34. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Calista
T he door burst open, and I leaped out of my chair, dropping the book I wasn’t really reading. My thoughts were too scattered to focus on anything else. Not that I could understand their written language. Goblins marched in, carrying the tub and buckets of water. Jessandra followed with a neat bundle in her arms. She deposited it on the bed and untied the ribbon holding it all together. I joined her as she pulled the pieces out and spread them on the bed.
Thin, silky garments the colors of the wildflowers at the tree brightened the dark velvet duvet. My pulse sped up when I took in all the lingerie. He can’t seriously think this is happening tonight, I thought to myself as I pinched the edges of a deep mauve lace thong and held it up.
How do they even know what a thong is?
My eyes widened. “He wasn’t asleep.” The bastard.
Confused, Jessandra snatched them from my hand and held them up, inspecting the strap in the back. “This doesn’t cover anything.”
“That’s the point.”
“This goes?”
“Between your cheeks,” I mumbled, and peered at the goblins as they finished filling the tub. The females giggled and the males tried not to look at me.
Jessandra grimaced then hooked her finger around the strap and stretched the fabric. “It would make a better slingshot.”
I snatched them back and balled them up in my fist. “This is moving too fast,” I hissed. “I just accepted.”
Jessandra laughed. “He will not allow for you to change your fickle mind. Be grateful he gifted you time to acclimate and come to it on your own.”
“Grateful… gifted,” I sputtered. “Time to acclimate? I have issues with that entire statement.”
“Be that as it may, it is truth.”
“On your timeline maybe.”
“He could have demanded it as soon as you arrived. However, you accepted.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and dropped my head back. “I know. I just figured it would happen… naturally.”
“Stay nude then. ‘Tis better than wearing these dreadful things.”
My head snapped in her direction when she completely missed my meaning.
“You’re receiving what you asked for. Remember that.” The male goblins followed her out of the room.
When the door shut, the female goblins descended on me, tugging on my clothes and trying to strip me down.
“We will prepare you for the king,” one said as she tugged my pants down.
Another jumped on the bed and tugged my shirt up. “Your skin will glow, and you will smell of everberries. It will surely intoxicate his senses.”
“That sounds like a bad idea.” I wrestled to keep my clothes on and a shred of my dignity. “I can bathe and prepare myself.”
“Nonsense,” another one said and jerked my pants back down. “We will tend our future queen.”
I froze. Future queen? Bobbins’ words replayed in my mind as they shoved me onto the bed and fought to pull my jeans off. “How many times have you done this before?”
They looked at me in shock. “Never.”
“Have there been other women here?”
A shared glance passed among them. “Why would you ask that?”
I pushed myself up when they finally got my jeans off. “Something Bobbins said.”
“She is an elder,” one said.
Another chimed in, “It makes her a bit off in the head.”
Their chipperness made them seem off in the head. They were avoiding my question. Bobbins would answer me. She might beat around the bush, but at least she directed me around it so I could discover the truth.
“Up.” They grabbed my hands, and the other goblin pushed at my back. “Tub time.”
I stepped inside the bath and sat, bringing my knees to my chest. Water poured over my head and made me gasp. “A little warning,” I sputtered and wiped it out of my eyes.
They laughed and kept going, sudsing my hair and rinsing it clean. One goblin tried to wash my body, but I took the soap from their hand. “No. I will wash myself.”
I slid the soap down my arm and paused when I felt their eyes on me. I spun my finger in the air. “Turn around.”
Once their backs were to me, I continued quickly. “There’s no need to hide,” one said. “We bathed you for His Highness when you were ill.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” I said, washing the soap off. “Hand me a towel.”
I dried my upper body and stepped out on a cloth they laid on the floor when there was a knock on the door. I scrambled to cover myself as another goblin entered carrying a dress draped across her arms.
“Just in time!”
“For what?” I asked.
“For dinner. It is a special night.”
Excited, wrinkled little faces stared at me. If they knew tonight was the night, did that mean everyone else did too? A cold sweat broke out on my body, and my stomach churned. I couldn’t stand the thought of being watched with expectant gazes through dinner, waiting for when Astaroth and I returned to this room.
