Cimmerian Shade: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Collection

by Kiki Howell

  “Yeah, baby.”

  “So good.”

  She was sure he was going to agree with her, but she suddenly couldn’t get enough of him. All she knew was she needed more. So much more of his muscular body. Grabbing his T-shirt, she slung it off in a move that tore it a little as she stepped away. The rip of fabric filled the air, but when she saw his bare chest...

  “Oh sweet goddess,” she whispered, spreading her hands on his firm pecs, the dark hair on his sternum, the ridges of his stomach—holy schmitt, the man had a tight six-pack.

  He softly chuckled. “I’ll have to get used to that expression.”

  She glanced up. “Yes, you will. I’m sure I’ll say it a lot.” She couldn’t help but look down again in wonder at his expansive chest, the way his muscles flared with every breath he took. “You’re so beautiful.”

  “Am I?” His voice was raw. Needy.

  She nodded as she looked up into his ocean-blue eyes. His pupils were taking over, making the crowded blue even darker. Yet, somehow, his orbs seemed brighter at the same time. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever tire of looking at you. I’m sorry, that sounds dangerously close to objectifying you.”

  He shrugged and pretended to look coy. “I might be able to live with being objectified by you.”

  She smiled and let her hands explore down his chest. The dark hair on his body was soft, fine. She followed that hair as it narrowed into a strip that was stuttered by his belly button. Oh, what joy to think about taking off his pants.

  Her body trembled. Her breasts tingled, aching to be touched. Her back began to throb.

  “Aaron?”

  “Yeah, honey.”

  “I need you to...to touch me.”

  He grabbed her by the waist. Utterly shocking her, he kissed her wildly, pushing his tongue through her lips when she wasn’t ready, forcing his body back against hers. It was perfect. He was perfect as she caught up to his frenzied kiss. Pushing away from the wall, he had her back into the opposite wall in under a second.

  Her sex throbbed, loving how aggressive he was. His hands were everywhere, rough and hard, surfing along her waist, her ribs, back down to her hips, her ass, pulling her harder against him. One of his hands remained on her bum as the other ascended her ribs again. She arched her back, practically begging him to cup her breast like he had yesterday.

  Finally, he did. She moaned into his mouth, feeling his hair spill across her forehead. Loving how their hair mingled, their breath, their limbs. They were entwined. It was such a luscious feeling. He slid one of his legs between hers as he massaged her breast. Just as her body began to pulsate to what his hand was doing, he pressed his thigh against her clit.

  “Oh. Oh, Aaron.” She channeled her fingers through his hair, forcing him to keep kissing her as her own kisses grew clumsy because she could hardly concentrate any longer.

  His leg, where it was, felt impossibly good. His finger and thumb lightly pinched her nipple.

  Suddenly, the ache in her back felt...wonderful.

  “Yes, yes. That’s so good.”

  Both of his hands cupped her breasts, his thigh remaining where it was as she rocked against him.

  “It is so good,” he growled. One of his hands shifted and quickly scooped under her blouse.

  His rough palm against her belly made her tremble even more. “Yes.” She almost didn’t recognize her voice as she kept saying yes to him; although, she wasn’t sure why she kept saying it.

  As he cupped her bare breast, he moaned, “I love your breasts.”

  “Good, because they love you.”

  He smiled and leaned down to kiss around her ear. “I’m going to take your shirt off.”

  The second she nodded, he frantically began unbuttoning the light blouse. But she couldn’t wait one more second without both his hands on her again. She yanked off the tank and shirt in a quick move, panting as she looked up at him.

  Granted, he probably had seen her breasts yesterday, but she hadn’t been able to watch him, gauge him. Now she looked upon him as his dark blue eyes shone while he took her in. He bowed his big frame, latching onto one of her dark nipples with his mouth, wrapping his powerful arms around her, and lifting her off the ground.

  She circled her legs around him, arching her neck, letting her head fall back as pleasure poured through her. She might have been saying yes again, or just praying, she wasn’t sure, because everything he did felt fantastic. Energy seeped down her spine, spread around her ribs, into her hips. As he suckled her nipple, it seemed to augment the beautiful sensation between her legs. She felt warm, radiant, lovely. She felt cared for and desired.

