Sophia

SOPHIA

I was still nervous. He must have been upset about me running away and trying to take his things. He had to be.

And yet, when his lips pressed against mine, and I felt the warmth of his body pressing into me, it was impossible to think about that. All I wanted was for him to keep kissing me, for his hands, which were on my hip and my shoulder, to move to the places of my body that burned for him.

Escaping didn't matter anymore. His anger didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was his eyes, boring into me, and the way my body wanted him.

He moved me carefully towards the bed, then, with a quick move, pushed me onto it. Before I could even react, he was on top of me.

He ran his hand through my hair, at the same time, pushing my head down against the pillow. I felt his hard cock through his pants, pressing against my hips.

"Now," he whispered. "Let's talk about you trying to run away."

"I don't wanna talk," I said and lifted my head up to kiss him.

He pushed me back down with his right hand while his left hand gently stroked the side of my neck. "I know you don't," he said. "But right now, I know you're paying attention. And you know as well as I do that we need to talk about it."

That tone. It didn't take me long to learn that tone, especially when we were in the kitchen. He used it when barking commands. It was the one he used when he wasn't going to accept no for an answer.

"I won't do it again," I said.

"That's a lie, isn't it?"

Honestly, I didn't know the answer to that. Of course, I didn't want to be owned by anyone, even him. I wanted to make my own way across the universe and find a way to earn my own living.

But at the same time, I remembered the relief when I realized that he was coming for me. I remembered knowing that he would deal with the criminals and that I would be safe. And that wasn't to mention everything I felt at that moment, with his body pressing against me and that light smirk on his lips.

"I'm sorry," I said awkwardly.

"Now that's an interesting response," he answered, his voice low enough to growl slightly. "Are you really sorry? Or do I have to make you sorry?"

He sat up on his knees, slowly untying the shawl, his huge fingers oddly delicate and precise as he loosed the knot, then got to work on the buttons of my shirt. Another moment and he had my shirt off. He paused, staring at me there and smiling.

"You really are pretty," he said, pulling his shirt off. His chest was just as tight and beautiful as it was the first time I saw it. I wanted him to hold me against it with all of the strength I could see written all over his body. But he just sat there, looking down at me.

He stroked my chin gently with two fingers. "You know I don't want to punish you, right?"

"I don't either," I said, and it was mostly true. I wanted to know what he meant by punishment, but I didn't really want to be punished…or did I?

"Then why don't you tell me why you ran away?"

His fingers slipped down my neck and then traced the shape of my breast, just barely missing the nipple, then down my hips. I moaned involuntarily, and he laughed.

He leaned forward and kissed me on the side of the neck.

"It's okay," he said. "Whatever it is that made you run away, it's all okay." His kisses crept down onto my chest, toward my right breast. "I just need to know."

"Because I'm scared of you!" The words just jumped from my lips, but the moment I said them, I knew they were true.

I was safe dancing. I knew what I was doing, and I knew the people I was doing it with. Kogam could be a scumbag, but he wouldn't kill someone in front of me casually. I didn't have to worry that I'd end up stuffed into a ventilation shaft somewhere.

That wasn't exactly the truth, either.

I knew Makar wouldn't hurt me, not really.

Not physically.

But I wasn't comfortable with how he made me feel, how long he stayed in my thoughts. There were too many emotions when I was with him, and I didn't know what to do with any of them.

That was terrifying.

He looked up at me from his place near my chest. "You're scared of me?"

"Sometimes?" I was unsure if there was a right answer.

"Then you're right," he replied. "It wouldn't help to punish you."

And with that, he suddenly took my right nipple into his mouth. I nearly gasped from the intense pleasure of his sucking and saliva. As he played with my nipple, I felt it gently press against the sharpness of his teeth, not hard enough to hurt but just enough to feel them.

