She gives a small, nervous laugh. “That’s a start.”
“What next, then?” I am trying not to be too eager…and failing, I suspect.
“Well,” she says softly. “Probably kissing.”
“The mouth matings? How does that work?”
She twists her hands. “Well, we put our mouths together and use tongues and lips to give each other pleasure. There’s really not a rulebook.”
“Ruhl-bookh?”
“A set of standards,” she corrects. “You mostly go by instinct.”
I am eager to try it. I want Tee-fah-nee’s taste on my mouth, against my tongue. The thought of her smaller tongue darting against mine makes my cock ache. Why did I wait so many days to say yes to this? I can barely restrain myself from grabbing her and holding her down in the furs and claiming her as it is. “Do you wish to put your tongue in my mouth, then?”
She blinks at me. “I…guess we should give it a shot.” But she doesn’t look eager. She looks terrified.
I sit forward and she flinches back. “We do not have to—“
“No,” she blurts out. “This was my idea, and we should try it.” But she wrings her hands again and looks frightened.
My heart squeezes. This is going all wrong. I knew she would not be eager, but I didn’t expect her to look as if I have driven a spear through her chest. I remain still as she shrugs some of her heavy furs off of her body and tosses them over next to mine. She’s dressed in a simple leather dress that goes to her calves and is edged with white fur and wears leggings underneath. Her body is covered from head to toe even after she removes her furs, and I catch no glimpse of soft exposed skin. But even frightened, Tee-fah-nee is lovely. She’s graceful with her movements, and my hand itches to sink into her curly hair.
She leans closer to me and puts a hand on my chest. She sits beside me in the furs and it takes all of my power not to grab her and pull her into my lap, to press her against my chest and hold her close. Instead, I put my hands down to my sides so I don’t inadvertently touch her. It strikes me that it would be a bad idea, especially right now. I can feel her small form trembling against me, even as she boldly straddles my lap and pushes her hips down against my cock.
“I can tell one of us is excited to be here,” she breathes. I think she’s trying to be funny but it just comes out breathless and wobbly.
“I will control myself,” I tell her. “Do not worry.”
“I know you will.” But she doesn’t look like she believes it herself. Her hands flutter over my vest and she still won’t look me in the eye. “I’ll um, start.”
I wait quietly. I scarcely dare to breathe, because I’m afraid that if I make a sudden movement, she will be gone, utterly terrified.
She takes a few deep gulping breaths. Her gaze flicks to my face, and then she grabs the sides of my jaw and pulls my face to hers. Her lips mash against mine. Stunned, I don’t move, and I feel her tongue flick against the tight seam of my mouth.
And I’m lost.
Chapter Six
SALUKH
I open my mouth to allow her tongue to slide in and it flicks against mine. It’s smooth and silky, just like her skin, and I groan. The feel is like nothing I imagined. My eyes close with the wonder of it all. Her weight on my cock and combined with the feel of her tongue flicking into my mouth? I will stroke my cock to this moment for the rest of my life.
Her mouth moves against mine and her tongue strokes deep. Her body presses against mine and I can’t resist touching her. I grab her arms and hold her so I can mate my mouth with hers. This is what I have dreamed of. Now, I demand of my khui. Resonate now. Claim her as ours.
She stiffens in my arms and jerks backward. “No!” Her hands claw at my skin frantically, and she’s desperate to get away.
I release her, shocked at her violent reaction. That wasn’t what I wanted at all. I…I thought she was enjoying herself as I was.
Tee-fah-nee flings my hands off of her and curls her arms around herself, hunching over and shuddering.
I want to touch her and reassure her, but I dare not. “I…I did not mean—“
“It’s not you,” she says, and I can hear the tears in her voice, even though I cannot see her face. It is hidden behind her glorious hair. “It’s me. It’s all me. I’m broken.”
“You are perfect,” I tell her, my voice husky with disappointment and anguish for her. My mate hurts and I don’t know how to fix it. Never have I felt so helpless, so hopeless. To think that just moments ago I was begging my khui to claim her. Now I am relieved it is silent. Giving in to its call now would be nothing short of what the others took from her.