Marina bit her lip to keep from crying out when Mike continued his sensual assault on her body. His hands ran along her arms, washing her all the way from shoulder to fingertips before he drew her back against his body to rinse her. She relaxed against him when he picked up the soap again. This time she was sitting on his lap. He had his feet hooked around her ankles, holding her legs apart. It was the feel of his cock pulsing against her ass that had her hips rocking, though.
Her head fell back against his shoulder when he began washing her chest and stomach. His fingers paused, taking time to make sure that her nipples remained hard and throbbing. She rose up when he pinched the taut tips hard between his fingers, and he rose with her, pressing his cock along the lining of her ass.
“Can you feel how much I want you?” he murmured, brushing a kiss along her shoulder as his hands moved down to her soft curls.
“I want you,” she whimpered.
Want was an understatement, she decided. She craved him. Her body felt like it no longer belonged to her. Every inch was super-sensitive and places she didn’t know could hurt, did—in a very pleasurable way.
She spread her legs when he began stroking her. He was rubbing against her nub while playing with her breast. The heat rushing through her had nothing to do with the warm water and everything to do with what Mike was doing to her.
“Mike… Mike… Ah!!!” her voice rose and her body stiffened.
She had felt this rush before but never with such an intensity. The books her grandmother had given her had always mentioned seeing the flashing of lights behind closed eyes and mind-numbing pleasure, but she had always thought the author had penned a gross exaggeration of the feelings one could feel.
As her body melted against his, she decided that she was the one who had been in error. The feelings were much more intense. She groaned when his fingers slipped from her still throbbing clit, and he turned her in his arms.
“This is just the beginning,” he promised when she looked at him with a dazed expression.
“Does that mean it is my turn to wash you?” she purred, fingering his hair on the back of his head as she rubbed against his hard cock.
“Son of a….”
Marina captured Mike’s soft expletive with her lips. If the stories she read were true, she could give as much pleasure to him as he had given to her. She planned to do a little exploring herself to find out.
* * *
Mike drew in a deep breath when Marina ran her hands up and down his chest. She curled her fingers in his dark, coarse hair and gently tugged on it. He lowered his eyelids when she moved them over his nipples. They were hard and extremely sensitive.
He hissed out the breath he was holding when she flicked them with her fingernail. His cock jerked under her rolling hips. The feel of her soft flesh rubbing along his long shaft made him grit his teeth.
She leaned forward and brushed her breasts back and forth against his chest. Her lips paused a breath away from his, and her eyes glittered with fierce desire. For a moment, Mike wondered if he had died back on the beach and somehow landed in this perfect afterlife.
“I want to wash you,” she murmured against his lips. “And taste you.”
“Damn!” Mike swore, closing his eyes when she reached down between them and wrapped her hand around his blood-engorged cock.
His head fell back as she stroked him. He could hear her picking up the bar of soap. Seconds later, she ran the bar across his chest and shoulders. While she washed him with one hand, she continued to glide from the tip of his ultra-sensitive head down to the base of his rock-hard sack with the other.
He lifted his arm when she ran her hand up under it before sliding down across his stomach. His hips moved up and down, not pausing when she briefly held him with a double fisted grip.
He groaned and opened his eyes when she pulled back, releasing his cock and sliding her hands along his parted thighs. She smiled at him with confidence built on the knowledge that she held him completely enthralled. Licking her bottom lip, she motioned for him to turn around and stand.
Mike did as she bade. He made sure that his cock brushed against her parted lips. That move turned out to be a huge mistake when her tongue darted out and she swiped the tip of it.
“Marina…,” he warned, clenching his fists.
“Not yet,” she replied with a secretive smile. “You deserve to feel the pleasure as well.”
He growled under his breath and turned when she stood up and placed her hands on his hips. Mike looked down, following her hand as she picked up the bar of soap once again. He wished there was a mirror on the wall he was facing like there was on the other side. All he could do was close his eyes and imagine what she looked like standing behind him rubbing her hands over his shoulders and down his back to his buttocks. He stiffened when he felt her fingers trail along the crevice.
“I think I might be attracted to your ass as well,” she said, pressing her breasts against his back and running her soapy hands down between his cheeks.
“Damn woman! I’m never going to make it if you keep this up,” he muttered in a hoarse voice.
“We have all night,” she murmured.
All night was not going to be enough for him. She slid her soapy hands around his waist and double-fisted his cock again. He bowed his head and opened his eyes, watching with pleasure as she slid her hands back and forth. The tip of his cock was so full that beads of pre-cum seeped from the bluish-purple, bulbous tip. A shudder ran through him when her fingers brushed over the tiny slit.
“I won’t make it,” he exclaimed in a harsh voice, reaching down and gripping her wrists. He turned in her arms, his face taut as he fought for control. “Rinse and bend over the side.”
Marina sank down into the water. Mike followed her, rinsing the soap from his body. His hand gripped his cock. He squeezed his throbbing penis, hoping to hold off his need to come so that he could make her come again. That hope faded when she rose and pulled the towel laid out to the side close enough that she could lean her elbows on it. Her beautiful ass was raised in the air and he could see the swollen folds part.
