He blew out a long breath. “What a pair we are. He wouldn’t do anything because of me, and I wouldn’t do anything because of him.”
“What do you mean?”
He stopped and turned toward me, allowing me to gaze into his clear blue eyes. “Gods, after so many years this is difficult to finally admit. I have feelings for you, Kira. I always have.”
Warmth spread throughout my chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’ve been promised to Derel for our entire lives—how was I supposed to get in the way of that?”
“You knew that was what our parents wanted, not us.”
“Trust me, Derel wanted it too. He pretended he didn’t because he knew how I felt about you and he didn’t want to get in the way. Which naturally was the same reason I never acted on my feelings. Maybe one of us might have told you the truth eventually, but then you became involved with Roth and it looked like you would marry him, so we decided to keep our feelings to ourselves.”
“Yes, but my relationship with Roth didn’t last long.”
“True, but then you started seeing Blane…”
I shook my head. “That wasn’t serious.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that what you think? Because I’m pretty sure it’s serious to him.”
I bit my lip and looked over at Blane. I’d have to talk to him later to see if Falon was right. I turned back to Falon and sighed. “I wish I’d known the truth all this time. I thought you only saw me as a friend.”
“And I didn’t know if you felt that way for me either. Not until last night.” He took my hands in his and gave me a warm smile. “I was terrified if I told you I had feelings for you that you wouldn’t return them and it would ruin our friendship. I couldn’t stand the thought of that. I tried to tell myself your friendship was enough, and that I’d be happy if you married one of the other guys, but the truth was, I was miserable seeing you with them. I wanted it to be me.”
“Are you going to be okay with this arrangement?”
“I think so. It’s the perfect solution.” He glanced over at the other three guys, who were still trudging along ahead of us. “The five of us were all so close when we were younger. We’ve each loved you for years. But we knew if we acted on it, it could tear our group apart.”
“Roth and Blane acted on it,” I pointed out.
“Roth was a bit of a selfish jerk before the attack,” Falon said with a wink. “But we would have gladly let you marry him if he made you happy. Blane too, for that matter. But you probably noticed that once you became involved with them, the group stopped spending as much time together.”
I nodded. “I know, and I realize that was partly my fault. I just hope this situation brings us closer together instead of tearing us further apart.”
“It will. We may be hesitant at first to share you, but we’d rather share you than not have you at all.” He took my face in his hands. “And now I’m going to kiss you, because I’m the only one who never has.”
“Finally,” I said.
He bent his head and touched his mouth to mine slowly, then gave me soft, teasing kisses, as though he was learning the shape of my lips. I slid my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, wanting more, but he was infuriatingly patient. I suppose he had to be, if he’d waited this long to kiss me. But then his tongue swiped across my lower lip and I opened for him with a gasp. As his tongue slid sensually against mine, he clutched me in his arms and made me feel cherished and adored, like he wanted to take his time kissing me and never let me go.
He pressed his forehead against mine. “Even better than I imagined it would be.”
“Good, now you’ve kissed all of us,” Blane called out. “We can finally move on to the fun stuff.”
I laughed. “What makes you think that will happen?”
“Well, a man can hope.”
“That seems rather presumptuous,” I said, as I hefted my bag onto my other shoulder and continued walking alongside Falon. Gods, why had I packed so many things? With each step the bag became heavier and heavier.
“Isn’t that why we’re here?” Blane asked with a wicked grin. “To serve you?”
“You’re coming with me to serve the Fire God.” A small smile played across my lips. “And to keep me company, I suppose.”
“I think Blane has a specific way he wants to pass the time,” Derel said.
Blane chuckled. “As if you aren’t hoping for the same thing.”
9
I thought about Blane’s comment as we found a spot to make camp for the night. I had kissed all of them now, although I hadn’t kissed Roth in years. Not since the night of the attack, when our lives changed forever. I wanted to kiss him again, but would he let me?
I’d tried to be supportive after his injury. I’d told him I didn’t care what he looked like, that I loved him no matter what and still wanted to be with him—but he couldn’t even listen to the words without going into a rage. He was in so much pain, both inside and out, and he told me that seeing me only made it worse. He asked me to leave him alone, telling me he didn’t want me anymore, and I foolishly listened, hoping he would change his mind once he healed. Now I wished I could go back and force myself to stay, no matter what harmful things he’d said to me.
It was warm enough that night that we didn’t need a fire, but I drifted away from the group and began practicing my new magic on some weeds growing up from some rocks. The fire came easier now, though it still surprised me every time.
“I thought only the Dragons had magic,” Roth said, his gravelly voice behind me.
“Me too. It seems the Gods can make exceptions.” I tried to snuff out the flames, but when my magic didn’t work, I stomped on the weeds with my boots. “I’m sorry. Does the fire bring back bad memories?”
“It’s fine. We should get back to the camp though.”
I nodded and began to follow him, but then stopped. I was tired of this distance between us. “Roth, wait.”
