Page 8

Chapter Eight

Hannah

I love my children. I really do. After all, everything I’d done for the last… uh, forever had been for them, right? I would’ve left Travis’s deadbeat butt years ago if I hadn’t been worried about them thriving without a father.

Yeah, I loved them…but dang it felt good to leave them sometimes.

Before Joshy had been born, Benny and Tova used to spend more time at my parents’ house; they’d been the primary babysitters, after all. But having a third kid, especially in the middle of divorce proceedings, had made things…difficult. Then Mom’s diagnosis, and Dad having to become her primary caregiver and everything.

So these special weekends at Nana and Papa’s had been few and far between, but they were special .

Not just for the kids, but for me too. Usually I only took advantage of them for work trips or whatever, but this weekend? This weekend, I was really looking forward to having the house to myself.

Almost to myself.

I might have broken the speed limit getting back to my house. It was four-thirty on Friday afternoon, and my parents would be back by noon on Sunday. Two glorious days alone…with Aswan.

And frankly, I knew just how I wanted to spend them.

Here’s a hint; not cooking and cleaning for the party, although I suppose that was inevitable.

No, I’d been thinking about that kiss—that embarrassing, wonderful, riveting kiss almost nonstop. The way he’d almost lost control—the way I almost made him lose control! The way he wanted me, despite my messy meltdown. The way he’d held me and said and done all the right things. And his tongue! Oh my gosh, his tongue .

So I’d come up with a plan.

A mature, responsible plan.

And it was time to implement it.

I all but ran from the driveway to the front door, and when I slammed it behind me, I was surprised—and nervous, and relieved—to see Aswan standing right there in the foyer, waiting for me.

As if he’d known I was coming.

“Hi,” I blurted awkwardly .

His eyes were glowing green again, as his gaze swept me from head to toe and back up again. As if he was memorizing me. Marking me.

I swallowed and stepped toward him. “I… We’re alone now.”

“For two days,” he rumbled, as if he was already thinking the same as I was.

“And since the kids aren’t here…” Oh gosh, how was I going to get this said? I took a deep breath. “You’re not the nanny.”

Aswan blinked. “I’m not.”

It wasn’t a question. I took another step closer.

“For the next two days, we’re just… roommates .” Dang, that sounded silly. Still, I pushed ahead. “And roommates don’t have to think about being professional or worry about what the kids might think if they saw us together.”

Aswan’s chin ducked, and I saw his nostrils flare. “ Together ,” he growled.

I had to say it. “I want you, Aswan,” I whispered. “I don’t need a commitment, but if you’re okay with it, I really need to…” Oh crap, was I going to have to spell it out? With him staring at me so intently like that? “I need you .”

If you’d asked me how he was going to respond to that, I might have said, Verbally agreeing with me or maybe Asking for another kiss .

I would not have said He lifts me by my waist, throws me over his shoulder, and all but runs up the stairs .

But that’s what happened, the suddenness of it surprising a shriek of laughter out of me.

It wasn’t until I landed on the king-sized bed in the master bedroom that I realized where I was, and I had a moment of disorientation. It had been so long since I’d seen this ceiling from this angle…but then Aswan was there, bracing his hands on either side of my head, looming over me…

I had eyes only for him.

And when his lips found my neck? My eyes closed entirely, so I could focus on him . On the sensations shooting through my body.

“I’ve been hoping you would come to me, dkaar ,” he was murmuring against my skin, his lips and tusks sending shivers up and down my body. “I’ve been thinking about that kiss since last week.”

“Mmm, me too.” I stretched my arms around his neck, loving the way he was touching me, his large hands running down my sides, over my hips, and back up again. “I’ve been so…”

Horny . I didn’t want to say it, though, because it sounded so…crass.

To my surprise, though, Aswan lifted his head, a gentle smirk on his lips. “I know.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Orc senses are far stronger than humans’, especially our sense of smell. Normally, it doesn’t bother me, but…” His smirk softened to a sort of admiration as his gaze swept me. “I haven’t been able to ignore it, dkaar . Especially since I discovered how sweet you taste. ”

“How sweet…?” I murmured, my own senses dazed by his closeness.

“So sweet.” His head lowered again, his lips claiming mine.

I should have felt overwhelmed. Scared, even, with him so much larger, pinning me to the bed. This bed, the bed with the memories of Travis…

Except now this was Aswan’s bed, and Aswan had been the one I’d been dreaming about for the last weeks. The one I was in love with.

The one I trusted.

