Courting Kel

by Dee Brice

  She was barely conscious, barely aware of him moving up her body. Caills wafted into her nostrils along with a scent she didn’t recognize.

  “It is your arousal you smell on my cheeks and chin,” he told her, rubbing her face with his. He kissed her, parted her lips then licked every surface in her mouth. He sucked her tongue into his mouth. “These are your juices you taste. No, Kel, don’t close your eyes. These are beautiful gifts we’ve shared. After you drink from my shaft, you’ll share my taste with me. Let me taste my cum on your lips. In your mouth.”

  His voice hypnotized. Her own scent and taste speeded her heartbeat and made her pant. His words seduced her. She craved his scent and taste. Despite her struggles to free herself so she could share his essences, his strength subdued her.

  “Not yet. I intend to learn all your body’s secrets.”

  “As you intended to brush my hair?”

  “An intention I’ve fulfilled.”

  Aren feathered his hand from her slender neck to the silky curls of her mons. Her indrawn breath drew his attention to her storm-gray eyes. Her arching back took his gaze to rigid pinkish-brown nipples.

  “I’ve neglected these.” Lowering his head, he licked and sucked each tempting peak. “You like that too.”

  She nodded. Moaned low in her throat, a purring sound like a petted cat.

  Sucking one nipple, he eased the hand on her mons between her parting thighs. By all the gods, she’s hot. And slick. “Tight, so very tight. Wet enough to fuck, Flame.”

  Her eyes went black. Expelling a shaky sigh, she nodded.

  “There is another intention I need to complete before we fuck.”

  “What?”

  “I must finger-fuck you until you scream for me again.”

  “Why…why not fuck me now and be done with it?” Her voice contained anxiety as well as longing.

  “Because your cunt is so very small and my shaft is so very large.”

  “Ahhh,” she moaned, shifting her hips to bring his finger deeper.

  “So responsive, Flame. On the edge of coming, eh?” He found the soft spot of pleasure deep inside her body, pressing gently until he felt her spasms start. He eased a second finger inside, stopping when she mewed in pain. He lapped her nipples until she relaxed and sighed contentment.

  Thumbing her clit, sucking her nipples, he drew circles inside her cunt and felt her spasms clench his fingers.

  “Ohhh, Aren. Aren, Aren…Aren!”

  As she peaked, he plunged his shaft into her cunt.

  Despite her howl, Aren shoved his shaft in as far as he could. Only then did he stop to let her body adjust. Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes but when she looked up at him, surprise shone in their depths. A soft smile curved her lips. Stroking away the tears, he kissed her.

  “How do you feel?” he murmured.

  “I’m not sure. A little like a wooden door smacked by a battering ram.” She grinned at the inanity. “It doesn’t hurt as much as I feared it would.”

  “I’m glad. The first time is often painful for a woman. But from now on you should feel only bliss.”

  He kissed her again and felt her lower body relax even more. Her deep breath sighed out in his mouth. Against his chest, her nipples hardened. Around his shaft, her cunt juices slickened her grasp. He pulsed. She clenched and took him deeper.

  “Withdraw when I withdraw. Push up as I push down.”

  Nodding, she pulled her hips down. Her cunt muscles resisted and she groaned. When he eased forward, she pushed up. Her juices flowed, easing her hold on his shaft.

  “Ahhh.”

  “Yes.” He eased out. Her eyes changed from hazel to golden brown. When their bodies met again her eyes were dark brown bordering on black.

  “Aren? Can we move a little faster?”

  “Set the pace to what pleases you.” He sent a silent plea that his shaft could outlast her slick heat and tight sheath. He’d been months without a woman, never mind one who tested his restraint.

  “I want to touch you.”

  He nodded permission and held his breath. If she touched his balls he’d explode. Explode long before he’d given her the rapture a woman deserved, be it her first time or her thousandth. Her thousandth. He smiled at the thought, looking forward through the years of their marriage and all the pleasures they would bring each other. On the heels of joy came a bolt of fear. How would she react when she learned she would never go home? That she belonged here, in his arms, in his bed. His. Forever.

