Mating Rituals

by Tina Gayle

  Stihl’s hands traced her spine. “Marohka, we don’t have to make love. I can wait until you’re ready.”

  She sank into his dark brown eyes and fought not to drown in their depths. He’d wait if she asked, but the idea of delaying seemed worse than the thought of continuing. With her purpose in mind, she slid her hands down his chest to the waistline of his pants.

  “I have to.” She undid the top button. “I want to experience what it’s like to be a part of you.” She parted the material.

  His hand stopped hers. “Once we make love, Marohka, you won’t be able to hold me off any longer. I’ll need you more than ever.”

  His gaze warned her of the risk she’d be taking, but she couldn’t heed the advice. She’d come too far to turn back now. He released her hand. Her fingertips touched the tip of his shaft. Moaning, he accepted her decision.

  Desire, like a branding iron, burned through the center of her body. Right or wrong, she wouldn’t turn back. She needed this man, his rod between her legs touching the core of her being. She slid her hand down the swollen length of his sex. He inhaled, sharply.

  She yanked back her hand. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”

  His hand caught hers. “No, starlight. It just felt so good.” He directed her hand back in place.

  “I . . .”

  His shaft twitched and pulsed. She opened the break in his pants and milked his length. “Why don’t I remove your pants?”

  He started to assist her, but she shoved his hands away, sat, and handled the task. Her own nakedness didn’t register. She only wanted him out of his clothes. A gleam sparked in his eyes. He lifted his hips off the mattress and aided her job of working his pants off his legs. When she finished, he laid back quietly.

  With him lying naked before her, she slowly smoothed her hand back up his strong leg, over his knee to his thick, muscular thigh. She found the strength of the male body delightful, a sight, no doubt, to enjoy. But until now, she hadn’t been close enough to fully comprehend the impact of having one at her fingertips. A sexually aroused man at close range was impressive, if not a little daunting.

  Drawn like a magnet, she carefully touched his thick staff. This time, his sigh encouraged as she stroked and caressed his long rod. The hard urgency throbbing beneath the iron silk thrilled her senses.

  His strong hand cupped her breast. A fire lit under his slightest touch. The teasing stroke of his callused fingers played over her breast and turned her nipple into a hard bud. Her inexperienced body never exposed to such pleasure awoke with a burning fire to mate. With desire guiding her, she leaned forward to drink in the taste of his lips. Luscious, hot, flavor played across her tongue.

  He took possession of her mouth. His fingers fondled her breast, rubbing the tip with arousing tenderness. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips. A river of heat flowed through her stomach and pooled between her legs.

  Unable to breathe, she jerked away to catch her breath, only to have it taken away again when Stihl’s mouth covered the peak of her breast. His tongue circled her nipple, licked, then pressed the tip between his lips and sucked it gently into his mouth.

  A wild cry erupted from her mouth. Stunned, she couldn’t believe her breasts were so sensitive, not to where a man touching them could ignite a fire in her soul. Cupping his head in her hand, she shoved herself forward and straddled his lap. He leaned back. His hard-aroused flesh fell between her legs. She knew what came next, and she rejected the idea of waiting.

  With her knees on both sides of his hips, she guided his thick shaft into position and slowly slid over his rod. He caressed her breasts. An intense throb of rejection hit. Her mind stopped her downward progress. Could he be too big for her? Not a possibility, but the pain was real. Gulping down a breath of air, she again tried to move along the thick column of flesh. The burning sensation stopped her again.

  “Stihl, this isn’t working.” She shifted.

  He placed his hands on her thighs to stay her movement. “Hold on.” He captured her hands and placed them around his neck. “Why don’t you kiss me?”

  She eyed him. Could he help? With his shaft sitting at the entrance of her body, she followed his lead and leaned forward. Her lips met his, and a light stroke traced the delicate skin between her legs. Shivers tingled along her limbs.

  He flooded her senses, not only with his hot determined kisses but also with the light touch of his fingers. He mirrored the stroke of his tongue with the soft, teasing probe between her legs. A new arousing sensation rippled over her skin. She waited.

  Each tantalizing nudge promised her something more. She followed the rhythm he set. Her hips danced forward for a brief shot of pleasure, spurred on by his finger flickering over a tender spot. She waited, waited for him to touch her again only to have him tease and retreat. She moaned and surrendered the bliss of his mouth to bury her face against his neck.

  “Stihl, please.” She begged him to end the enticing torture.

  Unable to stand any more, she shoved his hand away and slid down over his staff. With each thrust of her hips, she drew him deeper and deeper inside her, intensifying her pleasure. Unable to stay still, she danced to the ancient rhythm of desire. Eagerness outweighed discomfort. Slowly her body stretched to meet the want of his.

  The pain became irrelevant. Nothing mattered, but the intense rapture she found in his arms. His needs matched hers, urging her higher and higher. Up and down, she rode him. A musical crescendo of emotions filled her, moving her closer and closer to the edge of the unknown. Certain she’d explode and unable to force herself any farther, she froze.