He would never hurt me. He would never do anything I was uncomfortable with. He would never make me sorry I trusted him.

I love you .

I wanted to yell it, but I knew we only had now. Tonight. This weekend. On Sunday, things would return to normal, and that was okay. I needed to enjoy this now.

“ Dkaar ,” Aswan murmured against my jaw, his tusk lightly scraping as he nibbled his way toward my neck. “I want to touch you all over.”

“Yes!” I gasped, arching into his touch. “ Please .”

If you’d asked me if this huge orc knew how to undress a woman, I would have said only in the most primitive manner . Like, ripping of clothing with tusks and claws, and you know what? I’d be okay with that.

But Aswan took his time. He undressed me gently, slowly. As if …

As if I was a present, a gift, and he was savoring the opportunity to unwrap me.

It made me feel desirable and self-conscious all at once.

Except…

After a while, I stopped feeling self-conscious, and focused only on his touch, because holy moly , Aswan’s touch! The pads of his fingers were rougher than I expected, and I knew it was possible for him to retract his claws—I’d seen how careful he was with the kids, after all—but it was remarkable to feel them against my skin.

And then…

And then .

And then his tongue got involved.

“Aswan!” I gasped, arching against the bed. He was stretched out at my side, and chuckled as his tongue circled my nipple again. God, I was so ready, so aroused. I thought I might come just from that playful nibble. I really didn’t think my nipples were that sensitive anymore, but when he bit down on them?

I moaned, my fingers clutching the bedspread, not sure what to do with themselves.

His hand gently pushed apart my thighs, and for a moment I hesitated—it had been so long since anyone touched me there—but then his breath hit my wet skin, and I relaxed into his touch.

“Perfect, dkaar ,” he murmured. His fingertip found my cleft and he stroked. “So wet, so perfect. ”

I don’t know if it was the praise, or the fact I was so primed. But when his fingertip found my clitoris—just the faintest touch, really—I spasmed, jerking toward him with a gasp as my orgasm burst over me.

He didn’t move his hand as I came, clutching at him, eyes squeezed shut…half in bliss, half in disappointment. I’d been looking forward to this—this session with Aswan for so long, and I’d come so quickly… dangit .

No, that was worthy of a dammit. You don’t have to watch your language here, and you just came without his fingers even in you. Dammit, you’d been looking forward to this!

When my core had stopped pulsing, I exhaled and flopped back to stare up at the ceiling. “Dammit,” I sighed, still tingly from the release, but vaguely disappointed.

That’s when a grinning Aswan loomed over me again. “You feel fucking magical , Hannah,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to my shoulder.

Unable to help myself, I started when his tusks scraped my skin, which seemed to still pulse with his nearness. “Are you—I mean, that was great. I…thank you.”

He didn’t even look up.

Chuckling, he kissed down my clavicle. “Oh, we’re just getting started.”

I… what ? I groped for him, and my palms encountered his bare chest. Just feeling his muscles under my palm made me shudder, and I realized my body was still tuned to him. “I already came, Aswan,” I admitted, dragging my hand down his side, and surprised to encounter the waist of his pants. He was still half-dressed? “It’s your turn to?— ”

His fingers wrapped around my wrist, tight as steel, and moved my hand away from the erection I could feel pressed against my thigh. “Oh no, dkaar , tonight isn’t about me.” His dark gaze, with the green glow in the center, held mine seriously. “Tonight I’m bringing you pleasure.”

My eyes widened, and my mouth opened to argue, but he caught my lips with his, stifling my protests. Besides, he’d sounded so… certain about his plans for the evening.

Tonight I’m bringing you pleasure .

I mean…how could I object to that?

Not once, in our time together, had Travis said such a thing to me. Not once had he suggested my pleasure was more important than his. I think, after all that time together, he’d just…stopped caring. Had he ever cared?

And why in the ever-loving poop are you thinking about Travis when you should be focused on what Aswan’s left hand is doing ?

Deciding to take my subconscious’s recommendation, I moaned in pleasure and pushed my breast against his palm.

Aswan's lips left mine, trailing kisses down my body like he was on a pilgrimage, and I was his sacred ground. He lingered at the valley between my breasts, his tongue tracing patterns that had me writhing. I could feel the ridges on his tongue, subtle yet unmistakable, a promise of what was to come.

When he moved lower, I squirmed, both from the tickling sensation of his tusks grazing my skin and the anticipation of where he was headed. When he reached my belly, he paused, then shot me a knowing glance. “You are a feast, Hannah,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that I felt more than heard.

