Lover Reborn (36 page)

She
really
liked the way she felt.

Encircling the small of her back with his arm, he gently lifted her up to his mouth. He had a moment’s hesitation before he latched on, just because he could not believe he was actually doing this to someone: It had never occurred to him that he would have any kind of sex life outside of memories, but here it was, up close and personal, so to speak, that electric connection sparking, his body naked and aroused, his mouth about to taste someone different.

“Tohrment…” she moaned. “I do not know what I am…”

“It’s okay. I got you… I got you.”

Dropping his head, he parted his lips and brushed at her nipple through the sheath, going back and forth, back and forth. In response, her hands dug into his hair, feeling good against his scalp, tightening, scratching.

Shit, she smelled fantastic, her scent lighter and more citrusy than Wellsie’s… yet still like rocket fuel in his veins.

A lick brought him the rasp of the cloth and the hint of paradise—so he lapped at her again. And again. And again.

Sucking her into his mouth, he pulled on her nipple, tugging upward as he fell into a rhythm. And while she held on even harder to him, he moved his hands all around her body, learning her hips and her outer thighs, her belly, that tiny rib cage.

The bed made a subtle creaking noise, the mattress giving under him as he moved closer to her… and brought their lower bodies together.

It was time to take this up a notch.

This
was why females got that look in their eyes when they thought about their mates.

No’One finally understood why, when a
hellren
walked into a room, his
shellan
straightened a little and wore a secret smile. This was the cause of the shared glances between the two halves of the species. This was the urgency to get the mating ceremony done with, and the guests fed and danced, and the house shut up for the day.

This was why happily mated couples sometimes did not come down for First Meal. Or Last Meal. Or any meals in between.

This feast of the senses was the ultimate sustenance for the species.

And something she had never believed she would know.

The reason she was able to enjoy it? In spite of the frantic demand in both of their bodies, Tohr was so careful with her. Even though he was obviously aroused, and so was she, he did not rush: His self-control was a set of steel bars over their collective mating instincts, his tasting and tempo as unhurried and unthreatening as the graceful fall of a feather through still air.

It was rather driving her nuts, actually.

But she knew it was for the good. Frustrated as she was, she knew this was the right way, for there was no possibility of confusing who she was with or whether she wanted this—

The sensation of his wet mouth sealed upon her breast made her cry out and score his scalp. And that was before he began to suckle at her.

Around her nipple, he said, “Will you open your legs for me?”

Her thighs obeyed before her lips could form an acquiescence, and the laugh she got in response was a deep rumble of satisfaction in his chest. He also wasted no time. Relocking his mouth onto her breast, his palm slipped down to the top of her thigh and drifted over to the inside.

“Lift your hips for me,” he said before licking at her nipple some more.

She obeyed immediately, so lost in anticipation that she couldn’t comprehend why he’d asked. Except then there was a soft brush all around her legs.

The sheath. He was moving the sheath up—

His touch returned, brushing over the top of her thigh, going downward… before moving once again to the inside.…

Oh, the lack of barrier. As if it had not already been good enough.

In response, her pelvis arched and strained and got nowhere when it came to urging him to the heat he would ultimately claim. Verily, under his diverted ministrations, the blooming at her core shifted into something edgy, the welling sensation changing into a sharp-edged need, the pain of which was much like that of the strikes he’d taken at her vein.

The first touch of her sex was nothing but a passover that had her crying out for more. The second was a slower shift. The third was a—

She shot her hand down and covered his, pushing him against her heat.

His moan was unexpected, suggesting that the feel of her might have made him orgasm himself—yes, she could tell by the way his body spasmed that he had found another release, his hips jerking beneath the blankets in a way that made her think of penetration.

Repeated, vigorous penetration.

“Tohrment…” Her voice was ragged, her brain clogged, her body the only thing that was clear on anything.

It was a while before he could answer her with something other than heaving breath. “Are you okay?”