Kneeling behind her, he spread her lips and pressed two fingers into her, stretching her while using his thumb to play with her damp clit. He bent forward and nipped her left cheek. As he’d hoped, slick moisture guided his fingers deeper. Stroking her, he pushed deeper and deeper until he felt the thin membrane barrier.
He slid his fingers free and rose up behind her. He guided his cock to her channel, the film of his pre-cum mixing with moisture. They were both more than ready. He slid the tip of his cock inside her, pausing to give her time to adjust.
His legs trembled as he watched his cock slowly disappear. He could feel her tight channel wrapping around him. Sliding his hands to her hips, he held her rocking hips still to give him time to regain control.
“I’ll try not to hurt you,” he said in a strained voice, locking his eyes with hers in the mirror.
“Pleasure can be painful sometimes,” she whispered, staring back at him with unblinking eyes as she pushed back.
“Damn, Marina,” Mike cried out, feeling his cock slip deeper inside her.
The thread of his control snapped when he felt the barrier separating them break, and he leaned forward, caging her beneath him. He released her hips to cup her breasts as he began to rock with a primitive need to mark and claim the woman as his.
He pinched her nipples, watching the flash of pain turn to immediate pleasure as he drove into her. He released one breast to slide his hand down between her legs. He found the sensitive spot he was searching for and began to stroke it to the same intense rhythm of his thrusts.
Her fingers splayed around the smooth tile surrounding the tub, and she thrust her hips back, encouraging him to take her without restraint. As she came, her long, loud cry echoed through the room. Her canal squeezed his cock with such pressure that he swore they were no longer two people but one.
He rocked his hips f
aster and faster despite her body's resistance in allowing him to pull out. The bulbous tip sank deep, and he felt the powerful force of his seed spilling from him. He ground his hips against her buttocks, pushing as deep as his cock could go. Behind his closed eyelids, he saw the white sparks connecting with strands of brilliant color. The threads arced outward, wrapping around their bodies.
Falling forward, he placed his hands along either side of Marina’s body, holding her pinned beneath him. His body was still locked to hers. They were both breathing heavily, and he could feel her trembling.
“Will it always be like this?” she whispered, her head bowed and her eyes closed.
“Something tells me it will be even better,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.
“I would like that,” she answered with a sigh.
* * *
An hour later, Mike gently laid Marina in the large bed. She turned and snuggled up against him when he slid in beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. He ran is hand tenderly up and down her bare arm after she released a contented sigh and wrapped her leg around his. He stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought, as his satiated body relaxed.
They had stayed in the bath until the chill of the water drove them out. Mike hoped the warm water would soothe any soreness Marina might feel while giving him time to regain control of his trembling body.
He swore he’d seen fireworks going off in his head when they made love. For someone as inexperienced as Marina, she had to be the sexiest woman he ever met. She hadn’t frozen or resisted any of his touches. Her trust was a precious gift he didn’t want her ever to regret giving him.
Having his share of lovers over the years—especially through his teens to his late twenties—none had touched his heart the way Marina did. The last few years had been different. He realized that he’d moved from the stage in his life where he was just seeking mindless pleasure to wanting something deeper. Restless, he hadn’t known what he was looking for until he met Marina.
“I love you, Marina,” he murmured, turning his head and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
His arms tightened around her when she briefly stiffened. He waited. This was new and very unfamiliar territory for him. He had never told a woman that he loved her before.
“I love you as well, Mike,” she said, tilting her head back. He could see the happiness in her eyes. “Together, we make strong magic.”
Mike chuckled. “Give me a couple of hours, and I’ll show you just how much we can make,” he teased, relaxing against the pillows.
A smile lifted the corners of his lips even as his eyelids drooped in exhaustion. His body was still humming from his release and the feel of the woman in his arms. He would give them both a few hours to recoup before he woke her.
We both have a lot more exploring to do, he thought, falling into a deep, restful sleep.
* * *
Marina smiled in the darkness and snuggled closer to Mike’s warm body. His arms held her close against him even as she felt his body relax when he fell asleep. Tilting her head, she studied his strong face. She raised her hand and traced the faint lines near the corner of his mouth with her fingers. His lips parted, and he released a sigh in his sleep.
She decided he had a strong face. His skin was tanned from the sun like hers, and he had thick, dark brown hair. His vivid-blue eyes reminded her of the sky on a clear day. There was a slight bump in the center of his nose, as if it had been broken at one time, and a scar near his upper lip that was so faint, she just noticed it.
With her fingers, she traced the rough beginnings of a beard forming along his jaw. She couldn’t help remembering her conversations with her grandmother as she studied him. She had thought her grandmother was joking when the old woman had told her about what it was like to pleasure a man and to be pleasured by one. Her mother had brushed over details, blushing and stammering as she tried to explain. There had been a lot of stuttering, humming, and sighs.