Then he was moving again, his hands gently pushing my thighs apart. I felt exposed, vulnerable, but the way he looked at me—like I was a treasure—made me feel safe. He settled between my legs, his broad shoulders keeping me open to him. I could barely breathe; I could guess what was going to happen, and I could barely believe it.

The first touch of his tongue was electric. The ridges were rough, jarring in the most delightful way, causing me to jerk against his hold. He licked, slow and deliberate, from my entrance to my clit, and I bucked against him again, gasping in response.

“I knew you’d be delicious,” Aswan growled, his fingers dimpling my thighs. “Gods below, you’re the most perfect thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Stunned at such a compliment, I reached for him, but my fingers could only curl around his dark hair. “Aswan?—”

I’m not sure what I would have said, because he interrupted me with another long, slow lick, and I thought I might come undone right then. But he didn't let me. He built me up, his tongue dragging along my cleft, the ridges creating a tantalizing friction that had me panting and moaning.

And just when I thought I would go mad from the torture, he slid a thick finger inside me. I gasped, my body clenching around him.

“That’s it, dkaar ,” he hummed against me as he curled his fingers upward. “Open for me. ”

I could only whimper—half in confusion, half in bliss, because oh my God, what was happening ?

His fingertips hit something, a spot , deep inside me. Something I’d never felt or experienced on my own…and I nearly shot off the bed, yanking myself upright by his hair as I gasped.

It should have hurt him. Instead, Aswan chuckled—I swear to you, I felt him chuckle!—and nuzzled at my curls, his tongue lapping at me again. My entire body was coiled like a spring ready to snap.

“Aswan,” I rasped, not sure what I was going to say, and when he tipped his head to one side, the scraping of his tusk caused me to shudder. I couldn’t believe how close I was to coming again, so quickly. He’d done that to me— for me. His fingertips slowly stroked that spot deep within me, and I nearly sobbed at the sensation.

“So beautiful, Hannah.” A swipe of his tongue. “You’re the most delicious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.” Another swipe. “I could spend the rest of my life between your legs, feasting on you.” A third. “I love the way you taste.”

I love.

I love.

I love .

My fingers tightened in his hair, and I stared sightlessly across the room. I love . How bad would it be to blurt out the same words? I love you, Aswan . But he hadn’t said that. He’d said that he loved the taste of my pussy, which…I mean, that was a pretty close second, wasn’t it ?

We only had this weekend.

Until the kids returned, and we went back to being Mom and Nanny .

This wasn’t an I love you moment. This was a focus on your body, Hannah, because you’ll never again get to experience something so incredible moment.

So I did. I exhaled, forced myself to relax, and loosened my hold on him. Just in time, too, because Aswan curled his fingers inside of me, and closed his lips around my clitoris, the tip of his tongue finding that sensitive bud.

When he hummed, I exploded.

“Asw—” I began, before clamping my hand over my mouth, trying to muffle my shriek of ecstasy as my climax burst over me. Thank goodness he was holding my thighs down, because I bucked against him, as if trying to reach even closer, deeper, longer, harder.

This was what I’d been hoping for. This was the release I needed, and it went on forever. He continued to gently stroke me, and my orgasm stretched, my inner muscles clamping around him, as if trying to draw his fingers against my womb.

Aswan was everything I could have possibly prayed for.

With this realization, tears came to my eyes. My body was still thrumming from that orgasm, and now I was ready to cry? Just because I’d caught feelings for this remarkable male, and he was only available for a weekend fling?

Oh my gosh, you have got to get your shit together. Just enjoy it while you can !

As if Aswan had heard, his lips released my clit, and his tongue swiped along my cleft, from where his fingers disappeared in me, upward. But my lips were too sensitive, and I was—frankly—overwhelmed by what had just happened. I jerked against him, my fingers curling into his hair again as I blurted, “ Wait !”

I suppose it was incredulity that I was stopping him from going to town on me again, stopping him from giving me that incredible pleasure…whatever it was, by the time I succeeded in pulling his face from my crotch, I was laughing. Although maybe I was laughing to keep from crying, who knew?

No, when he lifted his face, his mouth and chin covered in my liquid desire, and grinned wickedly up at me, the laughter was real. I tugged again. “Aswan! I need…”

“Anything, dkaar . I’ll give it to you.”

Another incredulous burst of laughter. “A breather! I need…” Oh gosh… “Just give me a minute or ten.”

He hummed in agreement, then crawled from between my legs to stretch out beside me. Embarrassed now, I rolled against his chest, burying my face in his shoulder as his large hand stroked my back.

