa down onto the cool sheets, following her with her mouth.

They kissed and kissed, Sarisa losing track of everything but the taste of her, the feel of her hands and her skin. She arched beneath her, legs wrapping around her waist, and felt Lara's laugh of delight against her throat.

Then Lara's mouth was lower, her tongue teasing one nipple and then the other, her teeth nipping at the sensitive skin. Sarisa gasped, her back bowing up, and Lara huffed a laugh.

"Sensitive?" she whispered, her breath warm.

"Very," Sarisa managed, though it was hard to form words. "Keep going."

Lara did, her mouth working lower, kissing the soft skin of Sarisa's belly. Her hands were everywhere, touching, teasing, and Sarisa was reduced to a puddle of want, her blood on fire.

"Please," she whispered, tugging at Lara's hair. "Please, I want you."

Lara looked up, her eyes dark and full of fire. "Tell me what you want, Sarisa," she demanded. "Tell me, and I'll give it to you."

Sarisa bit her lip, her cheeks flushing. "I want your mouth on me," she said, the words shaky but clear. "I want you to taste me."

Lara's eyes lit up with something like triumph, and she pressed a kiss to the inside of Sarisa's thigh. "With pleasure, Your Majesty."

And then her mouth was on her, hot and wet and perfect. Sarisa cried out, her hands fisting in the sheets.

Lara worked with slow, deliberate strokes of her tongue, and Sarisa lost herself in the pleasure, in the sensation of Lara's hands on her thighs and her mouth between her legs.

She came with a cry, her body shuddering, and Lara kissed her thigh again, her eyes full of satisfaction.

"You're amazing," Sarisa whispered, pulling her up for a kiss. She could taste herself on Lara's lips, and it just made her want more.

"I'm not done yet," Lara murmured, and slid a hand between her thighs.

Sarisa gasped, arching into her touch. "Oh gods, Lara, please—"

Lara laughed, kissing her neck, her ear, her throat. "Anything you want, Sarisa. Anything at all."

She worked one finger inside her, then two, and Sarisa clung to her, lost in the feel of her, the rhythm of her strokes. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced—slow and hot and so, so good.

"Lara," she gasped, her nails digging into Lara's shoulders. "Lara, I'm going to—"

"I know," Lara whispered, kissing her deeply. "Let go. I've got you."