“Good.” Tess smiled at him and rubbed her cheek up and down his length. God, he smelled so good here! So warm and spicy and masculine and the shaft of his cock felt hot and velvety and perfect against her skin.
“Ahhh…” A low groan fell from between his lips as he looked at her. “Oh, Tess…”
“Yes?” Feeling daring, she opened her lips and placed a hot, wet kiss just below his crown. The long shaft twitched and he groaned again.
“I can’t stop watching you,” he confessed hoarsely, his eyes half-lidded and glowing in the dim room. “I cannot…seem to help myself.”
“You don’t have to,” Tess assured him softly. “Watch if you want to.” Holding his eyes with her own, she placed another hot, open-mouthed kiss directly on the broad head of his cock, taking it between her lips and brushing its velvety hot surface lightly with her tongue.
“Ah! Gods!” Garron’s hips jerked, sending another thick inch of his shaft between her lips. Suddenly Tess found that she was sucking him…not that she minded. He was hot and hard and there was no way she could get him all the way into her mouth but she liked the feel of his broad, plum-shaped head rubbing against the roof of her mouth—not to mention the salty, slightly bitter taste of his precum which was flowing freely now.
Slowly, her eyes never leaving his, she began to bob her head, sucking just the tip and the first two or three inches of his thick cock between her lips, laving him gently with her tongue and stroking the rest of his shaft with her hand as she worked him.
How had she ever gotten so bold? What had possessed her to act like this? Tess didn’t know but she liked the feeling she got—the feeling of power as well as the knowledge that Garron was watching her do this, was allowing her to take the lead and loving every minute of it.
“Tess…lin’del,” he whispered hoarsely as she continued to suck him. “Gods, you’re beautiful with your mouth wrapped around my cock. Gods…”
Tess didn’t answer in words, she simply kept sucking him, twirling her tongue around his thick shaft and taking him as deeply as she could. Every once in awhile she would pull back and drag the flat of her tongue across his broad crown, capturing droplets of precum and licking him as though he was her favorite flavor of ice cream. Through it all, she kept glancing at his face, watching his reactions, loving the intense pleasure she saw stamped on his strong features.
At last it seemed he could take it no more. He was clearly trying not to thrust but she could feel his hips twitching with the repressed urge—could see the way he bit his lower lip and strove to hold himself back while she sucked him. This was pure torture for him—it was time to end it.
“It’s all right,” she murmured, pulling back. “You can move your hips—I don’t mind.”
“I…wasn’t sure…” His jaws were clenched as he began to pump into her hand, catching the rhythm of her stroking. “I…oh, Gods, your little hand is so soft. I’ve never…Oh…”
“Are you close?” Tess murmured, feeling more powerful than ever. “Does it feel good, honey? Are you going to come?”
It was pretty mild as dirty talk went but just saying the words made her feel naughty and sexy and fully alive in a way she hadn’t been in years. She stroked him up and down, still dipping her head occasionally to suck or lick him as he pumped up into her fist. The entire length of his long, hard, muscular body was tight with tension and his face was a mask of intense need.
“Tess…” he groaned. “Ah, Gods…please…just like that. Just like that! Please!”
“It’s okay, honey,” she purred, stroking him harder—almost milking him now. “It’s okay, just let yourself go and come.”
“Gods, yes!” His hands clenched even tighter in the quilt until Tess heard it rip and his body arched off the bed as he responded to her touch. “Gods, lin’del,” he moaned. “You’re making me come…you’re making me come so hard.”
Tess felt him pulse in her palm and then a thick geyser of creamy white overflowed from the tip of his cock and coated her hand as she stroked him. Another followed it and then another until she began to wonder when the last time he’d had an orgasm was. Or did all Kindred just come a lot? Not that she minded—it was kind of sexy, after all, to know that she’d affected him so strongly.
At last Garron’s long body went limp on the bed and he drew in a ragged, gasping breath. Tess released him gently and looked at his face.
“Are you okay?” she asked, suddenly feeling uncertain. “Was…was that okay?”
“It was more than ‘okay,’” he rumbled, giving her a tired little half smile. “It was…I’ve never had such pleasure before…never dreamed it was possible. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” She smiled back at him, feeling relieved. A part of her had been certain he would be angry with her after this was over—angry at her for doing something so overtly sexual. But no, it was just therapy, she insisted to herself. And it seems to have worked—he looks so much better. Way more relaxed.
“No,” he said seriously, looking at her. “The pleasure was all mine. Could you…would you allow me to return the favor?”
“Um…” Tess felt suddenly nervous again. “I’m not sure what you mean…”
“Perhaps I could just…hug you to start with?” he asked softly. “I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, I swear.”
Tess couldn’t help laughing. “Right. Anything that makes me uncomfortable. After I just finished jerking you off—uh, I mean, giving you a release.”
His smile grew wider. “That second way you said it sounds nicer.”
“Yeah, well…” Tess looked down at her extremely sticky hand. “Maybe before we do anything else we should…you know, clean up some?”
Garron looked at himself and nodded.
“I think that’s a good idea,” he said wryly, starting to get up.
