Chapter 9
Zion
Her gasp turns into a giggle, and she covers first her mouth and then her eyes.
“Blair, open your eyes.” I’m leaning on my side, about to go to my knees.
There’ll be no doubt in her mind that I’m completely healthy in a minute, when I have my calf pressed into the mattress.
I slide my fingers down the sides of her legs.
“If you’re warm, the robe isn’t helping.
” I tug on the sleeves. I’ve never been able to wait for dessert if it was on the table.
But then, there’s more at play here. She’s never been taken care of correctly.
Something I plan on changing. Even the slightest compliments have her blushing or turning away.
“I suppose you’re right.” She pushes up onto her elbows, and as I help her, she slides out of the robe.
Her fingers play with the hem of her sleeping tunic.
And I can’t help it. A sly smile takes over my lips.
“It is very warm here. I’ll have to talk to Annabelle’s pod mates about making sure the temperature is better controlled. ”
I place my hand atop hers, and together we remove her shirt.
Never did I imagine that this is where the day would take me, but then I’ve always been a lucky one.
I’m frozen by how lovely she is. What a gift she’s giving me by trusting me.
Our eyes are locked together. In the dim light of the room, dark flecks of blue sparkle against the pale blue of her eyes.
I reach for her, and she lunges at me. Her arms loop around my neck.
I’m able to flick away the blanket covering me and her robe before she lands in my lap.
Our lips crash together again. Hers are soft and tentative.
But I know what I want, and I’ll learn soon enough what it is she wants.
I push my fingertips into her skin, trailing down her sides and back up to her breasts, keeping the solid tension that makes her moan into my mouth.
I want to learn every bit of her mouth, her breasts.
Every inch of her skin will have my mark on it.
She tilts her head back, breaking our kiss, gasping for air. Her weight’s in my hands. I lick down the side of her neck. How easy it would be to mate her, take her for my own, stake the claim for our pod. But no.
She’s had a selfish mate before. The Mason pod isn’t perfect, but I’m not starting off claiming her, turning her into her true self without her permission.
Her neck is so enticing, though. I move down the sinew to her collarbone.
It’s too tempting, my mating impulse too strong.
Peppering her with small kisses, I lower her to the mattress between my legs.
Her head is at the foot of the bed. I flip myself around and over her.
It’s a lot to take in. My heart slams into my chest wall.
I’m frozen with appreciation for just a second before I spring into action.
A tug of her nipple in my mouth while my hand moves to the other breast. I pinch her nipple, and she arches her back, driving her breast into my mouth.
She’s so amazingly responsive. There’s no guessing needed about what she wants, even if she doesn’t know it herself.
I kiss lower, and she freezes, her legs trying to clamp shut, but my body is in the way.
“You don’t have to. I . . . you don’t.” She can’t get a full sentence out.
“But what if that’s what I want to do? May I?”
“You want to . . . you want to go down on me?” She winces.
“Very much so.” I trail kisses closer to her core.
With each one, I stop and look up at her.
She’s turned bright pink from the tips of her ears to down between her breasts.
“I long to taste you.” I nudge her clamped legs open.
I take one thigh in each hand and grip it with intention. I give her one more look.
She nods. “If you’re sure.”
In response, I give her a long lick down her center, then back up and circle her clitoris with my tongue.
Her legs tighten around me again, but this time in pleasure. She moans, and her legs twitch with each touch of my tongue. It spurs me on. My hard cock presses into the mattress, and my feet push against the headboard.
“Oh Zion!” Her stomach quivers above my head. Her spine curves. But there’s no way she can be close enough yet. I want to taste more of her. I haven’t nearly had my fill yet. I suck her clit into my mouth, and she twitches again. And then I stop.
Her spine drops to the mattress and her head jerks up off the blankets at the end of the bed. I shouldn’t smirk, but I do.
“You stopped,” she gasps. “It’s fine. You don’t have to.
” She tries to close her legs. But my head is already back.
And I take careful strokes to work her back up again.
It doesn’t take nearly long enough before she’s panting and rocking her hips into my mouth.
I’m holding on to her with one hand, and with the other, I’ve got two fingers mimicking the rhythm of my tongue.
And all too soon, her knees clamp to the side of my head as her shoulders bounce on the mattress. “Holy, holy. Damn.”
Chuckling, I take a few licks as she slides down the other side of her orgasm, shivering and shaking with each brush of my tongue.
She’s sensitive. But that will change when we make her our own.
Mermaids have a zest for sex that one merman could never keep up with.
And I can’t wait to watch the rest of the pod with her.
I’m harder than I ever have been. I steady myself as I reverse the order, peppering small kisses back up her until I cage her in, hovering over her.
“Oh, your leg shouldn’t . . .” We lock eyes. “It’s fine, isn’t it? You could have gone home with Grayson?” She understands now. Good. She should know that I want her.
“I didn’t want to go home with Grayson. Are you mad?”
