Chapter 9
Ellard adored that pissy tone of hers. She made him laugh even when he didn’t want to react. “Come here.”
She approached him without hesitation and pressed against his chest, the warmth of her breasts forcing a groan past his lips.
His left arm came around her, their lips met, and the sensual contact hurled Ellard straight into pleasure.
Phrull, he’d never thought he’d have a woman like Gwen.
Once—yeah, once—he’d dreamed, he’d acted and received the equivalent of a kick in the balls.
But Gwen…
He wanted to believe in her. He wanted her, plain and simple. So much. And his feline had craved Gwen for far longer. Stubborn beest.
Her arms curled around his neck, and the last of his restraint snapped. A very feline snarl squeezed past his lips, echoing in their rough forest shelter. The pitter-patter of tiny paws scraped over the ground nearby, then scuttled away at his cry.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
His fingers slid down her smooth back to cup her arse.
Soft warmth. Plump and curvy yet strong with more muscle tone than most women.
Ry’s doing as he taught her skills to survive.
Her confidence came from her interaction with her female friends, and while her forthright speech rattled him, he liked that aspect of her personality.
Her father…phrull, he couldn’t imagine why a parent would reject a beautiful and talented daughter like Gwen. Governor Swithin’s loss and his gain.
The friction of her sensual mouth drove his thoughts away from what should and shouldn’t be, and he wallowed in the taste and the scent of her, the way she threw herself into their exchange.
He parted their lips, dragged in a breath, and smelled arousal.
Hers. His. The herbal bouquet from the crushed leaves underfoot, and the earthiness of the soil filled his next draft of lifeforce, and he smiled, the curve of his lips feeling natural and right.
“I like this. Touching you, Ellard.” She rubbed against his torso, squeezing his erection between their bodies.
One last chance. “Are you sure? Birth control?”
“Taken care of, thanks to Mogens. Remember that threat to box your ears?”
“Yes.”
“Threat holds for this too. I know some stuff, so don’t think I won’t carry out my threat.”
“Let’s get comfortable. I would lift you off your feet, but I’m handicapped at present. How are you? Your ankle?”
“A few bruises. I’m sound of mind and body.
Last time I intend to reassure you.” She pulled away and sank onto their makeshift bed of pink-and-green leaves, and he gave thanks for his feline genes.
She mightn’t be able to see him as clearly, but he wouldn’t miss a thing.
Creamy curves. Smooth skin. Black hair in a messy braid. Full lips. Pale green eyes. Beautiful.
He stared for an instant longer, imprinting the sight in his memory before he joined her and slid close.
He nuzzled her neck, drawing in her piquant scent of flowers and green herbs.
The far-off cry of some sort of animal, quickly silenced, made him start.
Gweneth jumped a fraction too, and he stroked his hand down her back in silent comfort while he cast out his feline senses for danger, then relaxed.
They were safe. “You’re going to need to help me here since my range of positions is limited with one arm. ”
“Ooh, what are my choices? Let me choose.” Her eagerness made him chuckle.
“We can have you astride me or I can take you from behind with you on all fours.”
“Both.”
He spluttered out another laugh. She made this fun instead of the awkwardness he’d experienced in the past. “All right. Which first?”
“You from behind,” she said without hesitation. “I can’t see much in the blacklight anyway. This way, I’ll get to feel surrounded by your muscles and heat.”
“Touching and exploring first,” he countered, his grin broad and toothy. At least it felt that way since his cheeks ached from the open display of his happiness.
“I can work with that. I get to explore first.”
“Gwen.”
“Ellard?”
“I’m going first.” Before she could protest, he kissed her mouth—a dominant liplock.
He crushed his mouth against hers and took control, using every bit of his expertise.
Her hands wandered his back, his arse, and his feline purred at the sensual stroking.
His lips trailed down her neck, his teeth scraping across delicate skin, his rough tongue soothing the prod of nerves.
He moved lower to the mounds of her breasts.
Instead of going slow, he upped the pace and latched his mouth on one nipple, drawing hard while he fingered the other.
“Ellard,” she whispered, holding him close. “That feels so good. I want…I want…more.”
