by Linda Kage
I sighed, enjoying the attention, and only whimpered a little in protest when his hand moved out of my hair and flitted down my throat again, because the new place he explored felt just as sensitive to his touch. His palm pressed flat against my left clavicle, then it slid down, directly over my breast.
Even through the cloth of the tunic, corset, and chemise I wore, his hand felt scorching hot. It felt good. But I grabbed his wrist, anyway, not expecting that kind of contact.
“What’re you doing?”
“Just this one hand,” he swore to me, not removing his grip but not pressing anymore of an advance, either. Merely waiting for me to respond. “It’s a massage. Nothing else.”
I wasn’t sure how to answer. One half of me was tempted, the other half told me to cut his damn fingers off.
“This is only about you, Quilla,” he assured me quietly. “Making you feel good. Making you feel relaxed. So you can sleep afterward. It’s not for my pleasure. Just yours.”
“Liar,” I rasped, because relaxed was the very opposite of what I felt right now. “Why do you have to touch me there, then?”
“You mean, your breasts?” he asked, as if surprised to realize that’s where his hand was. “Because I’m trying to give you a complete massage. And I have a feeling you don’t give them enough attention yourself. You can’t tell me they’ve never been sore. Or ached.” He kissed my throat and whispered in my ear, “Let me rub the ache away, empress.”
My brow knit. He did have a point. Sometimes they were extra sensitive. Maybe massaging them would feel nice. But still… “Why does it feel like you’re totally feeding me a bullshit line right now because you want to feel up my tits?”
He chuckled. “Oh, I definitely want to feel up your tits, but the main goal is still your pleasure.”
My grip on his wrist loosened even as I said, “You’ll understand if I have my doubts, though, right?”
His fingers took this as a green light, and he began to knead the tissue around the outer edges of one breast. His touch was gentle and intoxicating, and I found myself straining against it, wanting more.
“Think about it this way,” he murmured in my ear as he worked over one, then the other. “You agree that I believe you’re my true love whole-heartedly, right?”
I nodded, wishing he’d oh-so-accidentally brush a finger over one of my throbbing nipples that were growing frustrated and even more aroused because he hadn’t touched either of them yet.
“Then you should also agree that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you or anything that would blatantly cause you to lose all trust for me, am I correct?”
“I—I guess.” Damn, his hand was leaving my breasts.
I grabbed his wrist and brought it back up because, nuh-uh, he wasn’t done there yet.
He chuckled and massaged them some more. Then he tweaked the nipples, getting me to gasp, as he murmured, “Good. Then give me a chance to show you what I do next is still only about your pleasure before you decide to stab me, okay?”
“Okay,” I murmured, closing my eyes, and arching my chest more insistently into his palm.
He sucked in a breath at my response and moved his fingers down, spreading them wide over my diaphragm, where the warmth in all five digits caused my stomach muscles to loosen.
My eyes flew open. “Wait. What’re you going to—oh!”
His hand slid even further down, right inside the waistband of my trousers, and it kept going until a single finger slid between my legs, right into slick heat. I grabbed his forearm, my nails sinking deep, and my thighs locked around his hand, keeping it from going anywhere else.
He paused, his index finger buried where no finger had ever gone before.
“I’m going to massage you here now. Does it hurt?” he asked.
“N-no, but…” I licked my suddenly dry lips, trying to find the words. His finger flexed, and a pulse beat of pleasure throbbed through my pussy, constricting around the digit without my permission. He groaned and pushed in deeper. My mouth fell open, but no sound emerged as my pores clogged with overwhelming desire.
“I shouldn’t let you do this,” I panted, my breathing a complete mess. “I shouldn’t…”
“Why?” he countered, whispering the teasing question in my ear. “I swear to you, you’ll sleep like a baby when I’m done.”
“Oh, God,” I moaned. My head thrashed a little, trying to deny the pleasure. “But Melaina,” I argued weakly. She could wake up and hear us. And though I’d heard—and seen—her doing much more sexual things in my life, I’d die if she caught me doing anything even remotely similar. “What if she wakes up?”
