Naura

by Ditter Kellen

  He coaxed, nibbled, sucked, and controlled as he ground his pelvis against her throbbing core.

  Naura felt feverish, on fire. Flames licked through her limbs, burning and heating her from the inside out.

  The rock-hard feeling of Tony’s erection pressing against her aching wet heat scattered tremors through her body, leaving her weak with longing.

  He lifted his head and stared down at her in torment.

  She pulled her arms free of his hold and cupped his handsome face. “Do not think, Tony. Feel me.”

  Naura could see the apprehension in his eyes.

  “I don’t want to hurt you. Ever.”

  “You won’t,” she insisted, running a thumb across his bottom lip. “Take me to your room.”

  With a growl of surrender, Tony got to his feet, pulling her up with him. “Not my room. Where else can we go that we won’t be disturbed?”

  Naura glanced around, her mind racing as fast as her heart. “Come. I know of a place.”

  Tony accepted her outstretched hand and followed her through the halls of Aukrabah.

  She took a left turn, away from the living quarters, ducking beneath low-hanging entranceways. “It is not much farther.”

  Long moments passed before Naura arrived at her destination.

  The dimly lit room consisted of a small, rounded pool in its center. Steam rose up to hang in the air, resembling the fog on the gulf’s surface at sunrise.

  Scented oils in glass containers of every color lined the walls, releasing a fragrance of soft musk and flowers.

  “What is this place?” Tony questioned in awe.

  “It is called the cave of anointment.”

  At his raised eyebrows, she continued, “A bride is brought here to be prepared for her mating bed.”

  “And the vases along the walls?”

  Naura smiled, unlacing her vest as she explained. “Treasures brought back by Vaulcron on his trips to Cuba. They contain seductive oils and herbs meant to entice the soon to be mated male.”

  Tony cleared his throat, his gaze glued to Naura’s ever-moving fingers. “And who makes these…oils?”

  “Our healer, Zaureth.”

  She slid the vest down her arms and tossed it aside before dragging her sharkskin shorts down her legs. “Take me, Anthony Vaughn.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Tony nearly swallowed his tongue as Naura divested herself of her clothes.

  Sweat droplets appeared on her skin from the ever-rising steam of the pool.

  She had to be the most perfect creature he’d ever seen, with her now-damp hair clinging to her face and her smooth, flawless body.

  She turned to step into the pool. “Would you care to use some of the oils? They are meant to ready you,” she whispered, a blush staining her cheeks.

  Tony glanced down at his rock-hard erection. “I don’t need any help in that department.”

  He unzipped his fatigues, hesitating as he dragged them down to his hips.

  “I trust you, Tony. Come into the pool.”

  Tony took a deep breath and slid the material the rest of the way off, taking his boxer briefs with them.

  His shaft sprang free, throbbing and proud.

  Stepping into the pool, he watched as Naura studied him with open curiosity. His erection hardened to the point of pain. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m trying to move slowly with you.”

  She stepped in close and wrapped her fingers around his length. “You have the size of a Bracadyte.”

  Jealousy, fierce and dark, slammed into him. She had obviously allowed Braum into her bed. Tony would kill the male before sunrise.

  He sank his hand in her hair and pulled her head back. “I don’t want to hear about Braum’s size, shape, or abilities ever again.”

  “But—”

  Tony slanted his mouth across hers and crushed her to him. Anger warred with passion inside him, controlling his thoughts, his actions.

  Visions of Braum and Naura together flashed behind Tony’s eyes, tormenting in their detail.

  He broke off the kiss. “Do you love him?”

  Naura’s lids slowly lifted, revealing her passion-filled eyes. “Do I love whom?”

  “Braum.” His fist tightened in her hair. “Do you love him?”

  She glanced away, unable to hold his gaze. “There is something that I must tell you.”

  Tony stopped breathing as he waited in dread for her answer. He’d been too late.

