Page 6 of The Rhino’s Rose: Fate’s Falls (Mated to the Monster: Season 3)

Five

ROSE

In the years I’ve lived next door to him, I’ve heard Cornelius make a variety of rumbles and grunts during various moods and activities, but the sound that rolls out of him now is unlike any other. It’s powerful. Hungry.

“I’ve waited my whole life for this.”

“Hey, that’s my line,” I say with a giggle. “You’ve only been waiting five years.” My teasing tone becomes a breathy gasp when his big, rough hands mold to my waist.

He doesn’t answer, just angles his head and leans in close.

Tingles race through me when he presses his mouth to mine. He doesn’t have lips the same as humans, but the flesh around his mouth is velvety soft, and the differences don’t matter one tiny bit. Firm yet gentle, he sets a rhythm that feels like relief and passion and a promise, all at the same time. It’s not my first kiss, but it might as well be. Nothing before even came close.

He slides one hand up my back and into my hair, where he cups my head, his big fingers sensually massaging as he angles me for a deeper kiss. The curve of the single horn on his snout slides through my hair, then the tip of his tongue teases between my lips, waking up nerve endings all over my body, but mostly the ones between my legs.

His hand at my waist glides downward, over the curve of my hip, then onto my leg. He squeezes possessively, then his big palm slides down the inner slope of my thigh, and his fingertips brush softly across my pussy.

“Still okay?” he says against my lips when my gasp breaks our kiss.

“Yes, definitely yes, it’s just different from…”

One thick finger splits the seam of my pussy, and he draws it upward, to my clit, which he circles until my hips tip forward, desperate for more. “Different from what, Rose?” When I don’t answer, he adds a second finger, upping the pressure and speed, pushing me closer to the edge of bliss by the second. “Tell me.”

“Different from when I touch myself,” I whisper, digging my fingertips into his meaty shoulders and rocking against his fingers.

Another deep rumble vibrates from him as he rubs me harder, faster, as if he’s gotten me off a thousand times before. In a way, he has. “I heard you earlier, in the bath. Your beautiful, sexy sounds made me so fucking hard, I couldn’t hold back. I never can when I think of you.”

The mental image of Cornelius stroking himself off to thoughts of me snaps the bowstring inside me. Lost to sensation, I press my forehead against his chest, my choppy breaths and gurgled moans swallowed up by his big, solid body.

“Lean back,” he says, gentling his touch when my hips slow their jerking. “Hands on the patio.”

My pulse skyrockets as he lowers himself in the water until his head is just below the level of my pussy. I do as instructed, bracing myself on the cool stone. Then he tilts his head back and his mouth is there , his breath tickling my oversensitive flesh.

Gripping my thighs, he spreads me open, as wide as the curved cutout of the pool allows, then presses his face against me and inhales. Deeply. “You smell so fucking delicious, my mouth is watering.”

My eyes roll back in my head when his tongue licks up my seam. Gods. It’s like a switch got flipped inside me and everything is turned all the way on.

“Good?” he asks after I groan at his next long swipe that ends at my clit.

“Literally the best thing I’ve ever felt.”

His chuckle vibrates against me. “The bar for ‘best’ is going to be a lot higher before I’m done.”

Before I can respond with words, he licks me again, depriving me of the ability to speak. A breathy moan leaves my parted lips as his tongue teases at my entrance, shallow dips in and out, then travels to my clit, where he presses and circles and flicks until I can barely breathe from the assault of sensations tugging tight.

There are toys that mimic this, and the ones Lexi sells are not only anatomically accurate but also magically imbued to guarantee satisfaction, but I never bought one. Maybe because none of them were a rhino model. But mostly because I’ve only ever wanted to know what Cornelius’s tongue would feel like. And gods, it was so worth the wait.

Just when I think it couldn’t possibly feel better, he raises the bar like he said he would. His wide shoulders emerge from the water and he lifts his head, spans my lower abdomen with one of his big hands, and with two fingers, parts my labia to expose my clit. “I’m going to make you come on my tongue now.”

Spread open like this, sweet is the last thing I feel. I also don’t feel self-conscious. The way he’s looking at me, touching me, feels natural, as if we’ve been together always.

Holding my breath, I watch him flick and roll my clit with the tip of his pale-pink tongue. Wide and thick, it should be too big to hit such a small target, but it’s not. It’s perfect. Every second pushes me higher, closer. So, so close. My eyelids flutter closed, and instinctively, I reach for his head, wanting him closer. Needing it harder.

The top of his head is smooth under my palm, but I don’t get a chance to explore. He reaches up and catches my hand, guides it to his horn, curling my fingers around the thick appendage as he presses its outer curve against my clit. I’ve always wondered what his horn felt like, and now I know. It feels like heaven. Smooth, hard, erotic heaven.

