Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Giza

Gods below , I wasn't certain how much more of this sweet torture I could stand. The scent of Harper's arousal coated the inside of my nostrils and the roof of my mouth, making me half-crazed. My Kteer was howling with need and frustration, and I couldn't do a damn thing .

Could I?

I sat at the table for a long while, willing myself under control. When I heard the shower running, I pushed myself away from the table, finally able to risk exposing what had to be the world's biggest cockstand throbbing insistently against my trousers.

She'd done that to me with her innocent touches and strokes.

Or maybe not-so-innocent?

I only had to inhale to smell the proof of her arousal, and it was one I'd smelled plenty of times in the last few days since she'd agreed to move here with me, agreed to allow me to care for her and our unborn kit.

Was it the pregnancy making her this horny? Or dare I hope…it was me? There was no doubt she'd enjoyed our time together back in July, and I wondered if she dreamed of it as often as I did.

Sighing, I collected the dishes and began to load the dishwasher. I needed a distraction.

Unfortunately, rinsing plates and scrubbing the rice cooker pot wasn't nearly interesting enough, because my mind kept slipping back to what was happening in my bathroom right now. Harper was all naked and wet and soapy. Was she touching herself? Dragging the soap across her skin? Moaning with pleasure?

Growling, I braced my palms and dropped my head, but that position only served to remind me of the way she'd tried to soothe my aching muscles. She'd cared . She'd been caring for me, the way I wanted—no, needed to care for her.

We were well-matched.

We had similar taste in books, crosswords, and dinner menus. Our conversations were never boring, and clearly, we both had the same will to protect our loved ones.

Loved ones?

Did I love Harper O'Donnell?

She was my Mate. She carried my kit. How could I not love her?

Malla the Beginner…I loved her. I loved her already, and she barely knew me. That's what this certainty, this need, clawing at my insides was. I needed her.

And I wanted her to need me.

Thinking about the way the scent of her arousal had spiked here in this kitchen, and many times in the last few days, my Kteer crooned in joy. My Mate did need me !

But would she allow me to ease that need? Allow me to pleasure her?

With another growl, I turned from the sink and stalked across the apartment. I'd never thought of it as a small space until this moment. When I reached the opposite wall, where the unused fireplace sat, filled with a carved stump representing the minotaurs' All-Mother, I paced back.

My strides were long, too long—I felt as if I was practically running from one side of my home to the other, the frustration and need bubbling up in me. My hands were fisted at my sides, my claws digging into my skin, desperate to touch her.

Harper did need me. Did she know she needed me? Did I dare ask?

The shower turned off, and if possible, my heartrate sped even more.

She was in my bedroom now, wet and glistening and glowing. Was she dragging one of my towels over her skin? Could I lick the water droplets from her—

Listen to yourself .

This was a Mating Heat if I'd ever seen one…as bad as Cairo's and Luxor's. Worse. Because I knew Harper was my Mate—the fact she carried my kit proved it—but I couldn't convince her.

Growling again, I turned to stalk back through the living room—and froze when Harper stepped out of the bedroom.

Her hair was tied up and limp from the heat of the shower, a few strands dangling around her face, but not wet. Her skin glistened, and her bare toes dug into the carpet.

And most importantly, she wore only one of my towels. So much of her skin was bared to my gaze, and I damn well gazed. Hungry, desperate .

There was a scent…

Not arousal, but…

My gaze snapped to hers as I realized what it was.

Harper's chin rose mulishly, and she tightened her hold on the towel. "I was horny."

She'd orgasmed. I thought of the fancy shower head I'd installed in the master bathroom, the one with all the settings. I thought about how her hair wasn't wet, as if she hadn't really gone in there to wash.

And my cock throbbed in time with my pulse as my Kteer howled.

"You used the shower," I murmured, swaying toward her, while digging my claws into my palms to keep from reaching for her.

She shifted, but didn't drop her gaze. Instead, her jaw hardened, as if daring me to say she'd been wrong. "I needed to release some tension. Your showerhead is…brutal."

Gods of the ancestors.

