8. Zarin

Who was he to say no to kissing? Naked kissing at that? Even if it gave him blue balls when she finally called a halt to their play? Not him. He was not fool enough to ignore the bounty she offered him.

Her body was all glorious curves and valleys, begging to be explored. He wanted to trace his tongue over every inch of her, from her plush red lips to the hollow at the base of her throat, over the curve of her belly, and along the soft skin at the apex of her thighs. Every damn inch deserved his close attention.

Not giving her a moment to change her mind, he ripped open his shirt, buttons flying, and threw it across the tent.

Seraiah giggled, the clear, pure tone washing over him like a breath of fresh air. He wanted to hear it again. A million times more. “Your turn,” he said with a grin.

Her hands went to the buttons on her top — his pajamas; he loved seeing her in his clothes, wrapped in his scent — and worked their way down the row. He didn’t know if she was moving slowly because she was nervous or because she wanted to tease him, but he wanted that damnable bit of fabric hiding her copper skin from his sight gone. His hands flexed, claws popping out, ready to shred the expensive silk to strips. With every last drop of his willpower, he sheathed his claws and let her play and torment him. His mate would soon learn he was a patient hunter.

A sultry smile curled her lips as she reached the last button. With a casual shrug of her shoulders, the top slid down her arms, baring her magnificent breasts. Her nipples pebbled, luscious rose gold peaks he couldn’t resist. He leaned down and pulled one into his mouth, swirling his tongue over the nub.

She squeaked, her hands clutching at his shoulders, but not pushing him away. Not saying no. “I thought we were kissing,” she said, her body arching towards him.

He released her right breast with a gentle pop. “This is kissing,” he said, before giving her left breast the same treatment.

“Not mouth kissing,” she said with a gasp, her nails digging into his skin.

He hummed a sound of agreement, kissing his way over her breasts and up along the long column of her throat. “There are all types of kissing, darling, and you didn’t specify.” He nipped at her chin. “You did say ‘naked’, though,” he said, reaching down to pop the top button of his pants. “You still up for that?”

She nodded, nibbling at her bottom lip. “I am.” Her husky voice stroked over his senses.

Watching her reaction, he pushed down his pants, his cock springing free. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and her breath caught, her reaction making him even harder. Hurriedly, he kicked free of his pants and stalked forward on all fours, pressing her back onto the pillows, his hands bracketing her shoulders, his knees nudging her thighs apart.

“You’re very naked all of a sudden,” she said, her foot sliding up the back of his thigh. “We’re still just kissing, right?”

“How else do you think naked kissing happens?” he asked, gazing down at her soft and willing beneath him. Of course he wanted more, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. He’d have to show her how good naked kissing with him could be.

An eleven formed between her brows as she skated a hand over his chest. “I guess I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Well, I did. And we’re not quite there yet,” he said, his voice rough with need. “You’re still partially clothed.” He was trying to go slow, gods help him. As much as he wanted to shred those bottoms and fuck her hard, to claim her as his, he held back, trying to move at a speed she was comfortable with.

The last thing he wanted to do was chase her away. He’d already set her on edge by declaring he was keeping her. She didn’t believe him, he didn’t think. But he was as serious as he’d ever been. He couldn’t allow her to disappear back into that walled city of hers and out of his life. She was his now. His queen. His mate.

He held himself still as she traced her fingers over his torso, inching ever closer to his cock. His entire focus was on her, the hitch of her breath, the shift of her legs, the path of her gaze. It was all he could do not sink into her hand as she closed it around him, her soft palm gliding over his length. When she ran her thumb over its tip, smearing the bead of pre-cum, he dropped his head to her shoulder with a groan, his hips bucking under her tentative exploration.

“Kind of hard,” she said, giving his dick a gentle stroke.

“What?” he said, doing a quick check to make sure he was still as hard as he felt. “This isn’t hard enough for you?”

She huffed out a laugh. “Not you. You’re plenty hard.” She released his cock to skate her hand up his back, her short nails scraping over his skin. “What I meant to say was that it’s kind of hard for me to get naked with you planted between my legs.”

“Allow me,” he said, kissing down her torso, pausing to honor the gorgeous swell of her generous breasts before tracing his fingers over the green lines feathering over her hips and across her stomach. “Lightning?”