“No . . . I suppose I’m not. I’m the opposite of mad.” She loops her arms around my neck, pulling me down onto her.
I hiss. My cock nestles between her legs, and I want nothing more than to push it all the way into her.
But there are a multitude of reasons why that would be a horrible idea.
Still, all the unreasonable reasons of lust are grabbing at me as I rub my cheek against hers and nuzzle my nose into the crook of her neck.
“Zion.” She pushes her hips up, rubbing along my cock.
I close my eyes and grit my teeth. A twitch to the right, and my reason will be taken away from me.
Fuck. I lock my elbows and pull away from her.
Blair’s sleepy smile turns brighter. Her hands snake between us.
But I roll right before she grabs my cock.
On my side, I grab her chin and smother her lips with a possessive kiss before she might ever think I don’t want her, because nothing could be more untrue. I pull away. Her eyes are hooded again.
“Can I touch you?” she asks, softer than a slow drip of water. “Please.”
“Oh, Blair. It’s killing me to not let you. But not now, not yet.”
“It’s the pod. Are there some rules that keep you from . . .”
“Rules? Fuck. Yes and no. I wanted to taste you. I wanted to watch you break apart. I want to watch it a hundred thousand more times. But first, I want you to know what you’re entering into.
Agency, I believe they call it in English.
You have the power here. There are hundreds who would kill for a chance with you. ” I shake my head. “No, that’s wrong.”
Her face drops.
“There are thousands who would give up all they have for you to consider them and their pod. Having you choose us without knowing what you’re getting yourself into? That’s wrong. Not by law, but still wrong.”
“But you wanted to taste me. What if I want to taste you?”
“Fuck, Blair.” I close my eyes because my cock jumps at her words. “How about I promise I will never deny you again? For anything. If you can give me this one concession?”
I’m amazing at reading what people are thinking and how our conversations are going to go, but I don’t have a damn clue right now.
Her hand lands flat on my chest. “If you can do one thing for me?”
“Anything.” And I know that it’s not an empty promise. Right now, I would do anything for her––take a kingdom, steal the moon, anything.
“Can we snuggle? Like big spoon and little spoon?”
I laugh. I’m ready to commit murder for the female and she wants me to touch her more. “Yes, Blair. Although my spoon happens to have a sharp tine in it right now.” We flip back to the headboard.
“That’s okay.” She rolls over, pushing her delectable ass into my groin. And now I’m groaning.
My lips find the crook of her neck again. “You’re not fighting fair, Blair.”
“All’s fair in . . . well, you know what they say.” She pulls on my arm, bringing our skin closer together.
“Yes, I believe I do know what they say.” I lay my head on the pillow.
It’s not long before Blair’s breathing changes, leading her into a deep sleep.
But I’ve never been so awake. My head spins with all the things we need to do to make her ours.
Every twitch she makes, every sigh or little snore, I’m committing to memory.
Saving them for the hopefully short days that I’ll be without her.
When her skin chills, I move the blanket from the foot of the bed, covering us both.
I’m not sure when I fall asleep, but I certainly am never going to forget the sight of waking surrounded by three of Blair’s angry-looking nephews. Luckily, the second coming of Poseidon isn’t with them.
“Morning,” I say, covering up Blair’s bare shoulder.
“We’re going to give you ten minutes to get out,” Castor says.
I haven’t moved my arm from where it’s been around Blair all night.
“Grayson left clothes. Put them on.” Holter tosses them onto the bed behind me. I feel Blair wake under my fingertips.
“I will. Now get out.” My chin is raised at the three of them.
The door clicks shut, and Blair rolls onto her back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble.” She sucks her lips into her mouth.
“With those three podlets? Trouble. That’s nothing. I’ll be fine, Blue.” I search her sleepy morning eyes. For what, I’m not sure. Shame, regret. But I find neither.
“Podlets? I . . . I don’t think they’ve been called that in a long time.”
“I suppose so, but that’s what they are to me.” I can’t help myself. I kiss the top of her nose.
“Blue?”
“You have the most amazing blue eyes. How did you sleep?”
“Amazing. I’m not sure the last time I slept that well.
Maybe never.” She laughs and sits up, pulling the blanket with her, keeping her amazing breasts out of my sight.
But my hand has just been resting on one.
I tug the cover down, kiss each one, and then hold the back of her head and kiss her for as long as I think I can before the lot of them come storming back in.
She’s smiling when we break apart. I tuck my hard cock into the trousers and pull on the tunic. “I’m glad,” I tell her.
“How’s your leg?”
“Right as the tide. But maybe you should come check on me later this week?”
“I . . . I’d like that. They’re a little protective of us going out and about.”
“They might be podlets, but they’re smart.
You need to be protected in the Veiled City, Blair.
There are a lot of things out there that aren’t safe.
” I lean over her and give her one more kiss.
“I’m going to go before they throw a tantrum and need a nap.
” I wave to her from the door and run the gauntlet of nephews in the corridor.