“No, no—” Tess pushed him back down with her non-sticky hand. “Just stay there and relax. I’ll go get a washcloth.”
She ran to the bathroom, washed her hands and came back with a warm washcloth. She half expected Garron to be asleep and indeed, the big Kindred was lying there with his eyes closed breathing peacefully.
Look at that—all worn out. Tess couldn’t help smiling fondly. Now she would clean him up and he would no doubt roll over and sleep for the rest of the night. At least, that had been Pierce’s usual way after having an orgasm.
As she watched the deep, even rise and fall of his broad chest, she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. Garron had talked about wanting to “return the favor.” What exactly had he had in mind?
Better not to know, she told herself firmly as she got carefully back onto the bed beside him. You’ve given him what he needed and gone as far as you ought to go. It’s best to go back to being just friends now—if that was what we were before.
She touched his hip gently, letting him know she was there so she wouldn’t startle him, and then began stroking the warm, damp washcloth over his long shaft. Even now, after coming so much and so hard, he was still semi-erect which was pretty impressive as far as Tess was concerned.
“Mmmm…” The deep rumble of contentment that came from him made her smile. “Tess…”
“Shhh,” she murmured. “Just cleaning you up. Then you can go back to sleep.”
But to her surprise, his eyes opened and he put a hand on her wrist.
“Don’t want to go back to sleep.” His eyes, as he gazed into hers, were intense.
“What? Aren’t you tired?” Tess felt that flutter around her heart at the way he looked at her but she tried to keep her voice light.
“Never tired of being with you.”
Tess became suddenly aware that his shaft was growing hard again under the warm washcloth. Oops! Quickly, she finished up and put it on the nightstand.
“There we go. All done.”
“No, not all done,” Garron insisted. He put a hand on her arm. “Will you come closer? Will you let me hold you again? Body-to
-body?”
“Umm…” Tess was beginning to feel nervous again but the look on his face changed to one of pleading.
“Please, Tess. I just want to hold you. I won’t do anything you don’t want.”
“Well…” She felt herself melting under the force of those lovely turquoise eyes. “All right.”
She snuggled against his side again and Garron sighed contentedly and pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms. He seemed much more relaxed and comfortable now but also a lot more alert than she would have thought.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, nuzzling his face into her hair. “And so giving.”
“I just…wanted to make you feel good. Uh, to feel better, I mean,” she said hastily. “Did it help? Is your other—your dr’gin—under control?”
“For now,” he murmured. “I don’t know why but having your hands on me in that way seems to really help.”
In a sexual way, he means, whispered the little voice in her head. Tess cleared her throat.
“Um, well I’m glad it worked. And glad you feel good—better.”
“I’d like to make you feel good, too, you know,” he said softly. His big hand trailed down her arm until it rested on her hip. His long fingers curled around her, radiating forbidden heat, making her feel small…helpless.
“Um, that’s really nice of you.” Tess looked down. She could feel herself getting hot…which scared her to death. “But I’m good. Honestly, just fine.”
He turned toward her and cupped her jaw, tilting her chin up so that their eyes met.
“What is it, lin’del?” he murmured softly. “Do you still fear me?”
“No, of course not,” Tess said at once. “It’s just…”
She paused, trying to think how to explain that it wasn’t him she feared at all—it was her own reaction to him. When she had been the one touching him, the one in control, she had felt free, open…safe. But allowing herself to be touched—and to take any kind of sexual pleasure in it—was different and much more difficult. She had gotten around it the night before by telling herself he was just “healing” her. Just as she had convinced herself that touching him just now was a form of “therapy.” But to put all these excuses and ruses aside and simply allow him to touch her body in order to bring her pleasure…it was a much more difficult thing than it sounded. Maybe impossible.
But how could she tell Garron all that?
It was a big, tangled, snarly mess inside her—a rat’s nest of fears and phobias and desires locked away and hidden so deep Tess didn’t know if she could ever find the key. I’m a hot mess—there’s no way I can ask him to deal with all my issues. No way he’d want to.
“Just what?” he asked softly and she realized she’d been thinking too long.
“It’s just…complicated.” She sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, Garron but I’m really tired right now and it’s late. Look…” She gestured at the window. “It’s full dark outside and we were driving most of today. Do you mind if we call it a night?”
“Of course.” He shifted against her. “Can we sleep like this? I like the feel of you against me.”
Tess smiled. Sleeping should be safe enough—as long as that was all they did.
“Sure, I like it too. It’s nice.”
“Good.” He sighed and dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Sleep well, Tess.”
“You too,” she murmured, daring to snuggle a little closer. It really was nice, being this close to him. His big, hard body was comforting and his arms around her made her feel safe and cared for. His scent seemed to relax her and his deep, even breathing acted almost like a lullaby.
Slowly she drifted to sleep…
Only to wake up a few hours later screaming and crying.
Chapter Twenty-four
“It’s not mine, is it, you little slut? Whose is it? Who’s the lucky guy who knocked up my wife? Was it Barney, that fucking security guard who works at the nursing home with you?”
“Please, Pierce…” She was cowering against the wall, trying to avoid his blows. “Be reasonable—Barney is almost seventy! Besides, I would never, never do that with anyone else. I don’t even look at other men. Please!”
