His laugh holds a hint of embarrassment. “Perhaps both? When I was younger, my father warned me to avoid the Shabah.” His voice takes on an authoritarian tone that I assume sounds parental. “They are dangerous, Nicolas. Killers who have no morals and will slit your throat as soon as look at you.”
So that’s what this is. Wanting what you shouldn’t have is motivation I can understand and accept. He’s flirting with taboo, living out a fantasy. The sensual drag of his lipsalong my neck has my tense muscles relaxing as my body hums with anticipation. “So I’m forbidden fruit.”
His soft mouth curves into a smile against my skin. “Only if the rumors are accurate.”
I tilt my head a bit further, encouraging his exploration. “And which rumors do you mean? There are so many.”
He nibbles gently along my jaw, his soft beard sending the good kind of shivers down my spine. “Is it true that Shades can only sleep with other Shades?”
I close my eyes so he won’t see how much my body needs more of his feather-light caresses. “If by sleep, you mean sex, then no. Sex is just sex. Shades can fuck whoever they like. It’s romantic entanglements that are forbidden. If they’re found out—“ I slip my hands along the waist of Nico’s pants, stroking his warm skin, eager but hesitant to move lower until I’m sure he consents. Past me would be appalled. “—that kind of intimacy can result in the death of everyone involved.”
To his credit, Nico doesn’t flinch, even though he’d be that someone. “Very good to know.”
When my wandering hands are blocked yet again by fabric, I sigh and lean back. “Will you be getting naked soon? Or are you planning to stay fully clothed? It can be managed but eventually becomes awkward and might inhibit… certain activities.” In one swift movement, Nico yanks his shirt over his head, tossing it carelessly behind him. His eagerness to comply makes me laugh. “Excellent choice. I approve.”
Any additional words are cut off by Nico’s soft lips claiming a brief but energetic kiss. And another. I humappreciatively and lean in, wrapping my arms around him. A third kiss follows, this one more sensual and relaxed, as he seems to catch his stride. The fourth is hungrier. More teeth and teasing and oh, yes, now we’re getting somewhere. I lift my hands, sliding my fingers into his loose curls, grabbing fistfuls of his hair as I give in to the kiss, pressing against him from chest to thigh as we thoroughly explore each other’s mouths.
When we pull back to catch our breath, my cock is achingly hard and very ready to move on with things. “Nico, you’re full of surprises.” I nip gently at his lower lip. It’s not that I assumed he lacked experience, but I didn’t expect him to have such a talented tongue. And there are so many ways we can put that skill to good use. “Come here.” I hook a finger into the top of his pants and walk backward toward the bed. “Wasn’t there a promise of taking?” Once my thighs hit the mattress, I lean back, let go of him, and artfully sprawl across the bed.
Nico smooths his hands over my thighs, making my cock pulse. “There was. But first—” He gently removes each of my boots, tossing them aside before grabbing the hem of my pants. With one smooth motion, he yanks them off, tossing them over his shoulder.
His gaze is hungry, and I bask in his unspoken praise. “You know, there are other ways for you to show your appreciation.” And I hope he gets to them soon.
“Oh, really?” Nico’s eyes sparkle with humor. “And what would those be?”
I plant a foot on the mattress and push myself further up the bed. “More kissing and touching would be an excellentstart.” My pulse quickens as he kicks off his boots and opens the front of his pants.Nowwe’re getting somewhere.
Unfortunately, he’s a tease. Rather than undressing, he slips his hand down the front to stroke himself. “This kind of touching?”
“Mmm. Something like that.” I prop myself up on an elbow to watch. “Though I prefer being an active participant. If pleasuring yourself is the plan, you could have stayed home and done that.” It doesn’t stop me from avidly following the twist of his wrist, or watching how firmly he grips himself and the way his eyes grow darker with each stroke. His plump lips part as his eyes half-close, and damn, he’s beautiful. It takes a mountain of self-control to keep my hands where they are and away from my own cock as I imagine his luscious lips wrapped around it. “I would happily help you with that, you know.” I pat the mattress next to me. He shoves his pants to the floor and steps out of them, kneeling on the edge of the bed, still stroking himself. Oh, yes, please. “You’re so sexy, Nico. Absolutely gorgeous. I’m sure you’re told that a lot.”