  Her, Adala, the Valkyrie, cared for.

  “Aaron, I don’t know how you know how to do that, but it’s so good.”

  He glanced up at her, smiling. “I want it to feel good. I want it to feel so good. You’re so beautiful. So fucking—freaking beautiful.”

  She grinned down at him. But when he captured her other nipple with his mouth, she couldn’t help but cling to him with her legs, rubbing her sex against his hard and flat stomach. It wasn’t the area she sought, and it was mildly frustrating not to be met with his hard, thick length.

  Her back pinged a warning of coming unease if she didn’t do something.

  She went off instinct because she wasn’t certain what that something was.

  Bucking against him, she calmed herself once he released her from his tight grip and lowered her back on the ground. She pushed against him as she ferociously kissed him, smiling when their teeth clicked against each other. But she kept pushing. Until he pushed back.

  In the middle of the room, she shook with need for him, exploring his muscular body with her hands, lingering on his nipples when he moaned, letting her nails scrape against his stomach as he hitched his breath, then undoing the button of his jeans. He reached around and unzipped her. Frantically, they tried to shed each other’s lower garments while he toed off his shoes. She’d taken hers off somewhere and was glad for having done that.

  Unzipping his jeans made her shudder, the noise an aphrodisiac, making her sex throb. They kissed and kissed as hands went under waistbands and pulled down. Her skirt was easy to take off, and she liked the soft cotton feel of the fabric as it pooled around her feet. His jeans weren’t so easy to get down. She pulled his light blue boxers a little as she struggled around his erection, not sure how to get around that.

  She huffed as she broke free from the kiss, looking up at him. She watched him as she slid her hands under his boxers. He stopped breathing, watching her watch him. His stomach muscles contracted as she hooked her fingers around the waistband and lifted the fabric up and away from his hardness. Feeling his crisp curls at the bottom of his abs, she nearly moaned. Then she glanced down, making sure his jeans and underwear were getting tugged down.

  “Oh, sweet goddess.”

  His breath hitched again, making his standing member wave.

  “Wow.” She looked up at him. “You’re beautiful everywhere.”

  He gave her a one-sided smile, stepping out of his jeans. “Have you ever seen a naked man before?”

  She smiled and blushed. “Yes, but I’ve never seen you.” She glanced down at his erection again. “I’ve never touched...” She looked up again. “Can I touch you?” Her hands were inches from his cock, craving to caress him.

  He swallowed. “It’s you. You’re the one who’s beautiful.” He wrapped his large hands around her hips. “Yeah...yeah, you can touch me.”

  Before she did, she glanced at him from his stubby, manly toes and feet—which shouldn’t have been so sexy—all the way up his bare legs with dark hair, his erection not just pointing at her but upwards, his contracted stomach muscles which showed each ridge, his huge pectorals, to his wide shoulders. Gently, while watching his blue gaze, she slid her fingers along his cock.

  She peered down, surprised. “It’s soft.”

  He coughed a dry laugh. “That’s...that’s not...honey, that’s n
ot what a guy likes to hear right about now.”

  She smiled. “The skin. I mean, your skin here is soft.”

  He swallowed, his smile slowly ebbing away. “Is it?”

  She nodded as she stroked him, making a fist around him, pulling up, which made him close his eyes.

  He rocked into her hands, but stopped himself, moaning.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “Well, it feels damned good, nonetheless.”

  She liked how tight his voice sounded, how his muscles seemed to stand out all the more as he let her touch him. With both fists, she stroked him again and again. His fingers at her hips tightened. He moaned, his head thrown back. She glanced up as she stroked, noticing the way he swallowed, the bobbing of his Adam’s apple, the dark whiskers on his face and neck.

  She giggled, not able to keep in her excitement.

  He glanced down with an arched brow.

  “I get to have sex with you. With you!”

