Chapter 27 #2
He swallowed, making the alluring knot in his throat bob in such a way that I wanted to bite it. Wyn stood, but he wasn’t steady on his feet. I placed my hands on his hips to ensure he didn’t fall, pulling him against my chest and in between my spread legs.
“Do you need me to come with you?” I asked.
Wyn shook his head and cleared his throat a couple of times before he said in a forced tone, “No, I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”
I released him, and Wyn headed toward the curtained area to order. I groaned and let my head fall back. Wyn. It had been a little more than a day, and I was struggling to hold back. The instinct to touch him at all times was nearly overpowering. My very soul craved him.
“Monqilcolnen,” Wyn cried, fingers cupping my chin.
My eyes popped open. He was bent over me, brow furrowed. I traced the way his brow crinkled with my gaze as I asked, “Yes?”
He released a low noise. “I thought you were injured.”
“Of course not. I was merely resting my eyes.”
Wyn shook his head, but his fingers remained where they were on my face. He ran a finger down my nose to my lips. “Why do I like touching you so much?”
“I could be insulted.”
He frowned.
“I could, Wyn.” I smiled and closed my eyes, relishing the gentle brush of his fingers. “Perhaps it’s the same reason I enjoy touching you so much.”
“And that is?”
I looked at him, and the words caught in my throat. I wasn’t ready to tell him, nor did I think he was truly ready for me to say anything. “I am not sure.”
“So you don’t have all the answers?” he asked with a slight chuckle.
“No. No, I don’t.”
He took a seat, but this time, he sat next to me instead of across the table. “Everyone tends to act as if you know it all.”
That was true. The people who knew of my inner fire were few and far between, but even then, the fact I was the purest spiritual soul ever tested and the calm mask I wore helped reassure people I knew exactly what I was doing.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I almost never knew what I was doing or feeling.
I questioned everything. I was a mess of nerves most of the time, but I always forged forward to prove I’d made the right choice all those years ago.
“I don’t, I assure you,” I told him.
Wyn’s tail coiled around mine, and my chest rumbled. He didn’t exactly melt into my side, but he sat close enough that his arm brushed mine.
“It’s nice,” he commented.
“What?”
He glanced at me, then down at the table. “Seeing beneath your mask.”
I blinked. Most people didn’t even realize I had a mask—not even my cousins, besides Dontilvynsan and Hallonnixmin—were aware of it. It was too well-crafted, but if anyone should know the truth of me, it was my mate.
“Sometimes I wanted to say absurd stuff to break your unnatural calm or shatter your mask so I could see the real you,” he continued. “So it’s nice being able to hear you laugh and see you smile and know that you aren’t perfect.” Wyn ducked his head, shoulders hunched.
Hooking a finger under his chin, I turned him to face me. I brushed my lips against his, and Wyn groaned. I forced myself to pull back before I gave into the temptation to deepen the kiss.
“Only you, Wyn,” I muttered deeply. “Only you see the real me beneath the facade.”
He swallowed. “I like that it’s me.”
I smiled.
“You’re like a glacier.”
I was a what?
“People just see the tip of all that you are, but you are letting me see everything.”
“Yes. I will let you see all of me. I will hide nothing from you. Just give me time.”
“You have as much time as you want.”
A lifetime? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t. We would have time for the two of us, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
Stomach full, I led Monqilcolnen toward the experience shop. Normally, I didn’t spend my limited money on the shop when there were suites the crew could use for free, but those took weeks of waiting to get one. Tonight, I wanted to have fun, even if that meant dipping into my cat savings.
Monqilcolnen had been so open and kind the whole evening. Every look and random touch sent my pulse racing. He was like no one I’d ever been with, and I adored our time together, not wanting it to end.
“What do you want to play?” I asked.
His lips pursed in thought; my stomach curled, and my mouth went dry. Perhaps he wouldn’t mind a simple scenery exploration so we could find a nice place to fuck. I would be happy with that, though fucking would be more comfortable if we’d brought a blanket with us.
“I haven’t done any experiences lately,” Monqilcolnen commented. “But I do enjoy stories.”
I smiled, tilting my head down, so he didn’t see it.
He knocked my chin up, then dragged his claws over my braid before fisting the tail. “Do not hide from me, please.”
I leaned my head to the side in concession. He rushed forward and nipped my neck, sending my blood to my groin. I moaned. Monqilcolnen whispered against my ear, “You don’t have to concede to me, Wyn. We’re courting. I just want to see you—all of you.”
“I understand.”
Straightening, he said, “And I must offer my apologies.”
“Why?”
“I keep touching you, and you said that you don’t enjoy it outside of sex. I’ve been going outside the permissible holding of your tail, and I’ve already used one of my two spontaneous kisses.”
I closed the space between us, so my chest was against his. “We might have to readjust our permissions.”
“After a day?” he asked, his voice even, but I could feel his soul throbbing.
“I underestimated how much I would like the feeling of you against me. While I’ll never be cuddly outside of sex, I don’t mind the occasional kiss and touch.”
“What about biting?”
My cock stirred. I squeaked, “That too.”
He cupped my cheek with a warm smile. “I do not deserve you.”
I shook my head, looking away. “That’s hardly true.”
Monqilcolnen growled. “It is. You’re the best thing in my life.”
My eyes burned. “After a day?”
Chuckling, he said, “Yes.”
When his lips met mine, I groaned, but in the back of my mind, I knew he was either lying or delusional.