"It wasn't enough, was it, dkaar ?" The murmured term of endearment—one I hadn't heard in decades before she'd arrived on my doorstep—slid from my lips unconsciously as I gave up the fight and moved—floated?—toward her. "It's never enough."

She didn't back away, but lifted her chin higher as I approached, until her head was tipped back, and I was standing far too close to resist her.

"No," she admitted quietly. "Since moving in with you, it's not enough."

"You need to come," I growled, lowering my head until I could feel her breath on my chin. "You need to release some of this tension."

Please let me be right .

"It's the hormones." Her tone sounded so blasé, but her eyes seemed to be pleading with me. "That's it, just the pregnancy hormones."

"Right," I murmured, my lips now inches from hers. "The hormones. That's it."

I saw her swallow, saw her hands fall away from the towel. "I figure it's your fault I'm like this."

"All mine." The towel collapsed to the floor, exposing all of her. "Gods, Harper, all mine?"

"I need you."

It was all she had to say. All she ever needed to say.

I lifted one hand to her cheek and dragged my claw along her softness. "Do you need to come, sweet dkaar ?" I crooned. "I can do that for you. I can make you feel so much better."

Then her hands were on my forearms, where her gaze had caressed during the meal. "Yes, please, Giza. Make me feel good."

Yes.

Yes .

With a low growl, I pulled her into my arms, pressing my palms against her warm back and bending my mouth to hers. I wasn't as experienced with the human habit of kissing, but I remembered how eager she was for my kisses, and she proved me right again.

Whimpering softly, Harper pressed herself up on her toes to meet me, her fingers digging into the muscles of my forearms. Her tongue was so small, but she used it well, teasing me and licking my tusks.

An orc's tusks were like his teeth; there was no sensation there. Or at least, there shouldn't be. But when Harper flicked them with her tongue, I swear I could feel it in my cock.

My hands began to explore. I was bent forward, my lips caressing her jaw, her ear, her throat, while my palms mapped her body.

Her new body.

Each touch was discovering Harper all over again.

Her body had changed, and I didn't think I could love it more. Her hips were curvier, her ass fuller. And her breasts…

Gods below, her breasts.

I think we both whimpered when I captured them in my hands, cupping them, hefting them. They'd been perfectly round in July, but now they hung a little lower and a lot heavier, as if her body was already preparing to feed our son. Her nipples were darker than I remembered as well, making me physically ache to taste them.

Not yet.

I dragged my hands down her sides, despite her disappointed little mew that made my lips curl against the skin of her neck.

"Giza," she complained, putting her arms around my neck. "You're torturing me."

"Fair's fair," I murmured, knowing full well I was still fully dressed while she was stark naked, standing in the middle of my living room.

It wasn't where I would've chosen to bring her pleasure, but here and now, I couldn't imagine a better place.

I worshipped her. I worshipped her with my touch and my words, whispering praise against her damp skin until she was whimpering and mewling, hanging from my neck and thrusting her hips forward rhythmically, seeking release.

I didn't care that she was getting my clothing all wet. Hells, I was moments away from soiling my own trousers!

"So perfect. Gods below, Harper, you're so damn beautiful. "

"Fat," she gasped, as if she couldn't form sentences. "I'm… oooh, Giza, yes."

But I froze, my hand squeezing her breast once more, and straightened to stare into her eyes. "You are perfect , Harper. Just the way you are." I tightened my hold, and she moaned. I doubted she was even aware of what she'd said. "So fucking perfect."

I bent, taking the nipple in my mouth, and she gasped and jerked against me. She had to bend backward, so I supported all her weight as she tried to press her hips against me. Her fingers curled into my hair, and I could feel my topknot loosening under her frantic tugs.

I allowed her nipple to pop free. "Say it, Harper," I commanded, kissing my way across her chest to her other breast. "Say you're beautiful. Perfect."

"Beautiful!" she gasped.

"You are." I slid my wide tongue across her nipple, loving the way it strained toward me. "Just the best little human in the world, because you're mine, aren't you?"

I don't think she really heard the words, but I felt her nodding frantically. "Yours, Giza, please . Please make me come. So…so ready," she panted.

And I knew she was.

I pulled her upright and slid my hand down her curved stomach to cup her mound.

She was soaked .

