Chapter Fifteen
Taran
I was pulled up and crushed against his hard, muscular chest, as he continued kissing me and holding me in his arms. I wanted him to make love to me, and I did everything I could to persuade him to. In the end, it didn’t take all that much after all.
He picked me up and carried me over to my bed, pulling back the covers and laying me down.
I wasn’t used to being hoisted off my feet like that, but with Kirstos I thought I could learn to like it.
He was whispering sweet words in my ear, telling me how beautiful I was and describing what he was going to do to me in great detail.
At least that’s what I thought he was saying.
Most of what he said when he got excited like this was in Tygerian, which I’d always previously thought of as a harsh-sounding language.
But it certainly wasn’t when Kirstos spoke it so softly in my ear.
I didn’t understand the language really, but still I knew exactly what he meant.
I kept trying to assure him the feeling was mutual.
I put my arms up around his neck, and he leaned down to mingle his hot breath with mine.
“Make love to me,” I moaned, rutting against him shamelessly, wanting to feel him inside me. I kept trying to reach down inside his trousers, so I could put my hands on him. I was coming to realize that when it came to Kirstos Vargarra, I was a very tactile person.
“Please,” I begged him, needing him to hurry things along, though I hardly even knew exactly what I was asking for.
The most I’d ever done before had been with him.
Oh, I’d fooled around with men a few times in my life—hell, I’d fooled around with him the first time I ever saw him.
Mostly I’d had very little sex though, other than groping and being groped by another boy in the dark in the barracks and taking a few stolen kisses here and there.
None of them had ever been anything like this.
I was very afraid that Tygerians were a violent people or had that possibility within them.
I’d certainly heard that ever since I met Janos, and when Prince Mikos and his consort came to get Larz, there had been a lot of trouble and arguing.
But then again, all the Imperials had been nice enough to me since I’d been here, and they had definitely saved Janos at the bridge. Kirstos had been downright heroic.
He had also been arrogant and overbearing, and just unbearably sexy.
I couldn’t seem to stop yearning for him after that first night when he’d caught me in his room.
I had followed him around, trying to get him to notice me again.
I no longer cared what anyone thought about it—perhaps it would be worth other people’s censure for me to be able to have one whole night with him.
He pushed my hand away as he stripped off my clothing with a muttered curse, as I was no doubt interfering more than helping with anything.
He was running his hands over my body, while still managing to kiss me passionately.
I could feel the muscles rippling down his strong arms as he held me.
All the while, he was murmuring to me in those growly, unintelligible words that were making my whole body weak.
His kisses had a drugging effect on me. His lips were warm and full, and I pressed my mouth against them.
He ground into it, sighing into my inexperienced attempts at kissing him and caressing my tongue with his gently, while his big hands sweetly, maddeningly massaged the cheeks of my naked ass.
He flipped me over on my stomach suddenly, putting a hand under me to lift me up on my knees.
I stopped struggling to help—he didn’t seem to need any assistance—and just gave in, allowing him to arrange me any way he liked.
I felt his mouth down sliding over my entrance again and again, and I was too shocked to move at first. Then I began to squirm and try to get away.
Not because he was hurting me or I didn’t like it, or it didn’t feel good.
It felt almost too good, and I was embarrassed by the sounds I was making.
The wet heat was making my head spin and the thought of what he was doing to me was making me blush all over.
He held me there though and made me take it.
It was the worst and, at the same time, the most exciting, pleasurable thing that had ever happened to me.
He left me for a moment to get something, he said. I could hardly even think by then. He came back with oil, kneeling over me and applying it liberally to my most private parts and to his. I groaned and strained away but he patiently pulled me back.
“I have to get you ready. Be still.”
He was so bossy, but how could I be still with him doing what he was doing to me?
His fingers were inside me, stretching and massaging until I thought I’d go crazy.
I begged him; I cried out; I clutched the covers and tried to get away, but he ignored it all and kept going.
Finally, he pressed his prick inside me and eased himself into me, filling me slowly but inexorably until his scrotum brushed my ass.
