Chapter 16
sixteen
VI
We cleaned up dinner together, and I went back into my room to write in my journal when we were done. It seemed a little silly to do so, but always felt sort of cleansing to me.
Half an hour went by before I headed out for a glass of water. On my way to the kitchen, I heard something that stopped me in my tracks.
Running water.
The shower was on.
Eli was in the shower.
Ohhh.
A mental image hit me for the briefest of moments, and my body flushed.
Eli was on his back on the bed, and I was sitting on his face while he ate me out. My bare body bounced and rocked, his hands full of my ass.
The immediate burst of lust was sharp, and intense.
He was jerking off.
And I had two options:
I could retreat to my room and keep hiding away.
Or, I could join him.
It would be the beginning of our test run if I went with the latter. And the test run could potentially lead to pain.
But was it worth the risk?
My gut said yes.
And I was tired of hiding and retreating.
So, I took a long breath in, then crossed the cabin. I hadn’t even been inside Eli’s room since that day we dropped off the cupcake blanket. And he hadn’t returned said blanket. Or maybe he hadn’t washed it yet. I definitely hadn’t done laundry.
Anyway, all of that was beside the point.
I slipped my shirt over my head and ditched it on the floor in his bedroom.
My pants followed, though I left my bra and panties on.
Eli loved stripping those off of me.
I padded into the bathroom—he’d left the door open—but stopped just inside.
His shower had a huge glass door, and it gave me the perfect view of him.
He had one hand against the shower’s wall. The other was wrapped around his cock, stroking. His muscles were tight, his chest rising and falling quickly.
I’d never watched him pleasure himself before.
We’d done a hell of a lot during heat, but never that.
Water fell over him, plastering that gorgeous blond hair to his forehead, but he didn’t seem to notice it at all.
His body tensed at the end of every stroke.
He was going to lose it without me, and I didn’t want that. Not even a little.
I crossed the bathroom quickly. When I pulled the shower’s door open, his gaze jerked to me. His eyes were blue—so damn blue.
And full of heat.
I kneeled down in front of him, not bothering to ask for permission.
He’d snarled at me for asking two or three times during heat, and I’d done the same. Neither of us really had boundaries when it came to sex.
I pulled his hand off his erection and replaced it with my own, holding the base of him.
A strained curse rumbled his chest.
When I leaned forward and wrapped my lips around the head of his cock, he was already shuddering.
I bobbed twice, and he lost control.
His hands buried in my hair, his roars filling the air and his hips thrusting as he filled my mouth with his release. He swore viciously when I licked him clean, his cock already jerking again.
He still wanted more, and we weren’t even going through heat.
That was enough to inflate my ego a little.
He didn’t give me time to linger on the ego boost, though.
Eli grabbed my waist and hauled me to my feet, spinning me around. He got my bra off before my chest collided with the shower’s wall. Before I finished gasping at the suddenness, he’d yanked my thong to the side and thrust into me.
His growl of approval was savage.
My moan was loud, and desperate.
His teeth cut into my shoulder, and the orgasm hit me hard and fast.
My frantic cries flooded the air, my hips moving against the wall while he fucked me from behind. His fingers worked my clit, dragging my pleasure out as he licked my shoulder clean while it healed rapidly.
Then bit me again.
Harder.
He thrust into me roughly, and the noise in my throat died as my second climax hit.
My body clenched around his cock as we lost control together.
Eli remained inside me as the pleasure faded—and though his fingers eased up on my clit, they didn’t stop altogether.
“I hope you were coming in here to seduce me,” he rumbled, his lips brushing my ear. “Because I’m never going to be able to forget this.”
“Didn’t the blow job give me away?” I asked, still a bit breathless.
“I thought so.” His free hand slid up from my hip, landing on my breast and squeezing lightly.
“I didn’t realize it would still be this good when we’re not in heat.”
“We’re mates, Spaghetti. Our bodies were made for each other.” He kissed the side of my throat, and I tipped my head for him, exposing the rest of it. “It’ll always be like this.”
“Do you have any evidence of that?” I whispered, goosebumps erupting on my arms as his lips moved down the side of my throat.
“I accidentally walked in on my parents having wild sex after five centuries of marriage. Want me to send you the mental images?”