“Then you better not cry out when I do this,” was his only warning before he pulled his finger completely free of me, slicked it up over my swollen, sensitized clit and then pushed back in with two digits this time.
I bowed up, choking on air.
“Quilla,” he rasped, pressing his forehead to the side of my face as his fingers began to move in and out, the rhythm slow but persistent. I turned my head, grabbed his hair roughly, and kissed him, my tongue mimicking the movements of his hand while my hips strained for more.
Growling, he kissed me back, his body shuddering against mine until I felt the hardness of his cock dig into my side. My thighs loosened, then fell open to better receive each thrust as his fingers fucked faster, their urgency meeting mine as muscles coiled tight deep in my womb. My hips bucked against his palm.
“I bet you taste better than blueberry, strawberry pie right now,” he murmured in my ear, pressing in hard as if trying to savor the feel of my inner muscles hugging his fingers. Then he said the unthinkable. “Just imagine if that was my tongue doing this.”
That was all it took. Like the breaking of a tautly pulled string, a great release snapped open inside me, and I came, wave after wave of my orgasm pulsing through every nerve ending I owned. Indigo swallowed the sound of my cry with his mouth, and I gripped his hair, holding on until my surges settled, and I went limp and boneless.
The moment my mouth fell away from his and I tucked my face into his throat, his fingers eased and slid free of my body. He put both arms around me and held me close, kissing my temple as I trembled against him and tried to regain my wind.
“Any pain?” he asked.
“What?” I blinked, unable to think straight.
He chuckled his amusement and brushed some hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. I closed my eyes as my consciousness slipped.
His mouth pressed against my hair. “Sleep, my empress,” he instructed. “You should be able to rest now.”
Clutching his arm, I did. I slept deep and dreamlessly for probably a good hour. When I woke again, it was far into the night, and Indigo had fallen asleep against me, his face heavy against my shoulder, and his breaths even in my ear.
For a moment, I simply lay there, feeling changed. I’d always resisted this exact kind of intimacy with a man, and now I started to wonder why. Maybe because Melaina had praised it so much, which made me think I had to revile it. Or maybe because I’d seen so many people abuse and misuse the act of sex, making it seem evil and calculating.
But after one small, beautiful encounter with this man right here, I realized it didn’t have to be cold and manipulative. You didn’t have to use it for your own selfish personal gain. Indigo had been completely selfless and giving when he’d touched me, generous beyond measure, and it had felt like we’d shared the moment together instead of like two people who were gluttonously groping each other to greedily take what they wanted.
My body began to crave the encounter all over again. But this time, I wanted to be the selfless giver.
Studying the angles of his face in the moonlight, I was freshly awed by this creature that had landed in my life. He could be mine. He wanted to be mine. All I had to do was reach out and take him.
So I did.
I slowly lifted my fingers and lightly traced the outline of his cheek and jaw. “I,
Quilla Graykey,” I whispered with barely a sound. “Take you, Indigo Moast, as my forever bonded mate. A tie rendered that no mortal can break. Through time, space, and dimension, our two souls can now also work as one.”
A breath hissed from my lungs as I finished my house’s ceremonial vow. Never in my life had I thought I’d ever say it to anyone. And yet I didn’t even experience a flicker of regret as I pledged myself to him. Leaning in, I sealed my bond with a soft kiss.
Then another. And another after that.
When I ran my hand down his side and over his taut abs, he stirred, beginning to wake. Then, with a hungry groan, his arms curled around me and pulled me closer. I slid my fingers back up until they drifted over his cheek, along the side of his neck, over the sculpted contours of his chest.
“Mmm,” he murmured low in his throat and stretched against me before pulling me close. “What’re you doing awake, empress? That was supposed to knock you out for the rest of the night.”
