Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

BILLIE

I t was only after Steve roughly took me up against the wall that I got to take a look around our new home. I cleaned up in our washroom and noticed a new colorful mat in front of the sink. When I exited, I actually looked around the living space. It was only one room, but it was spacious. A giant four-poster bed was in one corner, piled with soft blankets and pillows. It was so large I was a bit stunned, but then I remembered—orc mate. Very large orc mate.

The kitchen area had a round table with four chairs and a new sofa and coffee table in front of the fireplace. Everything I could think of was here. And what stunned me even more was that it was all to my taste. This must have been Piper and Joey. I was still taking it all in when Steve arrived at the top of the stairs. I had been wondering where he went while I was cleaning up.

He handed me my tunic, smiling. "I figured you would want to put this on before the rest of the team showed up."

"Thank you." I pulled it over my head, careful of the giant bun I'd tied my hair up in.

"Are you ready?" Steve asked, noticing all the emotions I was feeling: nervousness, excitement, overwhelm, and giddy.

"I guess we're about to find out." I grabbed his hands and kissed each of his knuckles. "Thank you. Thank you for all of this. For the bar. For waiting. For understanding why I needed time." Tears started again. "Thank you so much."

"Anything for you. And everything." Steve pulled me into a hug. "This is just the beginning of surprises."

"What else could you possibly have planned?" I gasped.

"You'll find out soon enough." He smirked at me with his brows raised.

"Gah, how am I supposed to focus on our big day when I know you have more surprises in store?" I scrunched up my face in a mock pout.

"I am sure you'll manage," was all he said as he headed downstairs.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Joey, Reykr, Piper, and even Agnarr showed up before anyone else. The rest of the building crew arrived about an hour later, including Tyr and Berit. By midday, everything was prepped and ready for the entire tribe to celebrate the equinox at the refurbished bar. I stood behind the bar top, chewing my lip, waiting for everyone to arrive. Reykr, Steve, Joey, and I were going to bartend. Piper was in the back with a kitchen crew that had shown up—a gift from Runa.

I guess Agnarr was being jarl by standing ready at the doors. "Are you ready?"

I looked at my team, all smiles. "Yep, we're ready!"

Agnarr flung open the double doors and walked out into the lawn. "Come one, come all to celebrate the equinox!" he yelled in a booming voice.

I had expected orkin and humans to trickle in, but it was as if they had been waiting. The bar was packed to the gills instantly. I went into autopilot. Mead, cocktail, cocktail, more mead. I was soon sticky with drink and grinning like an idiot. All of the girls hugged me and tried to buy me a drink. I refused, knowing I'd be working until the last patron left, but I cheered them on as they all took a shot of orkin liquor that tasted kind of like the gross cinnamon whiskey all the kids drank back home.

The mood in the bar was electric, with orkin and humans alike buying each other drinks and celebrating. It was almost midnight, and the mood had reached a fever pitch where everyone was drunk but not too drunk. I was pouring Agnarr another mead when Steve snuck up behind me and grabbed me around the waist. I shrieked.

"It's time to go," he whispered in my ear.

"Go? Go where?" I turned around to look at him brows raised in disbelief.

"My next surprise." He grinned at me mischievously.

"We can't leave the bar on opening night!" I insisted, practically stamping my foot.

Steve looked down the bar at Reykr and caught his eye. Reykr nodded and before I knew what was happening, Steve lifted me off the ground and carried me over his shoulder like a rag doll. He walked out from behind the bar top through the crowd, which was now all cheering madly. Clearly, they knew something I didn't.

"Thank you for tonight," Steve boomed. "We will be back in three days. Joey and Reykr will hold down the fort while we are gone. Try not to burn the place down." Steve saluted Rekyr, then turned to open the double doors and walked us out into the night.

Steve walked in silence for a moment, ignoring all of the questions I peppered him with. Where are we going? Who is going to take care of the bar? All fell on deaf ears.

When he finally put me down, I was surprised to find myself on the saddle of a hestr.

"Where could we possibly be going in the middle of the night?" I demanded.

Steve pulled my cloak from a saddle bag and wrapped it around me, buttoning it under my chin, before swinging himself up behind me. "Um, I believe I asked a question," I said. Actually, I asked several."

Steve finally broke his silence. "Agnarr explained the ceremonial pools to me. And the mating frenzy. He assured me the bar would operate smoothly while we were gone, with Reykr and Joey at the head."

I opened my mouth to fight him and realized I had no fight in me. Three days alone with Steve? Three days to explore each other, commit to each other, and solidify our relationship? It was probably the most thoughtful thing a partner had ever done for me—outside of building me a bar.

"Okay." I leaned into his warm body.

"Okay?" His voice came from behind me, tinged with surprise.

"I trust you. It seems like you thought of everything, let's go to the pools."

Now, over the shock of it all, I was delighted. It felt like the orkin version of a honeymoon. I never expected a honeymoon. Steve was going to kill me with his thoughtfulness.