Her bottom lip caught in her teeth. She shook her head. “Bare tree branches. It’s possible the marking will gain leaves as I get older, but we’ll have to see.”

“Gorgeous.” He dipped his head, his tongue following the path of one delicate branch. “It’s fascinating how all Verdet have these verdigris markings. From what I’ve read, they seem to match each individual’s innate talent.”

She made a lazy sound of agreement, her fingers stroking his hair. “Some are poison.”

He jerked his head up to see her eyes sparkling with humor. “Minx,” he said, splaying his palm over her marking.

Her breath caught as his fingers teased along the edge of the waistband before dipping beneath it, his fingers brushing over soft curls. He cocked an eyebrow. “No panties?” he asked. Her stomach contracted as he placed a kiss right under her belly button.

“I’ve got no extra clothes, remember?” she said, her voice shaky. Her hands tangled in his hair. “You grabbed me while I was out running.”

He slowly teased her pajama bottoms down her thighs, his lips following their path over her smooth skin. “A good choice on my part,” he said.

She tugged at his hair as he slipped the fabric under the round globes of her ass. “What did you mean earlier?”

With her pussy all wet and gleaming right in front of him and her heady scent surrounding him, he found it hard to think of anything but her, much less recall what he’d said ages ago. “What did I say?” He bent to kiss her.

The tug on his hair was harder this time, sending nipping sparks over his scalp before she released him. “When you said your people abducted your intendeds.” She propped herself up on her elbows, her gaze intense.

He pulled her bottoms the rest of the way off, tossing them to the side before settling back between her legs. Bracing himself on his forearms, he kissed his way over the soft curve of her stomach and along the patch of tight curls at the juncture of her thighs. “Caught that, did you?”

She shivered beneath his touch. “Zarin.”

“I love the way my name sounds on your lips, filled with frustration and desire.” The intensity of his reaction to her was like nothing he’d ever experienced. He wanted to lock her in a room with him for a month, so he could have her all to himself, without any interruptions.

With a little growl, she nudged him with a thigh.

He gave her ass a possessive squeeze. “You’re mine, darling. I’ve been clear about that.”

“What does that even mean?”

The plaintive tone in her question meant he, in fact, had not been clear enough. Time for some show and tell. “It means that I want you for more than your talent at resurrecting ancient olive trees. I want you for you.”

Her breath caught, her entire body going tense.

“And now, I want to kiss your beautiful lips,” he paused to lick the length of her pussy, “to taste you on my tongue.”

She moaned as his tongue teased her clit, her hips bucking when he sucked at the sensitive bundle of nerves.

“I want to fuck you in every room in my palace.” He slid a finger into her slick heat, watching how her body responded before adding another.

“Goddess,” she whimpered, her legs moving restlessly against his sides.

“In every position we can imagine.” He slowly pumped his fingers, her body bowing towards him, her hands clenching the colorful throws softening the tent floor. “And then carry on outside.”

As his fingers danced inside her, he sucked on her clit, loving the way her inner muscles squeezed and fluttered. He couldn’t wait to feel her around his cock. But not yet. Not tonight. Tonight was all about her. He needed to show her that she was his and would come first in all ways, now and forever.

“Oh, holy hells,” she said, her hips grinding on him, pushing her pussy against his hand, her breasts swaying with every rock. “Zarin.”

“That’s it, darling,” he murmured, flicking his tongue over her clit, the taste of her making him harder than he ever thought possible. “Let me hear my name on your lips again.”

Her thighs tightened around his head as her body clenched. Lightning slammed to the ground so close by, all the hair on his body prickled. As a peal of thunder sounded, she came, shouting his name over the rolling boom echoing around them.

“So gorgeous, darling,” he crooned, giving her pussy one last lick before sliding up beside her, slinging a thigh over hers, and breathing in the delicious scent of her. “You taste even better than I imagined.”

“Zarin…” she protested, trying to shift somewhere other than right up against him.

He tightened the arm banded over her chest, pulling her closer. Reaching behind him, he tugged a soft quilt over them. “Enough naked kissing for now,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Time for naked sleeping.”

She stopped struggling, but didn’t relax immediately. But when he just held her in his arms, her muscles unclenched and she slowly melted into his embrace.

As her breathing turned deep and even, he kissed the spot where her jaw met her ear and whispered, “Mine.”