Chapter 10
Ten
I was nervous. The last time I fooled around with someone, everything went wrong in the worst ways. But I also didn’t want to risk losing what little time with Verus that I had. I trusted him not to be cruel like Richard was. And if I did have to go, at least I’d have the memory of being with Verus to bring with me.
Verus studied my face, like he didn’t quite understand my meaning. I held my breath, preparing myself for rejection, but he didn’t automatically say no. He did frown, though, cupping my cheeks and resting his forehead against mine.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he murmured.
It meant a lot that he cared so much. Richard hadn’t been kind. But I wasn’t willing to wait until I was fully healed. Once I was, they’d send me away. I had to take the opportunity I could.
“You won’t. I trust you.”
He looked surprised, and his expression melted into a huge smile. When he leaned down to capture my lips, I got to taste it. It was like sunshine wrapped in a kiss, and I couldn’t get enough. I cradled his face in my hands to keep him close, relaxing back into the bedding as he laid me down. My heart thundered in my chest, and I wasn’t sure what would happen next, but I trusted Verus. It would be okay.
When his tongue trailed over my bottom lip, I parted my lips on a gasp, arching a little when his tongue dipped in to touch mine. He wasn’t in any hurry, slowly tasting me with one hand cupping my cheek. I grew breathless, and I hardened in my trousers, but Verus didn’t move until I was squirming and pulling at his tunic impatiently.
Breaking the kiss, he grinned at me. “You must stay still, ravsol. I do not want you hurting.”
“I’m okay,” I promised. And I was. It still hurt if I moved my leg around or tried to put weight on it, but just lying here, I wasn’t in any pain. The splint was strong enough to keep my leg immobile.
Verus hummed, but he didn’t look like he fully believed me. He didn’t stop, though. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before trailing a few more along my jaw. I shivered when he kissed just beneath my ear and tipped my head as he trailed farther down my neck. When he sucked lightly on the skin where my neck met my shoulder, tingles spread through my body, and I let out an embarrassing breathy moan.
He lifted his head again to look at me, and I felt my cheeks burn, but he didn’t look teasing or judgmental. His gaze was heated, and he looked like he wanted to devour me.
“You make the most beautiful sounds,” he murmured, capturing my lips in a fierce kiss before breaking it again. “You make me want to—” He said some things then that I couldn’t understand, but I understood the tone. He wasn’t whispering sweet nothings to me. He was talking dirty, and I desperately wished I could understand him. The tone alone made me whimper.
At least I could tell he wasn’t lying about what he was saying. He groaned in response to my noises, his next kiss a little more frantic as he got riled up. His hands drifted down my body and tugged my tunic free of my trousers.They were looser in the legs, almost like a skirt, to easily fit over my injury and the splint, but they kept me warm and covered. I shivered again when his fingers drifted along the skin of my stomach, biting back a laugh when he got to my side. When I squirmed away from him, he lifted his head, studying me for a second before a wicked grin crossed his face. He wiggled his fingers, tickling my side, and his grin grew when I laughed and squirmed.
“Ah. My Patrick is—” He said another word that I assumed meant ticklish because his smile was a little too smug for me. He was going to use that information against me.
To distract him, I fisted his tunic and yanked him into another kiss, daring myself to push my tongue into his mouth. He groaned in response, forgetting all about the tickling as he kissed me back. When his hands moved again, it was to pull off my tunic and toss it out of the way.
I helped him with his, eager to get my hands on his skin. He cuddled me plenty, but never shirtless. I wanted to feel his skin against mine.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I took in all the ridges and dips. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. He wasn’t as wide as some of the other barbarians, but he was just as muscled, and I’d seen him fight. He was easily their equal, despite the small size difference. And he was still a lot bigger than me. It made me a little embarrassed, actually, since I was as soft as he was muscled. Too much bread for my meals, maybe. I felt my cheeks pinken so harshly it spread down my neck and into my chest.
If Verus noticed my embarrassment, he didn’t point it out. He started trailing kisses over me again, this time past my neck and to my chest. When his tongue flicked over my nipple, I forgot all about my embarrassment, gasping as lightning shot straight to my groin.
“Verus…” I breathed.
He hummed to acknowledge me but didn’t pull his focus off my chest. I never realized I was so sensitive, but it took very little attention from him before I felt close to coming in my trousers.
“Verus, please,” I murmured, squirming a little more. My cock was leaking heavily and throbbed with each suction of his mouth. I couldn’t take much more.
He pulled away slowly, looking at me with pure lust in his eyes. It was so different from the way Richard had looked at me. I felt foolish now seeing the difference. The hint of malice that had made me so hesitant was gone. Only affection and adoration stood out in Verus’s eyes. It made my stomach quiver and my heart clench. I hoped he’d always look at me this way.
He had to stand to remove his trousers. My mouth fell open when he straightened.
“Goddess…” I murmured, staring at him. His erection was long and thick, standing proudly out from his body. He wrapped his fingers around it, stroking a few times, and I bit my lip, trying to hold back the needy noises that wanted to escape me. He was beautiful.
“I like the way you look at me,” he said, a crooked grin on his lips. He sank to his knees beside me, leaning over me for another kiss. It put him close to me, and I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch. I brushed my fingers down his length, trailing over the veins down to his balls. He shuddered and shifted closer, his expression tight as he let me explore him. He wasn’t in any rush like Richard had been, even though I could tell he wanted more. A drop of precum beaded on his tip, and when my thumb brushed over it, spreading it down his length, he groaned outright.
“Patrick,” he murmured, his voice like a plea.
My stomach clenched, and a flash of the experience I’d had with Richard made me back away slightly. I liked touching Verus, but… I wasn’t ready to take him into my mouth. He was much larger than Richard had been. I was worried it would hurt.
I didn’t want to disappoint him, though. He was so kind to me, and it was my idea to ask for more. Maybe he wasn’t wrong to have asked to wait.
My hand had frozen in my turmoil, and Verus definitely noticed. He tipped his head, his expression concerned.
“What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t explain. I didn’t have the words to, even if I had the nerve. I shook my head helplessly.
Verus didn’t look angry with me. His expression softened, and he leaned to kiss my forehead before speaking again, slowly, so he was sure I could understand him.
“Finn said interest in men isn’t allowed in towns. You are allowed to have fears because of this. You are safe here, my Patrick. I will keep you safe.”
He kissed me again, soothing my insecurities. It wasn’t exactly why I was so nervous, but a small part of me did worry about it sometimes. Seeing Finn cuddled with his bondmate when we were eating with the clan helped a lot. And I saw a few warriors sitting too close to be considered just friendly. It really was accepted here. I didn’t need to worry about that. I didn’t need to worry about pain either. Verus had been determined to protect and take care of me since the day I showed up here. He wouldn’t hurt me.
When I nodded, Verus smiled at me, making butterflies explode through my stomach. He truly was the most beautiful man I’d ever met. He kept me distracted with little kisses, like the ones he gave me the first time I asked for intimacy from him. They still made me breathless and so unbelievably happy I couldn’t help but smile. While I was distracted, Verus undid the ties on my trousers and slipped them down my hips, careful not to jostle my injured leg, slowing his trailing kiss to remove them completely.
It was hard not to compare my body to his. He was all tight, compact lines, and I was?—
“You are so beautiful,” Verus breathed, interrupting my worrying thoughts. I jerked my gaze to his, surprised.
“You—You think I’m beautiful?”
His gaze trailed over me, and I couldn’t see any hint of disgust or disinterest. He looked at me like I was something precious. I couldn’t help it then, falling a little bit in love with him. If he kept looking at me like that, I’d never leave his side.