He scanned her face, not fully trusting her words. Women had fooled him before and instinct drove him to check, to second guess things everyone told him. He found her eyes squeezed shut, her cheeks flushed, a soft smile etched into place.
When he plucked her nipple, tugging to a point shy of pain, she moaned, the sexiest sound he’d ever heard.
“Kaya spoke the truth,” Gwen whispered. “This is so much better with a male. When do we get to do more?”
For a fleeting sec, suspicions rose to the fore. His feline snarled, the fury so great that Gwen jerked.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“My past,” he said, striving for honesty since she’d given him the same.
“You’re scared.”
“I’m not scared,” he snapped.
“I’ve seen Ry and Camryn together. Jannike with her men. I know what scared looks like.”
“I am not scared.”
“Bawk. Bawk. Bawk.”
His mouth dropped open since he’d heard that weird expression—an Earth one, apparently—before when Jannike was taunting his brother. “Would you like me to spank you?”
“Yes, please. Kaya says it’s very stimulating.”
Ellard gaped at her, so sexy and alluring with that naughty little smile. Phrull, what did Gwen and her female friends discuss when they got together? “No more talking.”
Something thumped to the ground, not far from their shelter. They both paused, tensing and relaxing when they heard no other sound.
Gweneth sucked in a quick breath. “But how will you learn if I enjoy what you’re doing?”
“I’ll know.”
“But—”
“Talking later,” he said, forcing a note of finality into his order. Maybe her chattiness came from nerves. He watched her closely and saw nothing but eagerness and excitement. Arousal.
She sucked in a breath, her mouth opened.
Gwen intended to speak. He cut off her words, trapping them with his lips while he used his one arm and hand with good effect.
He ran his fingers over her breast, down over her waist, to land on her hip.
She shuddered against him, another of those sexy little moans battering his kiss.
Fun. She made this fun and new again.
His worries dispersed like a cloud fog meeting the determined rays of a solar star. He’d given her a chance to walk away, yet she hadn’t taken his offer. The truth—he wanted her. His feline craved her, and he wouldn’t give her another chance to slip away.
He moved down her body, only pausing to kiss and lick where she least expected his attentions.
Her ribs he gave a quick lick, light enough to make her giggle and wriggle.
He dragged his tongue around her navel. ’Round and ’round until he drew a reaction from her—this time a low moan and a restless stirring that told him she truly was enjoying this experience.
He urged her to part her thighs. He wedged his body in the gap between, biting back his groan of anticipation with difficulty.
Her scent. He wanted to roll in it and mark her with his.
He wanted to combine their scents as a warning to any other male who dared to glance in her direction.
And taste… A shudder went through him as he leaned closer.
A thin line of dark hair guarded her pussy, and his hand trembled as he parted her folds.
The rich and enticing bouquet of her filled his next breath.
His pulse rate jumped to fast and choppy while his feline chose the moment to purr, satisfied with their path.
He leaned closer, suddenly nervous, the air seeming thick on his tongue.
No pressure, but this was her first time with a male.
“You’ll tell me if I hurt you?”
“Why would you hurt me? I know what to expect. I’m more aroused than I’ve ever been when I played with my vibrator or my other toys. Besides, sometimes a little pain is a good thing. Pain and pleasure are closely related. Kaya told me, and she should know since she’s had some experience.”
“Silence.”
She giggled but didn’t speak again.
He licked the line of her cleft, stopping just short of her nub.
Her exotic flavor burst across his taste buds.
Beautiful. He could lose himself in her.
Be himself. He lapped and teased and added his fingers, stroking around her entrance and dipping his digits in her juices.
She was ready for him, and some of his trepidation faded.
He kissed her warm, swollen flesh, circled her clit with his tongue and teased the bundle of nerves until it throbbed against his mouth.
Her hands came down to smooth over his hair. Each flicker of his tongue resulted in a sharp tug until his scalp smarted. She moaned, the sound gripping his balls, and he worried he might embarrass himself.
“No more. Please, Ellard. I want to feel you inside me. I want you draped over my back and pounding into me.”
He groaned, from both her words and the vision she painted. “Soon. Give me a sec.” He was a big male, and he’d rather rip out his beating heart than hurt her or dim the bright flame she showed to the world.