Chapter Fifteen #8
A tingle shot down her spine and raised every hair on her body.
She fought to keep her gaze level as she grabbed a towel and passed it to him.
He took it from her slowly, his eyes burning.
As he soaked it in a washbasin and began wiping his legs, Maxi turned away and fidgeted with her skirt to avoid stealing glances at him.
Her every nerve seemed fixed on him. She wet her parched lips.
Her fingertips tingled with the need to caress him all over. She found herself suppressing the shameful feeling before it occurred to her that there was nothing wrong with touching her husband. Hadn’t Riftan himself emphasized that it was natural?
Maxi impulsively walked up behind him and placed her hand on his smooth, muscular back. Riftan stiffened before pushing her hand aside.
“Don’t do this,” he said in a low growl.
Startled, Maxi pulled back. Her face heated at the rejection. “F-Forgive me…”
Not knowing what else to do, she lowered her gaze. Riftan heaved a sigh and pulled her into his arms. “You used your mana to heal one of the scouts yesterday, remember? What if you were to become bedridden again because you overdid it?”
He stroked her hair with his still-damp hand, and she could feel the heat of his skin through her thin dress.
Maxi exhaled shakily as bliss surged inside her.
He still smelled of blood, musk, and horses—and though it certainly was not a pleasant scent, it was Riftan’s, and that was enough to make it alluring.
“I am really all right. I did not use that much mana…and I h-have had plenty of rest. I am perfectly fine now.”
She nuzzled her nose against his chest, and Riftan let out a strained groan. He toyed with the braid secured above her head and murmured, “I’ve been restraining myself, so I don’t think I can be gentle.”
Maxi cocked her head. Had he ever been gentle? She could not remember. He would always take the time to make her burn for him, but once he was inside her, he would move like a man possessed.
And it was pure ecstasy.
Maxi looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “Y-You don’t have to be…gentle.”
Any shred of restraint crumbled at her words.
Riftan drew her forward, his lips crashing against hers.
He tasted of sweet spring water, and meeting his wet tongue with hers, Maxi twined her fingers in his damp black hair to pull him even closer.
Riftan let out a weak moan and groped her breast over her dress, teasing its peak until it had pebbled against the fabric.
A tingling heat surged in Maxi’s stomach. When she subconsciously pressed her breast more firmly against his palm, a reverential sigh escaped Riftan’s lips.
“Damn it…. You are just too beautiful. I cannot help myself.”
He might have well said that the moon was green. Pressing his lips to her cheek, Riftan pulled down the neckline of her dress and slipped his hand inside. When his callused palm kneaded her delicate skin, arousal electrified her nerves. Maxi let out a soft moan.
Riftan panted in her ear, whispering, “I go mad every time I touch you. How can someone be so perfect? Your whole body is so soft, I feel like it could melt in my hands…. You’re so beautiful. From your head to your toes.”
“Th-That’s not true.”
Maxi could not think straight. Riftan had yanked down her bodice and was now rubbing his cheek against her bare breast. He began teasing her rosy skin with his mouth.
Writhing, Maxi clung to his neck. Riftan clutched her buttocks and pulled her against him, making her feel the full extent of his arousal.
His hardness made her start rocking her hips, but a sudden thought made her still.
She nervously glanced at the door. “R-Riftan…don’t you think your b-bath… will be here soon?”
“You should have thought of that before seducing me.”
“I did no s-such thing. I wasn’t trying to seduce you….”
“You were sneaking looks at me like you wanted to devour me, then you touched me and told me not to be gentle. That is seduction.”
He undid the laces of her dress as he spoke, pulling it down to her waist. With her face flushed crimson, Maxi looked on as he knelt to pepper soft kisses across her flat stomach.
Her legs quivered as he pulled her dress all the way down. Riftan spread her legs and buried his face between them, and Maxi let out a soft cry, trembling as she collapsed onto his shoulders. Her knees shook, and the backs of her legs were beginning to feel numb.
Riftan gently stroked her sensitive flesh with his tongue, occasionally turning to press soft kisses to her inner thigh. Maxi’s whole body flushed pink, and she curled her toes as her moans rose in pitch. All her reason burned away as a shudder passed through her.
Riftan skillfully added his fingers to heighten her pleasure, the tantalizing sensation building to a climax when a knock came at the door.
“My lord, your bath is ready.”
Riftan raised his head, panting. When he tried to stand up, Maxi pushed his shoulders down and shook her head. They could not stop here. Just a little more and she thought she would be able to feel the release her body was aching for.
But Riftan was cruel. He stopped, rising and pushing her onto the bed. “Can you wait a little longer?”
“I don’t w-want to….”
“It’s been a while. I don’t want to rush it.”
As if to appease her, he gently caressed her hip with his big hand and pecked her temple. Maxi trembled like a newborn fawn, looking up at him with desperate eyes. Unable to resist, he returned her gaze before devouring her lips.
A moment later, barely managing to come to his senses, he covered her with a blanket and slipped into a dressing gown.
“Make it quick.”
The servants entered the room with a tub full of steaming water.
She hid under the blanket and tried to soothe her tender breasts with her hands.
