Chapter 38 #2
His mouth was soft. His warm breath smelled of the spicy cleaning sticks he chewed.
He stiffened, letting out a choked sound of surprise.
Oh fuck, she thought.
Remembering that he didn’t like quick movements near his face, Nora remained still despite her embarrassment, not wanting to startle him more. “It’s okay,” she said, holding up her hands. “If you don’t like it, we can stop—”
He gave her hair a sudden tug—a warning that silenced and aroused her beyond words ever could. “I like it,” he said, his voice a low rumble against her lips. “Give it to me again.”
She kissed him again. Encouraged that he didn’t retreat, she opened her mouth—just a little. Airik made a soft noise deep in his throat. His lips moved against hers, subtle yet eager, as he took the cue to open his mouth, careful to keep his fangs protected.
Somehow he tasted of raspberry, her favorite fruit that she hadn’t tasted in who knew how long. How she wished to taste him deeper.
Even though her heart screamed in her throat not to stop, she forced herself to pull away.
He fell forward a little, knocked off balance, and the light of his eyes pulsed like a heartbeat. “Was that…a kiss?” He touched his lip, dazed. “Is there more?” His gaze was expectant, as if he was desperate for her to say there was much more that a kiss could be.
“Do you want more?”
His finger traced his lip, perhaps mapping the skin to detect a change.
“Yes,” he finally said. A little like a question. But also a declaration of profound truth. “I want more from you.”
No one was here in this forest to witness them. Or on this planet at all. They were both as alone as they’d ever been, with only one another. Suddenly their isolation felt like a blessing.
They could have this. She could have this. Just this once.
Reaching behind his head, Nora laced her fingers into his hair and kissed him again, this time sucking gently on his lip.
With each kiss, Airik’s ferocity grew, like that of an ensnared wolf. One of his hands remained anchored in her hair and the other pressed against her belly, pressing with urgency that spread hot between her legs.
He made a frustrated groan before tearing away.
“What—”
“Closer,” he growled. “I want your heart against mine.”
Before she could ask what that meant, he lifted her—sudden and strong. Then he dropped her onto his hard thighs so she straddled his hips, her head tilted back to meet his gaze, and their chests together.
For a moment, they looked at one another, their breaths ragged, falling into one another’s rhythm. She rested her hands on his shoulders, feeling the muscles twitch and shudder. “If you want, there’s more—”
With a desperate sound, his mouth crashed into hers. “Everything,” he said between kisses. “I want everything.”
She boldly licked the seam of his mouth. He answered with a deep, ardent groan, following her lead and meeting her tongue with his.
His fangs dragged over her lips, no longer yielding but taking. Devouring. Stoking a swirling heat within her. He pushed her hips down, dragging out a moan from both of them as her pussy rubbed on his alarmingly thick, incredibly hard cock.
Burningly aware of her wetness coating his pants, Nora broke away, hoping for a chance to—
“More.” He pulled hard on her braid, forcing their lips together again.
Exquisite points of pain burst across her scalp.
“Show me a kiss more,” he said, stroking her skin. “I want to know it well.”
Wanting to learn the feel of him, she pushed in, tonguing the tip of one fang, then the other.
They were sharp but wide, so they wouldn’t prick her without pressure.
The thrill of imagining what they’d feel like against her nipple or clit sent a hot rush to her core.
Needing to relieve the pressure, her hips rolled against him back and forth.
“You make me feel so good,” she moaned, grinding on him.
Holding her hips, Airik ground her down more while he pressed up. “Use me to feel good, Nora. My body is yours to do whatever you want.”
Fuck, she thought. He was going to make her come right here with kisses and words and bites.
He suddenly tensed, letting out a deep, guttural groan as his kisses grew more possessive. At the same time, a loud clang of metal sliced through the forest as Airik’s sword tipped over and struck stone.
Nora jerked back, reality hitting her like a train.
She thrust a hand between them, tugging down the hem of her shirt, hoping he wouldn’t notice the mess she’d undoubtedly left behind. He hissed as she rubbed against his cock. His pants were sticky and soaked—had she ever come this hard before? “I’m—”
“Don’t.” Airik tugged her back to him, as if he could hear the word before she spoke it. He was still panting, but his voice didn’t falter. “I know what you want to say. But do not say it. Not for this.”
A black vortex formed in her mind, like static.
“But…” If she had a panic attack here—in front of him—she’d die. “You’ll be punished. With pain. It could kill—”
“I am unkillable.” He smiled, tipping her chin up. “I like you in my mouth. Don’t be sorry for it. Please.”
Nora’s eyes stung. “No one will know, right? I swear I won’t tell anyone. I’ll keep it secret. I’ll—”
“No one will know.” He gently lifted her off his lap, set her down, then got up himself.
With an arm braced against the tree trunk, he let his head hang and took deep, slow breaths until his breathing returned to normal. After a moment, he went to the river without saying another word.
When Airik returned long minutes later, this time with all his belongings and his pants soaking wet, he set up the bedroll for her and sat beside her against the tree.
Despondent, Nora searched for something helpful to say. “I won’t touch you again, I swear—”
“Do not swear that to me.” He grabbed her chin, blowing the bangs out of her face.
His eyes radiated craving and tenderness and, to her heartbreak, turmoil.
“That is not a promise I want you to make. I did not save you so you could follow me in that promise. This mouth has been all I have thought about for days. What words would come out of it, and at least now…I no longer need to imagine its taste.”
Nora opened her mouth, but he drew close and kissed the tip of her nose. A neat, chaste little bow to top the raging heat between her breasts and legs and the absolute disorder in her mind.
“Thank you for teaching me kiss,” he said to her. “Now go to sleep, demon eyes. I’ll do to you in my dreams what I wish I could do right now.”