  Releasing his hold on her hair, he took a step back and turned to exit the pool. “You don’t owe me an explanation. You can sleep with whomever you want.”

  “I— What? No, Tony wait. I did not give myself to Braum.”

  Tony stilled, afraid he’d heard her wrong.

  She eased up behind him and tentatively touched his shoulder. “We only wanted you to believe that he courted me to make you jealous. Tony, I am sorrier than I can ever—”

  He spun around and crushed his mouth over hers, cutting off the rest of her sentence. It didn’t matter to him that he’d been manipulated by two Bracadytes. It only mattered that Naura was his, and his alone.

  “You’re mine,” he choked out, between licks and suction, tilting his head for deeper penetration with his tongue.

  Naura moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him tighter against her.

  Breathless, Tony lifted his head and glanced around the cavern.

  “Over there,” Naura breathed, climbing from the pool and pulling a large towel from a shelf on the wall. She laid it over a bed of white sand that filled a square indention in the floor.

  Tony followed her down as she dropped to her knees before him.

  His hands slightly shook as he cupped her face and stared into her eyes. “I want you to lie back and relax. No matter what I do, know that I would never hurt you. You will feel nothing but pleasure.”

  Naura did as he asked, looking up at him with complete trust. “I was told that the first time would be painful.”

  “Only for a moment, and I will let you know when that time arrives. No surprises, okay? I am going to make this good for you. I promise.”

  Tony rested his palms on Naura’s knees and gently opened them.

  “My God,” he breathed, staring at her beautifully smooth mound.

  He ran his hands up the insides of her thighs and brushed his thumbs against the soft skin of her center.

  A moan escaped her as he applied a gentle pressure, opening her for his hungry gaze.

  He slid down her body, aligning his face with her hot, wet center and softly swiped his tongue through from bottom to top.

  Naura jerked in response to his oral teasing.

  “Tony,” she mentally moaned. “I never knew it was possible to have sex with one’s mouth.”

  “Do you like it?” he returned, enjoying touching her mind as well as her body.

  “Oh, yes. Please do not stop.”

  Tony would have smiled if he were capable. Instead, he set out to show Naura exactly how good tongue play could be.

  He closed his mouth over her and applied suction, glorying in the feel of her hips rising up to meet him.

  “Tony?” she mentally gasped, grabbing a handful of his hair. Her legs began to tremble, and her breathing grew uneven.

  “Don’t be afraid of it, Naura,” he sent to her mind. “Let go of your control and allow it to happen. Feel me…feel what I’m doing to you.”

  She suddenly cried out, her back bowing off the ground in utter ecstasy as Tony continued to manipulate her with his mouth.

  In all the years he’d existed, Tony had never tasted anything as sweet and innocent as Naura’s passion. She was born to be touched, caressed…to be loved.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Naura’s entire body shook with the force of her release.

  She wondered how she’d made it thirty years without ever experiencing the passion she now found in Tony’s arms.

  He removed his mouth fr
om her well-loved center and crawled up the length of her body. “I want to take it slow with you, so, I need you to not move. Can you do that for me?”

  Naura exhaled a shuddering breath. “I did not know that copulation would be like this, Tony.”

  He stared back at her with hooded eyes. “Then you’re in for a ride.”

  Naura lay completely still as Tony rose up on his knees, his gaze locking on the juncture of her thighs. “So damn beautiful.”

  Held in a spell of wonder, Naura could only watch as he brought his hand up and covered her mound with his warm palm.

  “Don’t tense up.” He gently inserted a finger inside her, keeping his palm pressed against the spot his tongue had recently been.

  Naura’s eyes closed in ecstasy.

  The feel of his finger slowly slipping inside her had to be the most unbelievable thrill imaginable.

  And then he added another.

  Naura gasped, holding her breath as the foreign feeling of being stretched assailed her senses.