  He smiled, nodding, his muscles even tighter. She wasn’t sure, but he might be shaking too.

  “What does it feel like?”

  “Sex?” His voice was even tighter, hoarser.

  She nodded.

  He blinked. A lot. And he had to keep swallowing too. “It’s...warm. Soft.”

  She nodded, trying to encourage him to keep talking as she stroked him.

  “Wet.” His voice was a gravelly growl.

  She rolled her lips in, feeling pleasure pulse through her mouth, her breasts, her sex. She was wet, which felt delicious to be in her own skin.

  He stopped her hands, pulling one away from his erection. He folded her fingers down, save one. That one he dragged up to his lips. He smiled at her, then had her digit in his mouth, sucking, pulling the finger out and in. The sensation was...divine.

  She sighed, brushing her breasts against him. “That’s nice.”

  He nodded as he released her finger. “It’s like that for a guy. Only, my penis is a lot more sensitive than a finger. So it’s...really nice. I’m not sure what it’s like for a woman.” He slid her finger down her own body, letting the dewy tip skim across her hot skin. Still holding onto her hand, her finger extended, he brushed both their hands under her simple white panties, smoothing through her silky curls, until her finger brushed against her clitoris.

  “Oh.” She watched him as he lulled her finger to circle the tight nub.

  “You’ll have to tell me what it’s like for you.”

  She nodded as he kept moving her finger. When he set her to motion, he smoothed his own finger between her slick folds. “You’re wet.”

  “Yes.” Her voice was breathy, shaky.

  “You feel so warm.”

  “Really?”

  He circled around her opening, making her knees weak. “Does it feel good when I do this?” Gently, he pushed his finger inside her.

  With her free hand, she had to grip his shoulder to stay upright. “Gods, yes.”

  He stroked her, in and out, leaning closer, whispering, “What does it feel like?”

  She kept circling her clit as she answered, “Hard.”

  “Not too hard?”

  She shook her head. “It...it’s like I ache for the hardness. Or...I’m not sure.” She closed her eyes, letting her forehead fall against his shoulder. “I ache right there, and the ache feels like I need to be filled. And you’re filling me, and the sensation is everywhere inside me. It zings all around me, especially my breasts, my nipples. And my clitoris. With that zinging feeling, the need to be filled grows.”

  He maneuvered a little, and she was sure he put two fingers inside her as she felt him stretch her sex. “Fuck, you’re so tight.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He softly chuckled. “No, honey, I like it. It makes me wish my cock was inside you.”

  She glanced up. “Let’s...yeah, let’s do that.”

  He stopped, worry crossing his brow. “You sure?” He panted, looking like he was trying to calm his out-of-control breath.

  She nodded and started to grind against his fingers. “Please. Please, I need...”

  “What do you need, honey?”

  “I don’t know.” She swallowed, holding onto his arm tighter. “Just more.”

  “I, ah, have never had sex with a virgin before. I’m not sure what to do.”

  “That makes two of us, then.”

  He smiled down at her.

  She held still while she bathed in his grin. Gods, she loved his smile and felt so warm in it. But, holy cow, his eyes were so bright. As if they were glowing.

  “You’ll tell me if I do...something wrong?”

  She nodded.

  “I, ah...I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t.”

  “But, ah...” His fingers were making it difficult to hear him, but he finally said, “Your...hymen. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Can’t you tell? I don’t have one. I’m a pretty physical girl—you know, what with warring men in chain mail and all. So, I probably broke it a long time ago, if that’s what you’re worrying about.”

  He softly chuckled. “You’ll have to tell me about warring against men in chainmail some other time.” He extracted his hand from her panties then hooked his thumbs around her waistband and pulled down slowly. He watched her every second, as if gauging her, asking her if she still wanted what he did.

  Once her panties hit the ground, she took his hands and pulled him as she found the bed with the back of her legs. Slowly, without breaking eye contact once, she coaxed him onto the bed, between her thighs, him hovering over her. Ah, this was so right, so good. She was so excited.

