Chapter 12

Aurora

ALDEN'S SCRUFF IS PRICKLY AGAINST my skin, but his lips are soft and warm beneath mine. My eyes drift closed as I twine my arms around his neck, and I let one hand slide up into his dark curls. Almost as soon as my fingers press through his hair, he lets out a rumbling sigh, and then his strong hands are on my bare hips, pulling me closer.

I've dreamt of this moment, of what it would feel like to have his rough carpenter hands on my body, and finally, that dream has become reality. And it's so much better than I thought it would be.

As Alden pulls me in, something hard presses against my belly button, and with a start, I realize it's him . I break our kiss, hands still around his neck, and look down into the steamy water. Though I can't see through it with any clarity, there's a long dark shadow pressed up against me, and it makes me tingle with excitement and a dash of nervousness .

It's been years since I was with a man. In fact, I haven't been with anyone since my first semester at the academy a few years ago. So feeling Alden's cock pressing against my stomach, hard and wanting, I can't help but to feel nervous.

He's looking down at me, brown eyes narrowed, a concerned wrinkle in his forehead. There's still a smear of yellow paint crossing his brow, so vivid against his brown skin. When I reach up to wash it away, he closes his eyes and presses his face into my hand, just like he did that day at my wobbly kitchen table. But this time, I cup his cheek in my hand and lean in to press my lips to his forehead, then to the bridge of his nose, and then to his mouth.

His hands tighten on my hips as I deepen our kiss. Beneath the water, his length twitches against me, begging for attention.

I pull his bottom lip into my mouth at the same time I reach down and wrap my hand around his cock. He lets out a gasp, shuddering at the contact. It makes me wonder if his body has gone untouched for as long as mine has.

Slowly, I glide my hand up and down his length, which is considerable . I still can't see his cock clearly, but feeling it, I'm more than a tad bit intimidated by its size. Even so, I continue to stroke him from base to tip, and I smile against his mouth when he grows harder in my hand.

In response, the spot between my legs throbs, hungry for its own attention.

Breaking our kiss once more, I whisper, "Alden?"

"Hmm?"

His voice is husky, and his eyes are still closed. I continue stroking him .

"I want you to taste me."

Now his eyes flash open to meet mine. He glances between my eyes, and I slow my strokes so he can focus. "Are you sure?"

My whole body is hot from the spring and our kiss, but I can still feel an additional flush rush into my cheeks as I nod. "Please."

His hands shift on my hips, and I let out a little squeak of surprise as he lifts me clean out of the water and turns around to set me on the bank.

The air is so cold against my wet body that it makes my nipples harden, drawing Alden's stare. Then his gaze slides down the length of my body to my legs, which are just slightly parted around him.

With a slow movement, Alden spreads my legs further, exposing my most private place. Feeling his eyes on me makes my clit throb.

I shift back onto my forearms as Alden's hands trace up and down my thighs. His tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip, and I let out an involuntary whimper.

I want so badly to feel his tongue against me, inside me. I need it, or else I'll surely implode.

Alden's eyes meet mine again. Using one finger, he starts at my little tuft of green hair, then moves down, dragging a moan out of me as he touches my clit through my folds. His finger pauses at my entrance, hesitates, and then slips inside. He moves it slowly into and out of me, building me up to the point where I forget the cold air against my wet body and the mud and leaves sticking to my bare skin. All I can focus on is him .

Removing his finger from me, he holds it up in the light, and we both watch as my wetness drips from his finger. The look that comes over him as his eyes catch mine makes my toes curl on the muddy bank. Holding my gaze, Alden bends over me. I draw a breath. The anticipation mounts.

And then his mouth closes around my clit, and I let my head fall back as a wave of pleasure washes over me. His tongue is warm and wet as it drags up and down my slit. He licks me like I'm a cone of honey-flavored ice, like he doesn't want to miss a single drop. And when he plunges his tongue deep inside me, I arch my back and let out a breathy moan that even Faunwood must hear.

Gasping, I lift my head to look down at Alden. I want to see his face between my legs, see what he looks like with his tongue buried inside me. His lips glisten with my wetness, and he pushes his tongue deep inside me before dragging his mouth once more to my throbbing clit and sucking lightly on the bright pink bud.

And it's enough to almost make me cum.

"Alden," I gasp.

"Hmm?" His mouth rumbles against me, and I have to fight back the orgasm that's trying to sweep me away.