He stopped and turned toward me, the moonlight highlighting both halves of his face. It made my chest tighten with emotion, and I found myself crossing the distance to him. When he didn’t move away, I gripped his shirt in my hand and lifted on my toes to press my mouth against his. At first he didn’t respond and I worried I’d made a fool of myself, but then he let out a groan and his arms went around me, hauling me against his muscular body. His mouth devoured mine like he was making up for the last two years.
My back pressed against the boulder behind me as Roth’s lips trailed down my neck. Desire swept through me, hot and needy, and I fumbled for his trousers, wanting him inside me again. Gods, it had been way too long, and I’d never stopped aching for him since that night.
He tore his mouth from mine as my fingers rubbed against his hard bulge. “Calla… We shouldn’t.”
“Why not? We’ve slept together before.”
“Yes, but not since this.” He gestured at the burn marring his otherwise perfect face.
“I don’t care about that. I loved you before your scars and I love you now too. If they took over your entire body I would still love you.” He didn’t say anything as I took his face in my hands. “Besides, this side of you is so pretty you need something to balance it out. Otherwise you’d make the other guys jealous.”
That finally got one corner of his mouth to twitch up. “I suppose I was always the best looking guy in our group.”
I pressed a kiss to both of his cheeks. “I was so happy when I saw you in the crowd this morning. I couldn’t imagine spending my life without you. And now we’re here together, and I’m ready to go back to what we once had.”
He let out a ragged breath. “I love you too, Calla.”
My eyes widened. “You do?”
“I should have said it years ago. I just couldn’t imagine you would still love me when I looked like this…especially when you almost died that night. I figured if I stayed away, you’d marry one of the other guys, who I knew also loved you.�
��
“They were probably worried about hurting you by being with me.”
“Maybe. Though I did a pretty good job of pushing them away over the years. Especially Blane.” He tangled his fingers in my hair. “I was both happy and jealous when the two of you started seeing each other. I hoped you would be happy together.”
“I didn’t think it was serious with Blane, but now I’m starting to wonder. And I never slept with him, you know.”
“No? What about the others?”
“You’re my first and only.”
His grip on my hair tightened, turning possessive as he looked down at me with hunger. “You’re my first and only too. Although I suspect I won’t be your only much longer.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No. I lost my claim on you years ago.” He glanced back at the camp. “And maybe we all knew, deep down, this was the only way for us to all be happy.”
“I think I knew that too. I was just afraid to admit it, and I worried what people would think of us.”
“And now you don’t have to worry.”
“No, I don’t.” I slid my hands into his thick hair to pull him close again. “But at this moment I only want you.”
His mouth crushed against mine and he pressed me back against the boulder. I wrapped myself tighter around him and his hands slid down to cup my behind, lifting me up and against him. My skirts bunched up around my hips and I wrapped my legs around him, marveling at his strong shoulders, built from working long hours on the docks and on his uncle’s fishing boat. I'd spent a lot of time at the docks watching him, both before and after his injury, staring at his shirtless body as he hauled on ropes and climbed the rigging of his uncle's ship, remembering what it felt like to touch that tanned skin. The same skin I was touching and tasting now.
Passion and desire made us desperate for each other. With one hand pressed against the boulder for support, he used his other hand to pull open his trousers. I gasped as the head of his cock pushed against my core, which was already so wet for him. I’d been waiting to feel him inside me again for years, and I tightened my legs around him, not wanting to delay another second. His fingers gripped my behind as he entered me nice and slow, filling me up completely and making me stretch around him. Gods, I’d forgotten how big he was and how good he felt inside me.
He began to move with deep, languid strokes that hit me in all the right places. I clung to his neck as his strong arms held us up, the hard stone digging into my back while he pumped into me. He captured my mouth again and the touch of his tongue against mine made me nearly come undone. I’d waited so long to be one with him again, and now I never wanted it to end.
But he demanded more, pushing me further, shifting me higher, until the angle of his movements was just perfect. I was close, so close, and as his lips trailed across my neck I let go, giving in to the sweet friction of our bodies and his hard length filling me. My head fell back as sensation washed over me and I pulsed around him, nails digging into his shoulders as I called out his name. He rewarded me by thrusting harder and faster until he released himself inside me with a throaty groan.
I pressed my forehead against his as we trembled together, overcome with the emotions coursing through us. Soon our lips found each other again, but this time we kissed slowly, our movements unhurried. As if we only now realized we had the rest of our lives to do this again and again. Now that we’d found each other a second time, there was no need to rush.
But then I remembered the other men back in camp. They probably had a good idea of what we were doing and I couldn’t help but wonder what they thought about it. Would they be jealous…or would they want to join in?
10
I woke to find a strong arm wrapped around me, holding me close. For a moment I simply reveled in the feeling of a large, masculine body at my back and the mystery man’s even breathing in my ear. I wasn’t sure who it was, but it didn’t matter, because I would gladly wake up beside any one of my men…or all of them.
