Chapter 8

Eli

"It's Lakota."

I relaxed as I realized Mav wasn't going to dismiss my question, but I was disappointed when his fingers eased their hold on my wrist and then disappeared entirely. I was still reeling from our second kiss and as much as I needed time to just process what it all meant, I found that now that I'd had a chance to touch Mav, that was all I wanted to be doing.

"You're Native American?" I asked.

"I'm half Native American…on my mother's side. My father was white…or at least my mother thinks he was."

I didn't miss the bitterness in his voice and I knew I was treading perilously close to a sensitive subject so I resisted asking the question I really wanted to and said, "Would you say them in English?"

Mav hesitated for so long that I was tempted to take back the question, but I held my tongue as he seemed to physically brace himself. His voice was rich and deep as he spoke, but I didn't miss the pained tone.

" Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds.

And whose breath gives life to all the world.

Hear me! I am small and weak .

I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes

Ever hold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made.

My ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand

The things you might teach me.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden

In every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother.

But to fight my greatest enemy, myself.

Make me always ready to come to you

With clear hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades, as the fading sunset.

My spirit may come to you without shame. "

Once he was done, Mav refused to look at me, but I sensed it was more because he was lost in thought rather than anything else. The words clearly meant something to him. "Is that some kind of poem?" I asked.

"It's a prayer…to Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit. The Lakota culture has deep roots in faith and believe in thanking the Great Spirit for everything on Earth."

"Did your mother teach you that prayer?"

Mav lifted his eyes and shook his head. "She wasn't around much when I was growing up. A friend taught me. I was hoping…" His voice trailed off and he dropped his eyes.

I knew I should let it go, but the pain coming off the man in front of me was palpable and I felt an almost unbearable need to take it from him. "You were hoping what?" I asked as I leaned forward and settled my hands over his where they were fisted on his lap.

"I was hoping to impress my grandfather. He ran the museum and cultural center on the reservation and was really traditional." Mav let out a harsh chuckle. "I spent hours and hours getting it perfect."

"What happened? "

"Like I said, traditional. Pure blood only."

I didn't need any more details to know the encounter had had a detrimental effect on this man. His bitter tone and stiff body were enough to tell me his childhood probably hadn't been a good one.

"Did you live on a reservation?"

Mav nodded. "Off and on when I was a kid."

"Where?"

"Pine Ridge, South Dakota."

"Does your mom still live there?"

"No, she took off when she was eighteen. Got pregnant with me and went back for a while before leaving again. I met my grandfather for the first time when I was six. She left me with him every time she'd meet a new guy. Sometimes she'd come back for me and take me with her for a little while, but as soon as the next guy came along, she'd take me back to the reservation. Last time I talked to her, she'd hooked up with some car salesman in Jersey or something."

"You don't talk to her much?"

He shook his head and then gently pulled one of his hands free of mine so he could grab his beer and take a long drink. "She calls me when she needs money."

"And your grandfather?"

"Still on the rez as far as I know," Mav murmured. "Haven't seen him since I was sixteen."

I could tell Mav was nearing the end of his patience with the topic so I did the only thing I could think of and leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you," I whispered against his lips before kissing him once more. I went to pull back again, but he gently grabbed me by the back of the neck.

"For what?" Mav asked.

"For telling me," I murmured before brushing my lips over his. "For coming to dinner." Another kiss. "For being there that day in the stairwell." Every kiss grew a little deeper than the last and by the time I whispered, "For being my first kiss," Mav had his free arm around my waist and was pulling me to my feet as he stood. His eyes held mine for several long seconds, and then his mouth slammed down on mine and he took complete control of the kiss.

Like when we'd been outside, his big palms skimmed my ass before kneading both globes and then he was lifting me. He set me on the table and immediately used his body to maneuver me so I was lying flat on my back. I registered glass breaking on the floor and realized it was one or both of our bottles of beer. Not that I gave a shit because Mav's mouth was consuming mine so ferociously that nothing outside of the two of us existed. Mav grabbed hold of my hands and pinned them to the table and held me that way as his mouth plundered mine. When he pulled back from me, I tried to follow, but with him holding me down, I was completely helpless to do anything but lay there as he stared at me. I should have been frightened by the power he held over me in that moment, but all I was was incredibly turned on. My dick was already hard and pressing painfully against the confines of my pants and the need that was firing through my body was bordering on this side of uncomfortable.

"Please, Mav," I whispered when it seemed like he wasn't going to do anything other than hover over me, his emerald eyes fixed on mine.

"Please what?" Mav asked, his voice hoarse.

"I don't know," I said honestly. And I didn't. I knew I needed relief and while I knew where this encounter was leading, I still couldn't fathom that any sexual act would take away the growing coil of want that was burning through my gut. But I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the only one who could give me what I needed was this man.