“Help me. I need…”

He brushed his lips against her breast and inched his hand away. “I’ll take care of it. Promise. Just a little longer.”

She didn’t know how much “longer” she could stand before her body blew apart.

Except then he taught her that there were even greater heights of frustration.

Eventually, the rubbing started just as it all had, slowly, lightly, a tease rather than a bona fide touch. But thanks be to the great Scribe Virgin, it didn’t stay that way. As he subtly increased the pressure at the top of her sex, she was reminded of the way he had pleasured himself in the clinic,
his hands pushing down at his hips, his body creating friction until something snapped and the pleasure crested—

The orgasm was more powerful than anything she had ever felt: Not even the pain she had known at the hands of the
symphath
came close to the pleasure that bucked through her lower body, reverberated up her torso, and echoed out to the tips of her fingers and her toes.

She knew earth. She knew the Sanctuary.

But this… was heaven.

A
s No’One orgasmed, Tohr’s cock released again, the feel of her slick sex and her hips jerking and her voice crying out putting him waaaaay over the threshold: She was wet; she was open; she was ready for him.

She was luscious.

And as she rubbed herself against his hand, he wanted his mouth on her and his tongue up inside her so he could swallow what he had given her.

In fact, if she hadn’t been locked against him so tightly, he would have moved into position right away, heading down her body and finding her with his lips. But there was no going anywhere at the moment. Not until both their rides were over and their muscles had unlocked from their bones.

Except… she didn’t let go of him.

Even after her release had passed, her arms retained their shockingly strong hold on his neck.

When she started to shake, he felt every tremor.

At first he wondered if it was the passion returning, but it was quickly obvious that wasn’t the case.

No’One was crying softly.

As he tried to pull back, she just gripped him more tightly, tucking her head against his chest and burrowing in. Clearly, she wasn’t afraid of him, or hurt by him. But, God, still…

“Shh…” he whispered as he put his big palm on her back and began circling in gentle strokes. “It’s okay.…”

Actually, that one was a lie. He wasn’t sure if anything was okay. Especially as she started to sob in earnest.

Given there was nothing he could do but stay with her, he dropped his head close to hers and yanked the duvet off his legs to cover her up and keep her warm.

She cried forever.

He would have held her even longer than that.

It was odd… providing her with a grounding place grounded himself, giving him a purpose and focus that was just as strong as the sexual ones had been only moments before. And in retrospect, he should have known this was coming. What had just happened was probably the first and only sexual experience she’d ever consented to. Female of worth from a high-blooded family? No way she would have been permitted to even hold hands with a male.

That
symphath
’s violence had been all she’d ever known.

Goddamn him, he wanted to kill that bastard again.

“I don’t… know why… I cry,” she said eventually, the words dodging past her harsh exhales.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured. “For as long as it takes, I got you.”

But the emotions were passing, her breathing easing, the sniffling not quite as prevalent.

It was all over after one last shuddering inhale. Then she was still and so was he.

“Talk to me.” He continued stroking her back. “Tell me where you’re at.”

She opened her mouth as if she meant to answer, but then just shook her head.

“Well, I think you’re very brave.”

“Brave?” She laughed. “How well you do not know me.”

“Very brave. This couldn’t have been easy for you—and I’m honored that you let me… do what I did to you.”

Her face assumed a picture of confusion. “Why ever for?”

“It takes great trust, No’One—especially for someone with what happened to you in their background.”

With a frown, she seemed to retreat into herself.

“Hey,” he said, putting his forefinger under her chin. “Look at me.” When she did, he traced her face lightly. “I wish I had something philosophical or poignant or… anything… to help you put shit in perspective. I don’t, and I’m sorry for that. I know this, though. It takes true courage to break through the past, and you did that tonight.”

“I suppose we both have courage then.”

His eyes shifted away. “Yeah.”

There was a period of quiet, as if the past had sucked all of the energy out of both of them.

