Chapter 39 Pleasures & Gifts
Chapter thirty-nine
Pleasures & Gifts
Istumbled backwards, throwing an arm around him just to stay upright.
We kept going until we slammed into a tree trunk, which forced all the air from my lungs.
I had to break the kiss, but Devil mistook my breathless gasp for one of pleasure and moved his mouth to my neck.
His fangs pricked against my skin, his grip on my neck and waist now all-consuming.
It took half a minute for me to come back enough to remember the leash.
I jerked it backwards, pulling him away from me, and his entire body stilled as our eyes met.
“Tell me what you want,” he rasped. “I would deny you nothing.”
I could hardly feel anything except a surge of magyk-fueled emotion. It was almost deafening, drowning out the irresolute voice in the back of my mind and quickly replacing it with Devil’s: What other pleasures have you been denying yourself?
“On your knees,” I murmured, and he dropped like a stone, hands falling to my hips. He gazed up at me, mismatched eyes brighter than I’d ever seen, and sucked in a deep breath. A depraved smile spread across his face, answering my question about whether or not fay senses could detect arousal.
“If you say you do not want me now, I’ll know you to be a liar,” he purred. Keeping the shadow-leash clutched in my hand, I ran a thumb across his bottom lip and returned the smile.
“I think I have been denying myself the pleasure of your silence, Devil. Show me that silver tongue of yours knows something other than slander and guile.”
The moment my voice died, his hands flew to my belt buckle and ripped it open.
As he undid the row of buttons on the front of my trousers, I tried to slow my racing heart, but it was no use.
His urgency only compounded my own, and a moment later I was helping him shove my trousers and thin cotton underclothes down around my hips.
“Gods above, May,” he breathed, seizing my hips again and leaning his forehead against my belly.
For a moment, I thought his hands might be shaking, but then he began trailing kisses along my hip.
His fingers touched me first, sliding between my thighs and gently curling into the wetness they found.
I tipped my head against the tree trunk and closed my eyes, but seized his shoulder to keep my balance.
His other hand yanked my trousers down below my knees, then gently pressed on the inside of my thigh, urging me to open.
I did, and was rewarded by one of his long fingers sliding inside me.
Forgetting that I still wore boots, I tried to lift one of my legs with a small groan.
But Devil worked quickly, keeping one hand moving between my thighs while the other jerked each of my boots off and threw them aside.
Single-handedly, he pulled my trousers off one leg, then hooked it over his shoulder.
I was unbalanced, by the heat in my core and by his movements, but shifting my grip to his hair afforded me some stability.
He responded with a second finger, and I let out a much louder noise than I meant to.
Suddenly remembering that we were in the middle of the forest, my eyes snapped open to scan the clearing behind him.
“Don’t,” he breathed against the wet, sensitive skin of my inner thigh.
“Don’t look at anything else. Your eyes belong on me.
I want you to watch.” I gave a tense nod and looked down just as he began to move his thumb in circles, sending a shuddering wave up to slacken my jaw.
Nearly all my weight now rested between him and the tree, but one of his hands kept a firm grip on my backside as he worked his fingers, building me up in a delicious crescendo.
“More,” I groaned, tugging at his hair. “I need more…please…”
“I know,” he replied, “but I need something from you first.”
“W-what…”
“Say my name.” He slowed his fingers and tipped his head back to look at me with those cunning, glittering eyes.
“Oh, fuck you!” I spat, chest heaving from pleasure, anger, and embarrassment all at once.
“Hmm, not quite. Try again.”
I bent over and used my sweetest voice to whisper, “Fuck. You.”
“My darling May,” he murmured, planting a trail of soft kisses along the crease between my hip and lower stomach, “I am owed the sound of you moaning my name, and I intend to collect…one way or another.” He sank his fangs hard into my upper thigh, while simultaneously thrusting with his fingers.
That sweet, hedonistic burst of pleasure and pain sent me reeling, and I couldn’t stop myself.
“Fuck, Devil!”
“Again.”
He repeated the motion with his fingers, but this time, used his tongue on me too.
A desperate shiver overtook me and I moaned it quietly. “Devil…please…”
“You are being surprisingly obedient, princess,” he laughed.
“And you, demon, are being not-so-surprisingly irritating,” I snarled, using the shadow-leash to yank his head back.