"Fuck me," I whisper. "Please."

I don't have to ask twice.

In one smooth motion, he reaches for my hand and helps me up, then wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me off the bank. As I sink back into the water, the heat takes my breath away, reminding me of the cold air as the steam rises around us .

Suspended in the water, I wrap my legs around Alden's waist. He slips his hands down to my ass, taking one cheek in each palm. With a slight movement, he positions me over his tip, and I'm already gasping as his head just barely presses against my entrance.

It's so big, I don't know how I'm going to take it.

"Relax, little witch," Alden whispers into my ear. The tickle of his breath sends a tingle down my spine, and I feel my pussy soften, trying to let him in.

I pull back to look into his eyes. They're so dark brown I could get lost in them, could frolic through his irises collecting the gleaming flakes of gold and hoarding them like a dragon hoards its treasure. I'm still staring into his eyes when he presses deeper into me, the head of his cock now pushing inside me, his length coming next. Gasping, I tighten my hands around Alden's strong neck.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asks.

And I know he would if I willed it. But I don't.

I shake my head, biting my bottom lip. "Keep going."

Slowly, bit by tiny bit, he pushes deeper and deeper inside me. I'm so tight, so full , I don't know how I'm going to take any more. But just when I think I couldn't possibly stretch further, my body surprises me. And as I let out a little whimper, Alden makes it all the way inside me.

"Impressive," he whispers.

My cheeks flame with his praise.

Maneuvering us to the edge of the pool, Alden presses my back against the muddy bank once more. He draws his cock out, inch by inch, only to thrust it back into me. And with every stroke of his hard length inside me, I start building up again. My hair is all around us—sticking to my face, plastered to his shoulders—and we're both panting in the heat as he pumps into me.

"Faster," I whisper, my body now having fully accepted his girth.

"I can't," he growls, releasing one of my ass cheeks to brace himself against the bank. "I'm gonna cum if I go any faster."

Slipping a hand from his neck, I trace my fingertips down his strong chest, across his low abdomen, and along the base of his shaft. "Then cum with me."

He's breathing so hard that his broad chest rises and falls, making the water ripple around us. "What do you want me to do?" he asks.

At the same time I press against my clit with my fingers, I whisper into his ear, "Fill me."

Again, his whole body shudders. Then he starts pumping me once more, so hard my tiny breasts bounce with every thrust of his cock inside me. I match his pace, circling my clit, feeling my orgasm building up again. With my free hand still wrapped around Alden's neck, I let my head fall back onto the bank, and with one final deep thrust and press of my fingers, I topple into ecstasy.

My body clenches, my pussy pulsing around Alden's cock. He's still going, delivering unthinkable pleasure with every stroke of his length. And then, when I think I might faint from the heat and the intensity, warmth explodes inside me. Alden presses himself as deep as he can go, making me yelp as he fills me with his girth and his heat .

Beside me, the hand he's using to brace himself is trembling. His teeth are gritted, eyes closed tight, and all his muscles are pulled taut.

Our tandem breaths fill the quiet forest. As I regain some semblance of awareness, I notice that the sunlight has slipped lower and is breaking through the trees in beautiful shafts of gold. This is without doubt the most beautiful place I've ever been fucked in.

Slowly, like a flower unfurling itself in late spring, Alden's body begins to relax.

It takes me a moment to loosen my legs from around his waist; they rebel at the idea of letting go. It prompts him to lower me to my feet, and my toes curl into the muddy soil at the bottom of the spring.

Immediately, I press myself to his chest. Beneath my ear, his heart thrums like the beat of a crow's inky black wings. Mine is beating just as fast.

His arms wrap around me, hold me tight against him, and I feel so safe, so seen, so warm. I feel like in his arms is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

I pull away just enough to tip my head back and look up into his brown-gold eyes. "Are you hungry?" I ask.

A chuckle rumbles in his chest. "Always."

"Let's go back. I'll make you dinner."

The thrumming in my chest turns nervous. Now that he's been inside me, has tasted me, will he finally let me in, let me shower him with my affection? Or will he build his walls right back up in an effort to keep me and my attention at bay ?

He reaches up, hand dripping water, and snags one long strand of my hair. Twirling it around his finger, he smiles. "What are we having?"

Joy swells in my chest. Smile pulling on my mouth, I rise onto my toes to press a kiss to his bottom lip. "Not sure yet. Let's go find out."