Chapter 14

Venus

Ihadn't planned on getting frisky with Atlas any time soon. But as we spoke, something went off inside me, and I finally gave in to my urge to kiss those luscious lips of his. What I hadn't expected was for it to awaken the all-consuming desire now burning within me.

I didn't have enough hands to explore the perfection of his body. The clash of the hardness of his scales with the soft way they bent beneath my touch, and the gentle way they scraped my palms was the biggest turn on. Above all, Atlas's responses to my caresses were driving me insane with lust.

As soon as he picked me up, moisture pooled between my thighs, and my inner walls contracted with anticipation. Feeling his shaft hardening under his leather loincloth had me aching even more. Fuck, it felt massive!

A small voice at the back of my head was screaming that this was too fast, too soon. I'd never been the type to bang on a first date. Granted, he wasn't some random fling I picked up in a bar, but that also meant we should take extra caution handling this right as this would be the beginning of the rest of our lives.

It was also clear that Atlas was a virgin. He'd more or less stated as much when describing the restrictions people like him faced. I would lie by saying that the knowledge I'd be his first—and only—turned me on even more. Where his kisses and caresses felt a little clumsy, he more than made up for it with his passion. I didn't doubt once he fully unleashed it on me, my man would wreck me in the most wondrous ways, with or without experience.

Still, I would take great delight in teaching him everything I knew and exploring our sensuality together.

For now, I refused to set any boundaries and would let things follow their course to their natural conclusion.

My stomach fluttered when he pushed open the door to his room. He carried me straight to the imposing bed and carefully lay me down on it. It surprised me. Considering his lack of experience, and the fact he was showing signs of going into heat, I never expected him to display such self-control and restraint. In truth, I thought he'd toss me on the bed, yank off his tarp, rip my dress to shreds with his sharp claws, then fuck me senseless without proper foreplay or preparation.

He half lay on top of me, holding himself propped up on his palms framing me. The strained look on his face as he stared at me confirmed he was fighting to rein himself in. In that instant, I realized he was giving me a chance to back out and tell him to get off me. Even now, when many males would only pursue their own satisfaction, he was putting my welfare, needs, and safety first.

A powerful emotion swept through me. Yes, it was only a matter of time before I fell in love with that wonderful male.

I smiled, wrapped my arms around his neck and drew him to me. A deep growl vibrated through his chest as he crushed my mouth with a possessive kiss. Just like I previously did to him, Atlas then proceeded to brush his lips over my face, along my jawline, then down my neck. His hands glided over me, their touch both daring and tentative. I didn't want him to be hesitant or worried he might do this wrong.

The same way he strived to make me feel safe with him, I needed him to know he was also safe to freely explore his awakening sensuality with me. My body was his, and his was mine.

When his lips reached the curve of my right breast, he lifted his head as if waiting for my permission to proceed. To my surprise, instead of giving him the encouraging smile I initially intended, I found myself pushing on his shoulders. Stunned, he rolled to the side with a worried expression. But I followed the movement, continuing to push him onto his back before straddling him.

His worry turned to wonder when I grabbed the hem of the skirt of my dress and pulled it over my head. I tossed the garment onto the floor, and swiftly got rid of my bra. Leaning forward, I took his hands and placed them on my breasts. The lascivious look that descended over his features had me soaking wet in seconds. As he began to fondle my breasts, I kept my hands on the back of his.

Beneath my thighs, a hard length pressed against my core, making me ache for more. To my utter annoyance, the thick leather of his loincloth dampened the sensation. My palms glided down the sides of his muscular arms to his chest. As his fingers continued to tease and squeeze my nipples, I reciprocated, gently pinching and twisting his. He took a hissy breath, not due to pain but pleasure. The way his cock jerked against the apex of my thighs only had me throbbing more.

I bent down to claim his lips. Atlas immediately let go of my breasts to hold me close. A deep moan rose from me as the searing heat of his naked body wrapped around me. My man had held me a couple of times now when we flew to Keryth Valley. But this was the first time I got full skin-to-skin contact with him. Judging by the growling sound that rumbled through his chest, he also approved.

