Page 16 of His Noble Savior (Folk of Vale #3)

Lilian

Lilian dissolved in Richard’s hug, in those strong arms wrapped around him, promising safety. If only this could be forever. His time with Richard was coming to an end.

“I don’t want to marry her,” Richard said, his voice thick with emotion. His hold on Lilian tightened, who hugged him back, pressing his head to Richard’s chest.

“But you’ll have to. For your brother. For Vale. Why wouldn’t you want to marry her?”

Richard didn’t reply, only kissed the top of Lilian’s head. That small gesture said everything. It told him the secrets of Richard’s heart.

Their shared pain hung between them, stinging Lilian’s eyes. He swallowed the sadness gathering at the back of his throat. Richard felt the same as he did, and yet, it didn’t change their fate. Too much was at stake. The lives of thousands depended on the successful defense of Vale. If the human troops failed to apprehend the orcs, and they would without the support of the Spring Court, countless men would suffer the same fate as Lilian had. Nathan’s life was on the line. Richard couldn’t afford to put his feelings above the greater good, and neither could Lilian let him do it in good conscience.

Lilian fisted the velvet of Richard’s doublet, the fabric going taut under his attack. This wasn’t fair. How could fate be so cruel as to bring them together only to tear them apart?

“How much time do we have until the wedding?” Lilian asked.

“I don’t know. Bellerose could want to formalize the betrothal tomorrow if negotiations go well. Then it’d take a few weeks to make arrangements for the ceremony. It won’t be before the summer.”

Summer was close. The sun was warming the land, ripening the crops. The days already stretched from early morning to late evening. Weeks would turn into days in a heartbeat.

“I want to make the most of the time we have,” Lilian said.

Richard cupped his face, brushing his thumb over his cheekbone as he made him look up. “So do I.”

Richard kissed him as he’d never kissed him before. He captured Lilian’s mouth, his hand sliding to his nape, holding him in place. Richard slammed into his mouth, claiming and taking, and Lilian responded, kissing him back with the sudden vigor of a torch flaring to life.

Richard backed him into a wall, trapping him against the hard surface as their tongues tangled. Lilian moaned into the kiss, almost fainting in bliss at the possessive pressure of Richard’s body against his. Richard’s heat sank into him, the familiar sandalwood scent engulfing him. Lilian spread his legs, and Richard’s thigh was right there, pushing between them, giving him something to rut against. Overcome by desire, a violent shudder ran through Lilian.

Richard tore away, eyes wide, suddenly six feet of unwelcome space between them. “I’m sorry.” He was panting, shoulders heaving. “Fuck.” Richard dragged a hand through his curls, fisting them. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to attack you like that. You must…”

Lilian blinked in confusion. “Why are you apologizing?” And why was Richard backing away from him?

“I didn’t mean to hurt or scare you. Fuck, I’m really sorry. This isn’t how I want to treat you.”

Lilian crossed the space between them, placing his hands on Richard’s hips, pulling him flush against him. With the distance between them eliminated, Lilian dropped his forehead on Richard’s chest. “Put your hands on me.”

With great tenderness, Richard cupped the back of Lilian’s head and loosely wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Lilian breathed him in, working through the shock the sudden distance had given him. He hated being apart from Richard.

Their breathing calmed. Why had Richard ripped away? He’d been wonderfully close, his restraint discarded, instinct taking over. Lilian had enjoyed the rare display of strength. Richard was no knight, but he kept in shape, muscles rippling underneath his skin when he was naked.

“You’re touching me like I’m a long-lost cousin, not your lover,” Lilian said.

Richard huffed and slid his hand to the small of Lilian’s back. “Better?”

“A little.” Lilian exhaled. “Why did you stop?”

“It happened so quickly. I was desperate to hold you, to have you, because I don’t know how much longer I can. I lost control, wanted to show you how I yearn for you. When you flinched, it broke me out of my haze, and I realized with great shame that I’d gone too far.”

“Flinched?” Lilian almost laughed. “I didn’t flinch. Why in the world would I flinch away from you?”

