Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

Tara

Nothing hurts. At least not more than a dull ache. I peek out from between Garrick's arms, feeling his warm body beneath me, and look up at the gaping hole directly above us in complete disbelief that I didn't break anything. It takes my stunned mind a minute to realize what happened. Garrick curled himself around me. Somehow, while falling, he thought enough about me to protect me. Instinctually.

He's why I'm not hurt. My heart stops, thinking he's been injured, but he begins coughing from all the dust and dirt, his arms tightening around me in a comforting way. A way that says he's alive and able to move.

"Are you all right?" I ask, pushing myself up to get a better look at him.

He's covered in dirt and plants. Like, completely caked in them. We both are, but, otherwise, he looks okay. I can't believe the earth just crumbled beneath us and we're not hurt.

"I'm fine," he reassures me, his concerned gaze running over me like he didn't protect me from this fall with his own body. "Just a little sore. Are you hurt?" He offers me his hand to help me up, and I get to my feet, before he stands beside me.

"Surprisingly, I'm fine," I say with a nervous laugh. "Maybe because you kept me safe."

His brilliant hazel eyes lock onto mine. "I meant it when I said I'd make sure you were always safe and loved. The things I say to you aren't just words."

He protected me. Instinctually. Without a thought. "You really do mean what you're saying, don't you?"

Closing the space between us, he rubs dirt from my lips. "I do. I really do."

His head lowers, and we kiss. A soft kiss. A kiss meant to show the way he cares.

I think I'm in love.

Our kiss breaks. His expression is absolutely tender. "Tara, my heart is full with you."

I feel my defenses fall away. Really fall away. For the first time since he and the wolves fought over me. Since he's been working so hard to build back my trust. "I feel the same way."

Suddenly, the light streaming above us darkens, and my head jerks up. The princes' faces appear in the hole above us, staring down with concern. My logical mind feels a wave of relief. They know we're down here now.

"What the hell is going on?" Drogo yells.

"Are you all right?" Arlys calls down.

"Are either of you hurt?" Rinan adds, concern in his voice.

And it's strange. The wolves really do seem concerned. For a second, my heart softens to them. My mind plays a hundred little moments with them that I thought really meant something. And then I remember the truth: without me there's no cure. They're concerned, but not about me.

Finding my voice, I try not to sound as disappointed as I feel. "I'm fine. Garrick protected me when we fell through the earth." Then I glance around the darkness. "But what the hell do we do now?"

To my surprise, Garrick answers, "I think there are tunnels all around us. Tara and I are going to try to find a way out."

I never would have thought of that. I'm lucky that my… husband is a smart guy who seems to know a lot about the world. I've never seen myself as someone who needs protecting, but maybe everyone needs that sometimes. Maybe that's okay too.

"We'll look for the entrance up here," Rinan calls down.

"But be careful in the tunnels," Arlys says. "You have no idea if they'll take you deeper into the mountain or lead you out."

"Don't worry, I have a good nose for this," Garrick tells him confidently.

"You better, bear," Drogo says, but for once there's no malice in his voice. Just hope.

Then they all disappear, and Garrick and I are left alone in the dark hole. My gaze finds him, my nerves fluttering, but he doesn't look concerned in the least bit. His head is held high. His shoulders are lifted. He looks every bit the confident prince of the bears.

"Ready?" Garrick asks, reaching for my hand.

Am I ready? I pat more dirt off my shoulders and legs, then take his hand. He holds me tightly in a way that makes me feel safe. How is it that I always feel safe with him?

We start moving through the tunnel. It's dim, but there's enough light from where we fell through, and random places above us, that we're not lost in total darkness. Even still, we go carefully. Him in front, holding my hand and leading me in a way that makes me feel taken care of.

"This was unexpected," Garrick says, glancing back at me with a smile. "But I like having you all to myself, even if we're trapped underground and don't know how to get out."

I laugh. He's right though. The two of us together feels natural and right. I can be myself around him, and I'm not worried that he's going to jump in my face yelling or accuse me of lying or working against him. There's a… trust, and affection, that I've never felt before.

