Chapter Thirty-One #4
After that, time ceased to exist. Apollo’s hands were on Tem’s hips, guiding her over the length of his cock.
He didn’t penetrate her—she wasn’t ready for that yet.
Instead she pleasured herself on his shaft, rubbing her most-sensitive area along his, teasing herself while she teased him.
It was primal and it was simple and it felt good.
Every time she reached the base, the claw and the ring pressed together, creating an unimaginable sensation.
Tem thrust her hips, desperate to feel as much of it as possible.
Apollo was even more turned on than Tem. His presence engulfed her mind, surrounding her from all angles, holding her in place both physically and mentally. He pressed his lips once more to her throat.
How can you feel this good when I am not even inside you?
You feel good too.
Apollo’s teeth found her earlobe, and he bit it.
She squirmed, and he only held her tighter.
Come for me.
She would. But not yet. Tem slowed her motions, sliding herself tantalizingly along his shaft before stopping at the tip, the full length of his cock between them. Her eyes flicked to his. Say please.
An order. Tem wasn’t used to giving those to Apollo—wasn’t used to making him beg her for anything. But she was in the mood to test his limits tonight.
Please.
Tem smiled.
His reward was a single flick of her hips. Then she stopped again. Apollo growled with displeasure at her delay. But Tem would not be rushed. She was building to it, enjoying the feel of him between her legs, unwilling to let this be over so quickly. I want to take my time.
Is that so?
Yes. And you want to let me.
Do I? And why is that?
Because you like this. And you like me. And you want to watch me get there on my own. Don’t you?
They stared at each other in the darkness, their breathing uneven.
Yes. I do.
Apollo’s chest was dappled with sweat, and Tem leaned forward, placing her tongue between his pectorals and sliding it up to his neck.
His hands cupped her ass as she did it, pulling her completely against him.
The moment her clitoris pressed against the ring, she sent a pulse, stimulating them both.
My brother does not know how lucky he is. You are unbelievable.
Trust me. He knows.
Apollo groaned, pulled her face up to his, and kissed her.
Tem threaded her fingers through his hair, participating in equal measure, allowing him deep inside her mouth.
She would let him penetrate her this way—not with his cock but with his tongue, tasting her the way she knew he’d always wanted to.
There was equilibrium between them: a match of equal value. Tem felt worthy. She felt seen.
Tem sent another pulse. This one was long and lingering, and during the middle of it, Apollo pulled away. She opened her eyes and asked: Should I stop?
No. His thumb brushed against the tip of the claw. You should take this out so I can fuck you properly.
Tem hesitated. The claw was like a barrier—as long as it was inside her, they couldn’t have sex.
Apollo heard her thoughts, because he said, Have you so little self-control?
Tem glared at him. She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation while naked, intertwined, with his cock between her legs. And yet, here they were. Tem supposed that given their circumstances, perhaps her hesitation warranted an explanation. I don’t trust myself with you.
To her surprise, Apollo didn’t respond right away. Instead he tilted his head, appraising her. May I ask why?
Tem barely knew anymore. If she slept with Apollo, it meant that she was slipping—falling slowly but steadily off the path of morality that she’d prided herself on walking her entire life.
It didn’t matter that sleeping with him was acceptable—and expected—in basilisk culture.
It was unacceptable to her. Tem couldn’t reconcile the way she felt about Apollo with her feelings for Caspen. It was too much to hold in one heart.
And then there was Leo.
If she crossed this line with Apollo, it meant she was capable of crossing the line with Leo. Tem couldn’t bear that. So she said, I just don’t want to make a mistake.
You consider sex with me a mistake.
It wasn’t a question. I consider it a risk.
A life without risk is not a life worth living, Temperance.
Tem rolled her eyes. It was exactly the kind of thing she expected him to say.
First my brother, then my father. Should I be offended you draw the line at fucking me?
He had a point there. But for some reason, this felt different.
It just seems…wrong.
We will fuck during the tournament. Or did you not know that?
Tem did know that. Adelaide had told her barely an hour ago. But just because she had to fuck him in the future didn’t mean she was going to fuck him right now.
When the silence lingered, Apollo said: I understand you do not trust yourself. But do you trust me?
What a question. Tem had no idea how to answer it.
Instead, she was immediately reminded of the last time she was asked it: standing in a graveyard with Leo.