He shrugs one shoulder. “It is a gift of genetics. I am lucky and take after my mother’s side of the family. My mother was a beautiful woman.” I note the past tense and the flicker of sadness in his eyes, but it’s gone quickly. I’m all too familiar with the crushing emptiness of loss, the bleak despair that can haunt the soul. If I can spare him that, even for a brief moment, I will. “But we do not need to discuss that while I am naked with my cock in my hand.”He grins impishly, and it transforms his face and lifts the mood.
I pull him onto me, molding our bodies together, sliding a thigh between his legs. “Mmmm. Much better.” I weave my fingers into his dark curls and press my lips to his. The kiss starts out sensually playful. Maybe even a bit teasing. But from one heartbeat to the next, it becomes all teeth and tongues, hands grasping at bare skin and hips grinding, needing friction.
Maybe it’s the constant thoughts of Kas, or the mental and physical exhaustion of the past five years of exile from my home. Maybe it’s the utter loneliness. Whatever the reason, my mind travels down a path I haven’t allowed since Kas—visions of a lover, a home, peace. My heart lurches, wanting things it can’t have. With precision borne of brutal years with the Shabah, I end those thoughts and focus on what I want that Icanhave. Things like this moment with Nico, his mouth and hands everywhere, desperate to touch and be touched. Pressing myself against him, I smile seductively, rolling him onto his back as I sit up. Straddling him, I settle his cock along the cleft of my ass and slowly roll my hips. “You look good beneath me.”
Nico settles his hands on my hips, pressing his fingers into me. His eyes darken with lust, even as his easy grin reappears. “Is this when we fulfill my second request?”
“Don’t worry. I plan to give as much pleasure as I get.” I drag my fingers down his chest, enjoying the tickle of his coarse hair against my palms. “And I’ll give before I receive.” Leaning over him, I sink my teeth into the meat of his shoulder, careful to make the bite more pleasure thanpain. His sharp inhalation and long, low moan tells me he likes it, which makes me ache deliciously. Pleased with myself, I roll my hips again before sliding down his body until our cocks are nestled side by side.
“Founder!” He grips my ass, rhythmically kneading the muscles as he thrusts against me. “I want you.”
I grin, maybe a bit smugly, pleased by his reaction. “So impatient.” I inch lower, licking and teasing my way down his body, reveling in each sound he isn’t even bothering to mask. Oh, how I adore a vocal partner. I place soft kisses along his abdomen, eventually settling between his legs. “Tell me what you like. What do you want?” Anticipation intensifies the pulsing ache in my cock.
“You.”
“That’s to be expected.” Grinning up at him, I lick a line from his navel to the crook of his thigh, then softly bite. If his prior reactions were incredible, the gasp and half-groan, half-chuckle is utter perfection.
“So you are a biter.”
There’s a playfulness to his voice, so my nibbling hasn’t upset him. “Do you like that?” I gently bite the spot again. His body tenses as he tries to keep his hips still. It’s enough of an answer, and I lightly worry the skin between my teeth. He’ll have a mark there tomorrow, one only the two of us will know about. The intimacy and the satisfaction it gives me are unexpected and confusing. I push it all aside, ignoring it. At least for now. “Perhaps you’ll like this too.”
I turn my head and nuzzle into his balls, inhaling deeply, filling my nose with the scent of sex and lust. “You smell delicious.” I eagerly suck him into my mouth, teasing andkneading his beautiful cock with my tongue. Another gasp is his only reaction, so I suck harder. He grips the sheets, fingers turning white with the intensity. Carefully, I release him from between my lips, aware that sucking isn’t always a pleasant sensation to everyone. Nico collapses onto the bed, a thin sheen of sweat beading across his brow. His luscious hair is a mess of tousled curls, his lips parting invitingly as he pants for air. I can’t help myself. He’s the perfect image of debauched pleasure. “You’re beautiful like this.”
“Sweet Founding Mother, get your mouth back on me.”
Unable to help myself, I laugh. “Well, since you invoked the Founder—” I suck him back into my mouth, watching, enraptured, as he writhes with each stroke of my tongue. Is he even breathing? It’s only when he slips from between my lips a second time that I see him release a long, ragged exhale.
