Flame

by Ophelia Sexton

  When he had removed it, he turned his attention to her bra.

  In no time at all, he had her topless and against the wall as he devoured her breasts with his hot mouth, circling her nipples with his tongue until she was squirming with frustration.

  She managed to worm her hand between their bodies and went to work on the waistband of his sweatpants. Moments later, they were down around his ankles, and he was tugging impatiently at the button and zipper of her jeans.

  The tub had filled by the time they were both down to panties and briefs, so Thor led Cassie to the bathroom, where the deep tub steamed with gentle invitation.

  Cassie eyed his casts and the intimidating bulge under the front of his briefs.

  "I'll have you out of those things in a jiffy," she promised and found herself swallowing hard.

  I want him, she reminded herself.

  Soon! Now! her cat demanded.

  She reached for his briefs, hooked her fingers under the waistband, and drew them slowly down.

  The rich rush of scent was intoxicating—clean male, a hint of sweat, the sharp musk of arousal, and the deep note that she now recognized as bear. His newly freed cock was ready for action, thick and long, the head and shaft flushed as it pressed tightly against the base of his taut belly.

  A wicked thrill ran through her at the sight, along with a flutter of apprehension.

  Thor was big. And he wanted her, pretty badly from the looks of it.

  But he'd been so gentle with her up until now. He wouldn't hurt her.

  He wouldn't force her.

  Then she squeezed a dollop of unscented body wash into her palm, dipped her hand into the water to moisten it, and began to lather him with slow, sensual strokes, kneading the tight muscles under the slippery skin of his back and shoulders.

  She soaped and carefully massaged his arms to the fingertips, enjoying the feel of his muscles and warm flesh under her hands, and avoiding the fracture. Then she turned her attention to his chest.

  Cassie slowed her movements, turning them into caresses. She spent time toying with his nipples, running her hands carefully over his ribs and then more firmly over his flat, muscular stomach. She felt him tense as she moved lower, rubbing lather into the skin of his torso and belly with small, circular motions.

  He raised his hips, silently imploring her to touch his cock.

  She sank to her knees on the bathroom rug, considering her next step. Her efforts had turned her on nearly as much as they had him, and she knew he could smell her arousal in the warm steamy air.

  Then she deliberately bent to wash the top of his foot and grinned as his obvious disappointment warred with the pleasure of her thumbs pressing the tendons in his ankle. Slowly she worked her way up past the well-defined calf of his left leg and tautly muscled thigh, discovering along the way that he was ticklish in the back of his knee.

  When she reached the top of his good leg, she stopped again. Thor groaned and opened his eyes. "You're killing me, Cassie!"

  She smiled coyly up at him through her lashes.

  "Why don't you have a seat so I can remove your casts and finish washing you…all over?" she asked in her most suggestive voice.

  Her heart was pounding, and she wasn't sure if it was from excitement or fear.

  Thor obligingly sat on the tiled ledge surrounding the tub and spread his legs so that she could position herself between his knees and begin removing his leg cast.

  She reached for the first Velcro strap on his cast.

  When she had finished removing his casts, she noticed that both his arm and his leg looked better than they had yesterday, or even this morning.

  The dark swollen welts had subsided to a pair of fading bruises, and she had noticed since they arrived that he was moving much more easily. And the bruised area over his ribs was just a faint yellowish mark now, indicating that he was healing rapidly there too.

  She lathered up the foot of his injured leg and very carefully worked her way up, avoiding any pressure over the site of the fracture.

  He was panting by the time she had worked her way back up to his groin.

  Turned on, herself, she hastily dipped her hands in the tub, to rinse off the lather, and reached for his cock, wanting to touch him as badly as he wanted to be touched.

  He felt as hard as steel against her palm, slippery and hot.

  She teased the sensitive head with her fingertips, and he drew a sharp breath. It was a very gratifying sound.

  "You're not the only one with unfinished business from this morning," she told him.

