Chapter 12
NATALEE
My heart poundedagainst my ribcage as Knot carried me upstairs, and disbelief continued to swirl through me. While he hadn’t divulged the specifics of his encounter with Mr. Foxthorne, it was apparent that he’d gravely injured the human male who’d attacked me. As a priest, Knot had taken vows of peace, every holy male did, but it would seem he’d broken those vows on my account.
I would be lying if I claimed I weren’t touched.
But gods. Truth be told, I was deeply moved by Knot’s defense of my honor.
My pulse quickened as he opened my door and carried me inside my bedroom. He kicked the door shut and set me on my feet. I peered up at him, completely at war with myself. I wanted to accept his proposal of marriage so very badly, but I tried to force the desire aside. Faircross needed him more than I did. The spiritual wellbeing of an entire town had to outweigh my need for a husband. My need for Knot.
He cupped my face and gazed at me with an intensity that tore down my defenses. Gods, how could I resist him? Perhaps we were only meant to share nights at The Sweet Siren. Eventually, he would tire of me. But until then, I intended to savor each night spent in his arms. I tried not to think about the large sum of money he passed Madame Sage as he left in the early morning hours, money I knew the madame would take care to deposit into a bank account she’d recently opened on my behalf.
“You’re so beautiful, Natalee.” His deep voice rumbled through me and melted my insides. I felt momentarily lightheaded as I held his handsome gaze. “And your soul calls to me. Gods, I have never wanted anything as much as I want you. I feel as though you’ve bewitched me, but I can’t claim to mind it. I am obsessed with you. I am ravenous for you.” Heat flared in his eyes, then he lowered his face to mine and kissed me soundly.
Heat pulsed between my thighs, and I felt myself growing wet and achy for my big orc defender. My heart went pitter patter as I remembered what he’d done for me, and I circled my arms around his waist and pressed my body against his.
I immediately detected the hardness of his massive erection. A thrill rushed through me as I recalled the size of him. He’d only claimed me once last night, but he seemed much more amorous tonight, perhaps as a result of his fight with Mr. Foxthorne, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he planned to take me more than once. A spasm of pleasure affected my quim at the prospect.
“I can smell your arousal, human female,” he said with a growl as he finally broke the kiss. “You’re soaking wet and ready to be claimed by your orc master, aren’t you?” His dark eyes glimmered with heat.
My breath caught at his bawdy talk, and I couldn’t help but remember the spanking he’d given me last night when I hadn’t obeyed his orders. I craved his dominance, and I wouldn’t be averse to the feel of his palm descending on my bottom again, though I wasn’t quite brave enough to ask for a spanking. But maybe I could… coax him into giving me one?
I narrowed my eyes at him and said, “You, sir, are not my master,” in the most flippant tone I could muster.
His eyes flashed, his nostrils flared, and he gripped my arms tighter. “Aye, I am, and you are my helpless little human slave.” His eyes gleamed with humor for the briefest moment, then his visage grew serious again. “I suggest you try your best to please your master, lest you suffer my wrath. Little slaves who don’t obey get punished.”
Oh my. I was so excited by the naughty game I’d instigated that I could scarcely breathe. Or maybe he’d been the one to instigate it. I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that not only did I want it to continue, but I wanted to see how far I could push him. I lifted my chin and said, “You don’t have any right to boss me around.”
He chuckled darkly, then spun me around and forced me to bend over the bed. He made quick work of lifting my skirts, yanking away my drawers, and baring my bottom. At first, I thought he meant to spank me, but then I felt the hugeness of his male appendage pressing against my aching quim.
“I think perhaps you need a firm lesson in obedience, little slave.” He gave a quick thrust, forcing the head of his massive girth inside me. I couldn’t restrain a whimper. “You’re going to take all of my cock. Every fucking inch. And you’re going to lie there and take it, little slave, until I spurt my seed deep in your core.”
He gave a deep groan and jerked his hips forward, impaling me in one quick movement. Oh gods. He was filling me up with his hugeness, and I couldn’t do anything about it. He withdrew partially and then slammed inside again. I grasped the covers, needing something to hold, and I gasped as he set a fast rhythm of pounding my quim, just as he’d promised.
A wave of submission washed over me, and I couldn’t deny that it felt like he was my true master, and I was at his mercy.
“That’s it,” he growled, pumping his shaft faster into me. “Take your punishment like a good little female. Keep those thighs spread wide for your master.”