  Until he cringed. “Forgot a condom.” He jumped from the bed, fumbled through his jeans, going through a pocket and finding his billfold. Jerkily, he extracted a metallic square foil from his wallet and flung it aside, showing her the foil. “I only have the one.”

  She nodded and held her hand out for him again. “We’ll probably have to get more.”

  “God, I hope so.”

  They chuckled and looked into each other’s eyes. Not saying a word, they communicated all the same. She ripped the foil packet open. He rolled it on. She watched, fascinated. He’d thought of using a condom with her. That kind of concern, the desire to give her pleasure and only pleasure, raced through her, touched her heart, sped down her spine. Her emotions mixed with her desire. She was falling for him. Even more. She knew it. But she didn’t care.

  Hopefully, he was falling for her too, so she wouldn’t have to worry about having a broken heart.

  He glanced up after making sure the condom was on, bracing one of his huge arms close to her. He stopped moving, staring down at her, swallowing. She placed both her hands over his heart, feeling the organ pump. Then she slid her hands down to his erection, to where he had one hand wrapped around himself. She drew him closer, opening her legs wider, pleasure thudding through her, making her more wet.

  His blunt end touched her opening. She spread her legs even more, coaxing him nearer.

  “Adala,” he whispered. Slowly, so slowly, he pushed inside. “Tell me if I hurt you.”

  She nodded, holding her breath. “It...it’s not hurting, but—”

  He froze. “Oh God, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  She grabbed his ass and made him stay put, looking into his worried eyes. “I need to get used to you. You’re a lot bigger than your fingers.” She smiled, hoping to relieve him of his concern. But then she glanced between their bodies. He wasn’t even inside her all the way. Not even halfway.

  “Here.” He reached between their bodies with one hand and found her clit. Rubbing it, he asked, “How’s this?”

  Her lids fluttered closed. “Good.” Her breasts ached, and her sex no longer felt so uncomfortably stretched. “So good.”

  He kept rubbing, and as he did, she tilted her hips into him, aching for more. She felt him stretch her, then she’d withdraw slightly. As her body accepted him, she’d
tilt up again and again, taking more of him in.

  “So fucking good.”

  He chuckled. “You swore.”

  She opened her eyes—a little startled his eyes seemed to be even brighter—and said, “Yes. It’s worth real swearing.”

  He smiled wider, but his own lids closed as her pace quickened. “Oh, yeah. It is worth real swearing. Fuck, that’s good.”

  Then his hips met hers. Thrust for thrust, they met. He was inside her. So far inside her. So hot and warm and hard. Almost exactly like he’d said it would be. He stopped circling her clitoris, both arms on either side of her as he rocked into her over and over again.

  “We’re having sex, Aaron.” She slid her hands down his chest, loving the feel of him.

  He smiled. “Yes, we are. It’s so good. So good. I can’t...it’s so good.” He shuddered and stopped. “I’m getting...it’s so good.” He grabbed her hips and rolled them over while she giggled. “You have to take over. I’m going to finish before we barely get started if I don’t watch out.”

  She smiled as she straightened over him. Her nipples contracted all over again as she braced herself on his chest. “What do I do?”

  He’d been about to cup her breasts when he stopped and reached for her hips. Pushing her up and down, she moaned.

  “That feel good, honey?”

  She nodded.

  He pushed her up and down and up and down until she took over. And, oh, when she did, he let one hand cup her breast, the other found her clitoris again. And something snapped through her.

  Arching her head back, she said, “Aaron, you’re going to make me orgasm.”

  “Thank God. I can’t hold out much more. It’s just too good, honey.”

  “It is so good.” Gold liquid poured down her spine, making her feel rich and gorgeous, divine. “So good.”

  She loved feeling him inside, so hard, so perfect, even if at first he seemed much too big. But now, now that he kept rubbing her clit, everything was lining up so right. Moving her hands, she braced herself even more, taking him deeper.

  “I love this.” She giggled.

  “Mmm, me too.”

  She ramped up the rhythm, chasing after her orgasm that beckoned. “I love it so much, Aaron.”

  “Me too, honey.”