“Lying little whore! If you don’t look at other guys, how did you get pregnant?” He glared at her, his eyes poison green slits, his face screwed up in a mask of fury. “Huh? Tell me that?”
Tess knew she ought to try harder to placate him. What had started out as a few slaps and shoves was going to turn into full on punching soon and she would be on the receiving end of it. But as it did, sometimes, her anger got the better of her common sense.
“How do you think I got pregnant? You flushed my birth control pills because you said you wanted to start a family. Well, guess what Pierce—this is it.” She pointed at her lower belly, rounder now than usual, since she was finally beginning to show. This is your family—your baby—all yours and no one else’s! And you know it. You’re only pretending otherwise just to give you an excuse to hit me—like you ever need an excuse.”
Pierce’s face got even uglier.
“You little slut! I know that brat inside you isn’t mine. I know you’ve been fucking around on me! You always do—that’s why I have to punish you all the time.”
“How could I?” Tess demanded. “You know what I do all day—I get up, make your breakfast, go to work where I’m surrounded by female nurses and patients in their eighties and nineties, then I come straight home and make you supper and I’m in for the night. That’s it—that’s all. That’s my whole entire day.”
He scowled. “You’re fucking around on your lunch hour.”
“How could I? You’ve been dropping me off and picking me up for months now,” Tess pointed out. “Even if I wanted to cheat—which I don’t—there’re no men at work who are anywhere close to my age. There’s just no way, Pierce. You can twist it all you want but there’s no way this is anyone’s baby but yours.”
“Is that so?” He stood there breathing angrily, puffing through his flared nostrils like a bull, the way he always did when he was working himself into a rage. But at least he’d stopped hitting and slapping her, which was a big improvement.
“Yes, that’s so.” Tess felt a cautious sense of relief. She had him dead to rights on this argument. He couldn’t “punish” her for something she couldn’t possibly have done. She dared to get out of her protective crouch and stand straight against the wall. “It’s yours,” she said softly, pointing to her lower belly. “He or she is your baby, Pierce. Yours. And mine. Ours.” She tried to smile at him, hoping she could make him see. “Can you imagine holding him or her? Picking a name? Decorating the nursery? Can you—?”
“No.” His fist came flying so fast it was just a blur. She didn’t have time to shield herself—barely even had time to react. Still, she tried to cover her head instinctively, tried to shield her face from his fist.
But it wasn’t her face he was aiming for—not this time.
She felt the sickening blow like a sledge hammer to her lower belly. This was no simple slap or even a light punch—Pierce had put all his weight behind it. It knocked the wind out of her and she crumpled to her knees, clutching her belly, frantic with pain and fear.
Even before she caught her breath, she knew that something inside her had gone terribly, horribly wrong. The fragile spot in the center of her pelvis felt boneless and heavy at the same time. Somehow she knew that the spark that had been kindled inside her had gone out. Had been smashed out by the fist of the one who had put it there in the first place.
“Oh, no,” she whispered, curling in on herself in a protective ball. She cradled her wounded belly in her arms, holding herself as though she could hold the little one who had been so briefly within her. “No…no…”
And then the cramps started, the ripping pain and the knowledge that it was over, all over. The fragile little life was gone…
* * * * *
“It’s gone…gone.” Tess curled in o
n herself, clutching her belly as tears rolled down her cheeks. Grief pierced her, ripping at her with claws sharper than the cramps that had torn her apart. Loss filled her, darker than the blood that had spilled from between her thighs. “Oh, please,” she moaned softly, unable to stifle her sobs. “Oh, please…no. No…”
“Tess?” Suddenly a huge, male form was looming over her in the darkness. “Tess, what’s wrong?”
The words themselves didn’t register—only the masculine tone and the big body crowding her…threatening her.
“No, leave me alone!” Tess scrambled to the end of the bed and huddled against the footboard. “Stay away—haven’t you done enough? I lost it—I lost it!”
“Lost what? Tess, please…” He came toward her again, one hand outstretched. “It’s me—just me,” he said.
Tess shrank from his touch.
“It’s gone—are you happy now? You took care of that. Gone.”
“What’s gone? Tess please—look at me. Look at my eyes—it’s me—Garron.”
Something about what he said slowly began to register. His eyes…why could she see his eyes in the dark?
Because they’re glowing, whispered a little voice in her head. And they’re not green—they’re blue. Turquoise.
“I…” Tess didn’t know what to say. She swiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
“It’s me,” he said again and then he was enfolding her in his arms.
For a moment Tess stiffened against him. He was so big…so impossibly strong. She could feel the power in those massive arms—he could rip her in two if he wanted. As easily as ripping apart a doll or a stuffed animal.
She started to pull back but he pressed her face gently to his throat.
“Breathe me in,” he murmured, stroking her back with long, soothing strokes. “Breathe my scent, lin’del. It’s me. Just me.”
Tess did as he said, gulping in one deep, shaky breath after another. His scent—it wasn’t the too-sweet, cloying aftershave that Pierce always used. It was a warm, dark spice that smelled like safety…that smelled like home, although she didn’t know why.