  He continued to buck beneath her, which carried her along on a river of passion. With each punch of his hips, a force expanded. Her toes tingled. Electricity raced along the bottom of her feet, up her leg and around her spine. The energy gathered in her head like a bomb. She waited, poised for an eruption.

  With her eyelids tightly closed, she envisioned Stihl standing beside her on a ledge. Sparks of energy circled them and drew them closer to what appeared to be a dark hole.

  “Come with me,” he whispered and grabbed for her wrist.

  She surged above him, and his strikes grew stronger.

  In her mind, she reared away from him, not willing to follow him into the black abyss. A low rumble sounded in his throat. His control broke. His hands clamped around her hips. He arched into her, pulling her down hard against him, filling her to the hilt. With him so deep inside her, sparks of pure power ignited around her.

  He convulsed. The force of his release sent him over the edge. A sharp cry sounded and echoed through her head. Alive with new sensations, she moved closer and closer to the edge. In her mind’s eye, she searched. Where was he? Blackness filled her mind. An abyss of loneliness clawed at her feet.

  “Stihl,” she screamed. In her head, she longed to see him with her on the ledge. Her mind called for him, and she rushed to satisfy her physical needs. The link between them severed. He disappeared.

  Stuck on the edge, with no light on her horizon, she swam alone. Her body broke the surface, pulsating with pleasure. She rode the dark waves, cutting back and forth against the tide of satisfaction. The strong undercurrent refused her the pleasure of her release. Instead, it forced her onward toward the dark sandy beach ahead. Like sea weed, she lay spent on the empty shore.

  Alone.

  Two emotions swam through her head, the ultimate pleasure of sex and the utter despair of being unloved. Each formed a small rip in the fabric of her being. Tears rolled unchecked down her face. Unwilling to move, she waited for Stihl to ask her to leave. They hadn’t reached enlightenment. It proved his lack of desire for her after all.

  Yes, he’d given her pleasure. But she struggled at the loss of the connection, which should’ve formed between them. A missing part—a sharing, a glow, a link. Their joining lacked the fulfillment she’d expected. Now, she knew for certain, there’d be no future for them. The truth cut like a black blade through her soul.


  She screamed in anguish and sprang to her feet. Monsters sprang from a black hole in her mind. Their large muscular bodies glowed like black opals in the dark. A piercing red light shot from their eyes and shined through the black veil of their masks. Each held a weapon of torture.

  The demons of fear and loneliness led the pack. They invaded her mind. Ready to do battle, they lashed out. She quickly jumped back and twisted around to protect herself. The icy blade of isolation swept across her chest. The edge of a cold steel sword skated along her skin.

  To defend herself, she landed a foot behind the kneecap of one of her opponents. He fell. She turned to face the other brutes and missed the devil on the ground. An iron vise circled her ankle.

  “Marohka.”

  Stihl’s voice invaded her thoughts, but she ignored him. The battle at hand demanded all her attention. She kicked at the monster holding her ankle with her free foot and yelled her battle cry. “I will not surrender.”

  With a roll, which knocked her off balance, the clever beast pinned her to the ground. Arms swinging, legs kicking, she fought her demons.

  * * * *

  On the cold floor wrestling with Marohka, Stihl grasped a quick breath. Her slender body struggled against his, fighting his attempt to restrain her hands. She used every muscle to shift his weight off of her and onto the floor.

  Her gaze not focused on anything in the room, the battle raged within her head. When she’d jumped from the bed screaming, her eyes glazed over with terror, he’d scanned the room for an unknown threat.

  With no danger in sight, he’d tried to offer her comfort and reached out a hand, but she reared back like he meant to strike. Unable to connect with her telepathically without touching her, he had thrown himself at her and struggled to gain entrance into her thoughts, but she didn’t respond to his probing. A dark fog surrounded her in his mind. Tiny bits of scenes flashed in his visions. In a battle with some dark creatures, she fought the monsters that held her captive in their grips.

  Then, he’d known. The demons projected in her mind were him personified. Yet, he couldn’t maintain a mental link with her and, at the same time, fight her physically. Only by his restraining her would she become aware of whom she was fighting. Stihl grabbed for her hands, leaving an open shot to his jaw. Both of them found their target.

  His head snapped back with the blow, but he managed to capture her hands. He wrestled her to the floor and secured her beneath him, giving her no way to escape. After a few calming breaths, he dug through her thoughts.

  Laying his head on her shoulder, he placed his chest over hers and closed his eyes. He matched his breathing to hers. Slowly, he worked through the shadows of her mind. Flashes of the images in her head appeared in his.

  A dark void laid an arm’s length away from where she stood. Large, dark figures surrounded her, each fighting to drag her into the black depths. She fought them with everything she could muster and held them at bay. The battle stuck at a deadlock.

