"Why must you torment me so?"
The softening of her voice, the hint of desperation, startled him. Again, the contradictions that made up Thora left his head spinning.
"You enjoyed it. I know you did."
She lowered her head. "It's... very intense."
"Yes, I agree."
She lifted her head, her dark eyes holding myriad emotions, many of which he found himself unable to name.
"What we... when you... it frightens me."
With a groan, he pulled her close. The impulse to protect her, take care of her, overwhelmed him. The feel of her trembling form in his arms roused a maelstrom of
feelings he didn't recognize, or perhaps he didn't want to. A twinge of anger lingered as well, for his own weakness. If he continued to put her needs before his, the goals he'd set for himself might never be accomplished.
After several minutes, her trembling eased and Ari reluctantly released her. The crackling of the fire filled the heavy silence with an intensity that spurred his hunger for her.
"Come." He took her hand and pulled her to the other side of the fire, where he'd earlier arranged the furs. He paused and indicated she should remove her dress. She hesitated but a moment before obeying. He folded his arms while she removed thesmokkrthen slid the undershift down, baring her delicious body. She held her head high, but the sight of her lower lip caught between her teeth revealed her anxiety.
"Turn," he said.
Her brow furrowed, confusion creeping into her eyes. "Why?"
"You have a beautiful body, Thora. I simply wish to look upon it."
Pink crept up her chest to her neck and into her cheeks before she slowly obeyed. The line of her back, the flare of her hips and the enticing swell of her buttocks had him once more near the breaking point. Without any word to indicate his actions, he stepped closer, nearly touching her back and resting his hands on her hips. A sharply inhaled breath shuddered through her when he curled his fingers tighter and drew her against him.
He caught one hand in her hair, pulling her head back toward him. The curve of her neck drew his focus and he skimmed his mouth along the tender skin. A low moan escaped her when he grazed her with his teeth, his tongue soothing the sharpness while allowing him to savor her tantalizing sweet taste.
The hand remaining on her hip slid around to her belly and the muscles there twitched. He smiled. She was ticklish. He would find ways to exploit that. Not yet. Now he wanted to be inside her, his cock near splitting his pants open. He released her just long enough to strip out of his clothes, ignoring her frustrated whimper. He resumed his former position, guiding them both to their knees, bracing her against his chest.
"I can't wait to hear you beg."
Her sudden stiffening encouraged him to tighten his embrace. As an added restraint, he slid one hand to her pussy, fingers giving teasing strokes that soon had her trembling and languid in his arms once more.
His mouth found her ear and he breathed heavily. "I want to hear you tell me exactly what you want."
She struggled in his embrace, tilting her head to the side to look at him.
"Why must you torment me so?"
"It gives me pleasure. As it does you."
Again, that enchanting blush crept into her cheeks. Her contradictory reactions thickened the haze of lust surrounding him. He kept his fingers gently moving along her sweet cleft, once more drawing those soft hoarse cries from her throat.
When he stopped, she gave a slight whine of frustration. He ignored it, taking her hands and guiding them to the ground, so she knelt on hands and knees before him. She tried to straighten, but he held her there, pressing against her back to keep her in his chosen position.
"Don't move. That is an order."
Her only response was a sharp inhalation. He leaned back. Her skin gleamed in the firelight and each breath brought a quiver to her body. Her bountiful breasts hung enticingly and he reached under her to cup them. Thora turned to face him, a hint of bewilderment dancing in her eyes.
"You are cruel, putting me in such a degrading position."
He shook his head. "I think you will like this very much."
He barely forced the words from his parched throat. He moved behind her once more, grabbing her hips and pulling her towards him. His cock slid against her pussy, wet and inviting, tempting him to drive right into her waiting body. But he held himself back. Sliding one hand under her once more, he caressed her breast, even as the tip of his cock nudged against her sex.