  "But this time is supposed to be about you," he said as she continued to caress him.

  "It is. And I want to make you feel good, Thor."

  "Oh, believe me, you are," he groaned as she curled her fingers around his shaft.

  She felt him pulse and swell under her touch as she stroked him, enjoying the contrast between the soft, velvety skin covering his cock and the hardness inside.

  "Please," he begged hoarsely, and the note in his voice went straight through her like a caress.

  It sent her own desire up a note, from "burning" to "red-hot." In response, she bent to tease the sensitive head of his cock with the tip of her tongue.

  Cassie heard Thor's breath hitch as she tasted salt, and she realized that she was going to enjoy this nearly as much as he was.

  She wanted to drive him out of his mind with need and know that she was the one responsible for satisfying him. She wanted to give him as much pleasure as she could.

  She glanced up through her lashes and saw that Thor had his good hand against the tiled edge of the tub and was watching her with predatory intensity.

  "Don't stop now," he murmured. "Please."

  "Just getting started," she promised him.

  Then she opened her mouth as wide as she could and engulfed him. He reacted with a gratifying groan.

  While she worked him with her mouth, she continued to caress his shaft with firm strokes while her other hand toyed with his sac.

  She liked feeling the subtle shifts in his muscles as she worked and looked forward to hearing the changes in his breathing when she did something that he liked.

  His breath caught and hitched, and his panting intensified.

  "Mmm," she said.

  She felt him shudder at the vibrations of her voice.

  His hands came to rest on her head, and she felt his fingers slide into her hair, caressing it.

  After a blissful interval, she felt his thigh muscles tighten and turn to steel.

  "Oh God, Cassie," he gasped. "I'm coming."

  She hummed her satisfaction and felt him convulse beneath her. He snapped his hips forward with a growl and shuddered hard. His cock pulsed powerfully in her mouth, and she tasted him, thick and salty.

  Mine, she thought, as she felt his climax subside and his muscles relax.

  Ours, agreed her cat. It rose and stretched inside Cassie's soul, a slow, sensual movement.

  Cassie raised her head from his lap. Thor looked dazed with pleasure, and the sight filled her with deep satisfaction.

  "Ready for your bath?" she purred.

  "You're going to have to pour me in," he drawled. "Cassie, you're amazing."

  She helped him into the tub, then turned on the jets before sliding in to join him. The hotel's complimentary bubble bath had been scented too strongly for her taste, so the tub was filled with just plain hot water.

  I'm going to have to see about getting some unscented bubbles, she thought as she settled herself between his legs, her back to his chest.

  "Your turn," he whispered.

  She arched with pleasure as his arms came around her and she felt his hands cup her breasts. Encouraged by her response, he caressed her nipple with his callused thumb, raising it to a hard, hungry point beneath the bubbling warm water.

  His mouth and the coarse brush of his beard against her bare skin sent shivers down her spine as he began to kiss her nape and scarred shoulders. He reached aro
und her and lifted her breasts out of the water, exposing them to the air—and to his hungry gaze.

  Thor's breath was hot against her neck as he cupped them, his thumbs rubbing in maddening circles around the exquisitely sensitive tips, sending jolts of pure desire through her belly and the aching place between her thighs.

  "So you know that fated mates are forever, right?" Thor asked hoarsely.

  Shockingly, she felt his sharp teeth close on the back of her neck, hard enough to leave an impression on her skin. It should have scared her, but instead, she felt a primal thrill rush down to her womb.

  Cassie wanted to join with him completely, to feel him inside of her now.

  Then his hands tightened possessively over her breasts, and he pulled her back against him. A moment of panic overwhelmed her, and she pulled at his hands.

  "I'm sorry," Thor immediately let go of her.

  "No!" Cassie turned in the water, lithe as a seal, and flung her arms around his neck. "It's not you! Honest, it's not you." She drew a deep, shuddering breath. "I—Baldwin, he—damn it! I hate him so much!"