“I—oh—gods…” Gripping it with both hands, I pull his horn tight against my clit, grinding against it as he rolls it back and forth. “I’m going to come,” I pant, moaning as the first wave explodes.

Then that thick, long tongue pushes inside me. Deep inside. Deeper than any toy I’ve ever used. Soft and hard at the same time. Wriggling, stroking, making sexy, obscenely slurpy sounds.

“Oh…gods, ohhh!” I cry out as his tongue touches a spot I’ve never found, sparking a whole other kind of orgasm. Inside. Outside. Coming and coming. So good, so good, but almost too much. A string of garbled, breathy sounds that echo in the night air rush out of me, then Cornelius’s arms are behind me, catching me as I let go.

CORNELIUS

Pride at giving my mate such intense pleasure is short-lived. Thank gods, I sensed her lightheadedness and got my arms around her before she blacked out. “Rose.” I rise to a stand while holding her tight against my chest.

“You weren’t kidding about raising the bar.”

Her soft voice quiets the panic in my chest, enough that I’m able to chuckle at her humor .

“Maybe a bit too high,” I say, scooping her into my arms so I can carry her to the house.

“I do feel a little high, to be honest.” More humor. A good sign. “Not that I actually know what it feels like to be high. Another thing I’ve never done.”

“There’s a dispensary in town. The troll who owns it is very well-versed in all the botanicals, cannabis and otherwise. I’m sure he’d be happy to help you choose the right product if that’s another experience on your bucket list.” When I say it like that, I can’t help wondering if that’s all her attraction to me is—a box to be ticked. An itch to be scratched.

Just because her crush on me prevented her from getting involved with anyone else in the past doesn’t mean she won’t move on in the future. In all the personal things she shared, she never once mentioned love or commitment. And why would she? She’s twenty-four. Beautiful, sexy, friendly, funny. She’s just beginning to dip her toes into the pool of sexual experiences. Our relationship, if that’s what this is, isn’t the beginning of forever. It’s a stage in her life.

“I think I’ll stick with the high you provide,” she says, smiling up at me as I pause inside the house to close the patio door. “I’ve heard stories—a couple of my friends aren’t shy about their sex lives—but I thought they were exaggerating.” Her arousal perfumes the air, and one of her hands leaves the back of my neck to caress my horn, her fingertips trailing over it while she bites her bottom lip. “Everything you did was amazing. I didn’t think anything could feel so good. ”

The pride returns in a rush, puffing my chest out and making my cock stand tall enough to tap against her bare bottom.

Her eyes go wide and she cranes her neck to look down, gasping at the sight of my cock. “It’s so—it’s—it’s huge. It didn’t look that huge when you were in the pool.”

“Some of it was underwater.”

“I…” Her gulp is audible. “Have you ever had sex with a human woman?”

“Never,” I say as I cross the threshold of my bedroom. “I never wanted to.”

Her wide-eyed gaze darts to the bed. “Do you know any rhino and human couples from before?”

“There were none in my hometown. Very few humans live there.” I carefully place her on the bed, then settle alongside her, close enough to feel her warmth and breathe in her scent, while leaving enough gap to make it clear I have no expectations.

“Then…how are you sure we can…you know, fit?” she whispers, taking my hand and drawing my arm across her waist.

“Will you think less of me if I tell you I did research?”

“Only if you think less of me for admitting I’ve repeatedly asked Lexi if she could get a rhino dildo in stock at her store, so that I could see one.” Even in the sliver of moonlight from the window, her face glows with a rosy blush.

“I’m glad she never got one,” I say, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. “It might’ve scared you off, then you wouldn’t have had a plumbing emergency that required you to come over for a bath tonight.”

She sucks in a breath, her mouth stuck in a wide O as she stares at me. “You think I lied about the hot water just so I could come over and try to seduce you? I mean, it’s a pretty great idea, but not one I thought of. There’s no hot water at my house. Let’s go over there right now so you can see for yourself.”

Amusement rumbles in my chest, hard enough to shake the bed. “We’re not going anywhere,” I say, pulling her against me when she moves as if to get off the bed. “I was just teasing, my sweet Rose.”

She hmphs , her copper eyebrows scrunching together. “You left out little .”

“Because you don’t like it,” I trail my fingers down the side of her face and along her bottom lip, “and I don’t like hurting you. I’m sorry I did so many times.”

“Oh,” she says softly. “Thank you.”

When a long yawn stretches her pretty lips wide, I pull the covers over her and stroke her silky hair until she sighs. “Get some sleep. Call my name if you need anything during the night.”

