Chapter 14
The remnants of our meal lay scattered over Fen's table, and despite the fact two of us have eaten from it, there's still food left.
"They've definitely been treating you better than the staff," I murmur, finally feeling satisfied with a meal for the first time since I started working for Lord Alfson.
Maybe he deserves to have his tower burned down after all.
Between the way he treats his daughter and the lack of care he shows his servants, I have to assume that he's not a nice man at all.
"The staff don't have a dragon," Fen points out. "It's amazing what can be achieved when the threat of burning is involved."
"If only Lord Alfson realised that he was guaranteed to lose something to burning the moment he hired you."
Fen chuckles. "He'll never have even considered it as an option."
"He hasn't considered that his daughter might want to be out of his control either, and that's also very obvious."
"I don't think it's that he doesn't think she wants to be, it's that he believes she can never be out of a man's control. If it isn't him, then it's his husband. And right now, I suppose it's in mine."
"He doesn't know you, then."
"No, he doesn't." Fen closes his hand into a fist, anger showing on his face.
I get up and go around to his side of the table, and reach for his hand, unfolding it so I can entwine our fingers. "He's not supposed to know you," I remind him. "That's how the entire plan works."
"It is."
"But I know you." I touch his face. "And I know that you would never want to trap anyone under your control, no matter who they were."
"I wouldn't." He looks up at me, his dark eyes swimming with a myriad of emotions, but even now there are flecks of gold within them.
"I know that. And lots of other people know that. You wouldn't be here if Lady Cassandra thought you might take advantage of the power you've been given."
"I suppose that's true."
"It is." I trail my hand down his neck and onto his shoulder, feeling him relax a little under my touch.
"Ingrid..."
"Yes?"
He reaches up and touches my cheek, drawing my face towards him until he can kiss me. His lips feel like they're searching for something, though I don't know what that is. Reassurance? Affection? A feeling that I don't dare name?
It doesn't matter, because I try to give them all to him. I want him to have everything he needs.
I break the kiss, searching his face so that I can get a sense of what else he needs from me. I step back, tugging him to his feet and closer to the bed. A hand snakes around my waist, pulling me back to him.
This time, his kiss is more insistent, full of something a little more instinctual than just affection. My hands start to roam over his chest, pushing at the shoulders of his jacket until it hits the floor behind him.
He fumbles with the laces of my dress in response, loosening the outer layer.
It doesn't go anywhere with my belt still in place, but that's easy enough to fix.
I tug it off, dropping it and not caring where it ends up.
There'll be time later to pick up the clothing we scatter around, for now, my attention is only going to taking off as many pieces of clothing as I can.
His shirt follows, leaving the hard planes of his chest available for me to touch. My dress goes next, and soon there are no more barriers, everything bared, and everything now between us.
But the only thing I can see is the expression of adoration on Fen's face. He looks at me as if I'm the most beautiful person in the world.
He leans in and captures my lips with his, kissing me with so much reverence that it takes me off guard and makes me feel as if my heart is on display.
"I want you," he murmurs against my lips.
"You have me," I respond, pulling away so that I can get onto the bed. I lay back, aware of his attention on my naked body as I do. I bite my lip and draw my hand down myself, not really doing anything in particular, but enjoying the reaction I get from him.
The bed dips as Fen joins me, and I take a moment to admire his form.
I've felt his muscles underneath my hands before, and I've seen him shirtless several times, but nothing prepares me for the view before me.
It isn't just his chest that's well defined, but his calves and thighs too. And between them...
My mouth goes a little dry at the sight of him hard and ready, already having responded to kissing and touching me.
"Like what you see?" he asks.
"I could ask the same." I can tell the answer without even having to ask the question.
"You're beautiful," he murmurs, but he's still looking at my face and not my body.
"So are you." I reach up and cup his face in my hand, drawing him towards me so that I can kiss him. It's surprisingly tender considering the fact we're already in bed together and naked, but I welcome it for just that reason.
His hand trails over my shoulder, his fingers brush against my waist, then my hip, and my upper thigh. It's all a symphony of sensation as he starts to learn my body.
He uses his knee to push my legs apart, sending a spike of desire through me. Without meaning to, I rub myself against him, anxious for some kind of friction.
Fen chuckles into our kiss, the sound vibrating through me. "You're impatient," he murmurs against my lips.
"I've been ready for this since last night," I remind him. "You're going to have to forgive me for a bit of impatience."
"Did you not do anything about it?" he asks as he skims his hand over my stomach, making me gasp.
"I was in a room full of other people," I mumble. "There was no chance to."
"Then maybe you're being patient after all."
"Are you saying that you...Ah." His fingers slip between my legs, finding the evidence of how much I want him.
"I did," he responds to my unfinished question. "But now, I think your uncharacteristic patience should be rewarded."
"Oh?"
He removes his hand from between my legs, and I let out a disappointed whimper in response.
He kisses me, but it's fleeting before he moves to my neck, flicking his tongue against my racing pulse. I have no idea what he has planned, but I do have hopes for what he's going to do next.
He travels lower, swirling his tongue over one of my nipples and making me arch off the bed in response.
I wish his leg was still right between my legs so that I could press down on it.
But he has other plans. He flicks his tongue over my nipple one last time and moves down my stomach, leaving a trail of fire behind his lips.