When Roth and I had returned last night, the other men had been quiet. Falon and Derel would barely meet my eyes, while Blane openly grinned at me. I’d been completely exhausted at that point, and had practically fallen onto my bedroll and passed out immediately. But it seemed someone had joined me in the middle of the night.
I must have stirred a little, because I felt his breathing change as he woke. Warm lips pressed a kiss to my neck and the arm tightened around me.
“Morning, beautiful,” Blane drawled.
I should have known it was him. I wasn’t sure any of the other men would have been so bold. I turned my head just enough to catch his mouth and draw him into a kiss without a word. I’d wanted to sleep with Blane for a long time, but I’d always held back because I was never sure if what we had together was real. Once he’d volunteered to go with me to the Fire Temple, I’d realized I’d misjudged him, along with our relationship. And now that I’d had a reminder of how good sex could be, I wanted to experience it with Blane too.
Judging by the hardness pressed against my behind, he wanted me just as badly. I rubbed back against him and he groaned, then slid his hand down my chemise to cup my breast. His thumb flicked over my hard nipple, while his mouth found my neck and pressed a warm kiss there.
“You’ve tempted me for so long,” his rough voice said in my ear. “Last night I heard your moans of pleasure with Roth, but now I’m going to be the one making you moan.”
“Yes,” I managed to whisper.
His fingers trailed down and down, reaching the bottom of my chemise, which he yanked up enough to gain access to my naked body underneath. His hand roamed across my skin as he explored me, and I wished I could touch him more too, but at the same time I loved the way he was in control. And when that hand finally slid between my thighs, I cried out for more.
He traced my folds and made a soft humming sound of approval. “So wet for me already?”
“Blane, please,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice down to not wake the others in the camp. I had a feeling that wouldn’t last long though.
He hooked my leg back over his and then his cock nudged between my thighs from behind. With one smooth thrust he was inside, filling me up completely. Gods, he was huge and so thick too. His fingers dug into my hip while he slid deep, over and over again, and all I could do was gasp with each stroke. I spread myself wider, pushing back against him in time with his movements, trying to take as much of him as possible.
He claimed me with each thrust, and then his fingers slid between my thighs too. I turned my head back toward him and he took my mouth in a deep, rough kiss while he continued pumping in and out of me. Our bodies moved together in a delicious rhythm, faster and faster, until it became too much. Pleasure crept over me in rolling waves and I tore my mouth away from him to cry out his name. His fingers kept up their pressure and urged me into new heights, while he pinned me back against him. With a rough growl he pushed deep and held me there as his cock pulsed inside me with his release.
For some time we simply lay there, entwined together in blissful silence, until our breathing calmed. I turned back toward him with a smile, amazed he was here with me. Of all the men, I’d figured he would say no to my offer—but instead he’d been the first to volunteer.
“I can’t see you being a priest somehow,” I said.
“Yeah, me either. Truthfully I don’t care about any of that stuff. The Gods can rot for all I care. I’m only here for you.” He pressed a kiss to my neck. “Besides, my family is gone and Sparkport never accepted me. I would have left years ago and never returned if not for you.”
I rolled over to face him, surprised by his confession. “I was never sure if you truly cared for me in that way, or if I was just a temporary distraction before you went off on some adventure again.”
“I always came back, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but I figured you had other women in other towns…” I shrugged.
“I did when you and Rot
h were together. But when that ended, I decided I only wanted you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I knew you’d never want to be with me, not like that. You worried about what people would think of us being together.” I opened my mouth to protest but he silenced me with a kiss. “Admit it, you were.”
“Only because I knew my mother would never let me marry you.” My eyes dropped. “Maybe there is some truth to what you are saying. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let that come between us.”
“And I should have been clear to you that I wanted you for more than just a little fun on the side.” He cupped my cheek and gazed into my eyes. “I’ve always loved you. I just never thought I would ever be lucky enough to have you. I certainly don’t deserve you.”
“I love you too,” I said, before pressing another kiss to his lips. “And don’t say that. You were the first to volunteer to go with me.”
“The others have families and homes and professions to leave behind. I had nothing, except you.” He drew me tighter into his arms. “You’re all that matters to me.”
“If you two lovebirds are done, it’s time we get going,” Derel called out.
Blane chuckled. “He must be jealous.”
Was he? If the other men were jealous or upset, I’d have to find a way to fix that soon. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together, the five of us in one small temple, and I’d have to make sure we were all okay with that—and everything it entailed.
11
The closer we got to the volcano the more desolate the landscape became. The ground under our feet became black from ancient lava now hardened, and plumes of steam and boiling water would sometimes burst up without warning. The air grew hotter too, and began to smell of burning weeds and rotten eggs. Valefire raged on without care, sending white smoke up into the air and making the land rumble beneath us, and all I could do was trust that the Fire God would keep his end of the bargain.
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