Yarif chuckled. “You don’t know much about consorts in my land, do you?”
Draylon shook his head.
“I have been training all my life to be consort to some noble lord or lady. That includes matters in the bedroom. As soon as I came of age, suitable…teacherswere found for me.”
“Prostitutes?”
Yarif couldn’t help his laugh. “No! Priests and priestesses of the Goddess of Love. Though they showed me the expected acts and how to perform them, no emotions were involved. They believed I should save my affections for my future mate.”
“No affection?” Draylon’s eyes went wide. “You’ve never bedded someone of your own choosing?”
“Never.” Was that so hard to believe?
Draylon scowled. “I’m sorry you’ve been forced into such a situation again.”
“No, you misunderstand. I do choose you. You’re my husband, and I’ve vowed to do everything possible to improve your life and make our union as painless as possible for us both. Who knows? We might even accomplish something good.” Yarif rubbed his hands together. “I must admit that I don’t like being used roughly. Any humiliation will have me lying awake at night plotting how to make your murder appear accidental. As long as you treat me respectfully, we’ll have no problems.”
The tension broke with Draylon’s laugh. “You certainly say what’s on your mind, don’t you?”
“Shouldn’t I? Most courtiers waste precious time with empty platitudes, dancing around the truth so skillfully that they lose sight of it themselves. Why do that?”
“Does one of those murder methods involve the vial in your pocket?”
He’d seen? Yarif must be more careful in the future. “This?” He handed the vial over. “It’s merely strong spirits of May’s making, meant to calm my nerves.”
Draylon studied the container, brow furrowed. “Is there any left?”
Not the expected reaction. It seemed Yarif wasn’t the only one suffering wedding night jitters. “Sure. Help yourself.”
Draylon unstoppered the vial, sniffed, then downed the contents, grimacing at the burn and releasing a heavy breath. He stared at the empty vial. “She made that herself?”
“Yes. She says it's solely for medicinal purposes.” Like broken hearts, wedding night jitters, and sometimes, as May would say,“Because the sun rose today.”
Suitably fortified, Draylon smiled and extended a barely shaking hand. “Shall we see the rest of the suite?”
Chapter Fourteen
We’retogetherwithalong night ahead of us. We might as well enjoy.
Had Yarif intentionally brushed his thigh against Draylon’s during dinner? Draylon got hard during the soup course and stayed hard through dessert, barely managing to calm his desperate body to climb the stairs to their chambers.
In the right light, Draylon could see through Yarif’s gauzy tunic, catch a glimpse of pink nipples on a firm chest. So seductive, and Yarif didn’t even seem to be trying.
Draylon’s usual bed partners were far more muscular and often rough after a good sparring session or even a battle when the tension of the day spilled over into the need for a raw, brutal release.
While the day’s stress had run high, this wasn’t some soldier riding the throes of blood lust. Yarif had learned how to please a lover from priests. Emotionless? Passionless?
Please let Draylon not break Yarif in half in a fit of lust.
But lust he did, barely able to keep from ripping Yarif’s beautiful clothing to shreds while removing piece after piece, revealing smooth skin unmarred by scars. Draylon forced himself to go slowly, running his fingers, then his tongue, over Yarif’s toned shoulders, then to his sparsely haired chest, then down, down, down, past a taut abdomen and on to a stiff cock, the head flushed with blood, jutting from a nest of blond curls.
Draylon circled the base with callused fingers, guiding the rigid shaft to his lips. A drop of precum against his tongue gave off the most delicious flavor. He moaned at the scent, the taste, his own cock desperate for attention after having been neglected for far too long. Draylon rubbed his groin through his trousers.
Maybe seduction was a game the priests taught, meaning Yarif knew precisely the effect he had.
Time enough for Draylon to see to his own needs later. They had all night—and longer, if they wanted. The sooner they emerged from this chamber, the sooner they’d have to face the world. No getting ahead of himself, though.
First, they had to survive tonight. No doubt Father had someone listening nearby to ensure Draylon and Yarif consummated their union.
