5. Rhydian
RHYDIAN
At first I’m unsure what’s happening.
Bloom’s mouth is on mine, and while she is opening like a flower—soft and inviting—I’m frozen. Her small hands fall to my chest as she presses harder against me. I can feel every delicious curve and the gentle press of her beaded nipples against my skin.
Her lavender scent is more potent as I taste it from the source.
She is small and warm, and I don’t know what to do with my hands. Or if I should—
Bloom rocks back on her heels. Her pupils are blown wide. Bewitching color stains her round cheeks as she slides her pink tongue over her lower lip. The amused tilt to her mouth sets my blood on fire.
“Usually during a kiss, the other person normally kisses back.”
Shame cramps my stomach. I’ve displeased her. She offered me her sweet mouth, and I was too afraid to seize it. When will I be bold enough to claim what I want?
“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” I grumble.
Bloom’s eyes turn understanding. Up close, they are threaded with gold and green. I could spend forever cataloging the different hues.
“Me neither,” she admits, red crawling up her throat. “Unless I count Jeb, but we were seven. What we did could hardly be considered anything other than smashing faces together.”
Whoever this Jeb is, I vow to eradicate him from this plane of existence.
Perhaps I’m not the peaceful male I told her I was. The thought of her with another burns me alive. I meant every word of my confession. Having tasted her, I’m no longer sure I can watch her go come dawn.
Bloom is my salvation and torment.
My hands wrap around her upper arms and pull her close. Her fingers trace over the contours of my stomach, and I swallow down a groan. Biting her lip, she turns her glimmering eyes to mine.
“Did you want to kiss me or did I completely misread the entire situation?” she asks.
I huff a laugh. How can she even ask me that?
Remembering my performance, it becomes abundantly clear why she would question my desire. I must right this terrible wrong and show her just how much I want her.
Walking backward, I settle atop the mattress. The bed frame groans under my weight as Bloom stands between my splayed thighs. At this level, her head grazes my chin. I test her soft waist and feel her hot skin beneath the shift.
“I want to kiss you, Bloom.” I pull her forward. “While you’re on my lap.”
She shivers while her eyes gloss over.
Lifting her between my palms, she weighs nothing as I settle her atop my thighs. Her knees fall to either side of my hips. The warmth between her legs burns through my linen trousers. She flashes me a demure grin as she braces her palms on my shoulders.
“We shouldn’t be putting weight on your ankle. Not even to kiss,” I explain.
Blooms smooth brow presses against mine.
“A selfless male. Such kindness should be rewarded.”
I wrinkle my snout. Insecurity sours my stomach.
“I don’t want you to kiss me out of kindness.”
“I’m not.” Bloom cups my cheek, tracing the line of my jaw. “I’m kissing you because I want to. I want you, Rhydian.”
Her words make my head swim. If it wasn’t for her hands keeping me steady, I’d think I was surely dreaming.
“More than anything, I want you to see that not all humans are bad. I’m human, and I desire you more with every passing moment.”
My fingers tease her sides, loving the ways she leans into me. Her lovely face glows like the moon.
“You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Brave and selfless, with a remarkably kind heart.”
My hands pause their movements.
“I feel unworthy of touching you. I’m just me. A scared, lonely male who’s festered away in self-imposed isolation. I’m not confident and compassionate like you, Bloom. I’ve spent the majority of my life hiding.”
“Then join me in the light,” she whispers against my lips. “I’ll show you there's nothing to fear.”
When her mouth descends towards mine, I’m ready for it.
Fear melts away at the first press of her full lips. Her mouth is plush and nestles against mine like she was made for me. Bloom moans as I kiss her back. My moves are unpracticed, and it takes us both a few tries to find our rhythm.
I need more.
My hands slide up her back and into her silken hair. Pulling her head back, I lick over the seam of her lips. She parts them with a moan. My tongue snakes into her mouth, testing and tasting. She is sweeter than honey and warmer than the sun.
Her hands travel over the muscles of my chest as I taste each one of her moans. The fabric covering her breasts is nearly translucent as it stretches taut between our bodies. Bloom works herself in my lap. I can scent her desperate state.
She truly does desire me.
The wetness soaking through my trousers is evidence of it. This beautiful, brave woman wants me. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she never regrets giving me this chance.
If tonight is all I get, I will die a happy male.
“I want to kiss more than your mouth, Bloom.”
My confession is growled against her lips.
