Chapter Seventeen
Kris
Kris’ heart was beating so fast she was surprised it hadn’t leapt from her throat. Her boldness had been inspired by bravado and Kronos’ apparent desire to know what she had in mind, but with the words out there, and his hazel eyes darkening, she didn’t know what to expect.
“Me?” He straightened, creating space between their naked bodies.
“Yes, Master.” Her voice sounded minuscule in comparison to his. “You’re not like anyone else, and realizing how exceptional you are means I would really like to know more about you.”
She flooded him with flattery, hoping the praise would lubricate the wheels of her request, but the best part was that she didn’t even need to sacrifice her integrity in order to do so.
He was special.
He was magical, for fuck’s sake, and apparently, able to live for multiple human lifetimes and still be fit and honed. She didn’t know how any of that was conceivable, but she was desperate to find out.
“To discover your capabilities and learn about your experiences,” she went on, watching his responses carefully. “I’m sure there’s so much you can teach me.”
His expression softened, and the relief that swamped her senses was intense. “Are you trying to cajole me with your sweet-talk, little one?”
“Yes,” she admitted, rising higher on her knees. “But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong, Master. You have abilities I can’t fathom, and the scientist in me is excited to figure them all out.”
“And you want me to let you, what?” He hesitated, a smirk painting his attractive face, “…investigate me?”
“Yes, please.” Her gaze traveled along the extent of his pectorals, wondering where on Earth she’d begin if she could convince him to let her try.
How any living being could have a body like his was an entire hypothesis in its own right, and then there were all the things he could do; the conjuring of items from thin air, and the telekinesis…
She could spend an entire career exploring Kronos’ skills, and she might never understand how what he did was possible.
The idea of doing so, though, of attempting to study him and comprehend, animated her.
“You are not like any of the others.” He sighed, though his smirk had morphed into a smile.
“Is that…” she paused, uncertain, “a good thing, Master?”
“Oh, yes.” Reaching for her nape, he pulled her toward him. “That is more than a good thing.”
“So, will you allow me to research you?”
She held her breath as she reached the crux of her appeal, hoping that she’d done enough to persuade him that her long-term contentment relied upon more than only his jaw-dropping body and learning to serve him.
Naturally, those things were red-hot, and she’d been surprised at how much the latter had engrossed her, but she sensed that even he knew she’d require more.
“I will think on your request.” His self-satisfied expression should have grated, but somehow, the countenance only made him look even sexier.
“Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say.
He hadn’t said no to her outright, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that his decision was already made, and he was only toying with her.
“It would mean a lot to me if you were to say yes.” She risked brushing a kiss against his collar, aware of his fingers stiffening at her neck.
“And what will you give me in return?” His voice was teasing, and she lifted her chin at the sound.
“You have me already, Master. I don’t know what else I can give you.”
“True.” He returned her caress with one of his own, his lips skimming her jaw. “But I’m sure there is room for negotiation. You want to know more about me, and I, little one, seek the same. I should like more knowledge about you. I want to know everything about you.”
“Everything?” Her breasts pressed against his chest, her nipples hardening at the subtle shift in energy.
A moment before, she’d been anxious not to upset him, and keen to impress the importance of her idea. But in the blink of an eye, that familiar tug of their chemistry had returned, goading her to think less of her brain and more about what was between his legs.
“Everything.” He speared her with the intensity of his gaze. “I want to know you inside out, and as I do so, I want you to learn to surrender to me, to know not only the pleasure in ceding, but also the solace.”
She frowned, unsurprised by the demand, yet still irked that he’d raised it. Hadn’t she submitted to him repeatedly already? Wasn’t all the kneeling at his feet, calling him her master, and ceding to his punishments about her surrender?
What more could he want from her?
“And yes,” he cajoled, as if he’d just read her mind. “I know that you are already doing so, and I’m proud of your amazing progress.”
His kisses came again, splintering her train of thought when they lowered to the sensitive skin at the side of her neck. She groaned at the feel of them, conscious that giving into their hedonism would obliterate any type of alleged negotiation.
“But it will take time for you to study me.” His breath was warm on her skin. “So, I should like you to lean into your submission over that period. Don’t just obey because I tell you to. Obey because you choose to.”
Her eyes widened when their gazes met again. She understood what he inferred, but as ever, he made everything sound overly simple. “I think that will take time, Master.”
Although, there had been occasions she’d come close to reaching that headspace already.
Surrendering to his will was a constant rollercoaster ride.
There were times when his requests were the easiest in the world to yield to, and then others when she wanted to run screaming from his grasp at the mere mention of them.
Not that there was an option to run from him. She’d already discovered that the hard way.
“And we have time,” he assured her. “As much time as we choose. So, if I consent to let you research me, then I want your word that you will actively choose to submit.”
