Episode Twenty-Seven The Nicest Rejection

L ylah

It should have been awkward, rubbing myself to completion against his naked body. Even through my clothing, his chest was heaven against my aching nipples. The heat of his body was the spark that ignited my pleasure as he held me tight while I rubbed my core against his rock-hard abs. But it wasn't awkward. He was so accepting, non-judgmental. It was as if lifting a female against his chest and helping her writhe against him was the most normal thing in the world.

Before today, I didn't know sex could create pleasure for the female. Now I've experienced it with two males.

After, he simply held me for long moments, gave me one last kiss, and knelt on his front knees so I could swing my leg over his back and mount him.

As soon as he shot two more rabbits for our dinner and we didn't need to be stealthy anymore, he taught me some old centaur tunes and we sang them all the way home. While we rode and sang, it seemed natural for me to plait his long hair into one braid down his back.

"You like it like that?" he turns to ask, a smile on his handsome face.

"Yes." I almost add "sexy," but I press my lips together. "I can take it out if you want."

When my fingers fly to the bottom where I've used a few strands of his hair to tie around the braid, he reaches back to grip my hands.

"Don't. I like that you fussed with my hair."

That's right. It's what he did to Eldar with so much affection right before we left the cabin.

"They'll know," he says, his voice a low rumble. "They'll see it on our faces, smell it in our pores. We all knew it would happen. Don't fret."

I smooth my hands down his long braid partially to tuck stray strands into the braid, partly to have an excuse to touch the hills and valleys of the muscles in his strong back.

Eldar and Hazlan are sitting on the stumps outside the cabin when we arrive. The tight expressions on their faces grow tighter when they take us in.

Instead of hiding what we've done, Zoron makes it doubly clear by letting his hands linger as he helps me off his back. In case that wasn't obvious enough, he says, "Look what Beauty did to my hair."

That was quite a statement.

"I see your trip was successful," Hazlan says, his gaze nowhere near the brace of rabbits hanging on a rope from the centaur's waist.

His nostrils are flared. He's taking in our scents, just as Zoron said he would.

"Is tonight the night you take your third mate?" he asks me, his voice level.

My sweet, sweet proudborn is using all his strength to act as if that was a normal thing to say. The pain in his golden eyes is palpable.

It's this, the very depths of his pain, that spurs me to say "yes."

It will be best for the four of us if we get this over with.

"Yes. I'm ready whenever the three of you are."

Eldar was already standing next to Zoron, his hand possessively on his mate's back. If elves were capable of shooting fireballs from their eyes, I would be ablaze right now.

The centaur doesn't see his mate's face, but must certainly feel his rage, because he says, "Beauty and I shared a kiss in the forest. It was surprising and passionate, but I'm not ready to mate tonight."

How did he learn this? How to say the right thing at the right time? Always honest, yet never harsh, he somehow manages to placate Eldar's feelings without crushing mine.

"You know what?" I say brightly. "When the four of us come together, when we're all mated, we're going to be spectacular together. In the meantime, we're going to become the best of friends."