However, Isla suddenly pushed him away with a sharp, unexpected jolt, her chest heaving as she quickly stepped out of his intoxicating embrace.
'No, Dorian, this is entirely wrong; I have already told you my deep fears about this before,' she protested, her voice trembling heavily with the overwhelming, suffocating weight of her royal guilt and conflicted conscience.
'There is absolutely nothing wrong when it comes to true love,' Dorian murmured smoothly in response, effortlessly closing the small distance between them to wrap his strong, muscular arms protectively around her from behind, pressing a deeply tender, lingering kiss against the delicate curve of her bare shoulder.
'Ahhh!' a sudden, sharp gasp of sheer pain violently escaped Isla's lips as she instinctively flinched away from his affectionate touch.
'Isla, what exactly happened?' Dorian asked instantly, his dark eyes widening as his wickedly seductive tone was immediately replaced by a sudden wave of raw, deeply protective concern.
'It is just that... during the absolute, terrifying chaos of everything that horrifyingly happened in the forest today, I severely injured my back, and it is hurting me terribly right now,' she confessed softly, wincing slightly as she desperately tried to adjust her stiff posture.
Hearing her pained words, Dorian's sharp, calculating gaze immediately swept across the dimly lit room, quickly landing on the small, ornate jar of herbal medicinal ointment resting on the wooden vanity table—the specific healing salve the Queen had thoughtfully sent up earlier for her daughter's injuries.
Without uttering another word, he gently and incredibly carefully guided her toward the edge of the plush mattress, making her sit down before his large, warm hands returned to her back, slowly and meticulously loosening the remaining heavy laces of her silk dress to entirely expose her bruised, aching skin to the cool night air.
He quietly retrieved the jar of ointment, scooping a generous amount of the cool, fragrant salve onto his fingertips before he began to incredibly gently massage it directly into her painful wounds.
The exact, breathtaking second his warm, slightly calloused fingers made contact with her highly sensitive, battered flesh, a violent, electrifying shiver instantly shot straight through Isla's entire body, completely stealing the breath from her lungs and making her heart race wildly against her ribs.
Outside the open window, the dark night winds had begun to blow with a fierce, restless intensity, making the heavy silk curtains flutter and dance wildly in the glowing silver moonlight, perfectly mirroring the chaotic, overwhelmingly passionate, and deeply unspoken storm of emotions fiercely raging between the two lovers within the quiet walls of the bedchamber.
As Dorian's warm, incredibly gentle hands continued to meticulously massage the soothing herbal ointment directly into her battered flesh, Isla miraculously felt the agonizing, sharp throbs of her physical pain slowly begin to fade away into absolute nothingness.
Along with that vanishing physical ache, the heavy, suffocating shadow of royal guilt that had been violently tearing at her conscience earlier that day also began to entirely melt away beneath the intoxicating, addictive heat of his devoted touch.
Slowly and deliberately, Dorian expertly pulled the remaining, loosened laces of her royal gown completely free, entirely slipping the heavy, restrictive fabric off her delicate shoulders and ruthlessly tossing it off the edge of the plush bed to be forgotten on the cold stone floor.
With her pale, beautifully bruised back now fully exposed to the cool night air, he leaned down, pressing incredibly tender, agonizingly slow kisses directly against her sensitive skin.
His warm lips worshipped every single dark bruise and tender mark with a fierce, undeniable reverence, sending a violent cascade of electric shivers shooting straight down her spine.
Suddenly overwhelmed by a fresh, fierce wave of shyness and raw vulnerability, Isla frantically reached out, grabbing the edge of the heavy silk bedsheet and desperately pulling it up over her bare chest in a frantic attempt to cover her flushed, exposed body from his intense, consuming gaze.
However, Dorian instantly caught the edge of the smooth fabric; with a swift, effortlessly powerful pull, he completely yanked the luxurious silk bedsheet out of her trembling grip and aggressively threw it across the grand chamber.
His dark, predatory eyes blazed with a raw, possessive hunger, making it absolutely, undeniably clear that he completely refused to let her hide her magnificent, breathtaking body from him, demanding that she lay entirely bare and unashamed beneath his worshipping stare.
Before she could even gasp in surprise, he securely wrapped his strong, muscular arms completely around her trembling frame, forcefully pulling her bare back flush against his broad, burning chest to entirely trap her in a fiercely protective, inescapable embrace.
'Do— Do— Dorian, no... this is entirely wrong,' Isla stammered breathlessly, her voice trembling heavily as her weak, pathetic protests hopelessly drowned in the overwhelming, suffocating tide of her own raw desire.
'There is absolutely nothing wrong here, my sweet Princess,' he murmured huskily, his deep, rumbling voice vibrating against the highly sensitive skin of her bare shoulder as he tightened his unbreakable grip around her waist.