“I’ll give you whatever you need, Hannah.” His voice was low, serious. “Never feel like you can’t ask.”

“I just need…” I exhaled, feeling warm and safe in his hold, although how much of that was just the aftereffects of that orgasm? “Aswan, I’ve never…Oh my gosh ,” I groaned, pressing my face against his skin. “That’s never happened before.”

His hand stilled, and I felt his muscles tighten. “What? ”

“I’ve never come twice,” I mumbled. Then, deciding he deserved the truth, I exhaled. “I’ve never come with anyone before.” Although he hadn’t come, had he? “I mean, I’ve never had a guy make me?—”

He pulled away sharply, enough to stare down at me. “Hannah, you’re saying that your ex-husband never brought you to orgasm?”

Did he have to sound so incredulous? Mutely, I shook my head, knowing I was blushing furiously. His expression shuttered, but I saw something flare in his eyes, along with that green glow.

Trying to laugh it off, I ran my hand down his naked chest. “And I mean, you’re not even naked!” I could feel his erection pressing against his trousers and my hip, so I knew he wasn’t unaffected. “You’re still wearing your pants.”

This time, he didn’t catch my wrist, but he merely said, “I don’t need to be naked to pleasure you, dkaar .”

I really needed to figure out what that meant. I tried to grin, but was pretty sure it came out crookedly. “I’d like to touch you. It would make me happy to touch you, feel you.” I wanted to wrap my fingers around his cock, to feel it inside me…

Maybe he sensed my thoughts, because his nostrils flared, and the tip of that long tongue flicked out against one of his tusks. I wasn’t sure if it was a response, a habit, or if he was licking his lips…but I wanted to be the one to lick that tusk.

“Okay,” he rasped, reaching for his waistband and rolling onto his back. “If it will bring you pleasure… ”

As he pulled down his trousers, I rolled over him, bending over his mouth to kiss him. But I quickly gave into temptation and ran my tongue across his tusk, licking him the way he had…and the response was immediate.

With a growl, he wrapped both arms around me and yanked me against him. I could feel his chest vibrating, even as he kicked off his boxers, and decided that meant he liked it.

So I did it again, and this time, Aswan fell back against the bed with a groan, one hand reaching for his cock. I sat back, determined to explore.

He was magnificent—all muscles and taut green skin that seemed to shimmer in the low light. His chest and abdomen were tight with muscles, although I knew from the cuddling I’d just done that he wasn’t too hard either, and his legs were strong and thick. My fingers skimmed over the ridges and dips of his body, trying to memorize them.

Whenever I glanced up at his face, he was staring at me, his breaths coming deep and measured, as if I was far more interesting than whatever my touch was doing to him. Or as if he was fighting for control.

Because as I touched him…he was touching himself.

His cock was a thing of beauty, thick and a darker green than the rest of him, standing proudly against his abdomen. He had one hand wrapped around it, stroking slowly, his attention on me.

I reached out tentatively, wrapping my hand around his. He was hot and hard, silky smooth, and I could feel his pulse throbbing against my palm. And to my surprise, his cock was ridged , just like his tongue. I shuddered, imagining the way it would feel, sliding into my pussy.

If I hadn’t already been aroused—yet again! What was he doing to me?—that image would have been enough.

“Gods below,” he rasped, his strokes growing in speed. “The way you’re looking at me makes me…” The words ended in a groan as I gently nudged his hand out of the way.

He released his grip, letting me take over, and a low rumble echoed from his chest as I began to stroke him. What had he said to me? Oh yes.

“You like this?” I murmured. “You like the way I touch you?”

“More than anything,” he choked, his hips bucking slightly into my touch. “Just like that, love. Oh gods below, yes. You’re going to kill me…so fucking good.”

Emboldened by his praise, I leaned down, my hair cascading over his thighs as I pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his cock. He jerked in my hand, a hiss escaping his lips.

“Hannah,” he warned, his voice little more than a growl. “You don't have to?—”

“I want to,” I interrupted, looking up at him. “I want to taste you, Aswan.”

Something like desperation—or maybe fear—flickered across his features. “Tonight was about your pleasure, dkaar .”

“Sucking your cock will bring me pleasure, Aswan,” I announced primly, positioning myself over him .

His eyes flashed, the green glow brightening, and he nodded, the long green column of his throat working as he swallowed. “Then—taste,” he rasped. “Take your pleasure from my body.”