I didn't think it was from her earlier fun in the shower.

"You did this?" I stroked her curls, her upper thighs. "You're wet for me, aren't you, dkaar ?"

" Yes ," she moaned, thrusting her hips toward my touch. "Please!"

"What did you do in the shower, Harper?"

She blinked at my stern tone. "I…what? "

My hand froze, the heel of my palm over her mound, my fingers resting over her curls.

"What did you do in the shower, Harper?" I repeated. "Did you use the blast setting? Did you hold the waterjet up to this sweet little pussy, let it pound you?"

"Yes," she whimpered, staring up at me with lust-glazed hazel eyes.

"But that's not what you needed, was it? This sweet little clit didn't need to be pounded." I gyrated my palm against her clitoris. "It needs to be stroked, doesn't it?"

"Please." The word came out as almost a sob, as she pressed herself closer. "Giza."

I leaned my mouth closer to her ear. "You didn't want that shower jet, Harper, did you? You wanted me ."

I didn't give her a chance to answer, but pressed my fingers upward, into her wetness.

As soon as I touched those soft wet lips, I felt her begin to tremble. I swept my fingertip upward, to tease her clitoris, the way I remembered she liked.

She was already climaxing.

I slid one finger into her while my thumb rubbed her little pearl, and I could feel her inner muscles spasming around me. With a moan, she closed her eyes and allowed her forehead to drop against my chest as she came.

And I stood there in my living room, half-bent to be able to reach her pussy while standing up, and marveled at how fucking perfect this felt.

Yes, I was fully clothed and uncomfortable as all the hells. Yes, I wanted to sink into her welcoming flesh with my cock, not just my fingers.

But my Mate was in my arms once more, and I was pleasuring her.

My Kteer was fiercely proud, and yet…

"No," I murmured, nuzzling her hair, reveling in the feel of her pulsing around my fingers. "No, my pretty little human, that's not good enough."

Dazed, Harper lifted her head. "Wha…?"

I had to chuckle as I slid my hand from her and brushed a kiss on her forehead. "Not good enough. I need to make you scream."

"Scream," she repeated vaguely.

But when I bent to lift her, one arm behind her knees, she squealed and threw her arms around my shoulders as I carried her to the bedroom. "Giza, what are you—"

"Taking you to bed." Mate . "That was just an appetizer, dkaar . I want you to scream my name."

When we reached the bed, I couldn't make myself place her down. Especially since her hands had moved to my waist, and the hem of my shirt. I stared down at her, willing my arms to corporate.

"What are you doing?" I murmured.

"Undressing you." I liked the fact she wasn't looking at me. In fact, she was biting her lower lip as if concentrating on her task. "Not fair you're not naked."

Gods below, I did love this female.

"Proposition," I announced sternly, and her gaze snapped up to mine. I frowned down at her. "I will remove my own shirt, and you get on all fours on that bed and let me lick you until you come."

After what we'd just shared, it shouldn't be possible for me to smell the sharp, sweet scent of her arousal, but it spiked again, and the pulse at the base of her throat jumped again.

"Again?" she breathed.

"I told you once wasn't good enough." I kept my tone harsh, commanding. "The shower doesn't count."

She swallowed; her eyes wide. "Counter proposal: You remove all your clothing, and I get to watch. "

My brows lowered. "Counter counter proposal: I will remove my clothing, and you will lie there on the bed with your legs spread like a good little girl, and you'll touch yourself."

"Touch myself?" she breathed.

I lifted her slightly, so our noses were only inches apart. "Stroke your lonely little pussy and imagine it's me ."

Her lips parted, and I felt her breath against my lips when she murmured, "Accepted."

And true to her word, Harper propped some pillows behind her back so she could stretch out, legs spread, and watch as I undressed.

I'll admit I took a little longer than necessary, enjoying the show she was putting on. One hand on her breast, squeezing, kneading, tugging at that poor, abused nipple…the other hand cupped around her mound, her first three fingers sliding in and out of her wetness.

The sounds she made were obscene.

Perfection .

"That's my girl," I murmured, eyes glued on the apex of her thighs. "Gods, you look so fucking perfect, touching yourself like that. So delicious."