The heat emanating from him qualified as feverish levels. From what information I gathered in the data Kyrene forwarded me, it was a normal reaction for a Promethean male entering his mating frenzy. Too little research had been devoted to that aspect as Achros and Monos weren't supposed to indulge in their urges—a failure I intended to rectify. But right now, I wanted Atlas to do all the indulging in the world.

His calloused hands caressed my back, the right one sliding down to my rear end before giving my cheek a good squeeze. Poking my tongue out, I teased the seam of his mouth. To my delight, he parted his lips, welcoming the invasion. Considering his lack of experience, I had wondered if he was familiar with this way of kissing.

The silkiness of his tongue took me by surprise as it swirled around mine. For some reason, I thought it would have a rougher texture, almost like that of a cat. His sweet and tangy taste vaguely reminded me of honeyed lemon.

Once more deviating from my expectation, Atlas wasn't clumsy as we further deepened the kiss. He naturally adapted to me, first following my lead before gradually taking over, asserting himself.

That further turned me on.

I wasn't submissive, but not dominant either. In the bedroom, I enjoyed swapping roles based on our whim of the moment, and for my partner to be able to take charge and be open about his desires. This first glimpse of his underlying assertiveness pleased me tremendously.

As our tongues made each other's acquaintances, Atlas's hands were all over me, all restraint discarded. A delicious shiver coursed through me when his right hand snuck under the waist of my panties, around the curve of my bum, and started fingering my slit. His chest vibrated again with approval, undoubtedly at finding me wet for him.

From what I saw in the documents provided by Kyrene, their females also shared quite a few similarities with us. Their slit generally resembled ours in size and placement, but they didn't have a clitoris or inner lips, and no pubic hair. I wanted to believe they had a nice big G-spot inside to compensate. But the single illustration I found didn't go that far. So it surprised me when Atlas didn't stop at teasing my vulva but continued until he reached my engorged little nub to give it some more than welcomed attention.

I moaned against his lips and my body shuddered under the spark of pleasure that radiated through me. I ground on his hand for a little bit while devouring his mouth before breaking the kiss. As good as this felt, I needed to sate my curiosity about his body. When I started to kiss a path down his chest, Atlas initially attempted to resist, his hands gripping my upper arms to prevent me from moving down.

I lifted my head to stare at him sternly.

"Stay!" I hissed in a tone that brooked no argument.

He stiffened. The intense look on his face screamed loudly that he was seriously considering challenging me. His muscles swelled, and the predatory look in his eyes had my inner walls contracting and my breasts suddenly feeling heavy and achy. The dominant alpha lurking behind the sweet and sometimes timid virgin was rearing his head, and it was sexy as fuck.

After a few seconds that felt like a century, Atlas yielded, releasing his grip, but the rebellious glimmer lingered in his obsidian eyes. I couldn't decide if I was more turned on by this defiant concession or disappointed that he hadn't used his superior strength to flip me onto my back and show me who's boss.

Either way, I planned on making him extremely grateful he'd given in to my wishes.

I kissed a path down his chest, stopping for a second to rub my face all over his fur. I would never tire of its softness against my skin. In fact, I already anticipated the wondrous night I'd sleep in his arms with my head resting on that furry pillow. Resuming my journey south, I lingered briefly at his nipples, licking, sucking, and nipping at them. Beneath my hands caressing his waist and chiseled stomach, his abdominal muscles contracted spasmodically.

The sound of his breath becoming labored as I kissed and nipped the skin around his navel sent a thrill down my spine. The fingers of his right hand sank through my curls when I detached the clasps holding his leather loincloth secure around his waist.

As soon as I tried to lower it, Atlas fisted his hand in my hair, giving it a good sting, but not in a painful way. I glanced up at him. The tension—almost fear—on his face threw me for a loop. For half a beat, I dreaded that his cultural indoctrination was taking over, pushing him to deny himself what his people deemed sacrilegious for someone like him. Then the sudden realization that he probably worried his anatomical differences might turn me off hit me.