And I like it.

"Having you all to myself is a girl's dream come true," I say, squeezing his hand.

"Yeah?" His smile turns a little cocky.

"Yeah," I say, unable to stop grinning.

"I like knowing I'm your dream guy, since you're my wife. Although having you look at me like that might give me an ego."

"I doubt that." And I do. He's just too genuine for an ego.

We're quiet for a minute as we continue through dimly-lit twisted tunnels. At any other time, I'd be scared, but not with him. This feels less like a dangerous exploration and more like a date.

"Tell me what your ideal day would be," he asks, as we turn another corner.

My ideal day? It's hard not to smile. "Oh, that's easy. I'm happiest when I'm working with metal. I'd have my own smithy, and I'd spend my whole day creating incredible swords and daggers that people would appreciate." There's something else though. Something I never thought possible before this moment. "Then I'd come home to someone who loves and adores me, and we'd spend the evening together."

He squeezes my hand. "That sounds nice. Much better than fighting these battles with wolves and monsters like I have to do." He pauses, then pushes on. "And maybe this person who adores you could eat a tasty dinner with you and rub your feet. Maybe the day would end tangled up in sheets together."

My cheeks feel hot. "Maybe."

He looks happy. "Anything else you want?"

I think. "I love laughing."

"Then I'll make sure to make you laugh all the time."

And he sounds so sincere that it makes me want to kiss him. But I don't. How would he even respond if I jumped on him and kissed him right now?

We come upon a hot spring. Steam rises up from a pale blue lake, looking so serene and beautiful and inviting. My dirty skin aches to slip into it.

Garrick kneels down and touches the water. "Perfect temperature."

"Is it?" I'm dying to get in.

"We should wash ourselves here, since it's groundwater. And it'll be a hell of a lot better than that freezing river out on the mountain."

"You think so?"

He nods. "We might as well take advantage of a good opportunity."

My thoughts start working. "Won't the wolves worry?"

He flashes me a grin. "Let them worry. The assholes deserve it."

Before I can say more, Garrick takes off his shirt and drops it on the ground next to him. My mouth runs dry as my gaze slides over his broad, muscular chest, and the eight pack of rippling muscles on his stomach. I can't help but to stare, open-mouthed, at his body. His muscles have muscles.

He's irresistible.

"Are you just going to stare or are you going to get undressed too?" he asks, grinning.

"Get undressed too," I say, my voice a few levels too high.

I put my hands at the bottom of my shirt, but hesitate. The truth is I'm embarrassed to undress in front of him. I've never been naked around anyone before. What if he sees my scars and thinks they're ugly? What if he wishes I had bigger breasts or smaller hips?

Garrick reaches for his pants, undoes them, and slowly draws them down. His cock leaps free, not hard, but not small either, and I gasp. He's huge!

"What?" Garricks asks with a chuckle as I continue to gape at his package.

My brain has malfunctioned. I don't know what to say, but I open my mouth and start speaking. "You're so…big. I–I saw a guy naked once before, but it wasn't like that ." I point to him. "He was tiny . Yours looks like you could eat his. Or maybe like it's eaten ten of his and gotten too big for its own good."

Drogo was big , I think. But he wasn't that big.

My mouth keeps working, even though I don't know what I'm saying. "How did you get so big ?"

He grows bigger as I talk, and I can't believe my eyes when he's erect and swollen. There's a giant meat sword, waving in the air. Just the idea of ever putting that inside me makes me squirm. Makes me feel hot and flustered all at once.

"Do you have a problem with my cock?" he asks softly, his voice low and deep.

I lick my lips, feeling uncomfortable. "No. It's… beautiful."

And he is. I never thought much about men's bodies, but every part of Garrick is beautiful. I'm amazed by him. Even more so, I think I'm attracted to him and his naked cock.

Garrick lets out a groan, closing in the distance between us and pulling me against him. His lips find mind, and this kiss isn't soft. It's hard and hungry and all-consuming.