She raised a slim, pale eyebrow as if in challenge, and I kicked off my boxers and stepped closer to the bed.

I loved the way her gaze raked my body. I never thought of myself as particularly handsome or well-built, but the admiration in her eyes was impossible to miss. I thought of the way she'd touched my tattoos earlier, the reverent way she'd spoken of them.

Was that what she was looking at now? Or the man beneath them?

Unconsciously, I reached down and wrapped my hand around my cock. It felt so good, so right , to stroke myself while she watched. Harper's gaze dropped, and I saw her lick her lips.

"You're going to come again, aren't you, dkaar ?" I pulled my cock slowly, feeling the precum already seeping from the end. Like all orcs, my cock—and my tongue—was ridged, and I knew how good she thought they felt. "You're going to be a good girl and come for me?"

"Yes," she whispered, heavy-lidded eyes on my cock. "I'll be a good girl for you."

I hummed and moved to the edge of the bed. When I leaned forward, she moaned in what I thought might be disappointment.

Oh no, my little Mate. I'm not giving you my cock yet.

Instead, I settled between her thighs. She was still frantically fucking herself with her fingers, but I caught her hand and pulled it from her wetness. Holding her gaze, over the bump of my kit in her stomach, I lifted them to my mouth.

Gods below, her taste was even better than I imagined.

Was it different somehow?

Because she was pregnant?

Or because she was my Mate?

All I knew was that I wanted to suck her essence from her fingers for as long as she'd let me.

But something better awaited.

I placed her hand on her thigh, and I lowered my mouth to her delicious little pussy.

I could feel her muscles quivering, as if her last orgasm hadn't really ended, or this one was ready to begin. Yes . My tongue slid up her wet cleft, each ridge caressing her, causing her to moan and squirm. My fingers rolled her clitoris the way I'd done with her nipples, and I felt her hands move to my head, using my topknot to hold me against her .

Yes, Mate, like that .

Harper needed this. She needed me . She needed to give up control sometimes, at least in the bedroom. And I would be here to catch her when she did.

"So beautiful," I murmured into her pussy. "So perfect."

I didn't care if she couldn't understand. I needed to say the words.

My callused thumb rubbed her nub, urging her closer and closer to another climax, as my tongue laved her, and she squirmed and sighed and gyrated beneath me. Harper used her hold on my hair to push me closer, and I loved the way she ground her pussy against my mouth.

She wanted this.

She wanted me .

And that was why my cock was throbbing against the handmade quilt beneath me. I was moving my hips back and forth, as if humping the bed, desperate for release. Not now . I didn't want to defile myself—or the quilt—in my eagerness.

But the way she gasped my name, the way she squirmed beneath me—

"Giza!" she suddenly yelled, pressing my face closer…and I felt her inner muscles begin to tighten.

Almost, Mate . I slid my tongue into her channel, sweeping upward to try to reach the little spot behind her clitoris that I knew she liked so much. Whimpering, Harper shifted her ass so I could more easily flick the tip of my tongue against that rough patch…and she exploded.

"Giza! "

She did scream when she came.

I might have been smugly proud of that if I wasn't fighting to keep my own orgasm in check.

My hips were still making miniscule thrusts against the mattress as her pussy spasmed around my tongue and lips. I pressed closer, not caring if I couldn't breathe, only knowing this was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted.

Knowing I wanted to taste it for the rest of my life.

Mine.

But she wasn't yet, was she?

At long last, Harper loosened her hold on me, allowing me to withdraw and place a kiss on her inner thigh. She slumped against the pillows, breathing heavily.

"Giza." The way she said my name, halfway between a gasp and a sob, had me lifting my head. "I want…"

She sounded…in pain.

I pushed myself up. "What is it, dkaar ?"

"I want…" she panted; her gaze locked on me.

I crawled up the bed to her, my cock swinging thick and heavy between my thighs. "What is it, Harper?" I gathered her in my arms. "Tell me what it is you want, my sweet little human."

"More," she whispered, eyes pleading with me.

My own brows rose. "More?" She wasn't sated? She was weak, boneless—I could tell from the way she rested in my arms.

But still she watched me expectantly. "More."