Abruptly, she asked, “Why is the aftermath so awkward? I feel so… apart from you.”

He nodded, thinking, Yeah, sex could be weird like that, even if there weren’t complications of the kind they were rocking: Even if you didn’t go all the way, the shattering closeness that was shared seemed to make the return to normal feel like distance in spite of the fact that you were lying side by side.

“I should go back to my room now,” she said.

He pictured her down the hall, and thought that it seemed too far away. “Don’t. Stay here.”

In the dim light, he could see she was frowning again. “Are you certain?”

He reached up and tucked away a blond escapee from her braid. “Yeah. I am.”

They stared at each other for the longest time, and somehow—maybe it was the vulnerable look in her eyes, maybe the line of her mouth; maybe he was reading her mind—he knew exactly what she was wondering.

“I knew it was you,” he said softly. “The entire time… I knew it was you.”

“And that was… okay, to use your expression?”

He thought back to his mate. “You’re nothing like Wellsie was.”

When he heard her clear her throat, he realized he’d spoken out loud. “No, what I mean is—”

“You don’t have to explain.” Her sad smile was so full of compassion. “You truly don’t.”

“No’One—”

She held up her hand. “There’s no need to explain—by the way, the flowers in here are gorgeous. I’ve never smelled such a bouquet.”

“They’re out in the hall, actually. Fritz changes them every two days. Listen, can I do something for you?”

“Have you not done enough,” she countered.

“I’d like to bring you some food.”

Her graceful brows peaked. “I wouldn’t wish for you to trouble yourself—”

“But you are hungry, right?”

“Well… yes…”

“So I’ll be back in a minute.”

He shifted off the mattress quick, and unconsciously braced himself for the world to tilt wildly. But there was no light-headedness, no need to reclaim his balance, no loopy shit. His body was raring to go as he walked around the foot of the bed—

No’One’s eyes fell upon him, and the expression on her face stopped him dead in his tracks.

That speculation was back in her eyes. Hunger, too.

He hadn’t considered whether there was ever going to be a repeat when it had been happening. But given the way she stared at him… the answer would appear to be a big “yes,” at least from her point of view.

“Do you like what you see,” he asked in a too-deep voice.

“Yes…”

Well, didn’t that get him hard: Below his waist, his cock shot right back to attention—and damned if her eyes didn’t lock on and watch the show.

“I have other things I want to do to you,” he growled. “That could be just the beginning. If you want.”

Her lips parted, her eyelids sinking low. “Do you want that?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Then I would say… yes, please.”

He nodded once at her, as if they had struck some kind of deal. Then he had to force himself away from the bed.

Going over to the closet, he pulled on a pair of jeans and went for the door.

“Anything in particular?” he asked before he left.

No’One slowly shook her head, her lids still low, her mouth still parted, her cheeks still flushed. Man… she had no idea how enticing she looked in that big, rumpled bed, her robe draping off the side of the mattress, her neat-as-a-pin hairdo feathered with blond wisps, her scent as strong and seductive as ever.

Maybe food could wait. Especially as he noticed that her bare legs were showing in the midst of the tangled duvet.

Yeah, he had plans for them. Over-the-shoulder kinds of plans—

Abruptly, she yanked the covers over her crippled one, hiding it from him.

Tohr marched right back over to her, and resolutely pulled the duvet back where it had been. Tracing the badly healed wounds with his fingertips, he met her squarely in the eye.

“You’re beautiful. Every inch of you. Don’t think for a moment there’s anything wrong with you. We clear?”

“But—”

“Nope. I’m not hearing that.” Bending down, he pressed his lips to her shin, her calf, her ankle, tracing the scars, caressing them. “Beautiful. All of you.”

“How can you say that,” she whispered, blinking back tears.

“Because it’s the truth.” Straightening, he gave her a final squeeze. “No hiding from me, okay. And after I feed you, I think I’m going to have to show you just how serious I am.”