I shrieked when, as a unit, they attacked me with creams and perfumes, covering my skin. One of the maids grabbed a thong off the bed and held it open for me to step in. I snatched them and turned them the right way before I quickly tugged them on and then covered my breasts as two others prepared the dress.
“I see why sire likes those so much.” She wagged her nonexistent brows. She reminded me of a turtle.
My face burned as they tossed it over my head and jumped off the bed, tugging it down. The tight garment felt like a straitjacket with my arms caught inside. I struggled to pull them free and into the straps.
This dress looked and felt like a night gown. My nipples were hard as a rock and very obvious through the fabric. He could sit down there by himself. I was not wearing this to dinner. I didn’t even want to wear it for this “special night.”
After the maids coiled my hair atop my head, they took their leave. Being alone made it worse. My frayed nerves felt like I was poking them into an electrical outlet. To calm myself, I sat in my favorite chair and opened the music box to rid the annoying lyrics of “The Final Countdown” blaring in my head. That only made me think of our kiss by the tree. I lost myself in the memory and stared at the labyrinth tapestry. I could feel the pressure of his mouth as he consumed me. It was still imprinted on mine.
The door opened a short time later, and I tensed in the chair, giving the dress a once over. At some point, I had crossed my legs, and my thighs squeezed together so tight I could crush a melon. Melon made me think of a head, and the image of Astaroth’s between my thighs. I quickly uncrossed them and shifted in the chair.
Astaroth was dressed to impress with his fitted black pants tucked into knee-high, shiny black boots and a short black coat that buttoned up the side and across his chest, ending at the middle of his throat. I felt like I took a trip back in time, only I wasn’t dressed for it. I would stand out like a sore thumb.
He stopped in front of me. I could feel his gaze travel over me, resting on my mouth. “Are you ready for dinner?”
“I’m not leaving this room.”
Astaroth sat in the chair across from me. He was prepared for war by the expression on his face. “Why?”
“Everyone knows what will happen tonight. I don’t want to be paraded around in front of them like some prize you won.”
His lip twitched, and I wanted to eat my words. “Would you prefer they find out after?”
I huffed. “I’d prefer they didn’t find out at all.”
“It is no longer a secret why you are here, Calista.”
My face burned. “Regardless, I’m not going. Especially dressed in this.”
“What’s wrong with your attire? I thought you’d like it with the designs you gave Bobbins.”
I pushed to my feet. The thin, silky garment clung to me like a second skin, dipping down to reveal my cleavage. The second the dress grazed my nipples, they hardened. “This is way more revealing than the last dress I wore. More… intimate.”
“Indeed,” he murmured to my breasts. He quickly rose and went to the door. “I will have Ziggy deliver dinner.”
My shoulders sagged in relief as he opened it and quietly spoke to someone on the other side. When he closed it and turned to me, they tightened again. Tonight was the night, and the king who stood before me would not be swayed to wait longer. He smiled and snapped his fingers. The fireplace lit up and a fur rug sat in front of it covered with pillows. Music softly played from somewhere, but I couldn’t tell from where or make out what kind.
Astaroth ran a finger down my arm and clasped my hand when he reached it. His steadfast grip kept mine from shaking. “Let us talk.”
He guided me to the rug, and I sat curling my legs under me. Astaroth, however, reclined back next to me and crossed his ankles before taking my hand again. He flipped it over and ran a finger along the lines of my palm.
I ignored his touch and looked around the room again, trying to figure out where the music was coming from. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Our coupling,” he said, his finger tickling my hand.
My brows shot up. “Sex.” This was about to get even more awkward. I pulled my hand away and rubbed it on my leg to stop the tingling in my palm. “I can’t talk about it while you’re doing that.”
“Does my touch bother you so much that you have to wipe it away after?”
I stiffened. I didn’t know how to answer that. In the beginning, yes, his touch scared me because I didn’t know how our bargain would play out. It was different now. He was different—rather I was because I was finally seeing him for who he is. And if I were honest with myself, which I didn’t want to be, I liked him. That terrified me.
