10. Thoren

My mate is shocked at the horse’s size. Her eyes bulge out of her head, and her mouth drops open as she takes him in. He is quite large, but not so much bigger that it should issue this reaction.

“That is not a horse,” she says, taking a step behind me. She is afraid. My protective nature surges to the surface.

“Kaia.” I turn around to face her, sinking down to my knees so that we are eye to eye. “He will not harm you. I won’t allow it.”

“Okay,” she says, her eyes roaming my face as her fingers dig into my shoulders. The feeling of her body against mine is almost too much. It calls to our bond, and it begs me to throw her on the ground and fuck her into it until she’s swollen round with my child. But instead, I comfort her.

“Do you trust me?”

“I — of course, I do. But that is not a horse, Thoren. That is a fucking beast. That thing is, like, three of me tall.” She looks up at the horse’s large frame and then back to me. “How am I even going to get up there?”

“Oh, is that what you are worried about?” I chuckle at her silliness. “We do not need to bring a stepping stool. I will lift you.”

With that, I turn her around and wrap my hands around her soft, full hips. I extend my wings, and with one swift push, we are in the air. My right foot slips into the stirrup as my left swings over. I set her down in front of me, her legs on either side and her ass against my groin. A choice I am sure I will regret very shortly.

“Did I not say to warn a girl first?” Her voice is shrill and grates against my eardrums.

“I apologize. I will not do that again without warning you.” I take her pack from her shoulders and tie it to our left and do the same with mine on the right. I got the sturdiest steed. The farmer assured me this one could make the trip there and back without trouble.

“Maybe I should sit behind you?”

I am sure she feels the stiff rod of my cock pressed into her ass and lower back, but I can’t do anything about that. And if we’re going to make it to Echo Bluff and back, we’re going to have to get really comfortable with each other and fast.

“I can’t help it,” I tell her, shifting my hips to give her a little room. “That mating bond calls to me.”

“Are you…” She trails off, and I can see her blushing.

“Yes, I am hard for you,” I growl into her ear before nipping the shell. She shivers and leans into my touch. It’s good to know she is not unaffected by my presence. I’m not alone in this need. “How could I not be?”

I lean back and give her room to breathe.

“No, I meant… I was going to say: Are you always so affected ?”

I grab the reins and place her soft hands on the horn. With a soft nudge of my boot, we take off. Her body tenses, and I can tell she’s still on edge. Hopefully, it will ease as we get into the ride. I will make sure she has a hot bath tonight. My brother’s inn has heated running water, and I’m sure it will delight my mate. Her thighs — my Gods, those thighs — will be sore after today.

“Mostly,” I answer truthfully. “I have tried to take care of it myself, but it doesn’t last long at all.”

She snorts, and her hand flies to her face. “Sorry, that was rude. I am so awkward.”

“You are lovely,” I disagree.

“No, I mean, thank you. Geez.” She stutters and shimmies those luscious hips again. She’s a temptress, my mate. “God, I get so flustered around you,” she admits. “I’m constantly tongue-tied and thinking about that tree trunk you have attached to your body.”

“Tree trunk?”

“Yeah, you know. Your cock.”

The laughter bursts out of me, swift and fierce. My cheeks hurt from the effort of smiling, and my whole body shakes. I have never heard a cock called a tree trunk.

“I hope that is a compliment,” I finally manage.

“Uh, it is.” She pats my thigh with her small hand. “It’s quite the package.”

Kaia’s laughter is like the Gods singing. I love the way her smile causes all of her straight, white teeth to show. And I love the way she snorts when she really loses control. Even sitting behind her, I love the way it feels when she laughs. The small vibrations set off the butterflies in my stomach.

It’s easy taking this journey with Kaia. She is kind and calm. She listens to my stories and is comfortably quiet when the conversation eventually dies down. Eventually, she allows her head to drop back onto my chest, and her body relaxes into mine.

My mate has the perfect body. I wouldn’t want her to look any other way, even though she is nothing like I imagined. The moment I laid my eyes on her, I knew she was meant for me. She looks like she was made to bear my children, and when I look down at her as she leans back against me, I am mesmerized by the way her breasts move and sway.

“Will we be there soon?” She leans forward and stretches her arms while attempting to fix her seat. The traffic has completely slowed now. We haven’t seen another soul for a good half hour as the sun begins to set. Everyone will be heading home to be with their families.

“Not too much longer. I’m sorry that flying makes you more uncomfortable than this.” I am sorry. I hate to hear that she is afraid of doing something with me. I wish she could trust that I would never let anything happen to her. Haven’t I proved that over the past week she has been here?

I’ve made almost all of her meals, except for the few she spent with Selah. I have washed and bandaged her feet every night, spreading the healing salve on them as I massage her sore legs. It has been torture to do so. And even earlier today, I saved her from chopping off her own toes.

“My hips are killing me. I’m sorry that I keep moving.” She does. She moves every thirty seconds. I’ve counted. “I’ve never ridden a horse before. And even if I had, I don’t think it would’ve prepared me for this incredible beast.”