Mav leaned down to kiss me and I felt him transfer both my wrists to just one of his hands above my head. His tongue continued to play with mine as his long fingers skimmed down my chest, abdomen and groin. The touch was too fleeting and I tried to buck my hips up in hopes of encouraging him to continue the contact. But instead, his hand flattened on my belly and then began pushing the hem of my shirt up. I jumped when his palm came in contact with my skin and then I was moaning into his mouth as he used his thumb to test the muscles there. His mouth left mine to trail a path of kisses down my cheek and neck while his hand pushed my shirt even higher. I struggled to pull my hands free, but not because I was afraid. But because I was so desperate for more of him.

I was about to start begging him some more when I felt his hand slide back down my stomach and not stop there and I tensed up in anticipation. I cried out in relief when his hand rubbed over my dick, but when he pulled his hand away just as quickly I yelled, "No, please, don't stop!"

"Shhh, I'm going to take care of you," Mav said against my mouth and then he was kissing me again. I felt his fingers fumble with the button and zipper on my pants for a moment and then his big hand was plunging into my pants and underwear in one swift move. If he hadn't still been kissing me, I would have screamed at the pure pleasure that raced through me when his rough palm encircled my dick. Electricity sparked under my skin and shimmied up my spine as Mav began stroking me with hard, long drags of his rough hand. I was on sensation overload as he worked both my mouth and my cock at the same time and I didn't even have time to say anything before my orgasm slammed into me without warning a few seconds later.

I'd jerked myself off plenty of times over the years, but it was nothing like what was happening to me in that moment. I had no control of my body or even my mind. Nothing existed except for the wave of pleasure that crashed through me as the coil of need inside of me snapped. My body jerked and thrashed uncontrollably as hot liquid sprayed all over my abdomen and groin and I felt tears prick my eyes as Mav whispered, "So fucking beautiful," in my ear.

I hadn't even realized he'd stopped kissing me at that point and that the low keening sound I was hearing was coming from me. The orgasm seemed to go on forever and it wasn't until my body stopped spasming that I finally dragged in the air I so badly needed. Mav's mouth was back on mine, but his kisses were short and sweet. His hand still had a hold of my dick, but he was gently massaging me through the aftershocks that were still hitting my sated, tingling body .

I suspected the entire encounter hadn't lasted more than a couple of minutes, considering how quickly I'd come after Mav had touched my cock, but it felt like hours before the aftermath of my climax had eased enough for me to come to my senses.

"You okay?" Mav asked as he released my hands and ran his fingers through my hair. His hand was still down my pants, but he wasn't stroking my ultra-sensitive dick any more.

I managed a nod and did my best to kiss Mav back when his lips sought out mine again. He kept the kiss brief and then I watched in fascination as he brought his other hand up to his mouth and began licking the sticky, white fluid from it. I'd always hated the taste of cum, but watching Mav consume mine like it was some kind of delicacy had me wondering if things would be different when I tasted his.

When.

I couldn't even be sure there would be a when. I'd interrupted Mav earlier when he'd been about to say our kiss had been a mistake, but I had no doubt that was what he'd planned on telling me. It was true that I hadn't ever been in any kind of relationship before, but I was smart enough to know that not every kiss, even what seemed like an epic one to me, was anything more than just that…a kiss. Even what had just happened between us didn't mean it was anything more than a random sexual encounter.

After Mav cleaned off his hand, he pulled me up to a sitting position. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it was impossible to miss the bulge in his pants. Guilt went through me that I hadn't even once thought about Mav's pleasure as he'd been bringing me mine. I automatically reached for the button on his pants, but he stopped me by grabbing my hands in his.

"You don't want me to…" I asked awkwardly.

Mav studied me for a moment and then lifted my hands to his lips. He kissed the backs of each one before releasing them and leaning forward to seal his mouth over mine. When he pulled back he said, "This was about you. Only you."

I felt tears threatening to fall at that so all I managed was a nod because I didn't trust myself to speak .

"Why don't you get cleaned up and I'll clean up out here?"

I looked down on the floor and sure enough, our activities had caused both bottles of beer to hit the floor. Luckily only one had broken and it was in large pieces instead of hundreds of tiny ones. "Are you sure?"

Mav nodded and helped me stand. I could feel my cum cooling all over my stomach and seeping into the fabric of my underwear. "There are some cleaning supplies under the sink," I murmured as I turned to head towards my bedroom. With my passion cooling, the embarrassment started to seep in and I was eager to escape Mav so I could regroup. Once I reached my bathroom, I stripped off all my clothes and got in the shower. As I washed myself, memories of Mav's touch started to return and I actually felt the hunger building deep inside of me again. I shook my head in amazement and then quickly finished cleaning up and changed into fresh clothes. I had no idea how we'd go back to any kind of regular conversation after what had just happened, but there was no way around it so I headed back to the kitchen. The floor was clean and the broken glass gone by the time I got back. But I didn't see Mav. I felt a surge of panic that he'd left, but then I sensed his presence and looked to my right towards the living room. And then all my panic came rushing back.

Because in Mav's hand was the picture on the bookshelf – the one I kept turned over for a reason. And I knew just by looking at the expression on Mav's face that he finally had the answer he'd been looking for from the moment we'd encountered each other in that stairwell.