He hadn’t finished the sentence when understanding dawned on him. Oh . Richard had mistaken his blissed-out shiver as a sign of fear. Thus far, Richard had exercised extreme caution around him, ensuring Lilian saw each touch coming. Richard had surprised himself with his outburst of emotion, and he worried he’d reminded Lilian of unpleasant experiences. If only Richard knew how different this was for Lilian. He wanted Richard to touch him, couldn’t live without his scent, his heat.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Lilian said. “I liked it. You could never scare me.”

“That’s good.”

“You’re human, and I’m a fae, and sometimes you forget what that means.” Lilian chuckled softly. “You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.”

Richard hummed, holding Lilian tenderly. He was in for a surprise. Lilian had arrived weak and injured at Somerdale Castle, but those days were gone. With the good food and Richard’s care, Lilian’s strength had returned weeks ago, surpassing his. He tightened his grip on Richard’s hips, and then he picked him up and threw him three yards across the room and onto the bed where he landed on the mattress with a bounce.

His jaw slack, Richard gaped as he pushed onto his elbows, watching Lilian saunter over. He climbed onto the bed and on top of Richard. “Sorry.”

Richard blew out air. “Don’t worry about it.” He pressed his lips to Lilian’s. “It’s easy to forget how strong you are.”

“Compared to a human. Or a gnome.”

Richard snorted. “Thanks.”

Lilian sobered. “I couldn’t hold my own against another light fae. Bellerose would take me down in one strike. A dark fae would need less than that. An orc…”

Lilian swallowed, and Richard nodded. He didn’t need to say anything more for his lover to understand.

Richard kissed him, cautious and full of affection. Their lips moved together in harmony, and Richard’s hands returned to Lilian’s neck, to his hip.

“Roll me over,” Lilian said against his lips.

Richard wrapped his legs around Lilian’s, and in one swift move, he reversed their positions. Lilian groaned when his back hit the bed, and Richard came to rest on top of him, pressing him into the mattress. Lilian’s physical strength might’ve returned, but he needed Richard to ground and reassure him. Richard was the one who’d taken his broken pieces and put them back together.

“Is this all right?” Richard asked, kissing Lilian’s ear, grinding against him.

“More than all right.” Lilian’s fingers wandered to Richard’s chest, pulling at the strings that laced up his doublet. “Undress me.”

Richard growled and pushed onto his hands and knees, giving Lilian space to work open his jacket. The strings came loose under his deft fingers. Richard untucked Lilian’s shirt, pushing it up his torso, dragging it over his sensitive skin.

They’d never done it like this, Richard on top and in control, Lilian on his back and sprawled out for him. In light of Lilian’s captivity, they’d both felt safer with him on top, setting the pace. But Lilian would never be afraid of him. If the whole world came after him, he’d turn to Richard for protection. Everything about him exuded safety. If Lilian could crawl inside him, he would. The only way that would be possible, in any sense of the word, was if he and Richard married, their souls uniting in an eternal bond. Never mind. Lilian would enjoy the things he could have.

They shed the rest of their clothing, and Richard came to rest on top of him, deliciously heavy and hard, both their precum pearling onto Lilian’s lower abdomen as they kissed. Naked, Richard’s scent was the strongest, and it wrapped around them like a shield, keeping them safe in their bubble.

Lilian parted his legs, allowing Richard to sink between them. “I want you like this.”

“Me on top?” Richard’s hazel eyes searched his, hesitation shining in them.

“Yes.” Before Richard could say anything else, he added, “I’m sure. I want to feel you as you take charge. I want you to ravish me like you’re not afraid to break me. And you can’t break me because you’ve made me strong.”

Richard’s lips spread into a smile, and he pressed them to Lilian’s cheek. “You’re very strong. And yet I want to protect you.”

Lilian’s eyelids fluttered, and he bucked. Richard’s cock twitched. Encouraged, Lilian dragged the backs of his blunt fingernails over Richard’s spine. He sealed their mouths together, parting his lips for Richard. Lilian moaned when Richard’s tongue rolled across his in a drawn-out, sweeping motion.

