“No,” he growled. “We shouldn’t. I shouldn’t. There’s still a lot you don’t know about me. Limitations…obligations…”
“I know enough,” Nina said quietly. “I know you feel that you have to take Saber’s place if the clans reject him and Lissa as their next leaders. I know you can’t have an outsider as a wife because your people wouldn’t stand for it.”
Reddix nodded. “That’s true. But there are other reasons too.”
Nina put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “All I know is that we have tonight. And it may… may be the last night we’ll have together. Ever.”
It was hard to get the words out, but she had to acknowledge they were true. This might be her last chance to show Reddix how much she cared for him. And though she knew it would hurt to give herself completely, she thought it would hurt more to pass on this last chance and regret it afterward.
“Sweetheart…” he began.
“I want to spend this last night with you,” Nina said softly. “I don’t want to look back on it years later and wish I’d done more, given more. I want…want to show you how I feel about you. How much I…” But she couldn’t quite say how much I love you. It was still too frightening, going too far. “I want to show you how much I care,” she ended instead.
“Then let me taste you.” Reddix cupped her cheek, tilting her face up toward him. “Please, Nina,” he murmured. “I need to get closer to you, need to taste you.”
“I…I…” Nina could feel her cheeks getting hot. Despite his repeated requests that she let him in this way, she had denied him over and over. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him—more like she didn’t trust herself not to freeze and get so uncomfortable she couldn’t go on in that situation. “I just feel…so self-conscious during…that,” she said at last. “I don’t know if I could relax enough to make it, uh, worth your while.”
“Let me try to relax you,” he rumbled, stroking her cheek. “Give me a chance, at least.”
She looked at him uncertainly. “You really want to do this, don’t you?”
“I need to do it,” he growled. “Need to part your sweet pussy lips and lick and suck your hot little cunt until you come for me. Need to go down on you and hear you call my name when you lose control.”
Nina bit her lip. She’d been turned on before, but Reddix’s hot, dirty words and the lust blazing in his silver eyes seemed to send her body into overdrive. She could feel her nipples peaking under the thin silky material of her gown and between her legs she suddenly felt swollen and hot.
“Is this… some kind of a Kindred thing?” she asked at last. “You, uh, need to do this with your women?”
“It’s not really a need—more like a hunger.” He stroked her cheek again, his eyes half-hooded with desire. “I’ve heard other males talk about it, but I never really felt it myself before I met you. I’m hungry for you, Nina—fucking starving to death. Let me do this—let me taste you.”
Nina was getting hotter by the minute, but still, she tried to resist.
“We could do it the other way,” she offered. “I could…could go down on you. I like that.”
“And I like it too—love the feel of your soft lips wrapped around my cock. But that isn’t going to help,” Reddix insisted. “You don’t understand, sweetheart—I need to be on my knees in front of you with my head buried between your legs, spreading your pussy with my tongue.”
“Oh…” Nina tried, but she couldn’t think of any more excuses. “All…all right,” she whispered at last. “As long as you take it slow.”
“We can take it slow,” he promised, his deep voice a soft growl. “Incredibly slow. But first I want to take you to the bed.”
Leaning down, he swung Nina into his arms and carried her over to the broad bed covered in a dark blue spread. Lowering her down onto it, he settled beside her and placed one large, warm hand on her stomach.
“What…what are you doing?” Nina asked breathlessly.
“Nothing yet. Just letting you get used to the idea. Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow. By the time I’m ready to taste you, you’ll be begging me to do it.”
“Don’t count on it.” Nina crossed her arms over her chest, but he only grinned at her.
“Oh, you will. But first we have to get you all warmed it.” His hand began moving, sliding up and down the smooth, silky material of her dress, making Nina’s breath come faster and faster.