  Distracting him—praise the gods!—she explored his hair. “It’s very thick but feels like silk. On my homeworld, when a girl reaches her mating time, she would kill for hair like yours. Men like soft, thick hair.”

  “I thought you wanted to move.” His shaft throbbed.

  Her eyes widened. “As you wish, Aren.” Her hands slid down his back. Her fingers cupped his buttocks then dug in. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she circled her hips as if recreating his fingers in her cunt.

  He moved with her. Lust pounded in his ears. Her soft moans, her rapid pants and avid kisses took him higher. She was like a tiger in his arms—all lithe muscle and hot flesh as she writhed against him.

  “More,” she cried. “Oh Aren. Aren!”

  Her climax pulled him deeper inside her. His balls pulsed as if she milked them. His cum erupted through his shaft and he thought he felt every drop as it flowed from his balls into her heated cunt.

  “Sweet Flame,” he groaned, rolling to his back with her in his arms. “You’ve scorched me.”

  She hummed as she stroked his eyebrows. Her eyes retained a hint of black that gradually softened to gray. Then, as he had expected, they turned blue-green.

  “You are content,” he said, surprised that he sounded proud of himself.

  Her elbows poked his chest as she tried to free herself. He tightened his hold, administering a sharp slap to her buttocks. Her eyes black, she glared at him.

  “When you summoned Drew, is this what you intended to do with her?”

  Deliberately misunderstanding, he said, “Drew is too young for fucking.”

  “Barbarian! You know that isn’t what I meant.” Her stormy eyes aroused him. His shaft hardened and throbbed. “Already?”

  “Yes. And so are you, Flame. Your cunt heats and twitches. Your eyes darken and your skin flushes. You want my shaft sliding in and out until you shatter.” He shifted her legs over his hips. “Sit up.”

  Surprising him, she did. Glaring. He grabbed two pillows, shoving them under his head. “I shall plan better next time.”

  “Next time?” Her voice squeaked. Her lashes drooped, nearly hiding her eyes.

  Grateful the pillows were so thick he could suckle her while she rode him, he cupped her breasts. Her nipples pearled, twin seros ripe for plucking.

  Unable to resist, he plucked. Her breath hitched. “I have heard Amazonian women are excellent riders. Are you?”

  “The best of the best.” She settled more firmly on his shaft. A smile twitching the corners of her mouth, she said, “Not normally with a saddle horn stuck up me, although…”

  His chuckle made her cunt clench around his shaft. “One day—no, one moonlit night—I’ll take you bare riding.”

  “We…we’ll be naked?”

  “Yes. The horse too.”

  He could see her mind absorb the single horse without saddle or bridle. The image of them riding together. Her body quivered until he could almost hear her thoughts. Would he cup her breasts, toy with her nipples as he was now? Would they face each other or would he mount her from behind?

  She rose, slowly lowered her body until the hairs around his shaft mingled with those surrounding her cunt. She did it again and again, posting from a gentle canter to a fast-paced trot.

  Her breasts bounced, making her laugh and turning her eyes blue-green with swirling shards of gray and black.

  “Suck me, Aren.”

  He sucked her nipples, plucked and thumbed her clit. She
galloped, wailing his name until they both exploded.

  He held her as if he would never let her go. The thought made her sick with fear. She had to get home. Had to! If she didn’t, who would lead her mother’s warriors? Who would keep her homeworld safe should the invaders mass to take Amazonia once and for all?

  As if he felt her need to escape, he tightened his arms and smoothed his hand down her tense back. She could hear his heartbeat, its pace slow and steady, a powerful thumping against her ear. An oddly comforting sound that made her relax. She couldn’t run tonight, even if she could escape his arms. She would sleep now, plan tomorrow when her mind was clear and his body no longer warmed her. When she no longer wished she could stay in his arms, in his bed, in his life forever.

  If only…

  Chapter Three

  Aren awoke with a human blanket draped over him and the scent of sex in the air. Slitting his eyes, he caught a glimpse of red-gold hair across his chest. Flame. His woman, no matter how hard she might fight to deny it.