"You're mine, Atlas. My husband. We were made for each other. I would see what's mine…"

He swallowed hard, his face revealing the inner battle raging within him. Although his tension didn't fade away, Atlas once more yielded to my wishes. He didn't release my hair but loosened his grip enough to make his meaning clear. I gave him a reassuring smile before tugging on the waist of his loincloth again. To my delight, despite his apprehensions, he lifted his behind to ease my task of ridding him of the garment.

Moments later, I feasted my eyes on his glorious nudity.

Although close enough to the real thing, the black and white illustration of a Promethean male's anatomy I had seen didn't do it justice. Generally shaped like a human cock, the entire length was covered in tight spiraling ridges that coiled from the base all the way to the tip. The head generally had the same shape as a man's glans, but a dozen little bumps covered it. Had I not seen the illustration showing it as being their default, I would have assumed they were subdermal implants. It had the same greige color as the rest of his skin.

My mouth watered, and my inner walls constricted in anticipation as my fertile imagination began to fantasize about how it would feel inside me.

And Atlas was massive…

But the two appendages on each side of his pelvic bone claimed my attention. They were telescopic claspers with the thickness of a pinky finger. In their currently collapsed length, they measured about eight centimeters. Once fully extended, I suspected they would reach nearly double that length.

Perfect to hook around my thighs and keep me in place while he has his way with me.

That, too, had my inner walls perking up, and my stomach fluttering. All of this should have freaked me out, but I couldn't feel more aroused.

I glanced back at Atlas. He was still tense, but his wariness dimmed, replaced by curiosity as he studied my reaction. The subtle movement of his antennae hinted he was tasting the air to help him assess my physiological response to his nudity.

"You're perfect," I whispered, my eyes locked with his. "Absolutely perfect… and mine."

This time, all tension bled out of him while a powerful emotion settled on his alien features.

"My mate…" he whispered, his voice filled with the same adoration burning in his eyes.

I smiled and boldly covered the base of his cock with my palm before gliding it upward until it closed around the head. Atlas's breath hitched. He closed his eyes, swallowed hard, then slowly reopened them. My man looked almost in pain as he stared at me with hooded eyes and clenched teeth.

It was my turn to study his reactions as I slowly began to stroke him, twisting my wrist as I did so to enhance the sensation and giving the head a good squeeze before moving back down. In no time, he was breathing loudly, his hands fisting the bedsheet with such force I expected it to tear any minute. The head of his cock turned out to be quite sensitive. After squeezing it, I would flick my thumb over the little bumps. It clearly sent a jolt of pleasure through him. They weren't anywhere near as hard as they appeared to be visually—just hard enough to give a nice sensation, but pliable enough to easily glide in.

Unable to resist any longer, I leaned forward and gave his head a lick. Once again, he tasted like honeyed lemon, but this time with a hint of salt. Atlas emitted a strangled sound and jerked up in a half sitting position. Leaning on his forearm, he stared at me with an intensity that would have been intimidating if I wasn't so turned on. His breath grew even louder and came out in short bursts. After a couple more licks, I took him inside my mouth.

Atlas cried out. His hips jerked up in an involuntary movement, sending his cock deeper into my mouth. I yanked my head back just as the tip was hitting the back of my throat. Although my eyes slightly watered, I thankfully didn't go into a coughing fit, and dove right back in.

Loud, growly moans tumbled freely out of Atlas as I began to bob over him. His hand in my hair once more tightened its grip. Surprisingly, even as he was losing his battle to maintain control, he never fully lost it either. He didn't hurt me and didn't start thrusting upward, which could have spelled trouble for me. I didn't know how much of this was thanks to his Black Guard training and discipline. Whatever the cause, I was grateful for it.