It took a few minutes for the servants to adjust the warmth of the bath, place an extra pail of water by the fireplace, and arrange a change of clothes, soap, and a towel on top of the cabinet. It felt like hours to Maxi.
Riftan, evidently feeling just as impatient, said sharply, “That’s enough. Now, get out.”
“O-Our apologies, my lord.”
Flustered, the servants hastily picked up the empty pails and left the room.
As soon as she heard the door closing, Maxi threw the blanket off and grabbed at his hips, pulling him forward.
With a moan, Riftan pried her hands off so he could sit and hoist her onto his lap.
Maxi yanked his gown open and wound her legs around his bare waist. His hard length pushed into her wet entrance, filling her deepest parts.
“Ah!”
Her spine tingled as she gazed up at him, her pupils blown wide with desire.
His face, engulfed in passion, was equal parts fierce and gentle.
Riftan pulled her impossibly closer, leaving no space between them.
His body shook as he tried to maintain control.
Maxi, however, could no longer wait. She rocked her hips, grinding into him.
Riftan drew in a sharp breath and tightened his grip on her until she stilled. Deep lines creased his forehead as he whispered, “Wait, wait! Maxi…”
“R-Riftan.”
“Wait.”
Trying his best to calm her, Riftan stroked her sweat-slicked back with his callused hand. “I want to be gentle. I…don’t want to hurt you.”
Maxi stared at him in disbelief. She was tired of hearing those words.
She nipped hard at his lip, rubbing against him as a spasm tremored through her thighs.
Riftan stiffened before crashing backward onto the bed and thrusting up into her.
She tightened around him, sobbing a moan as his passion quickly overwhelmed her.
He lifted his mouth to her breast, groaning and beginning to move in earnest.
It felt like she was riding a stallion too powerful to control. Unable to keep up with his speed, her thighs convulsed, searing bliss flaring between her legs. She cried out and shuddered above him, completely losing self-control.
Her climax crackled like lightning through her body, and then a momentary fear gripped her as Riftan took her beyond what she thought was her limit. Unable to bear the intense pleasure continuing to tear through her body, Maxi instinctively tried to twist away.
Riftan pulled her down, nipping her ear and growling, “No. You’re the one who drove me this far. Stay with me to the end.”
“W-Wait! I cannot t-take it.”
“You can.”
He grunted through clenched teeth and rocked his hips with renewed fervor.
For a moment, her vision turned white, her whole body taut as a tightly wound bowstring.
She cried out as waves of pleasure crashed over her again, and she could feel the muscles in Riftan’s back stiffen before he shuddered to a finish after her.
They clung to each other through the aftershocks, tangled together as one.
After a while, Riftan mumbled in a daze, “Hell…I can’t…even tell where we are.”
Maxi raised her sweat-slicked face and looked at him nervously. “Are you s-saying…it was bad?”
“Impossible. I would gladly slay another dragon if that’s what it took to experience that again.”
He grinned and planted a soft kiss on her shoulder. Relieved, Maxi pulled him closer and buried her face in his neck. With a chuckle, he rose from the bed with her still in his arms.
“We shouldn’t waste a good bath.”
He walked over to the tub and stepped inside. Maxi released a sigh when the lukewarm water engulfed her flushed body. Cupping a handful of water, Riftan trickled it over her neck before leaning in to gently suck on her wet skin.
“Your skin feels so good. It’s always so soft.”
“I think the f-freckles…are unsightly.”
“It’s like you are sprinkled with sugar. Quite delectable.”
As if to prove his point, Riftan ran the flat of his tongue over the faint brown freckles on her shoulder. Maxi hunched like a turtle retreating into its shell, a deep flush coloring her face. He chuckled and pecked her cheek.
“I also love how quickly you turn red, like a perfectly ripe peach.”
Maxi rolled her eyes, though listening to him made her wonder if she was as lovely as he claimed. She shook her head at that thought, certain that Riftan’s idea of beauty was not normal.
“How are you feeling?”
“Perfectly fine. I told you I would be.” He brushed away the strands of hair covering her face to study her expression.
Seeing his concern, Maxi sighed. “I t-truly am all right. I collapsed last time because I had to heal people…with severe w-wounds, one after the other. I will be fine…as long as I don’t get carried away. ”
Riftan looked deep in thought. “I heard that you tended to the scout so well that Ruth did not need to do anything else for him. That fledgling knight wanted me to tell you how grateful he is, and that he is indebted to you.”
This was the first time Riftan spoke of her magical abilities with approval. Maxi looked up at him, her eyes brimming with joy.
“I-I am glad…that I was of help.”
“Yes,” he said tentatively. “You were a big help.”
Although his words were positive, his voice was full of mixed emotions. Maxi’s elation dissolved when she realized that he was not entirely pleased.
Should she tell him that she had decided to continue learning magic from Ruth?
Maxi pressed her lips together, deciding not to tell him yet. She did not wish to shatter the intimacy between them.
In all honesty, she feared that he would forbid her from learning any more magic. Maxi convinced herself that everything would be fine so long as she did not do anything reckless. The guilt pricked at her conscience, but she pushed it to the back of her mind.
All she wanted was to savor this moment.