There was something still left inside me that refused to quit, though, so I just kept running.
17. Joys of Sharing
Koa
The moonlight spilling through our bedroom windows painted Seri in a soft glow that made her look almost too fragile to touch, yet beneath that lay a strength I’d come to treasure above all else.
It was rare I had her all to myself, and it felt both right and wrong. Right because I could take my time savoring her without worrying about anyone else. Wrong because my brothers should be here. She wasours,ourbeloved, and we loved sharing her.
But Cas had gone to meet a potential client and taken Zane along because rumor had it that a swan maiden was involved. Still, they should be home any time, and we could all enjoy her together then.
“Koa?”
Seri’s voice quivered, and three steps carried me across the room, floorboards silent beneath my bare feet, until my shadow engulfed her. When my fingers found the ribbon strap at her shoulder, she made a sound halfway between a whimper and a sigh.
“Baby?” I checked, letting my thumb brush the flitting pulse at her throat. “May I?”
“Of course,” she breathed.
Ah. Anticipation, then. Nothing more worrying.
The nightie was a wisp of a thing, pale pink silk that barely reached mid-thigh. Zane presented it to her just that morning, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he’d handed over the gift bag.
“Size extra-small, sweet cheeks,” he’d said, wagging those fiery eyebrows at her with that irreverent grin of his.
Seri had blushed furiously, but the smile that played at her lips told us all she was pleased. These moments, her accepting gifts and allowing herself to be pampered, were victories. Small battles won in the war against what her stepmother had ingrained in her.
The shoulder ribbons slid off with a twitch of my fingers, sending silk sighing down her arms to pool at her waist. Even after countless viewings, my breath still caught, and I watched her eyes drift closed as my fingertips traced the delicate curve of her throat.
Making love to my wife wasn’t just about the physical release; it was communion, a reaffirmation that the universe had somehow seen fit to bring this miracle into our lives. I inhaled the scent of her skin and felt that familiar surge of protectiveness and desire twist through me.
“Koko,” she whispered, and the nickname, silly as it was, made something warm uncurl inside my chest every time she said it.
I kissed down her neck slowly, savoring each soft gasp and tiny shiver. My hands slid under the hem of her nightie, finding the warm, soft skin of her thighs, her hips, her ass.
“You bring so much beauty into my life,” I murmured against her collarbone, feeling her pulse trip beneath my lips like a trapped butterfly.
A smile curled her lips, that sweet, slightly shy expression that never failed to undo me completely.
Slipping the nightie up and over her head, I reveled in each inch of her. She raised her arms to help, trusting and open, and my heart squeezed painfully in my chest. Trust from Seri wasn’t given lightly. It had been earned through patience, through promises kept, through proving ourselves worthy of her.
Her breasts were perfect handfuls that fit my palms as though they had been made for me specifically, although my brothers said the same thing. I cupped them, watching her eyes grow heavy-lidded as I squeezed. When her nipples hardened, I couldn’t resist taking one into my mouth.
The taste of her made something primal within me growl with satisfaction. I laved her nipple with my tongue, sucking gently while my hand kneaded the other. She arched more firmly into my mouth, and I hummed my approval.
These moments fed something deep and ancient inside me. The dhampir part of me that craved possession, that needed to claim what was ours. Mine and Casimir’s and Zane’s.Ourbeloved,ourmiracle, the one woman in all the world made just for the three of us.
My hand moved around to span her back, supporting her as my mouth worshiped her breasts. She was so small against me, her spine a delicate ridge beneath my palm. Everything about her seemed designed to awaken my most protective instincts, and I was careful, alwayssocareful, with her body.
My other hand slipped between her thighs, finding the heaven that awaited there. The first time I’d touched her like this, I’d been stunned by the softness and the heat.
“I love how you respond to me,” I praised, my voice dropping to a gravelly rumble as I circled her entrance with one finger before slipping inside.
She was so tight, and I watched her face for any sign of discomfort as I stretched her. One finger became two, then three, preparing her patiently. There was no rush. We had all night, all our lives, to savor each other.
“Please,” she whispered at last. “Koko,please.”
I withdrew my hand and positioned myself between her parted thighs, my knees nudging them wider. I wasn’t as tall as my brothers, but I was built solidly, all muscle and power, and the size difference between us was both adorable and a concern.