Her eyes pop open, her warm, delicate fingers tightening around my forearm. “Why are you leaving? Is it because I got a little freaked out by the size of your…”

Gods, I want her to say cock. But if she did, it’d make it that much harder to go. “Nothing to do with that.”

“Then why?”

“This is your bed tonight. You’re here as my houseguest. ”

“Aren’t we more than guest and host now? Or was it just a onetime, spontaneous moment out by the pool?”

Tell her , the voice inside me demands. Tell her she’s your mate, your everything.

“We’re more now,” I say instead, pushing the mating pull down, as I’ve done for the past five years.

“Then…stay? If you want to. No pressure. And I don’t expect you to cuddle?—”

I cut her off with a brief kiss. “I would love to stay here with you.”

“I’d love that too,” she says, wrapping her arms behind my neck and smiling up at me.

Love. The word exchanged so easily between us holds depth for me. Truth. Love is commitment, connection, fibers in a bond, all of which I have for Rose. But not everyone reveres the word love in this way. For many, it has lost its value.

Logic can wait for another day, one when Rose doesn’t want to share my bed.

“Do you like cuddling?”

The quiet laugh she makes is clearly not rooted in humor. “I honestly don’t know. My mother died when I was two; I have no memories of her. My biological father is the cold and ruthless head of a mafia family who saw me as currency, nothing more. He bartered me to another mafia don when I was a young child, and had no problem handing me over to be claimed as a bride on my thirteenth birthday. Garion is wonderful and I’m eternally grateful he rescued me that night, but I was thirteen when he stepped in as a father. Hugs are the extent of our physical affection. And I already told you about my minimal romantic experience.” Her arms slide from me to the bed, and she shrugs while blinking up at me.

“Would you like to try cuddling, see if you like it?” This close to her, I see her jaw and throat move as she swallows hard before giving me a nod. “I’m new to this, too. How do you want to start? What would be most comfortable for you and your sore ankle?”

The giggle she makes now is light, as they all should be, and hits me straight in the heart. “I haven’t even thought about my ankle since you made my body release all those endorphins.”

With that testimonial, my cock roars fully to life and taps her leg. “Ignore that,” I say, when her eyes open wide.

“What if I don’t want to?” She grazes the tip with her fingers, pulling back when it jerks involuntarily from her touch. “Did I do it wrong? I don’t want to hurt it. You.”

“Your touch will never be wrong. Explore me however you want. Rhinos are very solidly built; you won’t hurt me.”

“I don’t want to tease you, either,” she says, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’ve always wanted you to be my first, but I’m not sure I’m brave enough yet to try.”

Cupping her face, I sweep my thumb across her soft cheek. “You told me you believe things happen when it’s time for them to happen. I believe in fate, too.” Tell her , the voice of the mating bond demands again. It’s time I listen. “I’ll wait for you as long as you want me to. Whether that’s five minutes, five years, or five decades. However long it takes, no matter what has to happen along the way. Because I don’t care if I’m your first. I want to be your last.”

“My last? As in—” Her lips close tight, as if she’s fighting to keep more words from escaping.

“As in, I haven’t just been physically attracted to you since the first time I saw you. It’s more than that. Not all rhinos are fortunate enough to experience a true mate bond, but it’s something we all hope for. I had no reason to leave my old home in the plains of Kenya, yet I was compelled to move halfway around the world to a mountaintop in Canada.”

“You came here to buy a business from a retiring stoneworker. That’s what you told Garion.”

“The opportunity was a catalyst; I realized that the moment I saw you. The mating pull snapped into place, deep in my soul, and I knew you were the reason I came here. But I couldn’t very well tell your gargoyle father that his nineteen-year-old human daughter was my fated mate.”

“Because you thought I was too young, I know. But why, even after years passed, and I was older, did you always—” Shaking her head, she looks away, everywhere in the darkened room except at me.

“Why did I reject your attention at every turn?” I say, stroking her hair when she returns her attention to my face. “You deserve the freedom to live anywhere in the world with a husband who can walk by your side, no matter where you want to go. To have a houseful of beautiful babies who look like you. A full, human life. Now that I know your history, I understand why Garion has driven that point home every chance he gets. I think he’s aware of my feelings and wanted to make sure I didn’t pursue you because I can’t give you the future you deserve.”

The softness that’s intrinsically Rose vanishes before my eyes. “How nice of you and Garion both to decide my future without once asking what I want. It’s like I’m a powerless pawn in the game of my own life all over again.” She brushes my hands away. “If I thought I could hop out of here without you intervening, I would, but since I know I’m not in control of that aspect of my life either, I’ll sleep here tonight.” Then she turns her back to me and moves to the edge of the bed, putting as much space between us as possible.

Even in the middle of winter, my bedroom has never felt so cold.