Chapter 19

Benham

Maeve's flavor is like nothing that has ever touched my tongue before. It is as addictive as the shurup nectar the humans favor in their kokkra. She is sweet but with a hint of spice. Does she taste this good everywhere? I want to find out. If not this night, then maybe another. I draw her whole chest mound—breast—into my mouth and taste the sweetness of her.

My mate's blunt claws dig into my shoulders as she leans more into me. Small noises spill from her lips and I lift my gaze to hers without letting her go. Pleasure spreads across her face and she is focused on where we are connected. The color of her eyes has darkened.

This is what my baba and nene had and what I did not know I needed or think I wanted. A closeness like no other with a mate. Without Deeka I never would have had this and I send up a prayer of thanks and a hope that I can please my keeshla. I give the same attention to her other breast and it tastes just as wonderful as the other. Before I have had my fill, Maeve pulls back. Afraid I have done something wrong, I open my mouth to apologize, but she speaks first.

"I want to lay down together in the furs."

There is no hesitation in her request. I unwind my tail that has found its way around her waist and stand. Somehow my mate appears even smaller in this moment with her dark-stained cheeks and shy glances at my painfully erect cock behind my leg coverings. Maeve takes my hand and leads me over to my furs. Together we lower ourselves. My keeshla lies on her side facing me and I wait patiently for her to lead us wherever it is she is ready to go.

Unable to resisting touching her in some way, though, I reach out and caress her cheek, brushing the two-colored hair off it. I am anxious to see her with only the pale hair she loves so much.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are?"

Maeve ducks her head and shakes it gently before lifting it up again. "No," she whispers.

"Your beauty outshines all the dreams and wishes inside my head. Not just here,"—I brush my finger down her face and chest until I reach her heart—"but also here."

Water pools in her eyes and a droplet spills out the side leaving a wet track. "The whole time you were gone today, I was so worried something would happen to you and I wouldn't get a chance to tell you…I want to be your mate."

I have never heard sweeter words than those. "My brave keeshla. Thank you for the honor you have given me. I will do all I can to prove you will not regret it."

Maeve nods. "I trust you. Will you make love to me?"

A kiss is my answer. My lips claim hers and she opens for my tongue to sweep inside. I pay close attention to the sounds my mate makes and what she likes best. Every touch is for her pleasure. I want to destroy all her bad memories and replace them with ones that remind her how it feels to be loved by a male who cares for her and will never hurt her. Maeve will teach me how she wants to be touched in every way.

I break the kiss and rest my brow ridges gently against her softness. "Show me what you like and how to please you."

She breathes in deeply and takes my hand in hers. I let her guide it downward until it reaches her waist. "Touch me. Down there."

Taking my time in case I have misunderstood, I slide my hand along the edge of her leg coverings and dip beneath them. When she does not stop me, I continue gliding my fingers downward until I encounter a small tuft of hair. My eyes widen at the dampness within it. I move my finger again and, when I encounter a hard nub, Maeve sucks in a breath. She makes a tiny shift closer.

"You have a nipple down here as well?"

My mate laughs. "That is my clit."

"Clit? What does it do?"

She raises a shoulder. "It's just for pleasure. To help a woman orgasm."

I explore this pleasure center with my finger and watch Maeve's face intently. After much testing, I soon discover the amount of pressure and speed which makes her gasp and squirm in my arms. Her chest rises and falls quickly and little moans come from her mouth. They are the most perfect sounds. I do not stop, because I want my mate to reach her peak.

With each beautiful noise she makes, and every time she jerks her hips, pushing herself against my finger, my cock hardens even more. All male Tavikhi have mating nodes that open and secrete a fluid meant to give our mates greater pleasure. I can feel my mating fluid leaking from them, preparing for my keeshla.

"I want to see your release." I find the rhythm Maeve loves best against her swollen clit and don't stop until her whole body tenses and she shakes.

She cries out and grinds herself against my hand, shuddering until at last she sags with a heavy exhale. Her eyes flutter open, and a drowsy but satisfied smile lights up her face. "That was amazing."

Pride wells up inside. "I am glad to offer you pleasure."

My mate's cheeks darken to the color of the manerrat berry. "We're not done, I hope."

"Not if you do not wish to be."

Maeve traces the mating marks on my sides. "I do not wish to be."

Then I am happy to give her whatever she desires. I bring my hand out from where I left it inside her leg coverings. "May I take these off?"

She nods. Rising up on my knees I gently nudge her so she lies on her back. Her eyes remain on me as I tug at the cloth guarding her from me. She lifts her hips and I slide her leg coverings down until they are completely off. I toss them on top of her chest covering and stare down at her. Her breasts rise toward the sky and her waist dips before flaring out to form her lovely hips.

Between her legs is the pale hair that covers her cunt. It is a shade darker than the pale part on her head. The sweet musky scent of her arousal fills our tent. While I would like to bring my nose closer and breathe her in even deeper, my instincts tell me to wait. There will always be another night. But this first time with us together should be slow and easy. We will take our time with pleasuring each other. Discovering what the other likes.

"Am I so different from the female Tavikhi?" Maeve moves as though to cover herself.I gently clasp her hands and draw them away.

"Not so different. Although the females do not have that sensitive nub you have. A clit. At least not to my knowledge. Your body is the only one I have ever touched. The only one I will ever touch. It is perfection."

My mate glances away from me, but then meets my gaze again. "I want to see you."