I smiled, leaning down again and this time, I took him into my mouth. He was too thick for me to get very far past my lips, but judging from his groan, I was doing just fine. I used my tongue to circle the thick green head, then used both hands to spread my saliva along his ridges.

He tasted of…cinnamon?

I hummed—partly in pleasure, partly in delight at his new and exciting taste, and the vibration made him buck his hips again.

“Fuck, Hannah,” he groaned, his hand coming to rest on my head, tangling in my hair. “Your mouth...”

I felt powerful. Powerful and desirable, as I pushed myself up on my knees to bend even further over him. I found myself waving my butt in the air, trying to squeeze my thighs together to capture the pressure and pleasure already teasing my core.

Who would’ve thought sucking cock could make me this horny? It had always been a chore in the past, but I hadn’t lied; tasting Aswan had brought me pleasure. When his big hand palmed my rear end, squeezing me, I wondered if he could sense how aroused I was.

I dragged my tongue up his ridges, then popped his head from between my lips. Feeling naughty, I tried to continue the dirty talk. “I can’t wait to feel this inside me.”

Look, I never said I was particularly good at the dirty talk, did I? But it must have worked a bit because Aswan groaned again, his hips flexing.

“When it happens,” he rasped, “do you know what will happen?”

I mean, if the last hour was any indication… “I can guess ,” I murmured, tipping my head to one side, my hair hanging down over one shoulder, to smirk at him.

When his fingers gripped my thigh, his claws dimpled my skin, as if he was fighting to hold control. “An orc’s cock is made for pleasure. When he enters his Mate, she orgasms.”

I froze, intrigued. “Immediately? Like…an instant-O?”

“It’s an evolutionary adaptation to ready her body for him.”

I had questions. I wanted to know more. But I sure as heck wasn’t going to sit here and ask for a biology lecture with this body laid out for my exploration. So, grinning wickedly, I shifted over him, so my weight was on my knees. “I’m ready.”

But his fingers tightened. “Hannah,” he choked. “ No .”

The word startled me, and I lost my balance. With one hand planted on the other side of his hip, I raised a brow at him. “No?”

I watched him swallow, even as his gaze turned hesitant, uncertain. “I…” He took a deep breath—his chest expanding in all sorts of interesting ways—and pushed himself up on his elbows so he could more easily meet my eyes. “I don’t think you’re ready for that, dkaar . When an orc claims his Mate, it’s forever. Mating is…” He swallowed and shook his head as he repeated, “ Forever . Right now, we have two days, so for now… ”

He's not ready for forever. He’s not ready for I love yous .

I’d known it, but hearing him say he wasn’t going to fuck me—wasn’t going to claim me, as he said.

I was still telling myself to stop being disappointed when his hand dragged down my leg and latched onto my ankle. Startled, I tried to straighten. “What are you?—”

Aswan swung my leg over his chest until I was straddling him, my legs spread impossibly wide over his torso. The movement also shifted my weight forward until I was supporting myself on my palms, braced on either side of his hips…and staring down at his cock.

I knew what to expect from this position, but I couldn’t help the way I flushed in embarrassment to have my pussy spread out in front of his face like that. Oh my gosh, my butt . My…my other hole was staring right at him, and he could probably see everything , like how wet I was and how?—

His tongue dragged up my cleft and my knees gave out, dropping me to spread across his chest—my chin bumping against his cock on the way down—with a startled little eep .

“Aswan—” I gasped in confusion, but he merely chuckled and clamped his hands on either thigh and lifted me. Like I weighed nothing! He lifted me right back up and his tongue found me again.

His hands went to my butt cheeks, and he spread them further, his thumbs finding my folds and sliding along them. He spread those as well, which allowed him to lick me from the front—starting at my clitoris—all the way to the back .

Holy moly .

Whimpering, I realized my face was pressed against the base of his cock, as I struggled to breathe through what he was doing back there. I groped for him, trying to continue my stroking, but overwhelmed by the sensations. I didn’t realize it was possible to lick me from this angle, in this orientation?—

Then his ridged tongue slid inside me, and I forgot everything I’d been worrying about, really.

An orc’s cock is made for pleasure. When he enters his Mate, she orgasms.

Oh, yes please .

I pushed myself up, sliding back to press against his face, as I moved his cock into position. As he tongue-fucked me, I stroked him, doing my best to keep his cock in my mouth while also trying to rock back and forth on his face.

Dear God, when did I become so naughty ?

Right around the time you started dreaming of tasting Aswan’s cock, you slut .