“Didn’t work.” My fingers kept toying with his chest, discovering a flat nipple and coaxing it to harden under my ministrations. “I guess this means you’re going to have to give it another go.”
“Another?” His eyebrows lifted with interest. “Have you become orgasm obsessed now?”
The idea seemed to intrigue him. I could tell I had his complete attention. So I answered honestly. “Yes.” With a grin, I trailed my hand down, straight over tightening abs and to the waist of his trousers. “But this time, it’s your turn to orgasm. I want to be able to watch the expression on your face while you come.”
Then I slipped my hand down and gripped him through the cloth, delighted to feel him growing hard against my fingers.
“Christ,” he hissed, arching into my touch. His hand latched around my shoulder, and he held on as I tightened my grip, encouraging him to grow even more turgid within my grasp. Which he did.
“Are you sure?” he rasped. “Because I’m seriously okay. I don’t need you to—”
“But I do,” I countered. I needed him. Now and forever. Letting go of his cock, I took his hand and whispered, “I need to do something for you. Now, come with me. I want privacy for this.”
Chapter 27
Quilla
Indigo complied without even a smidgeon of protest, silently following me up and out of the bedroll. We paused together, glancing toward Melaina’s end of the camp through the dark. When we heard nothing, I tightened my grip on his hand and led him away from the clearing. The moon, full and bright in the cloudless sky, helped me navigate through the trees.
Moving in close behind me, Indigo kissed the back of my shoulder before murmuring into my ear, “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Somewhere alone where I can strip you bare and look at you as boldly as I please and see what you have to offer, then make as much noise as I want whenever we do what follows next.”
“Damn.” For a minute, he could say nothing else, his fingers merely clamped tightly around mine. Then he cleared his throat, and his voice was rough when he said, “Remind me to reward myself greatly for whatever I did to unlock this uninhibited, wanton side of you. Because, wow, I like it.”
“It would be impossible to name one single thing you’ve done to bring me to this point,” I told him, slowing to a stop so I could turn to face him. “Because every smile you flashed, every tacky joke you told, every declaration of commitment you made, and the actions you did to back them all up, that’s what led to this moment. It’s just who you are that’s won me over, and me finally realizing it wasn’t an act but you simply being your genuine self. This is real, and you honestly do want me.”
“I do,” he promised solemnly.
Cupping his face in my hand, I grinned into his eyes. “Well, now my body wants to reap the benefits.”
“Jesus,” he breathed. “I’m still asleep, aren’t I? This is all just a dream.”
I kissed him lightly. “Does that feel like a dream to you?”
“Actually, yes,” he answered, amusement littering his voice. “The very best kind.”
“What about this, then?” The next time I set my lips against his, I opened my mouth and slid my tongue forward, all the while smoothing my hand down his waist and over the tented front placket of his trousers.
He growled and kissed me back, clutching my face and pressing his hardness into my eager fingers.
“That’s it,” he rasped, breaking away to breathe brokenly against my hair. “I no longer care if this is a dream or not. I just want whatever it is you’re offering.” Taking my hand, he looked around the trees. “So maybe we should find that private spot you were requesting.”
He started forward, leading the way this time. “Preferably somewhere horizontal so I can lay you down and gaze at all your glory completely.”
“And somewhere as clean as possible,” I added. “Not on the open ground.” My trips to Earth had taught me to fear and respect germs, even if no one here knew the word.
“Okay,” he said easily, only to jar to a halt, jerking me still next to him. I looked up at the blinking expression on his face and opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but then he pointed. “Uh, what about that?”
I turned and reared back when I saw what he was referring to. A large flat rock, perfect for someone to lie on and stretch out on top of, sat in the clearing ahead. With the way the trees and branches were arranged above, one strong beam of moonlight rained down on its surface as if specifically highlighting it in the darkness.
Or directing us to it.
“I think it’s a sign,” Indigo whispered. “The moon wants us to go there.”
