Captivated:Mating Ritual 3(6)

When his gaze trailed down her body, pausing markedly at her breasts, she began to pant, unable to help herself.

“You deserve to be treated like a princess, Cindra.”

His words hit home, because she’d once been a princess.

“I…” She trailed off, at a loss for words. When he took a deep breath, her gaze wandered to the pulse at his throat. Gods, his neck was so thick, his body so muscular. She’d never seen its like.

His eyes locked on her and he must have read her thoughts, because his very next words shocked her to her core.

“Do you like what you see?”

Shocked, she met his gaze. “What?”

His lips curved into a smile. “There’s no harm in that, Cindra.”

When her eyes betrayed her by drawing back to his luscious chest, he murmured, “Would you like to touch me?”

“What?” she squeaked.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “There’s no shame in touch. In allowing yourself to feel.” His fingers crawled up her arm, tickling both her body and her heart.

“Have you ever seen a man unclothed?” he asked her.

Oh, goodness. She slowly shook her head. Nudity was not looked on kindly here on Keulot, and her strict father had kept her from the opposite sex as much as possible back on Chivea, insisting she would be pure and untouched on her wedding day. A day that had never come.

The thought spurred some deep-seated anger within her. She’d obeyed her father’s will, had been the good girl he’d wanted her to be, and what for? Ultimately he and everyone else she’d loved had died.

Why not live for once, even if just a little bit?

“Touch me,” he whispered, his gaze dark and enticing. “Satisfy your curiosity. I will not return the favor unless you wish it. This I vow to you.”

Like the mythical djinns of her world, his words lured her, beckoning her to him with their lurid promise. She found herself helpless to resist.

Slowly, her free hand reached out, closing the distance between them, until her fingers grazed his masculine chest. He said nothing, but his eyes lowered to half-mast and the muscles of his chest went taut as a bow. Building up her courage, she put her palm on his chest.

Heavens, he was so warm, so…so large. Just as Bannor had been last eve, as he lay over her body. These Spygians felt nothing like Adamon, with his smooth, cool flesh and his wiry frame. They were heat and silk over steel. They were amazing.

Her hand wandered over his body, from the top of his broad shoulder down to his washboard stomach, even around his hip toward his lower back. He allowed her curious movement, standing still as a statue, no doubt so as not to scare her away. It worked.

Cindra’s body flushed with heat, so pure and intense she wondered if it had flowed from his body onto hers. She couldn’t help it. She had to see more.

Fear fled, leaving behind only passion and excitement. When the bucket dropped from her numb fingers, landing on the ground with a soft plunk, she used the opportunity to bring her other hand to his chest. Her heart pumped rapidly, sending blood streaming through her flushed body. She peeked up at Devan, searching for a sign that she should stop, that she was proceeding into dangerous territory, but his expression was impassive. The tense set of his jaw let her know he wasn’t unaffected by her touch, however.

She couldn’t help but appreciate his tight rein on himself, and she used that to her advantage, moving her trembling fingers to the rough buttons of his shirt and undoing them until his chest was bared to her.

“Your skin is so dark,” she whispered.

“From the Spygian sun,” he replied, his deep voice a trifle hoarse.

Which meant every Spygian must have skin that shade. The thought brought a lustful ache to her loins. Her gaze drew up to his. “I think I’d like to see your Spygia.”

A shadow of a smile crossed his face. “You’d like it.”

When she brought her gaze back to his chest and allowed her palms to rest on his bare skin, he let out a hiss, sucking his breath in tight. The movement caused his abdominal muscles to flex, and she bit back a moan of her own. Heavens, but he was magnificent. Knowing what lay under his shirt, and that the other three Spygians were very much the same underneath their clothes, made her warm in ways she couldn’t even interpret.

“You are stunning,” she confessed in a shaky voice.

“And you’ve only seen half of me.”

When her startled gaze met his, he grinned and once again did something that shocked her to her core. One of his hands closed over hers, slowly guiding it down his stomach, until he’d placed her hand at the crotch of his breeches…right over his hard-as-steel rod.