I cringed. “Okay, fine, I believe you. Our test run is starting now.”
He chuckled, his lips brushing my neck again. “There’s one thing we should get straight before it really starts.”
“What is it?”
“You’re afraid of being the one who loves more, and getting hurt because of it.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
A very accurate one that immediately made me stiffen.
“But I already claimed that role,” he said, and kissed my neck yet again. “I’m the one who loves more, and I’m positively fucking thrilled with that. You can try to push me away, you can try not to fall for me—but regardless of what you do, I’ll always be here, loving you.”
My throat swelled.
My eyes stung.
“Is that even really a relationship?”
“It’s a mate bond. That’s all I care about.” He slipped one of his hands into my hair and tipped my head further to the side. “Though I enjoy this a whole damn lot.”
He thrust into me again, and I groaned. “Eli…”
“Yes, Spaghetti?” His voice was hot, but playful too.
“Can you forget your obsession with walls and take me to bed for once?”
He laughed, loudly. “Have you forgotten heat already? I proved my affection for mattresses plenty.”
Despite his words, he turned the water off and carried me to the bed in the same position he’d had me pressed to the wall. His chest was to my back, my ass to his pelvis, and his cock still buried inside me. My legs went around the back of his hips a bit awkwardly, trying to ensure I wouldn’t land on my face.
Eli’s grip was steady enough that I shouldn’t have worried about it, but I was still just a little nervous.
He set me on the mattress on my stomach, and immediately folded one of my legs up so he could roll me onto my back without pulling out. When I was settled, his hands slid over my body slowly, the pressure of his touch incredible.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured, catching my breast in one of his palms and dragging a thumb over my nipple.
“I think you’re prettier than me.”
He hiked my knee up higher, and slapped my ass playfully. It barely stung, and my hips arched in response.
Yeah, that felt good.
“I don’t want to hear that shit ever again. You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, period.”
“What are you going to do to me if I don’t agree?” I tossed back, trying to get him to smack my backside again.
It worked.
He swatted my ass, and I arched against him again, making him throb inside me.
“Tie your sassy little ass to this bed and have my way with you until you apologize.” His eyes were bright, the challenge in them clear.
“Anyone with eyes can see that I’m right. You’re the prettiest one of us, and—ohhh shit.” I hissed out the last part as he thrust into me, hard.
Then pulled out.
I groaned immediately at the loss, but he was back a moment later with a few pairs of what looked like sweatpants. He leaned over me again, the length of his cock pressing against my core as he captured my wrists above my head and tied them to the headboard.
I tugged at them a little, the heat in my body rising when I realized he had me trapped. I wasn’t positive I liked the loss of control—and had never done something that kinky before—but my desire was growing, not shrinking. So, I’d play along.
Eli left my legs untied, and slowly kissed and licked his way down my body.
My head tipped back in pleasure when he lingered on my breasts, giving my nipples the attention they craved—and my entire body started to rock when he made it to my lower belly, then finally between my thighs.
I took a deep, unsteady breath in when his tongue dragged over my clit slowly.
Lazily.
Blissfully .
I arched when he circled it, dragging me back to the edge with the skill he’d learned during heat. He hadn’t minded tasting our combined pleasure on me then, either.
I gasped when he tugged with his teeth, and my orgasm almost hit. I was so, so close to the edge…
But he stopped before I could lose it.
He tasted my slit with his tongue, teased my folds, and didn’t go near my clit.
“Bastard,” I panted, strung tight with need.
“Tell me I’m right, and I’ll let you get off.” He finally returned to my clit. The orgasm I’d been on the edge of had faded, and he absolutely knew it.
The strokes of his tongue were slow and teasing. He knew if he gave me too much, that climax would hit hard.
“Never,” I moaned. “You know I hate losing.”
“Losing to me doesn’t count. We’re a team, Spaghetti.”
“I hate how much I’ve come to love that nickname too.”
He chuckled against my core, the rumbly feel of it absolutely incredible. “But you’d love to come .”
He nipped at my clit again, and I gasped, arching harder.
Yet again, he pulled away too soon.
“Damn you,” I hissed, panting almost violently.