I shook my head. “It looks like a sacrificial altar,” I argued. “Like the moon is demanding an offering for letting us enjoy its radiance.”
“Mmm. We should give it one.” Tightening his grip on my hand, he tugged me forward. “Because I have to see you stretched out on this rock, wearing nothing but moonlight.”
“Indy,” I argued softly, feeling suddenly uncertain.
Grinning, he turned to face me as he continued toward the rock, towing me along as he walked backward. “I like how you call me Indy.”
I think I liked everything about him. Unable to help myself, I let him draw me to the altar—er, rock. When we reached the edge of it—remaining in the shadows and just out of the spray of the moonlight—he paused to fit me against him and gently kiss my lips.
His arms wrapped around my waist while I wound mine up over his shoulders and around his neck. But eager for more, I left his lips and kissed my way along his jaw until I reached his ear. And there, I whispered, “Strip for me, High Clifter.”
He pulled his face back to send me an amused grin. “What? Right now?”
“Right now,” I cooed as I reached down to work open the ties keeping his trousers closed.
Once I had the two sides spread apart, I stepped back so I could see the whole picture better. His teeth flashed with a grin in the dark as he continued by hooking his thumbs into the waistband and pushing the pants down, kicking off his boots as he went. When he stepped out of them and was completely bare, the shadows concealed far too much.
So I ordered, “Onto the rock. I want to see everything I’m getting here.”
“Onto the rock?” he repeated, sounding amused. Then he shook his head slowly and gave a low chuckle. “As you wish, empress.”
Leaping nimbly, he hiked himself up, his bare toes padding quietly as they landed on the flat stone surface. Then he straightened to his full height, his hands down at his sides as he looked over his shoulder at me.
Much better, I decided, dropping my gaze to his bare ass. I could see everything from this vantage point.
Falling prey to temptation, I reached out and trailed the tips of my fingers over the soft globes of his buttocks. They tightened under my touch, and he sucked in a breath as I began walking a circle around the rock, and in effect, around him, letting my hand follow across his flesh, over his hi
p, and around the front to the corded ligament making up his inguinal crease. When I reached pubic hair, I slowed to a stop and focused on the thick cock jutting out from the center of the dark nest.
Wrapping my hand around the immense base, I squeezed briefly, then slid my palm up the length until I reached the tip where a drop of moisture was welling. My thumb swiped out, catching it, and Indigo reacted with a full-body shudder.
“That’s it,” he announced, taking my hand and gently coaxing me to release him before he leaped off the rock and gripped my hips. “Your turn. I want to see you in all your glory before I lose my sanity and mindlessly just start rutting.”
I rolled my eyes as he lifted me and set me on the rock. “I doubt you’d ever lose your logic to the point of mindless rutting.”
“Yeah, well…” Blowing out a heavy breath, he shook his head. “If anything could tempt me to that point, it would be this. Now you strip.”
“Bossy,” I sassed back, even though he’d merely repeated my words back to me. Feeling feisty and vibrant, I crossed my arms over my chest and reached down to grab the hem of my tunic. “I think I like you bossy,” I admitted, then I winked and lifted the shirt. “But only when you’re naked.”
“So noted,” he murmured, his voice going thick as I reached for the front ties of my corset next. “The next time I want you to listen to one of my orders, all I have to do is strip bare first. That’s easy enough to remember.”
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Ass,” I told him.
He grinned. “But I’m your ass.”
True. He was all mine.
Watching as I loosened the strings enough to let it slip down off my frame and fall to a pool at my feet, he groaned and ran his gaze over me. “All yours,” he added softly as I pulled the chemise underneath up and over my head. Bare from the waist up, I paused for a moment to let him look his fill. And even though he stood in the shadows, making it harder for me to see his expression, I swear his eyes glowed a little at the sight of me.
“Amazing,” he murmured, walking his own slow path around me as I pulled down my trousers next. He didn’t touch me as I’d touched him, though. “My empress of moonlight,” he sighed in reverence and shook his head. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