We quickly left the village and followed the well-worn path amongst the giant furutré, lined with glowing mushrooms. Everything was beautiful and magical in the low light. This quiet journey on my honeymoon was more than I ever expected. I had a mate. A husband? That was a bridge to cross. Piper had a wedding, but that was more of a show of unity for the tribe. I wasn't sure if it was something I needed.

We traveled in silence, with me leaning my weight against Steve, wrapped in his scent and warmth. Not wanting to be caught in the forest at night, I tried tamping down my desire for him and focused on the journey. I shifted my weight so I wasn't pressing so heavily against Steve's cock, telling myself I would get plenty of it later. However, as the night wore on, I could feel Steve's impatience—and his cock—growing.

"How far are we?" I asked, rubbing my ass up and down the length of his cock.

"If we gallop? Less than an hour," he said, grinding against me.

"She's been going at a steady pace. I think she could gallop for a bit. We could reward her with some apples after," I said.

Steve didn't need any convincing. He pressed his knees into the hestr, urging her forward. She moved from a steady trot to a gallop, seemingly unbothered. Steve kissed up and down my neck, messaging my breasts, his cock fully hard against my ass. Our hestr hurdled toward it as if knowing we needed to meet our destination. She came to an abrupt halt outside the caves, and Steve was thoughtful enough to lay down an enormous amount of grain for her before scooping me up.

"Billie, I can't wait any longer," he whispered in my ear. "My cock is going to erupt at the mere thought of you."

I dragged him into the caves, pleased to find there were beds and a hot spring. There were springs of various depths and sizes in the center of the caverns. The walls were lined with rooms carved out for a bed, a washroom, and one that looked like just supplies. I only had one thing on my mind: making Steve come.

We headed to the bedroom, and I disrobed immediately, Steve following suit. His dark green cock was more swollen than I had ever seen it and was leaking copiously at the tip.

"On the bed," I breathed.

He clambered up wordlessly, spreading himself out before me. I'd seen his cock before, but for the love of God, it was magnificent. Textured and knotted and almost too big. I knelt before him and took his entire cockhead into my mouth, sucking it ravenously. He tasted salty and sweet, and I wanted more. I hollowed my cheeks, sucking him in as deeply as I could.

"Billie." He pulled me gently up by my hair. "I need to eat too." His eyes were dark pools of unmasked hunger.

Oh. Oh . "Do you want to—" I paused.

Surely, Steve wouldn't even know what sixty-nine meant. I had only ever done it a few times. Being a curvy girl, I always felt self-conscious about sitting on someone's face. Honestly, I didn't believe girls who said they weren't. It felt so… exposed. I was lost in my own train of thought about face-sitting when Steve took matters into his own hands. He dug his hands into my hips and lifted me over him, settling one knee on either side of his head, which spread me wide upon on top of him. I pitched forward in shock as his tongue snaked out and plunged deep into my core before licking up and down each fold methodically. So this is what it was going to be like having a partner? Someone who cared about me as much as I cared about them?

I shuddered under his touch, already inching toward combustion when I gathered my senses and realized if I leaned forward just a bit, I could pull the head of his cock into my mouth while working the rest of it with my fist. I lapped at the slit at the head of Steve's cock, while stroking him up and down enthusiastically. All the while, I felt warmth spreading out from my core as Steve switched to sucking on my clit and delving two fingers in and out of me.

I had to pause licking his cock because I was panting so hard and trying my damnedest not to grind against his face. I felt my whole body locking up as he rhythmically pumped in and out of me with his thick fingers and laved at my clit with his wonderous tongue.

"Steve," I panted.

"Just let go, stop worrying," he said, barely stopping what he was doing to respond.

I let myself collapse on him, and he pulled my thighs even tighter around his face. With his mouth on my clit and his fingers inside me had me feeling like my whole body was sped up and quickly running toward the edge.

"Steve, fuck, oh fuck. Oh, it's too much. I can't—" I gasped, starting to feel like I might burst.

Steve may as well have been deaf because he continued with the same rhythm and pace, unrelenting. My vision started to grow hazy, and then I felt my whole body lock up as I combusted. I felt myself gush all over his face. Steve removed his fingers and continued to lap at me gently, cleaning me and, from the sounds he was making, savoring the taste of me. I felt entirely boneless as I came down, panting heavily. I'd never come that hard in my life.

As my vision returned, I realized Steve's hard and dripping cock was still inches from my face. I had just entirely failed at sixty-nining. I started to pull myself up on shaky arms and legs.

"Steve, I'm so sorry I didn't even get you to finish," I said, suddenly embarrassed.

I clambered over him and sat next to him where he lay in bed with a giant grin on his face, his lips and chin still shining with my juices.

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed. "I just saw you come completely undone from my fingers and mouth alone. I'd do it again now if I thought you could take it."

He reached out and stroked down my side. I contemplated our options. Then, a lightbulb went off in my head.

"I think I am a little too overstimulated to do that again, but I do have something else we could try," I said, giving him a mischievous grin.

"Oh?" he said, looking intrigued.

"Go get some of those oils lining the edge of the pool," and I directed, "and I'll be ready for you when you get back."