Bloom whimpers as she nods jerkily. Her soft lips are swollen from my kisses. My hands fall towards her waist and whip her faster against my hard thigh. Each high-pitched mewl makes potent desire burn in my veins.
Lifting trembling hands, Bloom tugs down the short sleeves of her shift. The top of the garment pools around her waist as her breasts are exposed in pale moonlight.
My mouth goes dry at the sight of them. Full and round—tipped with pink nipples. My cock hardens painfully beneath her. The stirring I’ve felt in her presence since the moment she arrived is impossible to ignore.
Release threatens at the mere sight of her.
“Kiss me wherever you want, Rhy. You’re the only one who’s ever seen me like this.”
Lifting my hand, she places it on her breast.
It fills my palm perfectly. I squeeze gently, delighting in her soft whimper. My other hand cups her other breast as I work them in tandem. Bloom's head falls back, her swath of dark hair tickling my knees.
“You’re the only one I ever want to see me,” she confesses. “I wouldn’t ask you to join me in Dew Hollow if I had the intention of taking another for my husband.”
My head snaps up. The room tilts. Potent longing slices through my stomach.
“Are you saying—”
“I’m saying,” she says, leaning forward, “that for tonight, let us just be two beings. Coming together to share kisses and touches and whatever other pleasures feel right.”
Who am I to deny such a sweet offer? I snarl my agreement as my hands renew their efforts to her breasts.
I nip at her jaw as my lips taste down her throat. Bloom is soft everywhere. Her flesh feels like hot silk and tastes like sugar. I lick and suck every inch of it before my lips replace my hand at one of her breasts.
Tasting the fleshy swell of her breast, my mouth descends lower before latching onto a nipple.
I run my tongue along the taut peak as Bloom’s hands spear into my hair. Her moans echo around us as she writhes on my lap. My cock presses against the curve of her ass, desperate for a release I’ve never experienced.
My mouth switches to her other breast before rolling her onto the bed.
Pink decorates her chest and cheeks as I loom over her. Hazel eyes stare trustingly up at me. Her eyelids are heavy with desire.
I swallow thickly as I reach for the fabric covering her lower half. I need her naked, but only if she will allow me such pleasure.
Nodding, Bloom lifts her hips and helps me remove her shift.
My blood freezes at her naked form. Pale gold skin glitters against my sheets. The soft slope of her stomach gives way to the decadent flare of her hips. Every mouth-watering inch is on display, including the slick flesh hidden beneath a small patch of dark hair.
Her thighs press together, but part after gentle encouragement from my hands.
I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve never seen a naked woman before. Of course, I’m aware of the rudimentary basics of how matings work. I have no idea how to make it pleasurable. Instinct alone moves me. I’ll listen for what makes Bloom moan the most and do that until she finds her peak.
My father had told me when I was young the importance of being gentle for a male of our size.
If I was ever to find a mate, I would need to take care with her.
The thought of doing Bloom harm makes my stomach turn.
I will ensure her pleasure always comes before mine, and it will be my life’s mission to figure out how to achieve it.
Once her thighs fall open, my entire world shifts.
I stare down at pure perfection. Slick pink flesh glistens with her arousal. The heady scent of her need invades my nostrils and settles in my lungs. Wanton desire tickles the base of my spine as my hips tip forward. Euphoria explodes in my veins.
I rut against the mattress on instinct as completion wrecks my body. Groans fall hotly from my lips.
“Rhydian? Are you okay?”
The wetness pooling in the front of my trousers makes my climax quickly turn to shame. I can’t bear to meet her eye. What a weak male I am.
Will she still want me, or will my lack of control repulse her?
“I—I’m sorry, Bloom. I thought—I’ve never—”
“Did you just, um, come?”
I hang my head in shame. The only acknowledgment I’ll give of my distasteful behavior.
“I don’t understand. Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?” she asks.
“Not this quick. Looking at you—smelling you—it was too much for me to resist.”
“Oh. Oh.” The bed creaks as she sits up. “Look at me, Rhydian.”
No matter my guilt, whatever she asks of me I will do. I gaze into her bewitching eyes and take in the delighted curl of her lips. There is no disgust in her eyes but an eagerness I don’t deserve.
“I like that I can do that to you. Make you lose control.” A wicked gleam dances in her eyes. “It’s just a shame I didn’t get to taste it.”
My cock stirs to life at her words. Bloom is a gift. My most precious treasure. I vow to make her climax just as hard as I did.
“I’ve never been with someone, Bloom. My cock is untouched even by my own hand. You own my first climax.”