  Odd that his certainty about her lingered. He’d known Storr wouldn’t shackle him to an ugly bride but this… Kel was beyond his dreams—if he’d had any—of what a wife should be. His own parents had had a rather boring marriage. At least on the surface. Placid, without overt issues. But he could imagine arguing with Kel. Making up. Making love over and over until they couldn’t move.

  As if she sensed his thoughts or felt his heartbeat change, she stretched and sat up, sweeping her tangled hair off her face. When she looked at him, her shy smile slid away and her eyes—hazel this early in the morning—looked confused and hurt.

  Fingering a thick lock trailing over her breast, he smiled. “I never did brush your hair. Now there is barely time to bathe and dress. I’ll send Drew to help you.” Standing, he held out his hand.

  As she crawled toward him, she winced.

  “A bath will ease the pain between your legs.”

  Looking relieved, she took his hand. “My legs are shaking so, I wonder if I can even stand.”

  “You can. Walking, however, may hurt a little.”

  “It seems mating uses muscles I didn’t know I have. I thought I was in better shape.” Grimacing, she straightened, extending one leg to stand.

  “I’ve heard most Amazonian women train as warriors.” Picking her up, he carried her into the separate bathing room. He had plans for their bedding he didn’t want her to know just yet.

  “You have heard many things about my people. I have heard nothing about yours.” Releasing his hand, she ordered the tub filled and sighed, her smile wide. “When you send me home, I would like to take a supply of caill-scented goods with me.”

  “Drew,” he called, grateful the girl appeared quickly. He needed time to capture Kel’s heart before telling her she would never return to Amazonia. Ondrican avoided war by keeping mostly to itself. Except to gather brides for The Choosing. And an occasional trip to Amazonia for lessons in sensual pleasures.

  “Drew, kindly help Kel to bathe and dress. I shall return for her in an hour.”

  “Yes, Aren. M’lady.” The girl pointed to the tub as if ordering Kel to obey. An apologetic smile quickly followed.

  Kel scowled at Aren’s wide back as he strode away, a towel tied low on his hips, hiding the ass she had yet to see. “A very fine ass,” Kel mused aloud, recalling how his buttocks felt under her hands as he drove into her.

  Praying Drew hadn’t heard her, she glanced at the girl and saw her blush.

  Kel submerged, determined to ignore Drew’s embarrassment and her role in causing it. Women—girls—on Amazonia knew nothing of men’s asses until their seventeenth season. And Drew was even younger. Kel had not been allowed to watch the matings until she reached eighteen and her mother was to pick a man to deflower her. A year later, her mother still had not decided on Kel’s seducer. Now, nearly three years later, she’d been abducted and brought here.

  Wherever here was, she knew nothing of its placement in the galaxy. Having heard her mother curse all Ondrican invaders, Kel assumed this planet was Ondrican and it lay fairly near to Amazonia. Somehow she would have to verify her assumption and plan her escape accordingly.

  Drew pulled her up. “We haven’t time to dally, Kel. While you wash your body, I’ll deal with your hair.”

  “Thanks to Aren, it’s a tangled mass.”

  “The shamwash will untangle any snarls.”

  Kel had her doubts but soon learned Drew had told the truth. Bathed and now seated on a padded bench, Kel watched in the mirror as Drew stroked an ivory comb through her waist-length hair like drawing a hot knife through butter.

  Kel hoped the outside temperature was warm, as otherwise she might catch a chill. Her hair took hours to dry. But when Drew finished weaving luminescent pebbles through her curls, Kel’s hair had dried completely. It shone like red sunlight.

  She was so enchanted with her hair, she scarcely noticed the sheer gown Drew draped around her. Until the girl said, “There! You will be the most beautiful bride today.”

  “Bride?” Kel squeaked.

  “Beautiful indeed,” Aren proclaimed, striding across the room and encasing Kel in a hooded cloak. “I’ll explain everything en route.”

  Kel shot him a glare but held her tongue. No one on Amazonia argued in front of others. Which wasn’t to say verbal warfare was waged in whispers. In fact, when Kel’s mother wanted some item of news spread quickly, she would pick a fight. Lingering servants and warriors would scurry from her closed door and all but the most far-flung villages would know Basalia’s wishes in a few hours. Only military orders were written.