  “Easy, baby,” Tony rumbled, gently rotating his hand, replacing his palm with a thumb. Applying a slight pressure, he circled his thumb over the sensitive area of flesh and inched his fingers in deeper.

  Naura’s hips rose against her will, seeking, needing, begging for more of the magnificent release she’d acquired from his tongue.

  “Tony,” she moaned, clutching the towel in both hands to ground herself.

  He slipped his fingers from her body and gripped his erection. “Baby? Look at me.”

  She lifted her eyelids and gazed into his hooded blue eyes.

  “I’m going to have to hurt you, but the pain only lasts a moment.”

  He guided himself to her opening and covered her body with his.

  Naura could feel him pulsing as he cupped her face and slowly inched forward. “Wrap your legs around me.”

  The pressure and fullness of his entry startled her. But nothing would keep her from the experience of giving herself completely to Tony. Nothing.

  Raising her knees, she hooked her feet around his ass.

  “Good girl,” he praised her, never breaking eye contact. “You are so damn wet and tight.”

  Naura’s body hummed with energy. Tony was inside her, taking her to a level of paradise that she’d never thought possible.

  He pushed in deeper, baring his teeth as he came up against resistance.

  “I’m sorry, Naura.” Tony covered her mouth with his and thrust, ripping through the barrier of her virginity and seating himself completely inside her.

  Naura cried out into Tony’s mouth. The pain of his entry brought tears to her eyes, and her hands instinctively flew to his shoulders.

  Tony didn’t move, only continued to hold her until the pain slowly subsided.

  He lifted his head and searched her eyes. “Are you all right?”

  She was better than all right. The initial discomfort had passed and nothing remained but the fullness of the man she loved. “Yes. I did not expect it to hurt so much.”

  “Damn,” Tony whispered, moving to pull out of her. “I was too rough.”

  Naura locked her feet tighter around him, refusing to let him go. “Please do not leave me now. You feel better than I could have ever dreamed.” She brought her fingers to his hair and tugged his head down, glorying in his groan as his lips covered hers, emotions passing between them like shooting stars on a cloudless night.

  Tony lifted his hips, nearly leaving her body, only to penetrate her once again.

  Naura floated in a well of euphoria, a timeless place of bliss where only she and Tony existed. She could almost see their energy exchanging, circling, caressing…mating.

  Another climax built, different than the one she’d experienced from his mouth. It surrounded her, consumed her, and set her on fire.

  Breathing became difficult. A frenzy began in her abdomen, spreading outward only to contract inward and start again.

  “Tony,” she mentally pleaded, not willing to break the connection of their mouths.

  “I’ve got you. Let it happen, love. I won’t let you go.”

  A muffled scream ricocheted throughout Naura’s mind, and she accepted that it came from her. Currents of climactic spasms overtook her, controlling her and taking her to a level of unimaginable bliss.

  Somewhere in the far reaches of her mind, she realized that something warm had dripped onto her face, and the salty taste of tears touched her tongue. Tony’s tears?

  “Naura,” Tony mentally breathed. The catch in his voice wasn’t lost on her.

  He suddenly threw back his head, his shout echoing off the walls of the cavern. The cords in his neck stood out, and his hips slammed against her in short, jerky movements.

  Naura felt the instant his seed expelled from him to be absorbed by her willing body.

  Tony remained in that position for several moments, not moving, his head tilted back and his chest rising and falling with unsteady breaths.

  He slowly brought his head up and blinked back the suspicious moisture in his eyes. “Are you hurt?”

  Naura shook her head, panic beginning to replace her elation. “You are having regrets.”

  “Regrets?” He picked up his shirt and pressed it against the juncture of her thighs. “The only regret I have is the pain I caused you. You’re bleeding.”

  “I am not in pain, Tony. That was the most incredible feeling that I have ever had.”

  “Me too, Naura. And it scares the living shit out of me.”

  “I do not understand living shit.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “It’s a human phrase that means it scares me a lot.”

  Naura rose up on her elbows. “You are afraid of pleasure?”