“Now, love,” he growled, pushing deeper with his fingers until he had me squirming and gasping, “I can make you come either way, but I promise it will be better if you allow me the use of my mouth.”
Desperate for release, I dropped the leash and tangled all my fingers through his hair.
He swept his hand beneath my other trembling leg and lifted it onto his other shoulder, pressing me against the tree for leverage.
With a tight grip on my buttocks, he dove back between my thighs, and I was lost. Nothing mattered except the feeling of his tongue inside me, his fingertips digging into my flesh, and his breath coming in hot, panting bursts that only pushed me closer to the edge.
“Don’t stop!” I gasped. He shifted in order to use his fingers again, and they finally sent me over the edge.
My back arched, scraping against the rough tree bark, and an unholy sound left my mouth as my entire body constricted around him.
But he did not stop until I’d hit my peak and come all the way down.
Sliding his hands over my buttocks again, he gripped my waist tight and hoisted me off his shoulders with a grunt.
My legs were shaking so badly, I dropped to my knees at the base of the tree, then pitched forward into his arms.
“Gods, you’re pretty when you come,” he whispered. I just let out a soft laugh and braced my hands on his thighs, but found something hard beneath my fingers. I couldn’t help but look up at him with a smirk.
“So, you aren’t completely defective then?”
His face was slick with sweat and release, but he wiped it on his sleeve and grinned. “You are welcome to test that theory at your convenience.” As I began to slowly rub my hand up and down, his shoulders dropped and his mouth hung open, eyes turning glassy.
“May…fuck…”
“I do not even need a collar to have you at my mercy,” I laughed, leaning forward to kiss and nip at his neck.
“You need nothing at all for me to be at your mercy.”
“Hush, you monster.” I gently bit down on the side of his ear, causing his entire body to shudder.
The noise he made sounded almost like a whimper, and it sent a surge of pleasure through me, so I moved faster.
But when his hands found my waist and he tugged me into his lap, I froze, suddenly unsure of just how much I wanted.
This was as far as I’d ever gone with Will, and I was certain Devil had much more experience.
Not to mention, we were sitting on the grass, out in the open where anyone could walk by.
I slid my hands beneath his shirt, running my fingers over the cut of his muscles, then took a deep breath so I could explain myself.
But he spoke before I could, whispering, “It’s alright.” His arms wrapped around my back and I melted into him. “Let’s get cleaned up, shall we?”
“The falls?”
He shook his head. “Far too busy right now, I would imagine. I want you all to myself for a while longer.”
“I am not taking you home with me like this,” I giggled, glancing down at the bulge beneath his trousers.
“No one need ever know,” he said. “You can take us straight to your room. Lock the door. Block out the windows.”
“And then…” I said softly, finally meeting his eyes and searching them, trying to figure out exactly what he was imagining or expecting.
“I told you before,” he breathed, placing a single, gentle kiss on my jaw, “I would fetter myself in iron just to sleep beside you, May—to wake up with you in my arms. Please. I could not bear being away from you now…” He brushed a sweat-stiff curl from my face, and I immediately softened, then relented.
“Just to sleep,” I said, and he nodded, trailing a few more kisses along my neck before I stood up.
Once we were both somewhat presentable again, I pulled us through the Arden’s river of magyk back to the Bower.
Sir Toby was waiting on my bed, and he growled until Devil let go of my hand to scratch all his ears.
I quickly locked the door and cast a shadow barrier over the archway, just in case.
After washing my face and hands in hot water from the kettle, I told Devil to stay out of sight and trouble, then went down to the kitchen.
Ceres was busy preparing supper, humming to herself as usual, and she startled when I came in.
“Heavens, child! You walk so quietly!”
“I’m sorry,” I laughed. “I was hoping to see about…some extra food for supper. I was training all day and I’m famished.”
She raised an eyebrow and I instantly knew I’d given up the ghost. Having the power to lie didn’t mean I was good at it. At least, not all the time.
“Certainly, that isn’t a problem,” Ceres said smoothly. “Anything else? An extra tea mug in case you find yourself terribly thirsty?”
I gave her a sheepish smile. “No, that’s alright. But maybe…one of your delightful hot rain clouds?”
“Ah, yes. Training all day certainly does make one sweaty. I’ll make you one when I bring supper.”