  Kel suspected her mother tested her warriors in this manner, seeing just how long it took them to disseminate the information throughout the nearby offices and hamlets. In truth, she sometimes marveled at their efficiency, especially when Basalia’s mood brightened. How the queen knew remained a mystery to Kel. Knowing her mother, Basalia would take the knowledge to her grave.

  “You look especially handsome this morning,” Drew said to Aren.

  “Tak, Drew.”

  Kel looked more closely at Aren. He wore a golden breastplate that fit his chest like skin but left his arms bare. A short tabard hung off one wide shoulder. Skintight leather encased his lower body like oil paints clinging to canvas. Kel could hardly discern where his pants ended and his boots began. On his right forearm he carried a golden helmet with some kind of material tucked into his armpit.

  “Well, Flame, what think you of my appearance?”

  “If you arouse, m’lord, you’ll split your pants.”

  Drew giggled. Aren’s eyebrows quirked upward, as did his lips before he laughed. “I’ll see my tailor soon,” he said, merriment lingering in his dark eyes. Sketching a half bow, he placed Kel’s hand over his left arm and led her out.

  Kel looked around. When her guards had brought her here—was it only yesterday?—she’d been too frightened to notice her surroundings. Today, though far from calm, she took stock. She would need her wits when she escaped. Knowing the shortest route to the outside world would aid in that effort.

  “Your home is very grand, Aren. How many rooms in all?”

  He glanced down at her. “Forty bedrooms. As for the total…” he shrugged, “I have no idea.”

  Their footsteps echoed along the wide marble corridors that seemed to stretch for miles. Or perhaps the mirrored walls gave that illusion. They made Kel a little dizzy, reflecting endless space and two solitary figures strolling through the halls.

  “F-forty bedrooms. Why so many?”

  “Curious Kel, a new name for you,” he mumbled.

  “Aren, please tell me. You must know I have no idea where in several galaxies I am. Even if I did know, I have no way of telling anyone else.”

  “True.” A considering look, a sigh that lifted his wide shoulders. Finally he said, “Our libraries have no records that tell us the dates, but our historians believe eons ago Ondrican’s population was nearly equal. As ma
ny women as men, give or take a few percentage points.”

  “Amazonia once had equal numbers. What happened here to change things?”

  “We inbred almost to the point of extinction. Women died giving birth to ill-formed children. Normal babies were sterile.”

  “B-but…from the few people I saw when Tage’s guards brought me here, you are all quite healthy.” She wanted to comfort him, ease his obvious sadness. But she also wanted him to finish the story and poked his ribs.

  “As I said, the problem arose eons ago. After—and no one knows how long ago exactly—some geneticists recommended we scour our galaxy for new blood. The nobility, the most inbred of all Ondrican classes, fought the idea for so long our entire population nearly died out. But at last even they saw the need to bring outsiders here.”

  “Forty bedrooms,” Kel reminded him, as they turned left. Another endless corridor but she could see sunlight filtering in through a fan-shaped transom at the end.

  “Storr, the present king’s great-great—I forget how many greats—grandfather sent out invitations to several hundred princesses. Forty accepted. Knowing princesses enjoy privacy, he had this palace built with forty bedrooms.”

  Two things struck Kel simultaneously, so confusing she didn’t know which to ask first. “How is it you live in this palace, Aren?” popped out first.

  “That will become clear in the next few hours,” he said, his tone forbidding further questions of that kind.

  Her temper rising, Kel snapped, “It would have cost Storr less to let his nobles house the princesses.”

  “Much less. But Storr wanted only his bloodline pure. For his nobles he imported men and women of lesser stature.”

  Kel gasped. “You mean he kept a harem? Only he…mated with the princesses?”

  “That was the idea. The princesses, however, soon grew bored with isolation. They began to wander the halls. Encountering handsome, virile members of Storr’s staff, of his elite guard… I believe you can imagine the rest.” He flashed a grin, waggling his bushy brows in a lascivious yet teasing way.