Pursued(178)

At last the stubborn refusal on his face began to fade. “That did seem to work pretty well,” he admitted grudgingly. “You think maybe if you were in control…?”

“Yes!’ Elise nodded eagerly. “If you just sit there—maybe with your hands behind your back…”

“Okay.” He sighed. “We’ll try it. But I can’t promise to go all the way with it, baby. And…and even if we did…” He sighed.

“I know,” Elise said softly. “We won’t get our bond back. But please, Merrick—I just want to try.”

“You got it.” Slowly, as though trying not to startle her, he reached down and pulled his sleep pants off. Then he sat back against the headboard of the bed with his hands firmly behind his back. “I’m all yours, baby. Do what you want with me.”

The first thing Elise wanted to do was to explore, to relearn his big, muscular body and know it as she had the first time they’d really touched. Any fear she might have felt after the trauma she’d suffered with Charles was mitigated by the fact that Merrick was letting her take charge.

She crawled to the head of the bed and pressed herself against him, rubbing her bare breasts against his chest, loving the feel of his muscular warmth against her tight nipples.

Merrick groaned softly as she pressed closer, burying her face in his neck as she crushed her breasts against him. She could feel his muscular arms trembling, as though he longed to hold her, to touch and cup her soft breasts, but they stayed firmly behind his back. Clearly he was committed to letting her have complete control.

Leaning up, Elise kissed him, capturing his mouth with her own. She could taste her own essence on him, warm and sweet and salty and it sent a surge of lust straight through her. Gods, she tasted delicious on his mouth. Slipping her tongue between his lips, she tasted deeper, then delicately caressed the sharp tips of his fangs with her tongue, making Merrick groan again.

Her whole body vibrated with the low sound as she pressed against him, loving the feeling of being in charge, of doing whatever she wanted to the man she loved.

“Enjoying yourself, baby?” he murmured, giving her a small grin when she finally broke the kiss.

“Immensely,” she said, smiling back. “But I still want more.”

“Just be careful.” He gave her a concerned look. “Take it slow.”

“I am—can’t you tell?” Giving him another playful grin, Elise ran the tip of her tongue from the edge of his strong jaw, down the side of his throat, and over his muscular chest before capturing the flat, copper disk of one nipple between her teeth.

“Ow!’ Merrick complained, laughing as she nipped him gently. “I thought you only liked bonding fruit—didn’t know I was on the menu.”

“But you are.” Feeling even more daring, Elise lapped once more at this nipple and then continued to lick a long, ticklish line down his chest and rippling abdomen.

“Baby?” Merrick sounded uncertain. “What are you doing?”

Elise looked up and took his thick, throbbing shaft in her hand. “Exploring you. Tasting you the way you tasted me.”

“You don’t have to,” he murmured. “You know that, baby.”

“I know.” She gave him a cat-like smile and leaned down to place a soft, sucking kiss on the broad head of his cock. “But I want to.”

“Gods!” Merrick threw back his head and groaned as she explored the tiny slit in the head of his cock with the tip of her tongue. A small, salty droplet of precum appeared and she licked it up with relish. Delicious. She wondered if it would really help her stretch to take him in—all of him. Of course, she didn’t need to worry about that now, since she had the bonding fruit. And though Merrick wanted to take things slow and be careful, she was determined to go all the way.

She licked him some more, running her tongue over the broad, head of his cock and down the thick, velvety shaft. God, she loved how soft and hot his skin was here. How she could feel him throbbing in her hand when she wrapped her fingers around his cock. She wasn’t sure if it was the bonding fruit or the fact that she’d wanted to do this for so long, but she felt as though she’d shed all her fears and inhibitions. For the first time ever she felt completely free, and it was a wonderful, intoxicating feeling.

Suddenly, she couldn’t wait anymore. Sitting up, she straddled his hips and looked him in the eyes. “Merrick, I want to try it.”

“Baby…” He had a pained look in his mismatched eyes. “I don’t know…don’t know if you should.”