What was that about Harper giving up control in the bedroom? My lips twitched.

"Tell me what you need, dkaar . I'm here to serve you."

Anything .

She pushed against me, and it took a moment to realize she was trying to roll me onto my back.

"I want your cock."

And fuck yes, my cock liked the sound of that! My Kteer was screaming in agreement, my cock throbbed almost painfully, so ready to spill that as soon as she touched me, I'd be done .

But still I hesitated. "I don't think…" That isn't a good idea, dkaar.

She was still pushing me over. "It's not like you can get me pregnant, Giza," she quipped. "I want your cock in me."

And my cock most definitely wanted to be in her.

But…as much as I wanted to claim her as mine , as my Mate, I couldn't. Not until she fully understood what that would mean. "Harper…"

When I spilled in her again, it would be because she knew she was mine. And I was hers.

But she had already swung one leg over my thighs and was straddling me. She planted her hands on my chest and glared down at me, those little damp tendrils easing her sternness. "Be honest with me and with yourself, Giza. If you don't want this, just tell me."

And as she said that; she took her weight on her knees and slid forward. Her slick pussy blanketed my cock, squeezing it between her wet core and my stomach. When she reached the tip, she slid back down it again, holding my gaze.

I was lost.

I was so fucking lost.

"Feels good," I gasped.

"I know."

I reached up and palmed her breasts, loving the way her lips parted, and she leaned into my touch.

"Yes," she whispered.

It was easy enough to roll her nipple between my thumb and forefinger. "You want my cock, sweet human? You're going to be a good girl and come again?"

Harper's head tipped back with a groan as she slid along my cock. "Yes, please."

That did it.

" Fuck ," I groaned as my cock erupted .

I wasn't in her, but my cock was pressed along her pussy, and when I came, and I shot my first load, the spicy-scented seed almost hit my beard. The second and third spurts were more controlled, but I gasped each time, and she rocked back and forth along my cock, as if milking me.

It was…mind-numbing.

I hadn't come that hard since July, when this perfect female had climbed into my bed and ridden me.

And yet…

When I opened my eyes, Harper was smirking down at me, her hips still rocking atop my cock, as if she could squeeze more from me.

What more did she want? She already had all of me.

Holding my gaze, she shifted so she could lift one hand. She trailed her fingertips in the line of cum spread up my chest, collecting some of the pale green seed. She lifted it to her mouth, and when she closed her lips around her fingers, we both groaned.

I watched her swallow, then pull her fingertips from her mouth with an audible pop . "Cinnamon," she murmured, reaching for my chest again. "So good."

Gods below, did she have any idea how arousing it was to watch her eat my cum?

"Harper," I gasped, surrendering to this human's control over me. " Yes ."

She leaned forward, pulling her pussy from my cock in order to lick my chest, to swallow more of my cum. I wanted to push into her, but instead, I reached up and wrapped my fingers through her hair, as if I could hold her in place.

She reached between us, grabbed my cock, and slid backward until the tip was probing her entrance.

"One more?" she whispered, meeting my eyes. "Please?"

Orc males were big . Not just our bodies, but our cocks. Big and thick and ridged, and they came with a quirk of nature that triggered an immediate orgasm when our females were fully seated. I'd been taught this was for our female's pleasure, but also to ensure she was lubricated for the actual fucking.

And Harper knew this very, very well.

My rasp was harsh when I closed my hands around her hips. "You want this, dkaar ? You want my thick cock rammed into you?"

"My pussy." She inched backward, spreading her lips around the tip of my cock. "I can take it. I need it."

"You'll take my cock like a good girl? A fucking perfect girl?" My fingers dug into her hips.

"I'll be the best girl," she gasped, her expression pleading as she inched backward. "Please, Giza."

How could I resist?

I pushed forward, impaling her on my cock.

And as soon as she was fully seated, I felt her climax burst over her. Each inch of my cock could feel her squeezing around me, as her eyes opened wide.

"Giza," she wailed, rocking atop me.

"That's it, dkaar ," I crooned, mesmerized by the sight of her riding my cock. "Use me. Use my cock, my body. You take everything you need. I'm here."

And I would be. For however long I could be.