I'm panting hard when his lips break from mine. He gently kisses my neck, making his way down to my collarbone, and then stopping to suck in a way that makes my toes curl. I press against him, feeling small and protected. I feel safe in his arms.

As he pulls back, he looks into my eyes with a hungry gaze that makes my body quiver with excitement. "You're so beautiful," he breathes out, running his hands up my sides to cup my breasts. His thumbs trace gentle circles around my hardened nipples through my shirt, causing delicious tingles to shoot straight to my core.

I moan softly in response, my entire body alive and humming for his touch.

Leaning close to me, he whispers in my ear. "That is a beautiful sound."

His hands slide under my shirt, pulling it over my head. The material flutters to the ground, and then I'm left topless in front of him, feeling hot and flush. He steps back and takes me in slowly, his eyes lingering on my breast.

"Tara, you are incredible." He moves closer once more and brings a hand up to touch one of my breasts, kneading and massaging it, and his mouth lowers to my other breast.

Instantly, a shiver rolls through my body as his hot mouth sucks my nipple. Gently at first, then harder. My head rolls, and I don't know what to do with myself. It all just feels so damn good.

"Goddess," he murmurs against my nipple before taking it between his teeth and sucking even harder. The sensation sends shockwaves through me as I arch my back involuntarily, groaning loudly. The sound seems to fuel him even more because his movements become more intense. It feels incredible - too good to be real.

Breaking his lips from my breast, he grins wickedly before slowly slipping off my pants and boots. His hands slide up my bare thighs, stopping just short of where I ache for them to go even further. A shiver runs through me as he takes in the sight of my bottom half. Moaning softly, he leans in closer to run his nose along my thighs. Instinctually, I part my legs a little. And wait.

Goosebumps rise on my skin as Garrick traces the outline of my core, his calloused fingers moving slowly, exploring. He runs his fingers lightly over my pussy lips, spreading the folds open to reveal how wet I am. Then he plays in my folds, his touch light as I feel myself getting wetter and wetter.

My hips jerk forward when he slips a finger inside of me. He doesn't go deep, just the tip, but it feels strange. It feels… good.

Fucking hell.

I suck in a deep breath, realizing that everything about Garrick is large, including his fingers. I feel full with just one of his fingers inside of me. How the hell would I be able to take his cock? He gently slides his finger in and out of me, touching me like Drogo. But unlike Drogo, this man cares about me. This man wants a future with me.

Stop thinking about the wolves. Focus on Garrick.

My eyes flutter shut as I grip his shoulders, willing my legs to keep me standing. There's something building inside of me. It feels like lightning, and it pulses throughout my whole body. A moan escapes my lips when his fingers brush against something inside of me that feels impossibly good. How can anything feel this good?

His touch is magical; each stroke of his hand on my clit sends waves of pleasure coursing through my body. I bite down on my lip, trying to contain the moans that escape from deep within me as he works his magic. My hips buck against him, begging for more as he takes control of my senses. I can feel the heat building inside of me, an inferno begging to be released. His finger moves in and out of me in a steady rhythm that pushes me closer and closer to the brink.

And then he pulls his hand back.

I sag against him. "Garrick?"

He's breathing hard. "I want to make love to you, Tara. I don't think I can stop myself if I keep going."

Clinging to him, I pull back, so we're face-to-face with each other. "I want you to make love to me too. If you can be gentle with your monster cock."

"You sure?" he asks, and there's doubt and hope in his eyes all at once.

I nod.

To my surprise, he picks me up, his big hands wrapped around my thighs, and carries me into the hot spring. The warm waters rush over me, and we disappear under the surface for a minute before resurfacing. We're still both breathing hard. My whole body is tingling. But I like the feeling of being clean. Of being warm. Of being near Garrick.

He pulls me closer, kissing me again. Our mouths lock together as our tongues dance, and every small flick of his tongue drives me wilder.

Our kiss breaks, and his gaze meets mine. "Do you like what my tongue can do?"

"Yes." The word rushes out of me.