You don’t trust me, do you, Tem? She hadn’t trusted Leo at first. Her trust for him had grown over time, and only after she had allowed him to prove himself to her.
Did she owe Apollo the same courtesy? He had taught her to petrify; he had acted as her confidant.
They had been naked with each other more than once, and he had acted in her best interests every time. So did she trust him?
Yes.
True joy flashed in his eyes. He pulled her closer. Then place the burden on me. I vow we will not have sex until you initiate it.
Tem considered this. Do you promise?
His hands tightened on her waist. I promise. He pressed once more against the claw. Now take this out and come on my cock.
The time for hesitation was gone. Tem was ready.
Slowly, so that Apollo saw every moment of it, she reached between her legs and removed the claw.
Then she dropped it, glistening, to the ground.
As soon as she was empty, she pressed her center down against Apollo’s cock.
Without the barrier of the claw, there was nothing between his skin and hers.
He was harder than stone between her legs, and Tem settled into position, her hips resuming their rhythm.
They moved of their own accord now, rubbing with incessant urgency, creating a friction she had no hope of stopping.
She wanted her orgasm, and she wanted it soon.
Apollo wanted it too. Tem knew he had waited for this—to see her raw and ready and open for him.
Tem adjusted her position, moving her legs together so she was clamped tightly around him. Where before she’d been sliding luxuriously along his length, now she pumped him quickly through the apex of her thighs, keeping him tight against her center.
Apollo was close. His jaw was tense; his shoulders tight. His arms were locked around her, guiding her every movement. They were working toward it together, helping each other over the finish line. She slid herself desperately back and forth, spreading her wetness along the length of his cock.
There it is, Temperance. I know you like that.
She didn’t bother denying it anymore.
One more, Temperance. Just one more. Please.
Again, he begged. A man undone.
Almost there. I know you can do it.
One more flick of her hips, and it was time.
There it is.
It was inevitable, like the dawn.
Apollo held out, watching Tem as she fell over the edge alone.
She knew he wanted to see this, knew he needed to know it was his promise that got her here.
It was only when her hips began to slow and the last throbbing wave of her orgasm had passed that Apollo gripped her ass with both hands, pumped the entire shaft of his cock along the seam of her center, and came.
Tem watched him as he had watched her, observing the way his eyes closed and his head arched back.
His pulse was beating in a vein in his neck, erratic and vital, and wondered what it would be like to bite it.
His essence slid down the inside of her thighs, pearlescent and warm, joining hers.
They were both soaking wet—with sweat, with cum, with the water that was steadily dripping from the stalactites above them.
Tem raised her hands to his face, brushing his hair away from his eyes.
Apollo smiled as she did it. His eyes, which had gone completely black, were still that way even after he finished. He had dimples, Tem realized. They were cute.
He was the first to stand, extending his hand to Tem so he could help her up.
To her surprise, as soon as she was upright, he kissed her again.
This time felt different than the way he had kissed her before.
This time was slow, and he cupped her face gently in his palms as he did it.
When he pulled away, his hands brushed down her arms until their fingers intertwined.
Helplessly—that was the way he looked at her.
Tem had been the first on her knees, but somehow, she had brought Apollo to his. He stared into her eyes, his gaze unwavering as he whispered, “You may belong to my brother, but I will protect you as if you are mine.”
Tem was floored by his words. Her response slipped out before she could stop it: “Part of me belongs to you.”
True euphoria flashed in his eyes. Perhaps he had already known it was true.
Or perhaps he had only hoped it was. Either way, Tem said it with a surety she could have never imagined.
It was true that a part of her was his. It was a smaller part than belonged to Caspen, for sure.
He had nearly her whole heart, and he always would.
But why should there not be room for Apollo?
Basilisks were free with their bodies. At one time, that had seemed like a burden to Tem.
But now she cherished it. It afforded her things she wouldn’t otherwise have—it let her live the way she wanted to live.
There was no going back for her, and she had no desire to anyway.
“Apollo?” she whispered.
“Yes, Temperance?”
“Would you do anything for me?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “I would.”
Tem found that she knew it already. She knew that if she asked, he would let her bite that vein in his neck—that he would bleed for her.
For basilisks, blood was the ultimate gift.
But Tem wouldn’t request that of Apollo tonight.
He’d given her enough. It was time to return to herself—and to Caspen.
Tem was finally done.