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Despite having the smarts and knowing better, Iliana couldn't resist the dangerous charm her lover possessed.

The thought crossed her mind when she went out on one of her occasional night walks throughout the town of Hadrian's Wall. It was fairly late, and most of the townsfolk had already turned in for the evening. The only ones up at this hour were the patrolling Roman guards assigned around town and at the top of the Wall itself. She wore one of her Greek-style dresses, with a matching shawl around her shoulders to shield herself from the chill of the night. Her blonde locks were loose, hanging freely just past her shoulders, and her ivory skin glowed under the light of the full moon.

The patrolling guards who saw her glanced at her in awe and intrigue, but their gazes didn't linger too long, and she knew it was because of the man she called hers. He caught any of them, or any man, looking her way, and a death glare from him made them look the opposite direction.

She struggled to think of Tristan, the Hamaxobii scout of the legendary Arthur Castus, without her heart skipping several beats in her chest. His wild hair, plaited with multiple braids all around his head, his piercing brown gaze hidden behind his cropped bangs, and his fit, muscular form, defined from years of training and fighting. The grey in his beard spoke thirty-three years and a fifteen year age gap between them, along with the irresistible danger she tried to stay away from, but couldn't.

Her late father once told her older men possessed charm in not just their looks, but also the wisdom they carry from their experiences over their lifetime. In the years growing up with her father and his comrade, Andres, and in the time she spent at the fort, she could vouch for it. When she believed she shut out the concept of love, Iliana convinced herself she could resist the spell, but as time passed, she came to realize how wrong she was. Not even the efforts she made to harden her heart made her immune to its capabilities, and now that she's had a taste of what it gave her, she was always wanting more.

Her feet took her to the knights' stables, the lit lamps around the perimeter giving the barn a candlelight glow. She could hear the horses snoring in their stalls, and she approached the stall housing Tristan's horse, Siria. The dapple grey mare was curled up in a ball, her nose buried in her coat, and the serene sight made a smile form on her lips. Like Tristan, she charmed her horse, Arion, and since their arrival, the two horses had practically been inseparable, save for the times when the men left for an assigned mission. Her charisma was identical to her master's, for she also charmed her as easily as she charmed Arion.

After staring at Siria for a little longer, Iliana stepped away from the stall and approached the one housing Arion. The great white stallion was lying on his side, snoring in content as he slept. If the weather permitted come tomorrow, she was going to take him out and ride him bareback through the grassy plain.

Before she could get lost in the depths of what had been plaguing her mind, she felt a pair of powerful arms wrapping around her waist. The next thing she knew, she was being pulled away from the stall and up against a muscular chest. A familiar hum racked her ear, and she leaned back against his shoulder as she felt the scratch of his beard and the brush of his lips against her skin.

"So, this is where you were," he purred, inhaling her familiar scent of lilac and lavender.

"Sorry. I couldn't sleep," she whispered, turning her head slightly to look at him.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, breathing heavily against her lips.

"I was just thinking about how I couldn't resist you and your charm, even though I had the smarts and knew better than to fall for someone much older than me," Iliana replied.

She saw the intrigue in his eyes before he leaned forward to give her a kiss on her lips. She moaned into his mouth as her lips molded with his, a familiar need awakening within her as her heart pounded madly in her chest. Tristan turned her around so that her front faced him, and then he pushed her back, pressing her against a nearby beam.

"What? You didn't want to fall in love with me?"

Iliana breathed out a small sigh as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's not that I didn't want to fall in love with you," she replied. "I thought with me having hardened my heart over the concept of love the day my father died, I could resist the spell you and the men have over the surrounding women.

"What I didn't count on was the turn of events that led us up to this very moment. I know I'm playing with danger and I know it's not right, but I can't help myself, and I don't care, either."

He crushed his lips to hers, and her grip around his neck tightened when he pressed his body hard against her own. Iliana relished the kiss for as long as possible before pulling away for air, her heart threatening to burst out of her ribcage.

"Your ability to seduce me is another one of your dangerous aspects."

"And you can never resist it," he whispered, causing her to chuckle. "Maybe I should enlighten you on the danger you can't stay away from."

With a smile, Iliana placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away from her, before slipping her hand in his.

"Please do."

Iliana felt the softness of a mattress against her back as Tristan laid her down on his bed. They ended up heading to his room, since the knights' quarters were just a short walk away from the stables. Once they were inside, the couple engaged in yet another make-out session, their tongues moving in a sensual dance as they plundered each other's breaths in this deep kiss they were under.

When he pulled away from her reluctantly for air, Tristan opened his eyes to stare at her. Her lips were wet and swollen, her complexion flushed from the encounter, and he saw her nipples harden beneath the fabric of her dress. Deft hands pushed the sleeves of her dress down her shoulders, and Iliana pulled her arms free from the fabric, allowing him to pull the dress down and off her body. His breath hitched at the sight of her; despite having seen her bare many times over from their previous sexual romps, it never ceased to mesmerize him. Seeing the admiring look in his eyes, Iliana felt the heat in her cheeks intensify.