Richard let go of him with a peck to his lips and fetched the faerie oil from the nightstand. Kneeling between his spread legs, Richard lubed his digits. He pressed a fingertip to Lilian’s rim, rubbing him. These days, it took Lilian mere seconds to loosen, and Richard overcame the remaining resistance, gliding inside. The shock of heat followed, and Lilian dropped a low, pleased sound as Richard bottomed out.

Tingles rushed onto him, sizzling through his hole. Richard withdrew, only to return with two fingers. He pushed inside, and Lilian’s sphincter slackened for him, letting him in. Richard stretched him, ensuring he was slick and relaxed. Scissoring his fingers, he parted Lilian’s walls, provoking a filthy little noise. Lilian’s hole undulated, unsuccessfully trying to squeeze closed. Richard held him open, Lilian’s inner muscles clenching lustfully.

“I’m ready,” Lilian said.

Richard withdrew and lubed up before aligning his cockhead with Lilian’s entrance. He brushed the blunt tip across it, smearing precum and oil onto the wrinkled skin. Lilian bore down, opening for Richard’s engorged cock. He loved having Richard inside him, his thick glans hitting him just right on every thrust. Thus far, Lilian had been the one in charge, riding Richard with hands pressing down on his chest, moans streaming out of him. He’d controlled the speed and depth of each thrust, and giving that up to Richard was an act of faith and devotion.

With a nudge, Richard’s flared tip overcame the narrowness of Lilian’s opening, and he tunneled inside. A high-pitched cry flew off Lilian’s lips, his pelvic floor quaking in lust as Richard conquered him.

He wanted this, wanted it so much. Richard on top of him, entering him, owning him, was pure catharsis. It expelled the demons of the past. With any other man, Lilian would’ve been afraid, but Richard gave him what he needed, his whole being shielding him as he drove inside. The combination of faerie oil and friction sent sparks zapping through him. His body came alive, every part of him hyperaware of Richard’s welcome invasion.

Affirmations poured out of him, praising Richard’s girth, telling him how good he made him feel. Richard was only halfway inside when the heat and tingling came to a crescendo, and an orgasm rushed onto Lilian. Too soon! He reached between his legs and circled his root, fingers pressing down to forestall his release.

“Already?” Richard asked, a smile curving the corners of his lips.

“You feel amazing. Don’t want to come without your permission.” Lilian longed to surrender to Richard. Everything the orcs stole forcibly from him, he’d gift to Richard freely. “I want to be good for you.”

“Oh, you’re being very good for me,” Richard said and brushed a blond strand out of Lilian’s face.

Lilian’s cock swelled, blood rushing into him, making him grow. Making him throb. Richard gave a firm shove, and he bottomed out, his length spearing Lilian open. His insides clenched, welcoming Richard, dousing him in pleasure as he tightened.

“You’re perfect,” Richard growled, and Lilian shivered.

He hiked up his legs and crossed his ankles under Richard’s buttocks, holding him in the perfect position for fucking. Richard’s cock thickened inside him. He drooled a string of precum onto Lilian’s sensitive inner walls, making him moan in delight. Lilian loved the proof of Richard’s arousal. His hard length pulsed inside Lilian, and then Richard eased out only to drill into him, stuffing him to the brim.

“Yes…” Lilian breathed. “So… full…”

Richard pressed into his inner walls, satisfying his eager nerve endings. On the next thrust, Richard changed the angle of his hips, and when he thumped into Lilian, he hit his prostate.

Lilian bucked in pleasure, his insides squeezing and releasing Richard. His nipples hardened, and arousal swirled in his core, readying to uncoil and strike. Lilian clutched his root, pre-empting a climax. His cock jerked angrily, precum rolling off his crown and dripping onto his stomach. The glans turned purple and palpitated in time with Lilian’s heartbeat, announcing its eagerness to come.

“You’re hanging on?” Richard said and dragged a digit through the sticky mess on Lilian’s abdomen. He brought it to his lips and licked his finger clean, his eyes going soft. “I love how you leak for me.”

