River
Arms sliding beneath me caused me to stir as I was lifted and cradled against a familiar, solid chest. My eyelids fluttered open. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but judging by the position of the moon, it was well past midnight.
“Kobal?” I murmured and nestled against him.
“How many other men are carrying you around?” he asked gruffly.
I rested my hand against him. “Only the ones I’m sleeping with.”
A rumble of displeasure caused his chest to vibrate beneath my head. I chuckled as my fingers slid over his shirt. The last of my sleepiness faded away when I traced the etched muscles of his pecs before moving lower over the line carved down the center of his chiseled abs.
His hands tightened on me when I shifted my position to dip my fingers toward the waistband of his pants. “You need sleep,” he said.
“I need you more.”
His black eyes were unreadable when they met mine. A smile played across my lips while I rubbed my fingers against the head of his erection. He stopped walking as we arrived at our sleeping place, tucked discreetly in the woods. As he adjusted me in his arms, a shiver raced down my spine when my breasts slid enticingly down his chest while he lowered me to the ground.
He untied and tugged off his boots before turning to pull back the blankets on the makeshift bed he’d created for us. Exhaustion tugged at me as I stared at the inviting bed before turning my attention back to him. I could sleep when I was dead, which may be sooner rather than later.
Quickly shedding my own boots, I tossed them aside before resting my hands on the waist of his pants and clasping the button.
“You’re tired,” he said gruffly.
“I’m awake now,” I assured him as I slipped the button free and pulled the zipper down. “And I want you.”
He reached for my shoulders, but I stepped away from him. “I’m doing the touching, only me,” I told him.
His hands fell back to his sides. Satisfied he wouldn’t try to grab me again, I stepped into him once more. The heat of his body, warmer than mine but not unpleasantly so, caused my nipples to tingle when they came into contact with his chest.
Leisurely, I slid my hands up over the smooth flesh of his chest, relishing the feel of his supple skin on top of his granite muscle. I unbuttoned his shirt as I moved until it fell open to expose his magnificent body. No one could ever make me feel as small as he did, yet so incredibly powerful and cherished at the same time.
He moved his shoulders so I was able to push the shirt back over his thick biceps, which were easily the size of my thighs. His head bent as I traced the intricate patterns and designs of his markings before I rose onto my toes to follow my fingers with my lips and tongue. He hissed in a breath as he raptly watched every one of my movements.
His fiery scent filled my nostrils, fueling my desire as my senses were bombarded with the salty taste and exquisite feel of him. I resisted the impulse to jump into his arms and ease the clamoring need of my body. He would take me, I knew, but I couldn’t stop tasting him and feeling him. I wanted to go slow and savor these moments.
His skin rippled beneath my mouth as I made my way from his shoulder blade down over his nipple. I sucked it into my mouth, nibbling at the bud with my teeth as I dipped my hand inside his pants to cup him. His shaft jerked, swelling further within my grasp when I closed my hand around it and squeezed just like he enjoyed.
The heat of it seared my palm as I slid my thumb over the head, spreading the wet liquid forming there. He was so hard within my hand, yet his skin was so supple. Such a contradiction, much like the loving and tender man before me compared to the sometimes savage and often unyielding demon I knew he could be.
The muscles in his forearms stood out as his fingers dug into his palms, but he still didn’t touch me as I continued my exploration of his body. I grasped the edge of his pants and pushed them down his thighs.
“You could tear them off,” he suggested in a gruff voice.
I laughed as I continued to maneuver them down over his calves. He stepped out of them so I could toss them aside. “Unlike you, I can restrain myself enough to keep clothes in one piece.”
“I’ve seen you very unrestrained, Mah Kush-la.” Those words caused my pulse to spike, as did the hungry gleam in his eyes when they raked over me. “If I cannot touch you, at least let me look at you.”
“You want to see me?”
“You know I do,” he growled.
Perhaps it was the mjéod still having an effect on me, but I believed it was more the look in his eyes emboldening me to slide my hand sensually down the front of my shirt while I rose before him again. His eyes followed my every movement as I clasped hold of the bottom of my shirt and slid it over my head before tossing it aside.
“More,” he grated.
I unclasped my bra and lowered first one strap then the other. The color of his eyes changed to a golden amber that caused my body to clench with need. That change in color only occurred when he was in the throes of violence or extremely aroused.
I slipped my bra lower to reveal the upper swell of my breast. His eyes remained latched onto me as he waited breathlessly for me to take my bra off. I did so, inch by inch, until my breasts were bared to him. His nostrils flared as his heavy erection jumped before me. The warm air brushing over my nipples and the yearning in his gaze caused them to pucker. He licked his lips while he watched them harden further.
A rush of power filled me as I realized I held him enthralled without even touching him. I ran my hand down my chest to cup my breast. He took an involuntary step forward before catching himself and stopping. A groan escaped him when I brushed my thumb over my nipple before rolling it between my thumb and index finger.
Sliding my hand away from my breast, I ran it lower over my belly, down to the button on my pants. I slipped the button free, pushed my pants down, and kicked them aside. I rose to stand before him in only my simple white underwear.
“All of it,” he commanded. “All of you.”
I lifted an eyebrow when his gaze came back to me. Those eyes, more like a human’s now with whites around the irises, were the color of a wolf’s, and like a wolf on the hunt, he had marked me as his prey. Behind his compressed lips, I could see the press of his four fangs as they elongated in preparation of biting into my skin and claiming me as his. I bore his mark in more than a few places on my body now, but seeing those fangs caused a visceral reaction in me.