I mean, if it made me a slut, I was going to embrace that shit.

I hummed around his cock, and I felt him growl deep in his chest. I kid you not; I could feel the vibrations through my thighs and up to my pussy, where he slid his tongue from me in order to push his thumbs inside. It was an incredible sensation, to be stretched like that.

“I love the taste of you, Hannah,” he murmured, brushing kisses along my inner thighs. “I’ve been dreaming of it forever. I love the way you respond to me. ”

Moaning again, I tried to simultaneously take more of his cock and push back against him.

His tusks scraped along my cleft. “So fucking delicious.”

“You’re—” I gasped, then licked him and tried again. “You’re pretty delicious too.” Cinnamon , huh? I wasn’t going to think of apple pie the same way ever again. “I want to make you come, Aswan.”

“Oh, dkaar , you don’t know how close I am.”

Feeling bold, I stroked his cock again, and a second time. “Then let go,” I whispered. “Come with me…” And I dunno what made me say it, but I tried to mimic his accent. “ D-car. ”

He stiffened, then surged upward, pushing me forward as his face pressed against my pussy. I took as much of his cock into my mouth as I could, and I stroked him frantically, as his long, ridged tongue slid forward, flicking against my clitoris.

I felt him growl again, and I hummed in response, and more than anything, the realization I —me, a divorcee mother of three—could make him lose control? That sent me over the edge. When his tongue flicked against my clit again, I squeezed around his fingers, around his face , and let myself go.

And with a groan, so did Aswan.

His cum did taste of cinnamon, and it hit the top of my mouth and the back of my throat faster than I could swallow it. I tried, but far too much of it spilled from my mouth, dribbling down my chin and throat and boobs and across his cock and stomach .

I’ll admit it; I gagged. I mean, not because it was disgusting—which is how my body had responded to the first blow job I’d given back in college—but because there was just so much cum.

I expected Aswan to be disappointed I couldn’t take it all, but with my own pleasure throbbing through my core at that moment, I wasn’t sure if I cared. I ended up with my cheek pressed against his upper thigh, covered in his cum, gasping for breath as my thighs and butt shook from the power of that orgasm.

As it faded, I became more aware of him, and the way he continued to kiss my inner thighs, murmuring words in a language I didn’t understand. At long last, I sucked in a breath and made an attempt to lift my head.

That was the sign he was waiting for, apparently.

With a sound that sounded suspiciously like a moan—happy or sad? I couldn’t tell—Aswan lifted my hips as he sat up. Somehow, he twisted me around until I was sitting in his lap, and his arms were wrapped around me.

He rocked me slightly, as if trying to give me comfort, and he rasped, “Love, that was…” His voice cracked.

Since I was tucked up against his chest, my veins still coursing with pleasure and every inch of my skin too-sensitive, I whispered, “I’m sorry I couldn’t swallow it all?—”

My words broke off when he wrenched me away from him, holding me by the upper arms and staring, stricken, down at me. His mouth opened and closed a few times as if trying to find words, and I noticed the glow in his eyes had diminished almost entirely .

Why?

“Sorry ?” he finally choked, and I realized his expression was incredulity. “Hannah, how could you possibly —” He bit off the words, then shook his head and shoved my head under his chin again. “Love, you smell of me. You took me into your mouth, and you’re covered in my spend, and I can taste you in my fucking soul …and you think you should be sorry?”

Before I could blink my way out of my shock to think of a way to answer that, Aswan shoved himself to his feet, taking me with him. I shouldn’t be surprised by the show of strength when he lifted me so easily, but I still gasped and clutched at him.

“Where—what—?” I tried.

“I’m taking you to the shower,” he growled, stomping toward the big bathroom. “I’m going to wash every inch of you, then I’m going to sit you on the edge of the counter, and I’m going to lick you until you come again. I’ve been dreaming of it every shower I’ve taken for weeks.”

I clutched at him, unable to do more than murmur, “ Wah? ” as he turned on the water.

“Then, dkaar …” He scowled down at me. “I’m going to cover you with my scent again.” He shook his head. “ Sorry ,” he spat, clearly offended by my earlier apology. “As if that wasn’t the most magnificent thing I’ve ever experienced. It’s my job to ensure your pleasure .”

When he placed me in the shower, I wobbled slightly, but he was there to hold me. And as I relaxed into the hot water, I found myself smiling .

Most magnificent thing I’ve ever experienced .

Yep.

Yep, that about wrapped it up.

When I pulled Aswan down for a kiss, he was smiling too.