Chapter 15 #2
She furrowed her brow and stepped back, confused at where this was going and growing cold as the water cooled on her skin.
But when she pulled away, he caught her wrist. She stumbled, pressing a palm to his thigh to keep from falling face-first into the water.
Even as she caught her balance, neither of them moved away.
On a wild impulse she was sure she would regret later, she took a step closer, standing between his spread legs.
He was watching her with wide eyes, both their chests heaving, when she leaned in and brushed her lips against the curve of his neck.
The action was completely instinctual, and she had little idea why she’d done it other than it felt right.
A groan rumbled from Morgen’s chest, and his hand shot to the curve of her hip beneath the water.
When she nipped the same spot with her teeth, he tugged her even closer, his other hand sliding up her ribs.
His fingertips brushed the underside of her breast, and a whimper slipped past her lips.
He paused, and she dragged her teeth against his skin again, this time harder, eliciting a rough moan from him before he cupped her breast, sliding his knuckles over the pebbled skin.
“Oh gods,” she gasped, fisting a hand in his hair.
His breath shuddered, and then he dipped his head, swirling his tongue across the wet fabric directly over her peaked nipple.
Her back arched, and she cried out, hardly caring as the sound echoed in the cavern around them.
An ache spread over every inch of her, blurring her thoughts and overtaking reason.
But when she climbed onto his lap, he paused.
“Nya,” he said, breath ragged as he searched her gaze.
There was very little separating them, and she could feel the heat of his hard cock brushing against her.
She swallowed hard, her voice breathless. “It’s not a big deal. We’re married, aren’t we?”
“That does not mean—”
“Besides, it’s not like it’ll be anything new for you.”
His brow creased. “What do you mean?”
“Imeria said you’ve been with lots of women.”
He exhaled a short laugh, his head falling to her shoulder for a moment until he looked at her again and said, “I probably should have clarified this earlier but…she was lying.”
“What do you mean?”
He traced his hand up the length of her torso, and she shivered. “I mean,” he said tightly. “She was making things up. I…I’ve never…” He turned his head, his cheeks flushing.
She blinked a few times. He was a virgin?
“Are you lying to me?”
He shook his head and for some reason, she believed him.
Maybe it was because the tops of his cheeks were still heated and pink, or the way his hands shook slightly as they traced over her body.
Even so, it didn’t make sense for so many reasons; he was decades older than her, and she had seen the way the women here looked at him.
Why wouldn’t he have been with one of them, and how could she possibly be more experienced in this regard than he was?
Absentmindedly, she traced her thumb over his cheek, biting her lip.
When she had met him at twenty-and-two, she had been with a man only a few times, a boy she’d known since she was young from the closest village, where her parents sometimes went for various supplies.
It had been brief and little more than physical, though even that part of it had been lacking, if she was honest. Other than that, she knew very little about sex or pleasure, unless she counted the way Morgen touched her behind the waterfall.
“I have,” she whispered. “When I was nineteen.”
He nodded, brushing his fingers over her lip again to stop her from biting it, and muttered, “At least one of us knows what the hell we’re doing then.”
Her gaze shot to his. Oh gods, were they really doing this?
He must have seen it on her face, because he amended, “I didn’t mean—” He cut himself off, a rough, frustrated groan escaping his throat.
Then, before she knew what he was doing, he turned her around and hoisted her up so she was sitting on the edge of the pool.
He glanced up at her as he settled between her legs, eyes dark.
“Tell me to stop, Nya.”
The words were meant to be a reminder, but they only made her more desperate. The idea of leaving now made her want to scream. She had no idea what was happening, how she had gone from cursing him less than an hour ago to touching him and watching him blush over the idea of sex, but—
Nya?
“Don’t,” she breathed. “Don’t stop.”
She thought he might have muttered, “Thank fuck,” but she wasn’t sure, not of anything as he went down on her with zero reservations.
The way he licked and sucked like he was starving for her, all while making her writhe, made her seriously doubt his claim of being inexperienced.
He figured out exactly what made her cry out and gasp quickly, and before she could make sense of it, she was already approaching the looming drop into blinding pleasure.
“Not yet. Wait,” he ordered gruffly, nipping at her inner thigh.
“I c-can’t—”
“Nya. Just a few more minutes.”
He didn’t wait for her to reply, and she thought the realization of just how much he enjoyed this might have ruined her ability to hold out any longer, because all it took were a few flicks of his tongue against her clit, and she came so hard, her ears rang, her back arching completely off the stone.
When she finally floated back to reality, she found Morgen staring at her, eyes dark and lips swollen.
Just like the last time he’d made her come, she found herself wanting more—wanting everything and wishing she hadn’t put a stop to it earlier when she was straddling him.
Even still, she was exhausted, and he must have sensed it, because he brushed his lips to her knee then rose out of the water, heading for a pile of clothes.
She didn’t look away for a second, watching the muscles of his back and ass move as he walked, the afterglow perhaps making her bolder.
When he returned, he was wearing a pair of loose pants slung low on his hips, holding what looked like a robe.
Silently, he knelt next to her, dragging the warm material over her shoulders and gently pulling her wet hair back.
Still, he didn’t move away, and it took her a moment to realize he was braiding it.
“Morgen?” she murmured, the sudden exhaustion so potent, she hardly had it in her to wonder why he was doing it.
He didn’t stop, merely muttering, “It’s wet. It’ll get tangled if it dries like this.”
She nodded but must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, he was lifting her, her head lolling against his bare chest. She tried to open her eyes, her voice muffled against his bare skin when she slurred, “Where are we going?”
“Just to get you to bed,” he replied.
I’m so tired.
He sighed quietly. I know. You just need rest.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was supposed to be mad at him still, but she hadn’t felt this warm and relaxed in a long time. There was something…something about sleep she didn’t like—
Dreams?
She couldn’t remember. She never could, except for those brief, gasping moments when she woke up from nightmares she never remembered and quickly forgot. But maybe with Morgen holding her, she could trust sleep would merely bring rest.
When she came to next, someone was speaking—a man’s voice she recognized, hissing words that almost sounded angry.
“Morgen. Have you truly been covering for her this whole time?”
“Shut your mouth for once, Carus. She needs to sleep.”
“Are you actually being serious right now?”
“I always pull her back before she goes too far.”
A rough, disbelieving laugh, then… “But it hasn’t been enough, has it? The storms are getting worse, and it’s only a matter of time before more starts to happen. Look, you don’t have a blood bond with her. It won’t be pleasant, but—”
She slipped back into sleep, but it must have only been a few seconds, because the next thing she heard was: “Finish that sentence, Carus. I fucking dare you.”
“You know I’m right.”
“Goodnight. Keep an eye on her parents.”
“And the dragons?”
“Varax has it handled.”
All was quiet after that, save for the steady beat of his heart. Her last thought was that she thought she recognized it in the echo of her own pulse.