He gripped my chin and turned my head toward him as he waited for an answer I didn’t want to give. “Yes or no, Calista.”
I jerked from his grip. “This isn’t working for me.”
“What’s not?”
I waved an arm around. “All this. The fire, the rug, this dress, talking about sex right before having it.”
“You are avoiding my question.”
“Am not.”
“ You are .” With a swiftness that took my breath away, Astaroth rolled me to the floor and hovered above me on his elbows. “How would you like me to take you?”
“I-I,” I sputtered, tongue-tied and heart galloping. My traitorous brain flipped through images of the karma sutra I read years earlier as every breath came faster and faster. I knew he could do each one of them without breaking a sweat.
He lowered his head and brushed his lips against my neck. My pulse jumped to greet him as I bit back a whimper, squeezing my eyes closed. “I would say the answer is ‘no.’”
“Why do you think that?” I breathed.
“Because you’re pulling me closer,” he said, chest rumbling with laughter.
My eyes popped open. Not only was my brain working against me, my hands were, too. They white knuckled the sides of his jacket, damn near ripping it off him. I quickly let go and tried to wiggle out from under him, but Astaroth slipped his hands under my shoulders and tugged me back down. The dress made it easy to slide on the rug and bunched up around my waist almost exposing me.
“You have two choices. Walk to the bed and let this gown fall to the floor.”
I swallowed.
“Or I will remove it right now for you.”
Heat rushed through my body, pooling between my legs to do a little dance. I squeezed them together to get it to stop, but it was too late. It wanted one thing, and one thing only.
Astaroth.
Assertive Astaroth was sexy as hell, and that was a hard pill to swallow, especially when my mouth was as dry as the Sahara. My tongue felt like sandpaper when I tried to wet my lips. Might as well jump.
I tilted my head up and lightly grazed my lips against his. He remained still, watching me. The fire made the flecks swirling in his eyes look like a galaxy. I did it again with more pressure, only this time my tongue hesitantly slid along the seam of his mouth. When his lips slightly parted, I went for it.
Astaroth met me stroke for languid stroke as I explored his mouth, allowing me to relax against him and learn how we fit. Kissing him was natural, like we’d done it for years. He kissed me as though he knew all my secrets, unlocking each one to make them secrets of his own. We moved against each other in rhythmic waves that grew stronger and faster, and I knew all too well that I was about to be sucked into a riptide there was no saving me from.
Breaths heavy, our hands roamed one another, moving with the fervor of our mouths. Finally, Astaroth broke the kiss, and I gasped for air as he trailed kisses down my neck to my collar bone. That luscious hair I’d been aching to touch slipped through my fingers as I gripped his head and arched against him.
“I have waited so long to touch you,” he whispered against my skin.
His fingers slid up the outside of my exposed thigh, over the dress, and coming to rest beneath my breast. With a light stroke, he rubbed the pad of his thumb over my nipple before nipping it through the silk. My back jerked off the floor as I cried out.
Astaroth gripped the straps of my dress and pulled them down, trapping my arms at my sides, and revealing my breasts. He stared at my chest before cupping me and running his thumbs along their undersides with the slightest touch. Jerking his gaze to mine, he sucked one into his mouth and hummed. I nearly came unhinged.
“I want to see all of you.” He sat back on his heels, straddling my body, and tugged at the straps of my dress trapping me further. A growl of frustration rumbled out of him as he fought with it.
My breasts jiggled as I squirmed to get free, distracting him. “Focus!”
He smirked and pulled the knife from his boot, severing the straps and freeing my arms. “Bobbins can fix it later.” He grabbed the hem of the dress and stood, slipping it from body and leaving me lying on the fur rug in my underwear.
The breath rushed from his lungs as his gaze traveled from the tips of my toes to my face. “You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on.”
My heart raced when he dropped the dress revealing how excited he was. He unbuttoned his jacket and slid it off. Grabbing the scruff of his shirt, he tugged it over his head and threw it to the side, but I was too focused on the goblin trying to escape his pants to enjoy the show.