He lifts me and then lays me back on a smooth rock, my feet dangling in the water.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I whisper.

In response, he parts my legs wider and his face suddenly presses against my core. I cry out, shocked as his tongue darts inside my pussy. My head rolls back, my back arches. He spreads me open and feasts on me like his favorite dish, that tongue of his making me feel more alive than I've ever felt in my life. Sometimes he presses his mouth in deeply, sucking and making me thrash. Other times, his tongue darts out rapidly, and my mind goes blank as desire hits me in full force.

"Garrick. Garrick," I chant his name, twisting and turning on the rock. Needing more.

To my surprise, he slides me down into the water until my legs wrap around his back. Our eyes lock, and I can feel his massive erection pressing along my pussy. I rub myself against him, and he swears, his grip tight on my ass.

"You want this?" he asks again, breathless.

"I want you," I whisper.

A shudder racks his body, and he shifts beneath me so the head of his cock is pressing to my opening. I close my eyes and cling to him tightly as he starts to press inside me. The fit is tight. Almost impossibly tight. Almost too tight to bear. But I grip him tightly and hold on.

He's panting, holding onto my hips for dear life. He eases one inch after another of his cock inside me until he hesitates. "I never– want to hurt you."

"I–know." I can barely get the words out.

"This might– hurt a little."

I dig my nails into him. "Okay."

Then he presses into me.

Pain explodes inside of me, unfamiliar, and even though he warned me it's somehow unexpected. His cock slides in further until I swear he's deeper than I ever thought possible, and then he's holding me tightly. Huge. Uncomfortable. Branding me in a way I never imagined.

"Are you okay?" he whispers.

I'm not sure, but I nod.

And we stay like that for a long time. So long that I start growing accustomed to his length. So long that it stops feeling quite as impossible and uncomfortable.

Then he starts to slide in and out, slowly and gently, and all the pain is gone. All I feel is pleasure. Incredible pleasure. There are sparks inside my body that seem to warm my entire soul.

I hold him closely, but this time because I never want him to let me go. He moves faster and faster inside of me until our rapid breathing is synced and my body is humming with need. I'm using my legs around his back to give me leverage. To meet his thrusts. To increase that incredible pleasure inside of me until I can barely control myself. I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin.

Then, something happens. Something explodes inside of me. A ball of pleasure more powerful than any magic I've felt in my life. It makes me work against Garrick harder, every movement sending those sparks inside of me into a raging inferno. My nipples are so hard they ache. My muscles tense, and then Garrick says my name, and I feel it… his hot seed spreading inside of me. Coating my insides. And it's so fucking hot that I ride him harder, feeling another wave of pleasure crash over me until I collapse in his arms.

A connection, strange and unfamiliar, stretches to life inside of me, a taut thread between Garrick and myself that feels right in all the best ways. And yet, I have no idea what it is. Is this how it always feels after sex? Like the other person has become a part of you?

Could this be love? Or is it something else?

"Damn it, Tara," he whispers, breaking me from my thoughts. "Damn it."

Is he upset?

I'm trying to calm my racing heart. Did I do it right? Was that the way it's supposed to be? "Was it not… good for you?"

He leans back from me, and our gazes catch. "It was amazing. Was it good for you?"

"Yes," I whisper. "I never would have thought having something so big and hard inside of me would feel good, but your cock feels amazing."

He swears under his breath. "You're going to make me want to start all over again if you keep talking like that."

My eyes widen. "You want to do it again? Already ?"

He chuckles and strokes my cheek. "We can take some time before the next one. You might be a little sore."

I nod. "But…" I feel embarrassed. "We will do that again?"

His eyes darken. "Oh, my sweet Tara, if you let me, we'll do that all day every day. I'll have you bent over so many different things that you'll be scared to bend down, lest you find my cock buried deeply inside of you."

I shiver, turned on.

"Now," he whispers, "we should get cleaned up and keep looking for a way out."

I nod.

His hands cup my breasts, lifting them, then he buries his face between them. "At least in a few minutes."