He stared at her for a little longer, and when she pouted and gestured towards his clothes, Tristan understood the silent message and pulled the fabric of his tunic from the back up over his head. Iliana hummed at the sight of his muscular chest and torso, his many battle scars adding to his appeal, and she couldn't wait to map out every detail of his form with her hands. She watched as he kicked off his boots and stripped off his breeches, and he kept his eyes on her as he spread her thighs apart, creating a niche for his hips before taking his time crawling on top of her.

Iliana arched her back slightly, pushing her bare breasts up against his chest as he leaned down to kiss her. Enthralled by the taste of his lips, she emitted a soft sound, and Tristan lavished her neck with kisses. She moaned loudly with pleasure, wrapping her arms around his neck as one hand tangled in his hair, kneading the back of his head as he started including suckles with the kissing. She arched further into him, exposing more of her neck, and he deepened his kisses and suckles with each one, ensuring he marked every inch of her neck with his lips.

His kissing assault descended to her chest, planting a kiss on the tops of her breasts before cupping one and kneading the swell in his calloused hand. He then kissed her other breast, ensuring he kissed every inch of the swell before taking her hardened nipple in his mouth. Iliana raked her nails across his back while the hand tangled in his hair clenched into a fist, grabbing a handful and tugging. Tristan groaned against her breast, the sound rumbling her skin as his tongue lavished the bud during his suckling. She arched even more into him, and he alternated between her breasts and nipples, ensuring both swells and hardened buds received an equal amount of attention.

Iliana squirmed as the pleasure shot throughout her body, feeling his length pressing hard against her inner thigh, and the hand raking his back moved down to his hip, pulling him even closer to her. After showering the entirety of her stomach with kisses, he positioned his hardened arousal at the junction between her thighs before guiding himself inside of her. She gasped as she engulfed him, her own arousal coating his length as he buried himself inside her all the way to the hilt. She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles at the small of his back, and after gripping the sheets with both hands, Tristan moved, burying his face in her neck.

Both of Iliana's hands gripped his shoulders, and he started thrusting slowly, with her matching his pace as he moved. Once she got the rhythm, he picked up the pace, sucking on her neck and tugging her skin. Her moaning could have flooded the whole hallway and woke up the rest of the knights, and she wouldn't have cared.

Feeling her soft curves and his length rocking her insides turned him on so much that he didn't want the moment to stop. Every time they made love, he always wanted more, and he knew she felt the same way based on how hard she was holding his shoulders. At that, he understood her words from earlier; as dangerous as he was regarding his looks and abilities as a fighter, he had something she couldn't say no to, even if she tried. Not that he wanted her to resist him; she drew him in like a moth to a flame without even trying, and he sure as hell didn't want to stay away from her, especially after he failed many times over.

As the pleasure continued to course through each of their veins, Iliana rolled them over so that she was on top, straddling his waist and never breaking their intimate connection. He reached up to cup her breasts in both her hands, kneading the swells and teasingly twisting her nipples between his fingers, before roaming down to caress her sides and stomach, stopping at her waist and tugging on her skin. Placing her hands on his bare chest, the hairs there tickling her palms, Iliana rocked her hips, shaking her hair as she tilted her head back. Tristan groaned as she rode him, answering her movements with upward thrusts into her and hitting the deepest pit of her core every time.

She felt her walls tighten around him, and after a few more minutes, Iliana shuddered when she finally achieved release, her warmth coating his length. Tristan followed not long after, spilling his seed inside her and warming the depths of her core. She then fell forward, collapsing on his chest as her breathing steadied, and he wrapped his arms around her, running her fingers through her hair.

"Damn," she muttered to herself, which he heard.

"What? Going to resist me now?"

She looked up at him and chuckled, shaking her head.

"Nay. I'm already in too deep, and I don't want to get out of it."

He let out a hum, and Iliana didn't miss the look of desire in his eyes as he gazed at her.

"I hope you realize what you just said."

Before she had the chance to ask what he meant, Tristan captured her lips in a kiss, rolling her over so that he was on top, and he rolled his hips, signaling his intention to make love to her again.

Upon waking from her deep slumber, Iliana noticed that she and Tristan had become entwined, their bodies connected as if they were inseparable. They made love throughout the entire night, and not once did he ever let go of her. As she gazed at him, Iliana knew she didn't want to pull away from what they formed in this relationship. Despite the age difference and the risks of being with an older man that served as a knight for Rome, she didn't want anyone else if it wasn't Tristan. If being with him meant dropping her defenses and bypassing her resistances from what she knew, she would happily brave the danger and face the risks involved.

Just as she tried to move to detangle herself from him, Tristan tightened his hold on her, pulling her even closer to him before cracking his eyes open.

"Hi," she greeted with a smile, leaning towards him to rub the tip of her nose against his.

In response, Tristan captured her lips in another kiss, plundering her breath yet again.

"Don't want me to go?" she purred.

"No. Stay in bed with your dangerous man, and I think you want to," he whispered in her ear, his voice husky from sleep and arousal.

Her smile widening, Iliana relished the closeness for a little longer before kissing him, and it wasn't long before they picked where they left off the previous night to greet the new day.