Her father’s mother, Ladonna, on the other hand, had cackled and shared fantastic stories with Marina about her different lovers and who had been the best of the best. Her grandmother had gone into so much detail that Marina didn’t know if she should believe half of what Ladonna was saying or not. By the end, Marina had seriously decided she might live the rest of her life as a hermit in the Elder forest caring for the trees. It sounded safer.
A small part of her was thankful she had never known her father’s father. She didn’t think she would ever have been able to look the man in the eye if she had. From the sound of it, the only reason her grandmother knew which one of her lovers had been her grandfather was because of the timing between her affairs.
After her grandfather’s untimely departure, her grandmother had explored the kingdoms—and beyond, according to her—in search of new adventures. If that hadn’t been more information than Marina wanted to know, her grandmother had given her books to read that she said were retrieved from a distant world.
“They are called romances,” Ladonna had chuckled. “They make you wet.”
Marina had been very naïve at eighteen summers. She had always been more interested in talking to the trees than talking to the boys in the village. Ladonna had handed her six of these books and told her to read them.
“I cast a spell to translate them. These are my favorites, so be sure to bring them back. And don’t let your brothers read them!” Ladonna had instructed her.
Marina had taken the books. She had shaken them, opened them, and inspected them, but for the life of her couldn’t figure out how they were supposed to make her wet. Then, she had read one—and understood. By the sixth book, she had learned how to take care of not only the wetness they caused, but the uncomfortable ache they left her feeling after devouring them. Until Mike, she had never had the desire to allow anyone else to take care of the uncomfortable feelings that left her restless and moody. Now, she not only understood what those women in the books were feeling, but she never wanted it to end.
As long as it is with Mike, she thought as she rested her hand over his heart and closed her eyes.
Chapter Sixteen
Early the next morning, Mike and Marina stood on the front entry steps to the palace. Mike kept his arm wrapped protectively around Marina. After last night, he knew that she belonged to him just as he belonged to her.
It was more than the lovemaking. Their connection had melded them on a level that he never realized was possible. It was as if the two of them had become one—thinking, feeling, and working in unison. He couldn’t help wondering if his mom and dad had felt this same kind of connection during their many years of marriage. It was strange how he could suddenly remember them finishing each other’s sentences, knowing when the other needed something, and the aching loneliness they felt when they were apart.
He briefly glanced at Orion and Jenny where they stood waiting, along with their two sons, Dolph and Juno. Orion had his arm wrapped around Jenny’s waist. After talking with Jenny and seeing how happy she was, he felt confident that whatever brought her here, whether it was the Sea Witch or fate, it was the right thing. Turning his gaze away, he looked around and frowned when he noticed everyone was looking up at the sky.
“Are you sure they’re coming?” Mike asked.
“They’ll come,” Orion replied with confidence.
“I hope they bring DJ and Stone,” Juno said, barely containing his excitement as he waited.
Mike leaned toward Marina so he could speak close to her ear. “Why do all the adults seem a bit tense?” he murmured.
“Each ruler is extremely powerful in their own way. Many years ago, there was a great war that divided our kingdoms and pitted one against the other. It was later learned that the war was instigated by the Sea Witch,” Marina explained.
Mike fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” he muttered.
“You should not be surprised by anything my cousin does,” Orion stated. “She turned all
of the dragons to stone.” He grimaced when he heard a loud, ground-shaking roar. “Except, of course, for Drago, the King of the Dragons. I don’t know why he insists on making a dramatic entrance every time they arrive,” Orion added with a shake of his head.
Mike’s eyes widened, and he took a step back. His hand pulled free of Marina’s, and he automatically began to reach for the gun under his jacket. Marina placed her hand on his arm and shook her head.
“I’ve only seen the King of the Dragons from afar at the palace when I was visiting Isha,” she breathed in awe.
The first thing Mike saw was a swarm of unusual white birds. They swept over the wall of the palace and through the front entrance. He watched as they wove through the guards before spiraling upward.
A moment later, a dark shadow appeared overhead. Mike’s eyes followed the huge dragon as it circled the courtyard. The creature’s midnight black scales shone brightly in the early morning light. The dragon snapped at a few of Orion’s guards as he swooped down. The guards ducked, but didn’t move until Kapian called out an order to give Drago more room.
“What is that on his back?” Mike asked, trying to make out the wiggling movements.
“Alright! They came!” Dolph exclaimed.
Mike watched as the two boys standing next to Jenny darted down to the bottom of the steps to wait in excitement. He looked back up at the sky. Drago circled once more before he landed in the center of the courtyard.
The large dragon turned in a tight circle, snapping and snarling at the guards closest to him before he stopped and lowered his right wing. The heads of two small dragon popped up from between his wings. Mike watched in awe as they slid down the wing to the ground and shifted into two boys slightly younger than Juno. All four boys laughed and ran toward each other.
The male dragon turned his gaze to the sky. Mike followed his gaze. A smaller dragon appeared, protected on all sides by the swarm of birds. She swept down over the wall, wobbling a little and barely missing the top. Two guards had to dive to the side to keep from being knocked off. Drago snorted and shook his head. Mike heard Orion chuckle.