At last he broke away, leaving Liv gasping for air and trembling with need.
“What…why…that really…really wasn’t necessary,” she finally managed to gasp.
“Oh, yes it was. I want you to think of that kiss while I’m gone. Because tonight when I come back, that’s exactly how I’m going to taste you.” His eyes were burning now, molten gold, and Liv couldn’t stop a shiver of lust from running through her.
Down there. He’s talking about tasting me down there, between my thighs. She couldn’t bring herself to think of it more graphically than that without blushing. She’d been with a few other guys—none of them as long as Mitch—but a few. And none of them had been very interested in that particular act. With Mitch, especially, it was as though he thought of it as a distasteful chore he had to get out of the way before he could get to the good part of sex. His attitude had given Liv something of a hang-up about the whole thing and to tell the truth, she really preferred not to go there at all. Or let a man go there, as it were.
So going down was out. When Liv had stopped asking for it, Mitch had been more than happy to leave it out of their admittedly limited sexual repertoire. She’d been a little disappointed but a lot less uncomfortable in the bedroom—it seemed like a fair trade and she’d pretty much decided that no guy really wanted to go there, no matter what they said.
But the look in Baird’s eyes told her differently. The burning need she saw in their golden depths said he wanted to taste her—no, needed to taste her. The hunger in his face, the hard bulge against her thigh as he held her close…He wants to do this almost as much as he wants to make love to me, Liv realized watching the emotions play out on his sharp features. But why?
“Because,” Baird answered and she realized she’d spoken aloud. “I want to make you feel good, Lilenta. Want to taste your pleasure on my tongue as I push you over the edge. Want to feel you pulling my hair and scratching my shoulders as I take you higher and make you come harder than you ever have before.”
Liv tried to keep her cool. “And I suppose this is another Kindred ritual? Some kind of ceremony handed down for generations like the bathing thing?”
He flashed her a grin. “Not really. We just love to do it. Hell, I could go down on you for hours—and I will too, as soon as I get back.” He pulled her forward and gave her another searing kiss before looking her in the eyes. “When I get finished with you, Lilenta, every male within a fifty mile radius will know you’re mine.”
“So that’s what it’s about.” Liv felt a small surge of triumph despite the fact that her heart was still pounding with desire from being so close to him. “You just want to scent mark me—that’s all.”
He frowned. “No, that’s not all. It’s just part of it. Mostly I want to bring you pleasure while I taste your sweet juices. Want to see you spread open for me and hear you call my name while I put my tongue deep in your sweet little pussy.”
Liv bit her lip. There was no denying that his words painted a vivid mental image in her head. Her stomach felt like a flock of butterflies had just taken off inside it. But still…
“I…I think you should know it’s not something I like very much,” she said softly, looking down. “I mean it just doesn’t…do much of anything for me.”
“That’s because you’ve never had a male who knew what he was doing between your thighs before,” Baird said confidently.
Liv frowned. “You’re arrogant, aren’t you?”
“No—I just know what I’m doing.” He gave her a half-lidded glance that made her stomach do flip-flops again. “And I know what I’m talking about. We dream-shared for months, remember? I’ve seen your memories of how other males treated you.”
“You saw me with Mitch?” She felt a sudden flare of embarrassment. “That’s an invasion of my privacy.”
He shrugged. “Can’t help it—when two minds align you see what the dreams show you. You think I would’ve wanted to let you see me where I was? Chained in the belly of the Scourge Fathership with wires comin’ out of me? I wasn’t exactly at my best, Lilenta.” He spoke lightly enough but Liv could see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned his own personal season in Hell.
“I felt sorry for you,” she said softly. “I wanted…wished I could help you in some way. Heal you.”
Baird cupped her cheek gently. “And you did. You were my lifeline when I was down in that pit.”