“Only for you.”

Richard gave a shallow thrust, which forced more liquid out of Lilian’s tip. “Look at you. Drooling all over yourself.”

Lilian made a small sound, and Richard gave his love spot a nudge. It shuddered. He fell into a rhythm, humping Lilian’s gland with well-aimed jabs, spurring his lust.

With every prod, Lilian’s hole grew narrower. His hunger for release climbed as Richard worked him over. Sweat beaded on Richard’s skin, the drops running over his collarbone and curving along his full pecs.

Lilian’s cock ached. The veins running up his shaft bulged. His glans oozed fluid with every pulsation. Richard sped up, driving his cockhead deep into Lilian, hitting his core with precision.

“F-Fuck… Richard…”

“You want to come?”

Pressure built inside Lilian. “Y-Yes.”

Richard increased his speed once more, hammering Lilian’s defenseless gland. It seized, his cock twitching rhythmically.

“Come for me,” Richard said.

The power of his words hit Lilian so hard, he forgot to let go of his root. His insides constricted as orgasm slammed into him, and he came, heeding Richard’s command. Long ropes of release hit his chest and stomach. He writhed, his insides clenching and unclenching to the punishing beat of Richard’s thrusts. Spurt after spurt splattered onto him, and he lifted his eyes to Richard’s, meeting his warm gaze. He came twice as hard under the love shining down on him.

Lilian sagged against the pillows, his fingers falling away from his cock.

“Another?” Richard asked, and the suggestion was enough to keep Lilian hard. His balls were still full, his vise grip on his base having prevented their emptying. How Richard hadn’t come with Lilian’s hole clamping down on him was beyond fathoming.

“Please.”

Richard rotated his hips, grinding his cockhead into Lilian’s love spot. Lilian had never felt so connected to anyone else. He buried a hand in Richard’s bronze curls and pulled him down for a kiss.

Lilian’s mouth opened under his, parted lips brushing across each other, indulging in closeness. Richard dipped into his mouth, and as his tongue caressed Lilian’s in time with his thrusts, a second climax rose deep inside.

It mounted, leaving Lilian full of need. He tightened his legs’ grip on Richard’s hips, urging him to fuck him harder, to go deeper.

Richard didn’t need to be asked twice. He accelerated, plundering Lilian’s hole, prodding his gland. Lilian’s balls rose to his base until they nestled full and tight against his taint, begging to unload.

The persistent thumps to his prostate had Lilian vibrating with urgency. His insides wrapped around Richard’s pistoning cock, forcing him to drag over each nerve ending. Lilian’s hand balled to a fist in Richard’s locks.

“Go ahead,” Richard said. “I know you’re dying to orgasm. So do it. Come and milk me for my seed.”

Lilian squirmed, and it drove Richard’s cock into him. Hard. His core pulsed, and a thunderous climax descended on him. His hole convulsed, squeezing and releasing Richard. His balls shuddered, and he came with a fountain of cum shooting from his crown, spraying his front.

Richard groaned, loud and deep. Hot cum gushed into Lilian, dousing his insides.

“Yes!” Lilian’s shout of lust bolted out of him. He loved it when Richard fell over the edge with him, unloading into his depths. Orgasmic spasms shook him, and he contracted on Richard’s cock. He relished the resistance of his hard dick. Lilian keened as waves of release washed over him, his pumping insides emptying him.

Spent, Richard collapsed on top of him. “Fuck, that was good.”

Lilian’s insides gave a final convulsion at the praise, and Richard, a smile spreading his lips, pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I enjoyed this so much. I love it when you come so hard on me. Let’s me climax so good inside of you. I appreciate your trust.”

Lilian caught Richard’s lips in a kiss. “You’re the only one I trust. This means so much.”

Richard clasped his hand and intertwined their fingers. “I want to look after you. I want to make you happy.”

Lilian squeezed his hand and inhaled deeply. “You already do.”

But their days as lovers were numbered.