Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
But for now, he is here. I will worry about everything else tomorrow. I pat the stool next to where I crouch. “Come and sit by the fire.”
Mardok approaches, and I notice some of the strain is easing from his face now that we are alone. I am glad. He sits down and unbuckles the front of his suit, then rubs his hands and holds them out to the fire. “It’s getting colder.”
“It does get brisk when the suns go down. Do not worry—we will stay warm under the furs.”
Instead of making him smile, he looks unhappy. “Farli…”
“Shhh,” I tell him. “I ask nothing of you but your company while you are here. You cannot stay, and I am not sure I wish to leave.” I shake my head. “It is as it has been made. All we can do is enjoy the time we have.”
His eyes are still sad, but he nods. When I stand, he grabs me by the hips and tugs me into his lap. “If that’s the case, then I’m not letting go of you tonight.”
I chuckle and wrap my arms around his neck, because I do not mind this in the slightest. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Nope.” Mardok presses a kiss to the bony plates on my shoulder. “I was cold, but I’m warmer with you in my arms.”
“Shall we undress and get under the furs? You will be much warmer with your naked skin pressed against mine.”
He closes his eyes and groans, pressing his forehead to the exact spot he just kissed. “Have mercy on a man.”
“Why? It is practical.”
“And I won’t be able to resist touching you.”
I snort. Is that his only worry? “Why should you resist it? I want to touch you, too.”
He lifts his head. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you.”
Using me? With my khui singing a wild, needy song in my chest? With my body aching and feeling hollow a bit more every day because we haven’t mated? I am already slick between my thighs, and my pulse is pounding. If he does not touch me soon, I am going to be the one using him.
The idea has merit.
But since he is reluctant, I get to my feet and stand between his legs. I undo the ties on my leather tunic and shrug it off my shoulders, leaving my torso bare. He gazes at my teats, a hungry expression on his face. I want him to touch me. I feel as if I am dying for it. And yet he does not reach for what I offer him. Does he truly think I will hate him if he touches me and then leaves me behind?
I could never hate him. Ever.
So I carefully lift one foot and pull my boot off, then the other. I toss them aside, my gaze locked with his. Can he not see how much I want him? How ready I am for him to claim me as his? I straighten and pull my leggings off next, kicking them aside until I am naked in front of him. Still he does not reach for me, though his gaze is heated and he flexes his hands as if he is dying to touch me.
Very well, I will continue to take the lead. It is not that he is shy, I know. It is that he thinks touching me might be a mistake he will regret. So I must show him otherwise. I take his hand and guide it to my teat, like I did when we first met. “Will you not touch me?”
The groan that erupts from him is pained. He jumps to his feet, and before I can ask what is wrong, his mouth is on mine and he’s claiming me. I moan with pleasure as his tongue drags against my own, and he takes over, kissing me with abandon. Over and over, his lips swoop over mine, and I am breathless with delight. His arms go around me, and then my chest is mashed against his crinkly, thick tunic.
“I want to feel your skin,” I whisper between kisses. “Please, Mardok. Let me touch you, too.”
He picks me up in his arms, and I gasp, clinging to his neck. I did not realize he was so much taller than the males in my tribe until just now. I normally stand head to head with them, but with Mardok, I reach his chin. I…like it. It makes me feel small and dainty next to him, almost like a human. The thought makes me giggle.
“What’s so funny?” he asks as he carries me over to my furs.
“I was just thinking you make me feel small in your arms, like a human.”
He makes a face. “You are far more beautiful than any of those.”
I sigh with pleasure. Such a simple compliment, but it makes me feel warm.