“Damn me,” he agreed, licking me just where I wanted him to. “Ready to give in?”
“Not yet,” I gritted out.
“Good. I’m having too much fun to let this end.” He flashed me a wicked grin, his lips and stubble wet with our pleasure.
One of his hands slid between my thighs, and I swore viciously as he filled me with three of his fingers. His tongue was still teasing me, the strokes too light to give me what I needed.
My hips arched, and he let them.
My legs wrapped around his face, pulling him closer, and he sent me a hot look from where he was. Then bit my clit again, hard enough to have me bucking.
“You’re so close, Spaghetti. Just give in,” he murmured into my mind.
“What will you give me if I do?”
“What do you want?”
“Two orgasms,” I said. “And I want to be on top. And in charge.”
His chest rumbled. “You’ve never been interested in dominating me before. I like this development.”
“You’d better.”
He nipped at me again.
I gritted out a curse.
“Say the words out loud, and it’s a deal,” he said.
“You’re right. I’m prettier than you. I’m perfect.” I didn’t even give a damn what I was saying anymore—I was too ready for what was coming next.
Eli bit down lightly on my clit. “Good girl.”
I cursed when he dragged his teeth over me, rubbing the pads of his fingers over my g-spot as he did. My hips bucked, but he finally dragged me over the edge.
My cries were frantic as the climax hit hard and heavy, making my entire body jerk. He didn’t let me finish in peace though—he kept working me through the pleasure, somehow coaxing my body into another orgasm with his fingers, tongue, and teeth.
I was a panting, sweating mess when I finally came down from the high. My chest heaved so violently, I worried I might pass out from lack of air.
Eli untied my wrists, then rolled me on top of him. His erection was sandwiched against my hip, and he made no move to fill me again.
He was giving me time to recover.
The man was too considerate. Way too considerate.
But I loved that.
I caught my breath for a minute, then couldn’t wait any longer. Grabbing his face, I tilted his head toward me and kissed him, lining our bodies up again.
Sinking down over his erection, I took him inside me.
Our eyes locked, and he let me set the pace, having my way with him slowly.
Warmth burned in my chest as we had sex.
It didn’t just feel like sex, though.
It was slower.
More intimate.
More intense.
And when we finally went over the edge together, it made me feel… important .
Cherished.
Loved.
That was new. Really new.
But really good.
Afterward, I curled up against Eli’s chest while he played with my hair.
“What do you think about the test run so far? Grade me,” he said.
My lips curved upward.
My first instinct was to say that I was sold, but I ignored the hell out of that. I didn’t want to get his hopes up. What if I changed my mind?
“Solid B,” I lied.
“Ouch.” He didn’t sound offended. I’m sure he knew I was lying. I’d told him a few times already that I’d never had sex anywhere near as good as ours.
“Hey, B is above average.”
“Guess I’ll have to try harder.” He dropped my hair and grabbed one of my breasts, running his thumb over my nipple. “How many orgasms would buy me an A? Six? Seven?”
“That would probably depend on how good you make them.”
“Tell me how to improve, then.” He pinched my nipple, and I closed my eyes as I leaned against him.
“You have to figure that out yourself.”
“Seems unfair.”
“I never promised fairness.”
“Well that’s fair enough.”
I snorted.
He added, “Well, I’ll have to give you an A minus.”
“ A minus ? What did I do to you?”
“Gave me a B.”
I sighed dramatically. “Shit.”
He chuckled. “You make my world a hell of a lot brighter, Spaghetti.”
My chest warmed. “You make mine brighter too.”
It was a lot to admit… but it would have felt wrong to deny it.
“Just wait until this test run is over. You’ll be smitten with me,” he said.
I laughed. “Smitten? I don’t think I have that setting.”
“Not yet. We’ll get you there.” He tried to press my body closer to his, but we were already sandwiched together. “The test includes sleeping in the nude, right?”
“It includes whatever we want it to.”
“Good. I need a solid fifteen hours of sleep with you snuggled up with me.”
“How about twenty?”
“You’re making me hard again.”
I snorted. “You’re a dork.”
“You’ve known that for ages. And you love it.”
He wasn’t wrong on either front.
I closed my eyes, and fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.