In a blip, he scooped me off the floor and set me on the bed even with his crotch as he shucked his pants. My eyes widened as he straightened, and I came face to cock with him. It jerked, and I jumped. Dear lord, there would be no coming back from this, like losing my virginity all over again.
I scrambled backward as he climbed on the bed and prowled toward me. “Astaroth,” I whispered frantically as I put space between us. My back hit the wall, and I froze looking for an escape.
“Calista,” he purred. Astaroth’s movements were graceful and reminded me of an exotic feline. His mane of hair and miniature goblin swayed with him as he crawled nearer.
“We need to talk about this,” I said.
The devious smile that spread over his face said otherwise. “We’re beyond that,” he said, gripping my ankles and pulling me toward him. “Unless you’re saying fuck me and more.”
I took in a breath to respond, and his mouth crashed into mine as he fell between my legs and pinned me with his body. His hands and mouth distracted me from the eminent decimation awaiting me, burning me hotter and hotter. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, he kissed down my stomach and ran a finger over the lace thong between my legs. My thighs quivered when he slipped beneath it and felt what he was doing to me.
“I didn’t get to enjoy these.” His breath burned my skin through the flimsy material. I popped my head up as he peeled them down. “Another time.”
With little kisses and nips that made me tremble, he worked his way up the insides of my legs. If he moved any slower, I would scream. I was so caught up in each excruciating second that the anticipation alone was about to set me off. Astaroth reached the apex of my thighs and ran a finger through my folds. I twitched and sucked in a breath as he held it up. It glistened in the low light.
He rubbed his fingertips together. “There is no denying how you feel about me anymore, Calista.”
I didn’t want to think about how I felt about him. It only led to why I was here and confused me more. I just wanted to feel him.
“I’ll be able to deny it if you don’t hurry up and finish what you started.”
His fingers stopped moving, and he turned his head in that creepy way that set my nerves on end.
“Your wish is my command.”
“That wasn’t a—” A moan tore from my lips as Astaroth’s tongue glided over my center.
My fingers tangled in his hair as his lips and tongue explored me. Every lave, nip, and suck was a calculated movement to figure out what I liked and disliked. Head thrashing, I would reach the precipice only to have him change tactics and start all over again.
“Astaroth,” I panted. “I can’t. Take anymore.”
“Call me Roth,” he mumbled against my tender flesh, teasing my opening with a finger.
“Please,” I begged. He raised his chin and stared at me. I ground the name between my teeth, chewing on it to taste the flavor. It was too personal, and he knew it. The tip of his finger slid inside me, and I sighed. “ Roth .”
Then the whole world crashed around me. He did things with his mouth and fingers that no other man could compete with. Not in my past. My future had a bleak outlook. This time when I reached that peak, I toppled over it a delirious mess, free falling into oblivion. Heart whooshing in my ears, I lifted my head up and tried to get my bearings. I sucked in a breath at the carnal gaze that met mine.
“You will call me Roth in our quarters.” He lazily wiped his face against the inside of my thigh, then bit it. Something about that was so fucking sexy and turned me on. “Understand?”
I bit the inside of my lip and nodded.
“You’re not going to argue with me?” he asked as he sat back on his heels.
As long as he did that, I would call him whatever he wanted. “No.”
Astaroth smirked and stroked his not so miniature goblin. It stood tall and had my full attention. I rolled to my side as he reclined against the pillows at the headboard. He reached for me, and I followed. Grabbing the back of my thigh, he guided my leg over him until I straddled him. I shuddered when the tip of his cock brushed my entrance.
He cupped my face and pulled me to him. I rubbed against his length as I went, eliciting a growl. I could taste myself on his lips and tongue as he kissed me, soft and deep. Reaching behind me, I gripped the tip of him in my fist and rolled my wrist. He tensed and broke the kiss leaving me breathless.
“I want you to ride me and sing my name like you did when I was between your legs, Cali.”
There was something about the way he said Cali that made me pause. Someone had called me that before, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember who it was.
His eyes bounced over my face before placing his hand over the scar on my chest and pushing me up. His fingers drifted between my breasts to my stomach. “Don’t think,” he said, flicking his thumb between my legs. “You will have an eternity for that after.”