I almost want to laugh at how crazy it sounds, even in my own brain. But I can’t, because Aric’s thumb is running small circles along my nipple now, while his lips find and tug on my earlobe, his breath on my neck sending goose bumps along my skin.
And I have a ridiculous thought suddenly.
No wonder the girls talk about sex all the time.
And this isn’t even sex. It’s just gentle touching through my nightgown. The idea of Aric taking my nightgown off and touching my naked skin makes me hot between my legs, and I reach up to wrap my hands around him, my fingers exploring his strong back and shoulder muscles beneath the fabric of his tunic.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” Aric says into my ear, at the same time his hand drifts down from my breast, starting a leisurely journey across my stomach, then pausing.
“I will.”
To show him I want this, that I’m ready for this, I spread my thighs, just a small amount, enough for his hand.
Instead of kissing me again, he watches my face in the dim moonlight as his hand moves lower. Still with my nightgown between us, he finds the heated place between my legs, and when he cups me there, I tip my head back and moan.
I’m not exactly a stranger to touching myself, especially now that I have all those romance books on my nightstand back in the dorm. But I’ve never been touched by someone else. And already, I can feel how different it is, to let someone else explore me in ways only I have before.
It feels . . . dangerous. But also right.
Aric slowly lowers his mouth back to mine, catching my lips as his fingers begin to softly massage me, pressing into my clit in a way that makes my toes curl beneath the warm blanket. I have to keep breaking our kiss to catch my breath.
“Do you want more?” he asks, his voice warm and rumbly in the darkness.
I consider it for a moment, ask myself if I’m ready. The answer comes easily.Yes.I spread my legs just a bit wider for him. Against my thigh, his hardness twitches again.
He slides his hand under my nightgown, going slow enough that I could tell him to stop if I wanted him to. But Ireallydon’t want him to stop. Especially now that the heat between my legs is demanding to be relieved.
When Aric’s fingers find the waistband of my panties, I bite my lip, my heart rate skyrocketing. He pauses, waiting for a moment. Then he slips his fingers inside the thin fabric, and the first touch of his skin against my most sensitive place almost brings tears to my eyes.
He slides his fingers through my folds, which I can now tell are slick with wetness, then pauses at my entrance. Using one finger, he presses gently. I try to relax despite how fast my heart is racing. This time, when he presses again, my body yields to him, and his fingertip slides inside me.
I let out something between a moan and a whine, and Aric sinks his finger deeper inside me, stretching me farther than I’ve ever been stretched. At the same time, his thumb finds my clit again, and when he starts to massage it in tandem with moving his finger slowly into and out of me, I loose myself to the pleasure, melting into the bed like I have no bones left in my body.
It took me some time to learn how to bring myself to climax, but Aric doesn’t seem to have that problem. His fingers are as confident as they are gentle, and he brings me to my peak faster than I thought possible. My breath catches in my throat, and right before I cum, I whisper, “Aric...”
Then my whole body squeezes, and I succumb to an orgasm stronger than anything I’ve given myself. Even my thigh muscles clench as the pleasure bursts through me in waves of delicious relief.
Aric leans down to catch my lips, and I kiss him deeply, running my fingers through his loose hair and tightening my hold on him as he continues to rub me, though more gently now, helping coax a long, delicious climax out of me.
When I’m finally done, I pull away from our kiss to catch my breath, and despite the low light, I can see Aric is smiling.
Then another thought enters my mind:What do I do for him?
My gaze flicks down to the tension in his trousers. He must be able to follow my gaze, because he rumbles out a laugh and says, “You don’t have to do anything. We can—”
“No,” I whisper. “I want to.”
He tips his head a bit, and I can feel his gaze studying me. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “I’m sure. But... can you teach me?”
There’s a long moment of silence—long enough that I almost convince myself that he doesn’t want my inexperienced hands touching him. But then, softly, he whispers, “Okay.”
Chapter 31
Aric
I EASE BACK ONTO THE pillow, and Poppy sits up beside me. I can make out her features in the dark—orc eyes have much better night vision than human eyes—and she looks uncertain, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