  “No.” He removed his shirt from her still-throbbing center and laid it next to him. “I’m afraid of you.”

  He got to his feet and held out a hand for her. “Let’s get you in the pool. The warm water will help soothe you.”

  Naura placed her palm in his and allowed him to pull her up. She stepped into the pool, basking in the feel of its heated depths. “I do not comprehend the source of your fear.”

  Tony eased in behind her and wrapped her in his arms. He sat on a small bench made in the side and pulled her down to his lap. “You alone hold the power to hurt me, Naura. If something were to happen to you, it would destroy me.”

  Understanding dawned. He’d barely survived the loss of his wife and child. Losing Naura also was something he didn’t think he could return from.

  “Yes,” he murmured, reading her thoughts. “I couldn’t come back from that. It would kill me if I lost you.”

  “You are not going to lose me, Anthony Vaughn. Besides, Bracadytes live longer than land walkers,” she teased, attempting to ease his mind.

  He lowered his arms to her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Well, in that case, we better do this as much as we can. I’m already forty-two years old. I’ll be dead before you get your first gray hair.”

  Naura’s heart sank. Tony was right. He would go long before she did.

  The average lifespan of a Bracadyte was one hundred and fifty years. Some lived even longer, depending on their diet.

  What if there was a way for a human to dwell as long as a Bracadyte? Naura wondered, deciding to speak with Zaureth at the first opportunity. She had an idea, and if it was possible, she might just get to keep Tony a lot longer than she’d anticipated.

  Naura turned and straddled his lap. “I am ready to copulate with you again.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Is it true?” Abbie asked as Hauke entered their foyer. “Vaulcron has returned from Cuba?”

  Hauke nodded and reached for a piece of bread fresh from the stone oven. “He returned this morning.”

  Abbie smacked his hand, forcing him to back away from the bread. “That is for dinner, and we are having guests. You’ll just have to wait.”

  She dried her hands on a dish towel and swallowed her app
rehension. “Did he find out anything about Henry?”

  “I have only spoken with Vaulcron briefly, but he did say that your father was injured and is being kept at St. Mathews General Hospital where he underwent a surgical procedure.”

  Abbie’s stomach flipped. “Is he all right? Surgery for what?”

  “Calm down, my mate. He did not have details. That is all he could tell me.”

  Tears filled Abbie’s eyes.” I need to see him, Hauke. If he dies…”

  “There is nothing you can do for him, love. You cannot see him without risking your own life, and that is something I am not willing to allow.”

  She dropped unceremoniously into a chair. “There has to be a way.”

  “I will speak with Vaulcron as soon as he is rested.”

  Relief poured through Abbie. “Invite him to dinner. I want to hear what he has to say.”

  “Very well. I will invite him, but only if I can have a piece of that bread.” He nodded toward the rolls now cooling on the counter.

  Abbie closed her eyes and prayed for patience. Hauke was worse than Arcanum when it came to food.

  She cracked open her lids and caught him inching toward the bread. “Go ahead. But only take one, you big, bottomless pit.”

  Hauke snagged the roll with a grin. “It is your fault, my beautiful mate. You are the one responsible for introducing me to your human foods.”

  Abbie laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Point taken.”

  * * * *

  “Come in,” Abbie called as Tony and Naura stood at the entrance to her apartment. “Hauke is dressing Arcanum. He’ll be out in a minute.”

  Tony grinned as he stepped through the foyer and entered Abbie’s makeshift kitchen. “You’ve turned into a regular Suzy Homemaker.”

  Abbie was too stunned to speak. Her uncle had actually smiled for the first time in years. His face glowed with health, and his eyes sparkled with happiness.

  She finally found her voice. “Yeah well, you’ll be happy to know that I made your favorite.”

  “Meatloaf?”

  Abbie didn’t miss that Tony pulled out Naura’s chair or the way his hand lingered on her shoulder after she sat.