There's no denying what he's planning now, and that makes the desire climb higher within in, pooling in my stomach and making me yearn for more of his touch.
I can't believe I've been missing out on this because I've been keeping my feelings to myself.
Fen settles between my legs, and looks up at me, his eyes glowing more brightly gold than I've ever seen them before.
I don't think it's about the position he's in, just about the fact he's no longer hiding how he's feeling.
No matter the reason, the sight sends a wave of desire through me.
He moves my leg and leans in, his hot breath only serving as a promise of what's to come, and making me more impatient to discover how good it's going to feel to have him pleasure me.
The moment his tongue touches me, I let out a barely restrained groan, yearning for more.
He traces patterns, pausing to give a spot more attention when it gains more of a response from me.
Pleasure is already starting to build, more intense than I expect, especially for a first time with someone, but I suppose that's just what it means to be with someone I can fully trust.
A low hum escapes from me as he uses more pressure, the point of his tongue circling around where I want him to touch the most. One of my hands reaches down, tangling in his hair and urging him on, wanting to find my release, even if I also don't want this to be over. It's a difficult balance to get right.
"Fen," I murmur. I try to say his name again, but my mind is too blank for any words to actually come out.
The pleasure has caused all thoughts to abandon me.
He touches a particularly sensitive spot, and the desire pooling within me breaks free.
Unintelligible sounds slip from my mouth, and my legs begin to shake as he takes me over the edge, each touch prolonging the release and making me feel it throughout my entire body.
It fades away, and I collapse against the pillows, breathing heavily and basking in the post-release glow.
A grinning Fen appears beside me.
"You don't have to look so smug," I murmur.
"Don't I? That happened faster than I expected."
"You and me both." I shift in the bed to make room for him. "I don't think I've ever come so fast the first time in bed with someone."
His grin only gets wider.
"You're not going to be so smug when you're the one in my position," I mutter.
"Is that so?"
"Mmhmm." I slip my hand between us, finding him ready for me. As if the release he already gave me wasn't enough, the desire begins to rise again at the feel of how much he enjoyed being with me.
He lets out a soft grunt as I stroke towards his head, moving slowly so that I can maximise the agonising pleasure I'm giving him.
I'm tempted to go faster, and tempted to take him in my mouth so I can return the pleasure to him in the same way, but I know that if I want this to last, I have to go slower.
There'll be time for everything else later.
"What would you like me to do?" I ask, my voice coming out a little hoarse as I continue to slowly stroke him.
"Whatever you want," he responds.
"I know, but what do you want right now?" I meet his gaze, though he's looking a little hazily at me.
"I want to be inside you," he responds, sending a new wave of desire through me.
I nod. "I'd like that." A lot. "I know I should have asked this earlier, but do you have protection?" I ask.
He nods, reaching down to remove my hand from his cock so he can get off the bed. I'm saddened by the loss of contact, even if I know it's for a good reason. He returns to the bed a moment later with a sheath in his hands. He sits down and slides it on, making me excited for what's to come.
I get onto my knees and lean in to press my lips to his. It's a slow kiss, one that's full of promise and teasing, only making me want him more. I straddle him, feeling his cock brush against my thigh. An ache to be touched overtakes me, along with a little bit of desperation.
I reach down between us and take him in my hand, guiding it to my entrance while Fen keeps me steady with a hand on my lower back.
A small gasp escapes me as he fills me, and I lose thought for a moment.
Luckily, Fen doesn't seem as oblivious and puts his hands on my hips so that he can guide me to rocking back and forth.
Pleasure shoots through me with every movement, probably all the more intense because of my previous release. I lean in to kiss Fen, arching my back as I move back and forth. He groans into the kiss.
"I'm not going to last very long," he murmurs against my lips.
"There's always later." My words come out breathlessly as I continue to move, my arms around his neck.
My nipples scrape against his chest, sending bolts of pleasure through me. He seems to notice and takes one between his fingers, pinching and flicking it until I'm a gasping mess. He isn't done there, and slips his hand between us, fumbling slightly until he finds the right angle to touch me.
I let out a low moan. "I'm not going to be able to concentrate if you do that."
"Then don't," he responds. "Let go."
I don't need to be told twice, and let the sensations of his touch flow through me, only made better by the firm feel of his cock inside me. My release builds quickly, each movement bringing me closer to the edge.
"I'm going to..." I grip his shoulder, my nails digging into his skin as my second release overtakes me, far faster and more intense than the first one.
I can barely think as my mind goes blank and sparks ignite behind my eyes. My body feels like it contracts completely, and Fen groans as I tighten around him.
The world starts coming back into focus just as he reaches his own peak, and his cock twitches within me as he finds his release. I'm so sensitive from my own that I can feel every movement, and just how good that is. I lean my head against his shoulder, breathing heavily and holding him close.
"Are you all right?" he murmurs.
"I am very good," I respond. "Are you?"
"Very good sounds about right." He kisses my lazily, and I respond. "But you're going to have to move if we want to lie down."
"It's tempting not to."
He laughs, a wonderful sound that vibrates through his chest, and as a result, through me. "If you get off, I can recover," he reminds me. "And then we can do it again."
"Well, when you put it like that..."
The way he looks at me is so full of affection that I feel like I might explode in an entirely different way. I don't need time to know that coming here tonight was a good idea. All I have to do is look at Fen, and I have the certainty I need to know that I made the right choice.