  "It wasn't just the punishment with his claws, was it? He raped you too." Thor's expression was sober and deeply empathetic.

  Cassie nodded, oddly relieved that he had guessed the truth and that she wouldn't have to try to explain it to him when the time came for full-on sex between them.

  "It was just supposed to be a date—a 'getting to know you' kind of thing. It's part of the steps to an arranged mating. You meet with your intended mate a few times before the ceremony, just to make sure you're compatible." She swallowed as a bitter taste rose up in the back of her throat. "Baldwin wanted to seal the mating bond right away, though, and he thought that forcing me to have sex with him would do that."

  Thor growled deep in his throat.

  "Maybe it did…for him," she spat. "But…afterwards…I just wanted to run far, far away from him and never see him again."

  The pain in Thor's eyes shocked her.

  "I'll protect you," he said, the growl still shading his voice. "He'll never hurt you again, Cassie. I promise."

  Then, because she could think of nothing else to do, she wriggled up his body and kissed him. He drew her close, his hands resting gently on her hips, and his mouth on hers was warm and deliciously rough with his beard.

  He pulled away first but slid his hands upward to cradle her face between his hands.

  "Cassie? I want you so badly, but are you sure you're really okay with this?" He swallowed hard. "We can wait if you—"

  She put a finger against his lips. "Haven't you sensed how much I want you too?" She tried to laugh but found she only had breath for a short chuckle. Her heart was pounding. "But if you don't want to—if you want to wait to be sure that you really want me as your mate—"

  "No! I'm totally sure!" His grip tightened on her face, as if he feared she might try to leap out of the tub and escape. "This is—" He swallowed hard, and she saw his Adam's apple move. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I've wanted you since we first met—"

  He kissed her again. This time his mouth was hard, demanding.

  She returned the kiss enthusiastically, rekindling the desire that had temporarily dwindled at the reminder of what Baldwin had done to her.

  "Just—let's go slow, okay?" Cassie was still a little unnerved by her panic attack over lunch, and she didn't want to risk having one now. "Can we start with just making out? I really liked what you did to me this morning."

  "You don't have to ask twice," Thor said. "I've been looking forward this bit of unfinished business myself. Turn around again."

  She obeyed and settled herself against him, the warm water lapping against her skin and making her feel weightless, and turned her face back toward him.

  "Can you, uh, bite me again?" she asked, feeling weirdly shy. "I really liked that." She swept aside her hair and bent her head invitingly to expose her nape to him.

  "With pleasure," Thor said warmly.

  An instant later, she felt his teeth close on the back of her neck. She gasped as a hot jolt of pleasure shot down her spine to blossom with heat between her legs.

  Thor's hands moved to her breasts. He toyed with her nipples in the way she loved, instantly hardening them, then began to pinch them gently as his teeth nipped their way down her nape and over the curve of her shoulder.

  She squirmed helplessly on his lap as sensation overwhelmed her. She'd never been with anyone who made her feel like this.

  While he used his teeth to drive her crazy with desire, his good hand left her breast to dip beneath the bubbling water and trace a maddening line up the tender skin of her inner thigh.

  She eagerly parted her legs to give him full access to every secret part of her. She was on fire for him now and groaned when at last his fingers reached the sensitive folds between her legs.

  She almost screamed when his fingertip slid over her swollen clit, teasing it with a firm stroke before retreating to circle her with agonizing slowness. She felt him dip the barest fraction into her entrance before returning to her clit, his touch frustratingly light as he traced each swollen fold.

  "Feel good?" he murmured.

  "Oh lordy, yes!" She moaned, writhing.

  "You're gorgeous like this, all flushed and turned on," he whispered. "And I want to play with you for a while."

  And he did, rolling her nipples with the fingers of one hand as his other hand stroked everywhere between her legs. It felt so good, and he was so patient, stroking, teasing and caressing.

