Page 92 of Lash

I sit on his knees and carefully work his jeans down past the bandage over his hip wound—he wrapped the bandage around his belly at an angle. Once his cock is bared, I waste no time. I slip my hands under his shirt and explore the hard wonderland of his muscled torso and kiss his belly, his navel, avoiding the wounded area. He gathers my hair in his hands and piles it on my head and holds it there, cradling my head in his powerful hands. I stretch myself out, sitting on my heels and reaching up his body to toy with his hard flat nipples while I kiss my way down to his erection.

"Tati," he breathes.

I take him in my mouth, lips stretched wide to wrap around his thick organ, tasting salt and skin and the distinctive tangy, smoky musk of his pre-cum.

His fingers dimple into my scalp, and apply the gentlest amount of pressure, encouraging me to take more of him. I eagerly oblige, swirling my tongue against his hot flesh, tasting his veins as they stutter against my tongue, until I've taken as much of his considerable length as I comfortably can.

He arches, hisses, and drops back to the floor. I slide my mouth up his length and bob around the plump, round head, tasting his pre-cum as it leaks out of him, and now he lets out a low huff, and then a teeth-clenched grunt as I give him my mouth in long, slow drives from the soft, springy tip down as far as I can and back up—every time I reach his glans once more, I give him a few short fast bobs, and then a long swallowing slide.

Bob, bob, bob…slide.

Again and again.

He clutches at my head and pressures me downward, thrusting into my mouth with a tightening of his ass muscles, panting raggedly now. He groans when I take him as deep as I can and bob there, my mouth and throat suckling around him—Ireach up and slap a hand over his mouth, stifling another groan. He huffs into my hand, gasping as he thrusts harder, nearing climax. I let his cock pop free of my mouth and caress his hot, spit-slick length, and then suction my lips around his tip and bob there, just above my stroking hand. Hissing through gritted teeth, Nico thrusts helplessly, desperately. I bob on him faster and faster now, and plunge my fist around his root with hard, twisting strokes. Grunting once, a rough snarl in the back of his throat, he palms the back of my head and holds tight, pressing me gently downward. I accept the guidance and take more of him, gliding lower and lower, shortening the strokes of my hand as I gulp and gasp around his cock.

Now.

I feel him cut loose all at once. There's barely time to prepare for it, so sudden and fierce is his release—I think it surprised him, as well. He grunts into my palm and I taste his cum as he floods my mouth with it, and I swallow greedily, backing away to suck around his head and jack his hot, throbbing length as hard and fast as I can.

He comes and comes, writhing and desperately growling, gasping, and grunting through his orgasm, his sounds muffled by my palm. At long last, his release slows to a trickle and then subsides altogether. When I know he's done, I let him go and tuck him back into his jeans and do him back up, and then he hauls me up his body and cradles me to his chest.

“Tati," he whispers.

I touch his lips. "I know. Me too."

"You don't know what I was going to say," he protests.

I nuzzle his jaw with my nose. "Sure I do. That was amazing, and you love me, and you can't wait to get me alone again so you can fuck me until I can't take anymore."

He huffs a laugh, his belly and chest bouncing. "Pretty much, yes."

I kiss his cheek, put my lips to his ear. "I love you, Nicolae Dragos. I need this to be over so we can hole up in a room somewhere for a week straight and have sex and eat carryout and watch stupid television together."

"We are nearly there, I promise." He turns his face so our lips meet. "You amaze me, you know that? All of this was thrust upon you, and you have dealt with everything that has been thrown at you with barely a word of complaint. You have adapted as needed, and you always pull your weight, which is especially impressive in a situation so far outside your comfort zone."

My heart swells at his praise. "I just don't want to be a burden. I don't want you and your team to have to carry me through this."

"I am proud of you, Tatiana. Truly."

My nose stings and my eyes burn, and my god I'm so sick of crying, but even though Tata loved me, he rarely praised me or told me he was proud of me. He was generous with hugs and affection, frequently told me he loved me, but being praised and told that he was proud was a rarity. So hearing it from Nico…

It makes me cry, but a good kind of cry.

I lose track of time after that, dozing in the warm comfort of Nico's strong arms. I'm woken when the world tilts.

"We're landing," Nico murmurs to me. "Better go back with the others."

I hum a sleepy affirmative as I sit up and stretch. We both get up and put our clothes in order and then rejoin the others near the tail of the airplane. No one says anything about our reappearance, although Chance and Nicolae exchange looks.

"We're a very close-knit group," Nico murmurs to me. "And we live in close quarters. No one will say anything, and if they do, it will be good-natured teasing." He indicates the three brothers, Saxon, Solomon, and Silas, who are huddled together talking in low tones and laughing. "Those three are all in brand newrelationships, too, so if anything, they're probably jealous that I get to sneak off with you for some private time."

"I am not sure I would want someone I love to be involved in this if it wasn't necessary," I say.

Nico nods. "I understand that. I would spare you all of this if I could."

I sniff a laugh. "What is ironic about that is even though this is frightening and exhausting, I have found you because of it, so even if I could go back and avoid it all, I am not sure I would." I sigh and shake my head. "I wouldn't want Tata, Georg, Ana, and Katya to die, though. Ana and Katya especially. They were young, smart, innocent girls with their whole lives ahead of them. They’d never done anything to hurt anyone. Killing them served absolutely no purpose whatsoever."

"I do not know if I have said it, but I am truly sorry for all the loss you have endured, Tatiana my love," Nico says.