Chapter 16 #3

against hers, slipping the tip of his tongue between her lips as he

cupped her breasts in his palms, his thumbs rubbing tantalizing

circles around her nipples as she groaned his name and nipped his

lower lip.

He deepened his kisses, filling her mouth

with his slick, probing tongue as his big, strong hands roamed the

length of her back, holding her to him. She could feel the length

of him rising against the softness of her belly.

She moaned and pressed her pelvis into his

hard heat, rubbing and rolling her aching flesh over him, desperate

for the feel of his skin against hers. They both wore leather

riding breeches, and she fumbled for his stays and untied them

without breaking their kiss. She yanked down on his breeches,

freeing his cock, and rubbed her hand up and down the length of his

hot, pulsing flesh.

Aleksi groaned into her mouth. “My man-eating

tigress.”

She smiled into his kiss and nipped his chin.

He flipped her onto her back and was untying her stays and pulling

her breeches to her knees. He bent over her and placed a kiss on

one knee, and then the other, slowly making his way up her inner

thighs, kiss by kiss, nip by nip, until his mouth hovered over the

center of her desire and her flesh wept for want of him.

With a sure, cocky grin, he gently blew on

her mass of curls, his warm breath teasing her, and she tried to

open her legs, but her breeches stopped her at her knees. She

squirmed and shimmied and pushed them down with her hands until

they were down to her ankles, and then he took her by the wrists

and pinned her arms over her head, leaving her exposed to his lusty

gaze.

She thrilled at the raw hunger in his eyes,

and raised her head to meet his mouth, her kiss as fierce and

demanding as his. She raised her hips, tapping the tip of his thick

erection with her flesh.

“I want you,” she growled. “All of you,

inside me now.”

But instead of burying his cock deep inside

of her, he buried his forehead into her shoulder.

“If I plant a baby inside of you now,” he

said, “your father will cut my cock off.”

“But…”

“There are no buts,” he said, lifting his

head and meeting her frustrated gaze. “Unless you want to become

the wife of an uncouth, lowly roundhouse-dwelling bastard, we can

do everything but.”

He was right, she knew he was. He may not

want to marry her, but now, in this moment, he wanted her as much

as she wanted him.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and

pulled his head down and kissed him, kissed him so that he would

want her for the rest of his days. They rolled onto their sides,

and she kissed her way down his corded neck, kissed his small,

erect nipples, the patch of hair on his broad chest. She turned and

kissed her way down the rippled muscles of his belly, down the line

of hair leading to his groin, and then she licked and kissed the

pulsing length of his cock and wrapped her lips around the tip, her

moans reverberating in her mouth as he drew tantalizing circles

around her nub with his tongue.

They kissed and licked, nipped and suckled

each other until they were both writhing and moaning with mounting

pleasure. She peaked first, breaking with a melting heat, and then

her mouth filled with Aleksi’s warm, yeasty seed. She turned her

head and spit it out into the river below, where it was washed away

into oblivion. Then she stood, pulled up her breeches, tied her

stays, and jumped off the rock and onto Lasair’s back.

Once they were out of the woods and in the

open meadow, she gave Lasair her head and let the mare run away

from Aleksi and all of the things that Sahar had said and done and

felt with him. She heard the pounding of hooves and glanced back to

see Z bearing down on Lasair, who for some reason had slowed and

pranced and nickered as Z came up alongside her.

“Sahar, wait,” Aleksi said. “Sahar,” he

called louder, more insistent as she ignored him. He reached over

and grabbed Lasair’s reins and slowed both horses to a stop.

Sahar bared her teeth. “What?” she

snarled.

“Do you want me to put a baby in you?” he

asked. “If you do, I can accommodate you right here, right

now.”

“You are an insufferable—”

“Arrogant ass, I know, but this arrogant ass

can’t figure out if you are angrier with me for chancing getting

you pregnant before or for refusing to chance it now.”

She couldn’t admit to being equally confused.

“I don’t wish for you, or any other man, to put a baby in me,” she

said. “I’m not a broodmare in need of a stud, or some poor maid in

want of a husband.”

“No. You’re a proud, stubborn woman,

determined to prove to the world that you’re as callous and capable

as any man in anything you choose to do, even in choosing and

casting aside your lovers.”

“What do you care?” she seethed. “What is it

to you if you are the first or the fiftieth man I take to my bed or

if I remain childless or have ten children? Since none of those

children will be yours, you are free to go charm some easy-tempered

serving maid to marry you and bear your brats. As you said

yourself, in the end we are nothing to each other. I suggest you

take advantage of your narrow escape from marriage to this spoiled

princess and start scattering your seed where it will take

purchase.”

Aleksi ran a hand back through his hair.

“You’re angry you aren’t pregnant.”

“How foolish would that be?”

“Marry me.”

“What?”

“Marry me. Be by wife. Bear my children. I’ll

make us a good life.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why should I marry you?”

“Because we’re good together. We watched each

other’s backs, kept each other alive when others would have given

up. Because we fight as well for each other as with each other.

Because we are both hardheaded and strong-willed enough to complete

any task we put ourselves to, and because we desire each other and

are cursed amazing in bed together.”

“You think those reason enough?”

“They are better reasons than most marry

for.”

“They are not reason enough for me.”

“What would be? Wealth? Rank? A big, shiny

crown?”

Sahar ripped Lasair’s rein from his hand.

“You truly are an ass,” she spat before sending Lasair flying.

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