I nod and remove my own leg coverings. Lying back, I let Maeve look all she wants. She sits partway up and her eyes shift to stare at my cock. Her mouth parts and a sudden image of her wrapping her lips around my length makes me groan. She swallows and turns her gaze to me.

"Can I touch you?"

"Of course."

Tentatively, she reaches out, pausing just before her fingers touch me, and then—glorious ecstasy. Maeve traces a path up my length, grazing across the sensitive—and open—nodes that line it. She circles one with her finger and draws mating fluid from the tiny hairs that fill it.

"What are these?" Her tone is hushed.She strokes over it again and a shudder courses through me.

"Those are my mating nodes. They are similar to your clit in that they provide pleasure. The fluid within them will release and stimulate inside you."

Maeve lifts her eyes to meet mine as she brings her finger that glistens with wetness up to her mouth. Her tongue flicks out to taste it and I nearly release my essence right then. She does it again and laps up the rest of it. "Mmm, you taste good."

I groan. Her words are exquisite torture. Made even more so when she wraps as much of her hand around me as she can and glides it up and down my length. I grit my teeth to keep my control that is quickly unraveling. The need to be inside her is all-consuming.

"I want to feel you inside me," Maeve says as though reading my thoughts.

"Lie down and let me bring my keeshla pleasure."

She releases me with a slow drag of her fingertips and moves to her back. My mate is so small. I worry I will hurt her in some way. Carefully I settle between her legs and make sure to keep my weight off her. Her big eyes stare up at me.

"Is all well, my Maeve?"

She nods and lays her hands on my sides. "Yes. I need you."

Reaching between us, I guide myself to her cunt and pause. "You will tell me if it hurts in any way?"

"I will. Please."

I find her opening and enter her a fraction at a time. She is still wet from her previous release and I slide through the slickness that eases my way into her. I keep my eyes on her face, always watching for her reactions. Maeve bites her bottom lip and gasps as more of my length enters her. Her blunt claws dig into me and she spreads her legs farther open so I can settle more deeply between them.

At long last, I am fully seated inside her. I grit my teeth with the urge to thrust. Her cunt squeezes me so tightly. So perfectly. My keeshla raises her gaze, and water leaks from her eyes. I try to withdraw for fear I have hurt her, but Maeve wraps her legs around me and pulls me more tightly against her.

"No, stay," she nearly begs.

"Why do your eyes leak?"

She sputters a small laugh. "Because I never thought I could feel like this. It's magical. I've spent so long being scared and guarding my heart. But with your kindness and your patience you've managed to heal what I thought had been broken inside me."

"There is nothing about you that is broken, my Maeve. You have the heart of a warrior."

"I'm so glad Deeka brought me here to be your mate. She knew you were exactly what I needed."

I brush my finger over her bottom lip. "And you are everything I need. My soul light shines my love for you."

More water leaks from her eyes. "I've finally realized I love you, too. Now, please make love to me."

Slowly, I move, my thrusts shallow at first and gaining with speed. Our mating fluids slick together, guiding us both closer to our release. I slide my tail between us and find her clit. Soon, Maeve is writhing beneath me and clutching me hard. Her moans and cries are a pleasant note in my ear. I will not last much longer.

Harder and deeper I push in and out, and rub at the swollen bead at the top of her cunt until my mate goes rigid beneath me and she calls out my name. She clenches down on my cock and that is all it takes. Only two more strokes and I spill my seed inside her. The most intense pleasure I have ever known washes over me. Small tremors still pulse through my mate's body. At last, our breaths even out and my Maeve lets out a contented sigh.

I gently withdraw from her tight channel and roll to my side, bringing her with me. She curls against me with so much trust and I wrap my arm around her as she lays her head on my abdomen. Her light touches caress my mating marks that tingle with warmth.

"Thank you for making our first time so beautiful," my keeshla says.

"It was the most wondrous thing ever." My gaze lands on the chest containing my nene and baba's things. I glance down at Maeve who looks so peaceful and content. "I'd like to give you something."

She tilts her head back. "Give me something?"

I nod and sit up. She follows, holding a fur to cover her bare body. With great care, I remove items from the chest until I find the soft hide that contains what I seek. I bring it back to our furs and settle in beside my mate. I peel back the hide until I uncover what's inside. Despite the many seasons since she's been gone, it still holds a hint of my nene's scent. I pass it to Maeve, who holds her hands out and gently takes it from me. She sets it on her lap and reaches for the item on top.

When she lifts out the small chest covering, the crystals decorating it sparkle with the reflection of the firelight. She gasps and lifts her gaze to mine. "Oh my god, Benham. This is so beautiful."

My mate sets it down and brings out the matching leg covering. She tenderly strokes the leather and water fills her eyes.

"They belonged to my nene. She wore it at her and my baba's private mating ceremony. When you are ready, I would like for you to wear it at ours."

Maeve carefully sets the coverings next to her, scrambles on her knees over to me, and throws her arms around my waist. "Thank you for the amazing gift. I would be honored to wear it."

I hold her for several beats before letting her go. She returns to her spot in our furs and gently folds the chest and leg coverings and places them back in the protective hide.

"Will you keep it safe again for me until I wear it for you?" she asks.

"Of course." I place it back in the chest and return to Maeve's side.

Once again, I lie down and my mate immediately presses herself against me. My heart is full and my soul light shines brightly. I kiss the top of my keeshla's head and she raises up to kiss my lips. She pulls back and stares down at me.

"I love you."

"I love you as well." I draw her close and show her how much.