Every time she moves, her curves bump up against my cock. I don’t know how much more I can take of this. Warmth spreads up my spine as she readjusts — yet again. I’m sure by the time we get to the inn, I’ll be dripping from need.

“Would you like to stop and rest? Maybe stretch your legs a while?”

“No, let’s just keep going. I’ll fight through it.” Her warm body leans back against me again, fitting perfectly in my arms and under my chin. I can’t stop myself. I lean forward and breathe in her scent. And then, softly, I kiss the top of her head. The action fills me with love for her. She is just perfect.

She hums, and I watch as her eyes flutter closed.

“You are very comfortable for someone who is rock hard.” She snorts at her own double entendre.

I move one of my hands from the reins to her hair, brushing it over her shoulder so that her neck is exposed to me. I lean down as far as I can and kiss the soft spot next to her ear and then farther down to the delicate bend of her throat. Her skin is warm and smells of lavender from the soap she bought at the market. My mouth waters, and my tongue begs to taste her. She whimpers quietly, like she’s trying to hide all of those precious noises from me. As if I would let her.

“You know, I could always take your mind off the discomfort.” I trail the tips of my fingers over the curve of her shoulder and down her arm. Gooseflesh appears on her skin, prickling and making the delicate hairs stand on edge. Her knuckles are white from the grip she has on the horn of the saddle.

“How would you suggest we do that?” she asks, her voice breathy with what I hope is excitement.

My fingers make the short trip from her hands to her trouser-covered knee. She flinches, her thighs clenching against the saddle as I venture farther up.

“I would touch you.” My hand continues to move upward. Everything is out of my control. It’s in her hands now. I may have said a week ago that we shouldn’t be intimate, that we shouldn’t go down that road. But now that we’re on it, I regret ever saying that. I want to touch her. I want to do everything to her. I want to hear all those pretty little noises I know she’ll make when I touch her just in the right spot.

“Only if you want,” I tell her, my hand pausing just at the edge of her sweater. As an answer, she relaxes the muscles in her thighs, spreading them just enough to signal I can keep going. I want to roar with pleasure that she trusts me this much.

“You are so beautiful, Kaia,” I whisper into her ear as my hand finally moves beneath her top. I toy with the hem of her trousers, untying the strings in a slow tease. I have been tortured for over a week, and I intend to make her wait just a little while longer. The anticipation is half the fun. “Every part of you.”

A breathy laugh escapes her plush lips. “You don’t know every part of me.”

“Is that an invitation?” The knots finally come undone, and my fingers crawl under the fabric. I can smell her arousal, strong and sweet, like perfectly ripened fruit in the heat of summer. “Ah,” I say as my fingers dip between her folds. “I think it is.”

She moans as my fingertip slips around her needy clit. My cock throbs between us, begging for attention. But this isn’t about me. This is about showing her that her pleasure matters. This is for her.

“Is that the spot?” My breath is hot on her ear as I continue to work her up.

“God, yes.” Her groans fill my head. I am solely focused on getting as many of those wrung from her body as possible. All I want is to hear my name fall from those pouty lips of hers as she comes apart all over my fingers.

“And how about here?” A single digit delves inside of her, and her walls clench around me. She is hot and wet and fucking tight . “By the Gods, Goldilocks.” I bite down into the soft flesh of her neck. “You are everything.”

Her arms reach above and behind her, and her fingers take purchase in my hair, tugging it until I growl against her. When I pull away from her neck, my teeth have left a mark. My cock weeps at the sight of it.

“Are you going to come on my fingers, little human?” I ask as I pump in and out of her soaked pussy. The noises are loud in the silence of the forest around us. The night air nips at my skin, keeping me aware of every little moment between us. Her breathing picks up, her chest heaving with the effort.

“Yes. Fuck, Thoren.” She whimpers again, the sound urging me on.

“Open those pretty dark eyes,” I command. “I want you to look at me when you come. I want you to see who’s making you feel this good, mate.”

“Oh, fuck.” Her eyes fly open, and I curl my finger just in the right spot. She grinds her clit against the heel of my hand and comes with my name on her tongue.

My free hand abandons the reins and grabs her delicate throat. I lean her to the side and bow farther down so that I can capture her mouth with my own. She tastes like the night air and the sweet pastry she’s been nibbling on. Our tongues intertwine and explore. Her cunt squeezes my fingers, and her hips roll. She’s dragging it out for herself, taking control of her pleasure, and my cock can’t take it.

My hips surge against her. With one hard thrust between our bodies, I come, spraying the inside of my pants like a preteen gargoyle. But I don’t care. I’m kissing my mate, and my fingers are deep inside of her cunt. I hold her tightly as the pleasure is like a lightning bolt straight up my spine and down to my toes.

As it settles, I release my tight grip on her throat and slip my fingers from between her thighs. She watches my movements as I bring my slick fingers to my face. I inhale, smelling her delicious scent before taking them in my mouth. Her taste explodes over my tongue, and I moan as I lick them clean.

“Wow,” she whispers, her eyes never leaving my mouth. I push my tongue between them, getting every last drop. “That was…”

I smile down at her. “Perfect.”