“Oh gods,” she gasped, but when she tried to snatch her hand away, he pressed down on her palm, keeping her imprisoned there.

“I won’t bite, I promise.” His voice had a distinct amused edge to it. “And I would never force myself on you. But if you’re going to see how Spygians differ from Keulot men, you need to see all of it.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, she kept her gaze down, in the general vicinity of his chest. When it became certain he wasn’t going to allow her to pull away, and that he wasn’t going to accost her either, she slowly allowed herself to relax, to actually feel what she was feeling. It was…

Nice. His turgid rod was larger than she’d expected, and his width almost fit her entire palm. Heavens, what would it be like to have that inside her? Just the thought made her loins clench with desire.

“Feel all of me,” he urged.

When she didn’t reply, didn’t move, he took his hand from hers. His fingers moved to the button on his breeches, and she drew away with a gasp as he undid it, and then slid the metal zipper down.

“What are you doing?”

He snickered. “I think you know full well.”

Don’t look. Don’t look down, she admonished herself. But that was like trying not to gaze upon a full, glorious moon. Impossible, when she could very well imagine what a wondrous sight awaited her.

Her breath caught as her gaze wandered down his body, to the member he’d freed. It was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. The flesh of his large rod appeared smooth as silk, and it had a bulbous, mushroom tip. Nothing like the disgusting appendages she’d spotted on the farm animals.

“You’re so large,” she gasped.

“Not too big for you.” Letting out an amused chuckle, he closed her fingers over hers, guiding her hand to his erection. This time she didn’t fight it. She needed to know what it felt like, skin to skin.

When her fingers closed around him, they both let out a moan. She almost snatched her hand back, fearful that he’d lost control, but when her gaze flew to his, she saw that he had complete command over himself.

Wondrous. He was actually going to let her touch him without demanding anything of her in return. This was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

Her other hand shook as she brought that one, too, to his cock. Her fingertips tickled the head, then she encircled his rod and slid her hands up and down, reveling in the erotic feel of his erection.

“You feel so good,” she confessed, unable to stop the words. Down one hand went, cupping his large, full testicles. Those too looked nothing like the ones she’d seen on the local animals, and thank the gods for that. They were hideous, while his weren’t the least bit repulsive.

Experimenting with her movement, she began to slide her hands up and down his rod. He gasped but allowed it, his body and face growing more and more taut, until finally he grasped her hips. He didn’t try to move closer though, just held her tight as if he needed her support to stand. The pained expression on his face empowered her to go faster, close her hands tighter, until finally he let out a strained groan and rested his forehead into the tree right above her.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to come,” he muttered, his voice barely more than a growl.

Come? Yes, that was right. That was the term Bannor had used last night, right before he’d caused her body to explode into ecstasy. Yes, yes she very much wanted Devan to come. Wanted to see what would happen.

She tightened her grip, moving faster, and faster—when the distant sound of a familiar voice shocked her out of her practically hypnotic state.

“Cindra, are you out here?”

What? No, oh no!

“Adamon’s coming,” she whispered fiercely, loosing Devan’s rod and pushing back on his stomach. He groaned but obeyed, stepping back with an expression of barely veiled anger and lust.

“He must have the worst timing in the entire universe,” he muttered.

“Please,” she begged, trying her best to straighten her hair. “If he sees you…”

She couldn’t do that to Adamon. Couldn’t betray him in such a foul, unforgiveable manner.

Devan’s eyes darkened, but he grumbled out a garbled, “Fine,” and began to right his clothes. Cindra almost cried out in protest when he pulled his zipper up, hiding the glorious erection she’d had her hands on just moments ago. But he had to leave. She couldn’t jeopardize her relationship with Adamon.

A branch snapped somewhere behind her, making her wince. Devan noted it, and with a stark nod, turned and headed the other way. With his long, sure strides, he was out of sight in a matter of moments. Had it been quick enough, however? She was too frightened to look behind her, to see where Adamon was.