She blinked at him, sensing they were on the verge of an important cooperation.
Not a compromise, per se. She was still the one who would be expected to toe the line, but still, something significant.
In agreeing to her continuing her studies, he, too, was making an allowance, and by permitting himself to be the subject of that study, he offered another concession.
“Submit to you how, Master?” She searched his handsome face, taking in every detail from his sharp cheekbones to his strong jawline. “I already know your rules, and I try to comply.”
“By learning to trust me.” He fisted her hair gently as his soft murmurs continued. “My commands shall always have our interests at heart.”
He made obedience sound so straightforward when he took control and whispered words like that, but experience and a tender backside had taught her that deference wasn’t always so easy in practice.
Perhaps, though, her effort would be worthwhile.
She sensed he was on the verge of agreeing to let her investigate him, and that thought lit her up.
And regardless, she already knew how much they both enjoyed him being in charge.
Assenting to more of the same was far from a hardship.
That and the ballooning trust between them were the reasons she hadn’t thought about fleeing since he’d revived her. She didn’t want to go.
As though his dick agreed and wanted its contribution heard in the discussion, the organ throbbed between their bodies, capturing their attention.
“Okay, Master.” Her throat dried as she concurred, but her words were like an out-of-body experience. She recognized her voice, yet the old version of Kris could hardly believe what she was about to say. “If I can study you, then I swear that I will always try to obey.”
She blinked at the admission, aware that, in the end, her wet, eager sex had demanded her capitulation.
His hard spanking might not have aroused her, but being so close to him, knowing that he was prepared to give as well as to take, was really doing something for her.
Clenching the muscles between her legs, she knew if she were to slide his cock inside her, they would both find her more than ready.
“Thank you, little one.” He captured her mouth briefly, making her whimper as he drew away. “Then I shall be honored to have you study me.”
“Honored?” She smiled, tucking her stray hair behind her ears. “That’s a first, Master. I don’t think anyone’s ever been honored because of me before.”
“Well, they should have been,” he insisted. “You are magnificent, and you deserve to be worshipped.”
He paused, his eyes suddenly serious.
“What?” she gasped, acknowledging the change immediately. She’d looked into his mesmerizing eyes so many times that even the subtlest shift in their intention was obvious to her. “What is it, Master?”
“I was about to tell you something…” Again, he hesitated, and for maybe the first time, she saw what looked like uncertainty flickering in his eyes. “It’s the most unlikely outcome, and yet I can no longer deny that it’s true.”
Her tummy twisted into knots at his peculiar answer. “What does that mean?”
“It means I am falling in love with you, little mortal.” His lips tugged into a smile. “Hundreds of years have passed, yet you are the first human who has inspired such feelings.”
Dazed, she gawped at him, not knowing how to respond. She’d registered his words, and she swore her heart had stopped at the resonance, but still, her mind refused to accept that his sentiment was genuine.
He couldn’t be falling in love with her.
He was some sort of god, while she was a woman who could barely balance her bank account at the end of the month.
The lust he harbored for her, she could understand.
She was young, and whatever idiots like Shaun said, Kris knew she was attractive.
But any deeper affection from him seemed impossible, as though she was living in a dream she couldn’t wake up from.
“Master?” Staring at him, she wasn’t even sure that she wanted to wake up anymore.
“You heard me.” He pressed another kiss to her lips, and she responded at once, groaning as his tongue skirted in and out of her mouth.
His declaration bounced around her mind as the caress ended, but still, it seemed too good to be true.
“I crave you more than anything or anyone else. That’s why I have to have you here with me. ”
She shook her head in disbelief. Where there should have been excited glee at his admission, there was only skepticism. Surely, his words were only a half-truth. He loved the idea of her, the way he’d perhaps once felt about Shelley, but he couldn’t truly be falling in love with her.
A woman like her with all her flaws wasn’t worthy of someone like him.
“By why me, Master?” Her lips were only inches from his. “There’s nothing special about me.”
“Oh, little one.” His hand rose to fist her hair. “How can someone as intelligent as you be so short-sighted?”
The crease in her brow deepened at the accusation. “I’m truly grateful you feel that way, Master,” she started, hoping she could explain the scrambled emotions in her head. “But you can’t be in love with me.”
One of his dark eyebrows arched at her response. “Are you telling me how I am allowed to feel?”
“No.” Her pulse quickened at the warning in his tone. “I mean, not exactly, Master.” She blew out a breath, flustering as she tried to explain. “I just don’t see what someone like me can offer someone like you.”
He chuckled at her analysis. “That is because you do not yet possess the necessary self-worth to realize how wonderful you are.” Cradling the back of her head, his fingers massaged her scalp. “But with time, I will ensure you see just how worthy of my devotion you really are.”