His crass words caused a fresh pang of arousal in my core. I whimpered as his scrotum hit my clit over and over, and it didn’t take long for a thunderous release to claim me. I cried out and undulated my center against Knot’s pounding cock as best I could, rising briefly on my toes as I jutted my hips back. Pleasure swept through me, and I struggled for air.
“That’s it, slave. Come on your master’s cock.” He tightened his hold on my hips and thrust faster. And deeper.
The climax stole all my energy, and I slumped limply on the bed after the final vestiges of pleasure faded. My vision darkened and I rested my cheek against the covers and gasped for breath. I already felt thoroughly mastered, and Knot wasn’t quite finished with me yet.
He was close though. I sensed it in the deepening of his growls and the urgency of his thrusts. A few moments later, when he erupted inside me and I felt the warmth of his seed, I couldn’t help but fret over the fact that he couldn’t get me with child. Not right now. Not when all the sirens were given a special tea that prevented pregnancy with breakfast each morning.
I gave my head a slight shake and tried to force myself back into the game we were playing, but it wasn’t easy.
Not when my stupid heart was getting involved.
As though sensing the turn of my mood, Knot withdrew gently from my core and stroked a hand through my hair and down my back. He lifted me in his arms and carried me to the chair that rested in the corner. He sat and held me on his lap, peering down at me with affection gleaming in his eyes.
“Are you all right, sweet Natalee? I-I didn’t hurt you, did I? I must confess I was so ravenous for you, that I fear I might’ve temporarily lost my senses.” He cupped my face and kissed me softly on the lips.
My throat burned, but I managed to offer a response. “I am fine, thank you. That was… intense.” Intense was putting it lightly. I still hadn’t caught my breath.
He kissed me again, and then he held me cradled in his arms, the warmth of his body soaking into mine, a protection against the cool breeze that entered through the cracked window. His arms felt like a refuge, and I mused that I could be content to stay here forever just like this.
Later in the night, when he claimed me a second time, he took me slowly and tenderly, drawing the session out as long as possible. He kissed every inch of my body, licked me between my thighs, and brought me to the heights of ecstasy again and again. When he mounted me, he entered my quim with gentle, shallow thrusts, as though he meant to tease me. But I quickly realized he was endeavoring to be careful and sweet, and damn if that didn’t increase the yearning in my heart for the big orc whose lifepath had somehow become entwined with mine.
But for how long? I couldn’t help but wonder.
Was it selfish to want our nights to continue like this in perpetuity… together but not committed within the bounds of marriage?
Was I leading Knot further astray with each passion-fueled night?
“You look worried,” he said as he held me later. We were underneath the covers, our legs tangled, and he was spooning me from behind.
I gave a half-snort. “I’m turned away from you. How can you say I look worried when you can’t glimpse my face?” I sighed and snuggled back against his body, marveling at how warm he was. He was like my own personal woodstove and given the cool nights in Faircross as of late, I wasn’t about to complain.
He stroked my hair and placed a feather-soft kiss behind my ear. “Your body is too tense for my liking, and although I can’t read your thoughts, I can sense the loudness of them. The turmoil you’re experiencing. Talk to me, sweet human. Tell me what troubles you.”
Everything!I wanted to shout, but I held my tongue.
I turned in his arms to face him, and my heart skipped a beat at the immense concern that flickered in his eyes. Concern for me.
Gods, how could I tell him the truth? The truth was frightening, and I didn’t quite know how to handle it myself. Though we hadn’t known one another for long, I feared I was falling in love with him, and I didn’t know how to make it stop. Try as I might, I was unable to turn my feelings off.
In the end, when he eventually answered his calling and took up orating in the temple, would there be anything of me left?
Would I be a shell of my former self… brokenhearted and so very hollow inside, mourning the loss of someone I was never meant to have?
“Natalee,” Knot prompted when I remained silent for too long.
I swallowed hard, past the burning in my throat, and said, “I don’t want to think about what’s troubling me tonight, let alone talk about it.” I ran a hand down his chest and couldn’t help but admire the contours of his sculpted pectoral muscles. “Maybe… maybe you could help distract me.”
His nostrils flared and he sucked in a quick breath as my hand drifted lower, and lower still. “Distract you?” A dark glimmer of mischief entered his eyes, though his expression soon became filled with rapture. Because I’d just taken hold of his rigid cock, and I was now gripping it firmly in my hand.
“Yes, please. Distract me.” I met his eyes.
He drew me closer and kissed me hard.