Vinduthi sex, I thought, remembering what the other dancers had told me about it. Formal Vinduthi courtship involved the claiming bite, and so a lot of sex and play with them was about little nips and gentle pressure with the teeth. It was almost as if he was reminding me that he could claim me if he wanted to, but that he didn't want to. Not yet.

He let go of the nipple and went back to kissing me. Meanwhile, his hand slipped in between my legs and stroked the inside of my thigh.

"I'm sorry for taking your scarf." I should have realized that taking something from a syndicate member wasn't a smart move.

"What?" he replied, rolling his eyes. "I don't care about that."

"You don't?" I said, surprised.

"Not at all." He sat up and unbuckled his pants. He pulled down his underwear, and his cock, strong and hard, fell out. I shivered, full of want. "The only property I cared about is you."

With that, he pulled down my panties and pants in one motion. His fingers slid up and down my soaking folds and then inside me.

Of course, he could have meant what he said in terms of pure monetary value. He had paid a crazy amount for me and he probably could have sold me for a good two-thirds of that if he really wanted to.

But he didn't mean that, did he? I knew he didn't. I put my hand on his shoulder and the two of us locked eyes. He cared about me in a totally different way. I saw that. He didn't hunt me down to make back an investment. He did it because he was afraid someone would hurt me.

That was what he tried to tell me right then. That was what his rescuing me was all about.

I needed to think about this more, later.

Because right now, all I thought about was how much I wanted him.

His fingers slipped out of me, and a second later, I felt the broad head of his cock pressing on me. He pushed softly on me once, twice, and then suddenly, he was inside me.

He lay over me, one of his hands grasping my left breast tenderly while he slowly pulled in and out, in and out. A simple rhythm, but I felt my whole body respond to it, clenching and unclenching as he fucked me, deep and hard.

"Do you think I would hurt you?" he whispered into my ear. Before I could answer, he kissed me on the neck, and then his kiss slowly became a soft bite.

"No…" I managed as I ran my hands up and down his back.

It was true. He was so soft, so attentive. Even with everything I saw him do, I couldn't imagine him hurting me. I just couldn't.

"Good," he said. "That's very good. I'm glad you understand me a little better."

He squeezed my breast, and I moaned. How could someone be so cold and deadly in a fight and yet so gentle and tender in person?

Suddenly, he lifted himself onto his arms and looked down at me. "One more question. And you have to be honest with me about this, whatever the answer is."

I nodded, and he thrust into me again, faster now, and it was hard to focus on anything other than that. I tried pulling him back towards me, but he simply ignored my attempts.

"Are you going to run away again?" he asked.

I didn't know the answer to that question. It was hard to think about anything, much less something so complicated and with so much commitment. Would I try to run away one day? I wanted to be free. I wanted to know what freedom tasted like. But I also wanted this, right here. I wanted him.

I was getting closer. Waves of desire rushed and crashed through my whole body, making me feel warm and lightheaded. Despite his stoic exterior, I could tell that Makar was more and more excited, too. His thrusts were harder and faster, needier, and his hands were all over my body.

"I need you to answer me," he said. With one hand, he fingered my hard nipple, and with the other, he stroked my hips. "Even if it's a yes, I need you to tell me something."

I felt the answer inside me. Was it just because he was inside me? Was it just looking at his handsome body and those shining and terrifying horns?

Would I still feel the same way later tonight? What about tomorrow? What about years from now?

It didn't matter, the answer that beat in me to the movements of Makar's powerful body seemed to say. It only mattered what I felt right now. It only mattered what was true for me in this moment, this perfect, beautiful moment.

"No!" I cried, my voice louder than I expected. "No! I won't ever try running away from you again!"

Almost at the same time, my entire body shook, shocks of pleasure racing up and down my body. I had come wet and warm, and I felt every muscle in my body suddenly relaxing.

In barely a few seconds, I felt him twitch inside me and saw a smile spread over his handsome face.

And at that moment, looking up into his eyes, I knew that what I said was completely true. I wouldn't run from him.

At least, I'd try not to.