18. Harlow #3
His breath ghosts over the nape of my neck as he speaks. “Then we’ll be brought to the ceremony room. There’s a bed at the center and couches and seating around the perimeter where everyone is welcome to station themselves.”
“To watch?” I ask.
He nips at my neck, and I gasp.
“Yes. To witness me claiming my new wife. To be certain that I’m capable of pleasing her.”
I frown. “Plenty of women can’t get off with a partner by no fault of their own.”
“Yes, but there needs to be a believable connection. To make sure that neither of us is faking our commitment to each other. And there’s particular pressure on me as their heir to be able to please his wife.
If I can’t deliver on my commitment to you, I won’t be able to deliver for them, and since my family has already failed to protect them once, the pressure is on. ”
“That’s a lot to risk on a stranger.” Especially a stranger he’s supposed to hate—a stranger whose family nearly wiped his people out, assuming he knows that’s the case.
His lips brush over my pulse. The instinct to pull away from him wars with the satisfaction of being touched this way.
It’s been too long since Bea and almost a lifetime before that. There was an occasional tumble with a handsome idiot from one of the bars I snuck off to, but those were always quick and disappointing.
Henry’s slow and sensual kisses on my throat are so different and not unwelcome. He’s being too bold and no one is here to watch this. I should stop him. I should pull away.
“We worship Kennymyra, the Divine of Pleasure, and we take the pursuit of pleasure very seriously,” he says .
“Will I have to be naked? I was measured for undergarments this morning,” I rasp.
He pauses. “You strike me as very confident in your body.”
“That doesn’t mean I wish to share it with the world.”
He hums softly against my neck. “You can choose to keep them on if you’d like, but the acts are very clear. Whatever you wear needs to be something that allows me to get my face between your thighs.”
I clench my legs together involuntarily.
Trying to deny my attraction to him would be ridiculous at this point.
There’s a ruggedness to Henry’s good looks.
So many of the men in Lunameade are pretty, but soft.
Henry’s hands are callused, his forearms marked with faint scars.
And he’s confident in the way of someone who has rarely been denied.
“I’m going to make you come with my mouth and my cock.” He says it so matter-of-factly—like he’s talking about the weather or what he’s planning to wear to dinner.
I clear my throat. “I don’t know if I can climax more than once.”
“You can.”
His confidence chafes. It breaks the spell.
I tilt my head, glaring at him over my shoulder. “We’ll see about that.”
“If you’re so certain you’re an unsolvable puzzle, then perhaps we should practice ahead of time.” His grin turns roguish.
I choke on a startled laugh. “Of course that’s your suggestion.”
“I’m not above taking instruction. Show me how it’s done.” He gestures to the table.
Warmth spreads up my neck to my cheeks. He wants me to get myself off in front of him right here, right now.
“Didn’t think you’d be one to blush, lovely,” he says.
I roll my eyes. “I’m not. I was just caught off guard by the suggestion. It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”
“So you like to be watched?”
My stomach twists at the gruffness of his tone. I do, but he hasn’t earned that information.
“What I like is irrelevant. This is a business arrangement.”
“Well, if that’s your attitude about sex, I understand why you haven’t had much success with a partner.”
I shoot him a scathing look, but he just laughs .
“Harlow, you’re going to need to lighten up. Show me. I promise to keep my hands to myself. Perhaps you’re not as sure of yourself as I thought.”
I have to rise to the occasion. He needs to be humbled. Thank the Divine I only brought scandalous underthings with me.
I shove the book onto the floor and slide onto the table, hiking my dress up in one smooth motion.
He goes silent as he catches a glimpse of the green silk garters.
“For someone so focused on practicality, you certainly seem to appreciate fancy undergarments,” I taunt, sliding my fingers over the top of the stockings.
“Well, they hardly seem frivolous on your body—though one wonders why you bother wearing something so intricate if you weren’t planning on showing it off.”
I frown. “Bold to assume that I wear them for anyone but myself.” I snap one of the garters, and his hands flex at his sides. “Want to know what I like, Henry?”
He tracks my fingers as they slide higher, gently rubbing over the lace between my legs.
I’m already wet and I don’t doubt that I’m going to be able to easily get myself off in front of him simply because he’s turned it into a challenge.
If I was focused on anything but the finish line, I’d be more self-conscious, but the only thing I’m focused on now is my desire to get the upper hand back in our exchange.
If he was one of the idiots I snuck off with back in Lunameade, I might try for the performance of it all, giving him a good look and reminding him that he can’t touch.
But Henry is something else entirely and the freedom of me focusing on my own pleasure will get to him more than even my finest performance.
I close my eyes and tip my head back as I drag the strip of lace to the side. Henry lets out a sigh, and I feel his gaze fixed on my hand. The table creaks as I lean back and draw my hand away, letting him have a clear view.
Then, I slide my fingers over my clit and sigh.
With my eyes closed, I watch the pulse of his aura as it swells and shifts around his body, forming a crude outline of him.
I’ve tried not to study it too closely, but now I see the intricacy of it.
It’s a deep purple, but as it swells, it looks almost like a burnt plum color closer to his skin.
I move my fingers faster, pinching my clit before sliding a finger inside myself. I moan.
Henry’s aura flares wider, pressing right up to the edge of mine.
My skin is hot as I pump my fingers faster and rub the heel of my palm over my clit. My muscles tense as I chase my pleasure and try to ignore Henry altogether.
Instead, I think of his eyes, the deep blue of a stormy sky at dusk. I think of the way he felt pressed against me last night and the feeling of his lips on my neck. I think of bending him to my will and getting control of my life back once and for all.
The climax hits me out of nowhere—a soft swell of pent-up pleasure that rolls through me like a wave. Goosebumps rise on my skin and I gasp as I ride it out. When I finally blink my eyes open, Henry is closer—only a few inches away—his gaze fixed between my thighs.
“Did you learn something, my feral wolf?” I draw my fingers free and suck them clean, my eyes on Henry’s.
His nostrils flare and his hands fist at his sides. He licks his lips. “Now that you’ve educated me, you should know we have a dinner with all the most influential families at the fort tomorrow night. I’ve sent a dress to your room and you’ll be expected to be on your best behavior.”
I lean back and offer him one last glance at my undergarments before letting my dress fall back in place. “Is this not my best behavior? I haven’t even murdered anyone.”
He arches a brow. “Yet.”
“Excellent point. There’s still time.” I glance at the book beside me. “Anything else I need to know about this?”
“They will know if you fake it.”
I freeze. “How?”
“Those with blessings from Kennymyra can always tell, but there’s an enchanted golden sigil in the headboard of the bed that absorbs that released pleasure and acts as an offering to Divine Kennymyra.”
I stare at Henry, waiting for humor to break through, but he’s not joking. My mouth is suddenly dry and my hands are clammy.
“Not sure what to do when you have to stop pretending, huh?”
I glare at him. “More concerned you won’t be able to finish the job. ”
A predatory smirk spreads over his face. “I can’t wait to make you scream.”
The words send a pleasant shiver through me.
I jump down from the table and walk toward the library doors. When I push into the hall, I expect to feel better without the weight of Henry’s assessing gaze on me. But the certainty in his words haunt me, the echo of them chasing me down the hall and all the way back to my room.