  He slowly approached her from behind. Once within reach, he clasped an arm around her waist and jerked her back against his chest. With her off guard, he captured her attention.

  “Marohka, listen to me. Whatever you think you’re seeing in your head, it’s not real.”

  “Stihl, what are you doing here?” She turned in the circle of his arms. “Get out of here.”

  “No.”

  She blinked. “No?”

  “The dream you’re having isn’t real. I won’t let you fight these demons alone.”

  She glanced around. The large dark figures standing beside her itons ago were now gone. “Look, Stihl, you don’t know what your getting into.” She turned. Her red face showed her anger. “Just stay out of my head. You’ll only get hurt.”

  Before he answered, a wall fell between them, ripping her from his arms. He fought the image by lifting his head and glanced around at the empty cabin. She lay beneath him with her eyes closed. She appeared to be asleep if not for the intense expression on her face.

  He grabbed her shoulders. “Wake up, Marohka. Don’t shut me out.”

  Her head rocked back and forth.

  “Open your eyes.”

  She looked up, and shards of contempt hit his senses.

  “Marohka, it’s just a bad dream.”

  “No.” She tugged at her hands, and he released them. “It’s not a dream.”

  He studied her face. “Then explain to me what it is.”

  Her hands ran along the lines of his shoulders. Back and forth, she rubbed the muscles. “Each of one of those dark figures is a different emotion.” Her hands stopped. “When you leave me, I’ll have—”

  “Who says I’m leaving?” Stihl interrupted.

  “You did.”

  “What?” He shook his head, trying to figure out what she was talking about. “I have not.”

  Marohka stared at him for an iton. Her gaze shifted to a place over his shoulder.

  “When?”

  A scene of their earlier tussle on the bed played across her face. Stihl found where she’d made her mistake. “You didn’t want to bond. You only sought the physical release of our joining.” He brushed a short strawberry-blonde hair away from her face. “Right?”

  “Yes, but . . .”

  “Unless we each give a part of ourselves, we won’t share the light of fulfillment.” He stared into her troubled eyes. “That’s the bonding part of our marriage.”

  “I can’t bond with you. If I do, I’ll lose an important part of myself.” Lines formed across her brow.

  “Why?” He struggled to understand what she thought would happen. Blending connected her to him, him to her, a sharing of mind, heart, and soul. Did she question his devotion? How could she not know he’d treasure her like a priceless gift?

  Marohka sighed. “It’s like a duel. One side of my heart seeks to bond with you, to give you everything I am. But the other side is the person I’ve worked to become, a strong, independent woman.” Her gaze begged him to understand. “Don’t you see I can’t have one without losing the other? If one wins the other is destroyed.”

  “You think I want to change who you are?”

  “Yes. . . . No. . . . I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I’m struggling to come to terms with the two.”

  He stroked her hair trying to calm her troubled mind. “Marohka, you’ve spent a lot of time protecting yourself from me. Have you ever stopped to consider I might have the same issues with you? I’m sharing myself with you. You have to see what’s in my heart.”

  “No. I won’t invade your thoughts.”

  “That’s commendable, but I want you to understand how much I care about you and how important you are to my happiness.” He smiled.

  Her mind gently probed his.

  “I won’t rob you of who you are. That’s the person I care about.”

  “Stihl, it’s not easy. I’ve built strong walls around my heart. I don’t want to get hurt.”

  “Close your eyes.” He kissed each eyelid. “Now, share my thoughts.”

  He stroked her hair and eased her tension. “Tell me what you see.”

  Chapter Ten

  Purple, yellow, and white blossoms danced across the field. A sweet fragrance lay like a soft blanket over the scene. Birds sang a gentle song to their partners.

  Marohka glimpsed the blue sky in the distance. The warm glow of the two suns kissed her skin. The soft flowing material of the sleeves of her dress brushed against her arms. Stihl lifted her and placed her back in bed, but no one stood beside her in her mind. She relaxed and enjoyed the landscape.

  “I see a meadow full of flowers.” His chest covered hers. “I’m lying all alone on the grass. The mountains in the distance are beautiful.”

  “Do you know where you are?”

  “No.” She glanced around, but the scenic place wasn’t like anywhere she’d ever been.

  “You’re not very far from my house. If you look to your right, you’ll see my home in the
distance.”

  On the horizon stood a wooden structure, a few stories high. A large porch ran along the front of the house. Tall oval windows welcomed weary travelers.

  Stihl’s home. His heart lay imbedded in the fabric of the land, a link which formed an integral part of his makeup. Behind the house stood a number of other buildings and a corral. Animals ate from a large wooden trough. What type of animals, she couldn’t determine.

  “What do you think?”

  She turned to her left and addressed him. “It’s a beautiful place. I understand now why you love it.”

  “We can live there if you want.”

  She glanced back at the big house. “Who else lives there?”