As he was nearing the edge, I almost yelped in fear when his claspers jerked then suddenly hooked behind my shoulders. It didn't poke into my flesh and didn't hurt. However, the strength with which they kept me in place was quite impressive. That temporary scare slightly threw me off my game, but I got right back to it, determined to see him falling apart for me. His legs shaking, his stomach contracting, and his moans filling the room heralded his imminent climax.

Despite bracing for it, his orgasm still took me by surprise. Atlas's body seized, and a feral roar tore out of him. His skin had already been quite hot since he'd gone into heat. But seconds before his seed shot out, the base of his cock grew even hotter. Then the taste of honeyed lemons exploded on my taste buds. I nearly choked on the first powerful spurt, but quickly swallowed it, refusing to be defeated. My tongue, palate, and throat immediately tingled with a spicy sting as if a touch of ginger had been added to the mix.

But my focus remained on my man.

I glanced up at his beautiful face, even as I continued to bob over him. My hand moved in counterpoint to my mouth, stroking and squeezing him until he was fully spent.

Good God! He was magnificent!

Lips parted, eyes half-shut, his head slightly tilted back with an air of pure bliss, he was shaking while riding the waves of ecstasy. I felt incredibly powerful that I gave him so much pleasure.

I pursued my ministrations until his claspers finally released my shoulders, the telescopic part retracting into the lower half of the stem. After one last lick, I kissed a path back up his stomach and chest before lying on top of him. He immediately wrapped his arms around me in a possessive fashion, as if he feared I might vanish.

The tenderness, wonder, and something else I couldn't define in his eyes messed me up.

"My mate," he whispered, looking at me as if he didn't quite believe I was real.

Before I could answer, he crushed my lips in a searing kiss. I responded in kind. When our lips parted, I made to bury my face in his neck, ready to snuggle with my man. To my shock, the room spun, and I found myself on my back, with Atlas on top of me. He kissed me again, deeply, passionately.

His hands on me quickly made his intentions clear. As soon as he broke the kiss, I attempted to make a token protest. But the hardness in his eyes silenced me.

"Stay!" he ground through his teeth. "You're mine, Venus."

Hearing him echo my words in this slightly menacing fashion had my toes instantly curling. Eyes wide, I clamped my mouth shut while moisture all but gushed between my thighs. His antennae flicked again. And the subtle smirk that stretched his plush lips confirmed they told him how he was affecting me.

It should annoy me, but it was so fucking hot!

For the next eternity, he worshiped every inch of my body with his mouth and hands while ridding me of my panties. Like I had done with him, he tested my responses to his touch, lingering in all the places that triggered the strongest ones to confirm his suspicions, and coming back to them to make me moan for him.

When he settled between my thighs, I thought I would lose my mind. Atlas didn't play around, and immediately zeroed in on my clit. The burning heat of his mouth closed around it, and he began to suck on it with the avidity of a starving man. He sank two fingers inside me, moving them in and out at a frantic pace. In no time, he had me gyrating and chanting his name as pleasure swiftly built inside me.

I doubted Atlas knew about a woman's G-spot. However, thanks to his continued attentiveness to my reactions, it didn't take him long to realize at what angle he needed to thrust his fingers to trigger a strong response from me.

And then he went wild on it.

My climax didn't come as the slow rise of the tide but built with the strength and speed of a tidal wave, crashing into me with a violence that left me in ruins. My body jerked as I cried out in bliss. Atlas's left hand on my thighs tightened its grip, keeping me in place while he continued to feast on me. The prickling sensation of his claws only added to the whirlwind of sensations sweeping through me.

After a while, I vaguely felt him relent. But my clit continued to throb and pulsate, while my blood rushed in my ears in a roaring sound over the thundering of my heart. The searing heat of Atlas's body wrapping around me made me realize he was gathering me in his arms. Still dazed, I slipped my arms around him and pressed my body against his. I rested my head on the soft fur of his chest. Another shiver coursed through me when the soft, almost leathery texture of his wings settled over me like a blanket.

"My Venus, my mate… I will fight for you. I will fight to keep you forever. You are mine, and I am yours."

I smiled.