“River…”
His roughened voice broke off when my hands fell to the waistband of my underwear, and I slid them gradually down my legs before kicking them aside. His eyes latched onto the black curls shielding me from him, the golden hue blazing brighter. The wetness between my thighs increased in response to his growing arousal.
“No,” I whispered when he moved toward me.
He froze, and his jaw clenched in frustration, but he didn’t come any closer. With a sway of my hips, I stepped into him again. I sighed when my breasts came into contact with his chest. His erection rubbed against my belly, sending tingles of anticipation through me.
My hands ran over him again as I bent my head to swirl my tongue over his chest. Slowly, I moved around his body, kissing and licking my way to his back. His head turned so that he could raptly watch my every movement. My hands slid across his shoulder blades, over the line running down the center of his back as I marveled at the sheer strength and size of this man who was mine in every way.
Sparks danced across my fingertips and his flesh as his vast power fed my ability to draw on life. He shuddered as I continued to explore him with my hands and mouth. I made my way steadily back to stand in front of him again. His muscles vibrated with the restraint he used to keep himself still, but he didn’t reach for me.
Clasping hold of his hips, I lowered myself to my knees before him. I wrapped my hand around his swollen thickness and slid my hand down to the base of his shaft. I kept my eyes on his as I ran my tongue over the head of his shaft, swallowing the bead of liquid forming on the tip. It tasted like his flesh, fiery and salty all at once, and I found I couldn’t get enough of it as I continued my exploration.
His upper fangs were exposed when his lips skimmed back. I slid my tongue over him again before taking his head into my mouth and sucking on it. “Fuck,” he grated. “Take more, River.”
I barely recognized his voice, it was so gruff, but I eagerly obeyed his command. I slid my mouth further down, swirling my tongue over his skin as I moved. His hips bucked forward, and the corded muscles in his neck stood out. My hands slid up his thighs, and I grasped hold of his taut ass with one hand while I used the other to stroke him.
Sweat beaded across his chest and slid down his skin in tantalizing rivulets. He thickened and swelled with pressure as I moved faster up and down his length, working him with my mouth and hand.
Watching him, tasting him, was a rush that made my abilities to wield fire and life seem small in comparison. He still hadn’t touched me, yet I was aching for him to be buried deep within me, but no way was I stopping now.
“Can’t take anymore,” he ground out.
Before I could react, his hands gripped me under my arms and he pulled me away. I didn’t have time to protest him touching me as he carried me three steps and rested my back against a tree. He grabbed my wrists, securing them above my head.
My chest heaved as he kept me pinned before him; the rapid inhalations of breath caused my aching breasts to rub enticingly against his sweat-slicked flesh. His eyes burned into mine as he gazed at me with a mix of awe and a hunger so intense I found myself grinding against him in a silent plea to ease the torment of both our bodies. I’d expected him to plunge into me deeply, but he only stood and stared at me.
“You have no idea the effect you have on me,” he murmured as his gaze fell to my lips.
I couldn’t help but smile as I thrust my hips forward. “You could always show me.”
His mouth curved into a wicked grin that should have served as a warning, but I was unprepared when he released my wrists, seized my waist, and lifted me in one fluid motion. I gasped when my thighs came down on his shoulders; it quickly turned into a moan when his warm breath blew over my aching core. His mouth settled against my aroused flesh, which was now level with his unrelenting mouth and tongue.
A wave of liquid heat coursed through me as my fingers entangled in the thick waves of his hair. I pressed closer to him when his tongue delved into me and licked in greedy swipes that had me on the edge of release. His hands supported my ass as he held me more firmly against him.
I nearly screamed aloud when one of his fangs scraped over my clit. My body writhed as it demanded more; my breath came in shallow pants as he pushed my body to higher and higher levels of sensuality until I didn’t think I could take the pressure building within me anymore. Words spilled from my mouth, pleas for him to end my torment.
“Come for me, Mah Kush-la.” His breath against my center and the greedy possession of his tongue had me helpless to do anything but obey. My head fell back, and I cried out in ecstasy as waves of pleasure racked my body.
I didn’t have time to gather my scattered thoughts before he lifted me off his shoulders and settled me on the ground. My body was still shaking when he placed me on my hands and knees before him.
His powerful body knelt behind mine; one of his arms latched around my waist while the other entangled in my hair. I felt the head of his shaft probing my sex as he pulled my hair back and thrust into me at the same time. My arms gave out at the sensation of him stretching and filling me completely, of the two of us being joined once more. His arm around my waist kept me from going down as he held me up before him.
“So wet, so tight,” he groaned in my ear as he relentlessly pulled me back and forward, on and off of his stiff cock. My head fell forward as he released my hair to slide his hand between my legs. His palm and fingers rubbed my clit. “Mine.”
“Yes!” I panted as I felt myself spiraling toward the edge again.
His fangs sank into my shoulder as my body splintered apart once more. His guttural shout reverberated against my flesh as he jerked out of my body. I knew we couldn’t take the risk of me getting pregnant now, but I still felt a sense of loss when he pulled out of me to spill his seed against my back.
Gathering me within his arms, he cradled me to him as his fangs withdrew from my shoulder.