I shouted out then and he stopped at once, peering down at me breathlessly, but when he saw I was only excited, he began at last to slowly move again.
It hurt a little, but I got used to the feeling, because he had prepared me well.
I thought I might easily learn to crave this.
I pushed back desperately against him until he guided my hips into a rhythm as he slowly, rhythmically fucked me with long, slow strokes that made me beg and whimper.
I was afraid Larz and Janos might hear me, but no one ever came to check.
Then again, maybe they did hear me crying out, but knew exactly what I was doing.
I came way too soon, and I strained back against him, chasing that excruciating, insane feeling as I came all over myself and the bed. He came right afterward, pushing into me hard. It was all so intense, and I heard a muffled curse as his heat flooded inside me.
He fell on his side, still clutching me close to him and my breathing was a series of little gasps.
He stroked my hair, and he kissed my neck as I slowly recovered.
I turned to gaze at him over my shoulder through dazed eyes, and he silently gazed back at me.
I wondered how long it would be until he grew tired of me.
He was a hero and a general. He could have anyone he wanted—why was he bothering with me?
He sat up beside me and I felt bereft. I reached for him, and he reached back and grabbed my hand.
“Rest now.”
“I-I can’t,” I said but then ruined it with a huge yawn.
He laughed and petted my hair for a while, not saying anything. Then finally, he whispered in my ear. “You’re not at all like I thought you’d be.”
“What? Not a chibby like you thought? Are you disappointed?”
“You know I’m not. You’re perfect like you are.” He fiddled with one of my braids and the said, “Have you made love to a lot of men before?”
“No. Can’t you tell?”
“But you’ve kissed men before?”
“Yes, of course. A few.”
“Who kissed you?” he asked sharply. “Give me their names.”
I laughed. “No.” I shook my head. “It’s none of your business.”
“It is, though,” he insisted.
“No, it really isn’t. And I asked around about you, you know. I found out that you used to be married, but your husband was killed in battle.”
He rolled off me and onto his back. “I don’t talk about Merik.”
“I turned toward him and began to rub my hand on his chest, loving the feel of him.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Kirstos. Truly, I am. And I understand a little. I lost my family too, in one way or another, though it was long ago. I’m glad you have good memories of him. Does it make it worse for you?”
“What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ did you not understand, so I might explain it to you?”
“Stop being so grumpy, I said, shoving at him a little.”
He grabbed my hands and growled at me, which was almost unbearably sexy. I wasn’t the least bit afraid of him and told him so.
“Afraid of me? Why would you be afraid of me? You’re my nobyo now. You said you knew what that meant.”
“I do, but I just wanted to tell you. All this growling and grouchiness means nothing to me. I can do it too, you know.” I proceeded to give him my most fearsome growl and he rolled back over on me, shoving my hands over my head.
“Do that again, nobyo. I like it.” We had a brief tussle then, which he easily won, but I must say he was gracious in my defeat. After a while of playful wrestling, where I mostly allowed him to overpower me pretty willingly, he gave me a little love bite on one of my nipples.
“Everything about you now is my business because you’re my nobyo. Just so you know.”
“I understand that term—Larz uses it for Janos all the time but tell me what you mean by it.”
“The same as he does, I imagine. It means lover, in a way, but much closer than that. It means that you’re everything to me. You belong to me.”
“Then you belong to me too, right?”
“Yes, of course. But I mean it, Taran. No other men but me. You’re mine.”
It was an insufferable thing to say—domineering, possessive, and distrustful. Goddess help me, though, because I kind of loved it.
“And what if I do flirt with some other handsome soldier?”
He gave me hard squeeze. “I’m not teasing Taran. No more men.”
“Oh, really? Does that mean that you…you love me?”
“It means you’re my nobyo. That I’ll always take care of you and that should be enough.”
“I see.” I turned away, hurt that he wouldn’t commit to saying he loved me, but said he’d take care of me. The hell with that. I could take care of my damn self and told him so.