  As he teased her towards climax, she felt his cock stir and spring back to life, pressing eagerly against the curve of her hip.

  She offered herself eagerly to him as he pushed into her with three fingers, penetrating her with slick ease.

  She was so turned on now that she was aching, and it felt so good when he began to move his fingers in and out of her, pressing and rubbing, all the while teasing her clit with his thumb.

  It didn't take long for him to send Cassie over the edge. She cried out with the intense pleasure and writhed against his hard chest as his fingers drew out her climax.

  When the sweet ripples finally subsided and she relaxed against him, she realized that instead of satisfying her, that climax had just managed to stoke her need for him even higher.

  Now she was desperate for more of him than just his clever fingers.

  "Please," she whispered, "let's finish this in bed." She turned to kiss him. "I want you inside me the next time I come."

  He needed no other encouragement.

  She began to laugh as she helped him out of the tub and both of them grabbed for the same towel.

  The next few moments were occupied in trying to dry each other off with frantic speed and with Cassie strapping Thor's casts back on.

  Once they had made it safely to the bedroom, she pushed him firmly back against the pillows. He didn't resist.

  "Your turn," she said, reaching down and slowly rolling one of the condoms down the rigid length of his shaft.

  Then she swung her leg over his hip and straddled his lap.

  His eyes widened as she lowered herself slowly onto his cock.

  "Oh, goody," he managed.

  He felt even bigger than he looked as he slid into her swollen flesh, filling and stretching her with the most pleasurable of aches.

  She felt his fingers grip her hips as she sank down the final inch.

  After a moment to let herself adjust to his girth, she moved experimentally against him.

  Thor groaned and drove up into her, setting an urgent rhythm that she matched, her knees braced against the soft mattress, knees flexing as she anchored herself against his broad shoulders.

  Her world shrank to the sheer pleasure of him inside her, thrusting against her with a maddening friction.

  She tensed, rising on a wave of pleasure, and rode him hard, almost selfishly. Then the wave broke, and she groaned as the pulsing ripples of a second climax overtook her.
/>   He was close behind her—two or three more thrusts, then she felt him stiffen. He groaned, and his arms came around her, drawing her down to cuddle against him.

  Something clicked into place between them, and suddenly she could feel him in her soul, filling an empty space she hadn't known existed until now.

  Thor held her for a long time, her cheek against his chest, so that she could hear his heart as the last echoes of their mutual pleasure slowly died away.

  He was still hard and still inside her, and she realized she was greedy for more.

  Thor stroked her back. She saw him looking every bit as shaken as she felt.

  "I didn't know it could be like this." He touched his chest. "I can feel you."

  Cassie smiled. "Same here. I feel…complete."

  "Yeah," he agreed. Then he gave her a wicked smile. "We're not done yet, are we?"

  "I sure hope not," Cassie replied.

  "Let's change position."

  He lifted her off him. An instant later, Cassie found herself on her back, her legs draped over Thor's forearms as he lay on his stomach between her legs and spread her wide.

  "I want to taste you, Cassie. I want to make you scream," he said huskily.

  He moved forward and dipped his head to her breasts. Just the lightest flick of his tongue against her sensitized nipples made her whimper and arch her back.

  "Yeah, like that. I want to hear you," Thor said.

  He kissed his way down her stomach and belly with slow deliberation. Then she felt the tip of his tongue circle her eager clit in a slow swirling caress. Cassie arched, trying to grind herself against his mouth.

  "Oh, lordy," she said fervently.

  He chuckled and set to work with enthusiasm, kissing, licking, and teasing every secret part of her. He made love to her enthusiastically with his tongue, caressing her with long hard strokes until she was begging.

  And the entire time, he looked like he was enjoying doing this to her almost as much as she was enjoying having it done.

  It didn't take long before he had brought her right up to the edge again.

  "Thor," she begged, writhing against him. "Please. I need you!"

  "Hell yeah," he agreed.