by Presley Hall
Jaro kisses me like he can’t hold back anymore, his tongue tangling with mine, laying claim to my mouth as his hands splay over my back. My own hands slide through his thick hair, relishing the feel of it between my fingers as we gasp and pant against each other’s lips.
I can’t catch a full breath, but I don’t really care. Oxygen seems so much less important than the connection surging between us in this moment.
Anger still tightens Jaro’s muscles. I can feel it in the hard lines of his body, even in the passion and desperation of his kiss. But alongside that anger is something else—something that makes my toes curl and my heart beat harder.
Tenderness. Caring. And a deep, raw desire.
All of those emotions bubble up inside my chest too, and I cling to Jaro, my hands moving down to grip his broad shoulders as he groans hungrily. His skin feels almost feverish beneath my touch, and I press the length of my body against him, wanting to be connected to him everywhere.
His cock is hard and pulsing beneath his loincloth, and I run my hands up and down his bare back, scratching lightly with my fingernails.
“Oh gods.” He breaks our kiss, resting his forehead against mine as he breathes heavily. “Every time you touch me, it feels better than the last. Better than anything I’ve ever imagined.”
“For me too,” I whisper, and I mean every word of it.
Touching Jaro and being caressed by him in return is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I thought my body and mind had shut down when it came to sex and intimacy, but these past few days with Jaro have proved how wrong I was.
He was right. I’m not broken. Adam didn’t take as much from me as I thought. The capacity to love and trust and desire still existed in me all this time, just waiting for the right person to come along and awaken it.
And god, I feel so awake now. So fucking alive.
Nerve-endings I didn’t even know I had spark to life as Jaro runs his hands down my back and then slips them beneath my shirt. The feel of his calloused palms against my skin make me shiver with need, and I break away from him just long enough to tug the worn tank top over my head.
Jaro’s pupils dilate as he watches me, his gaze devouring every inch of my exposed flesh. My chest rises and falls as I suck in a deep breath and release it, my nipples puckering under the weight of his stare. A jolt of pleasure streaks through me just from the feel of him looking at me, and I’m suddenly desperate for him to do a whole lot more than look.
I step forward again, closing the space between us and pressing my bare chest to his as I rise up to kiss him again. My nipples harden even more, sensations spiking inside me at the feel of his smooth skin against mine. He must like it too, because his cock pulses insistently against my stomach, and he groans as his tongue sweeps inside my mouth. There’s a fierceness in his kiss that mirrors the rising intensity of my own emotions, and I realize in a rush that I don’t want to stop.
I don’t want this moment between us to ever end.
All I want is more. So much more.
I want everything.
He asked me last night if I was sure I was ready, and I couldn’t honestly tell him yes. But even though it hasn’t even been a full day since then, I know my answer now. I’m certain of it, down to the very bottom of my soul.
There will never be another man who makes me feel like Jaro does. I’ll never trust someone like I trust him, or desire someone like him. If my logical mind were to think about how quickly this has all happened, it would scream at me that it can’t possibly be real, that it’s all too fast.
But not a single step in Jaro’s and my relationship has felt anything but real.
It’s all happened faster than it might have back on Earth, where we might’ve gone on dates and discussed our plans for the future and our common interests. Here, though? I saw him fight a water monster to save my life. He helped me face my fear when we had to climb out of the canyon, and we fought to protect each other when that boar-creature attacked us. I’ve seen more of who Jaro really is in just a few days on Nuthora than I would’ve learned in months of dating back home.
I know this man.
And I’m falling in love with him.
That thought makes me gasp aloud, and Jaro steals the breath from my lungs as he kisses me again, his lips moving ravenously over mine. I drag my nails down his back again, loving the deep groan that rumbles in his chest. And when my hands reach his lower back, I drop them even farther, sliding over the firm muscles of his ass.
I slip one hand around toward the front of his hips, pushing the soft leather of his loincloth aside as my fingertips graze his cock. This time, he’s not fast enough to stop me from touching him, and he shudders in response to my light caress before wrapping his hand gently around my wrist.
“Sadie, you don’t have to…” He draws in a ragged breath, resting his cheek against mine. “I don’t want to rush you.”
“I know,” I whisper, tugging against his hold on me a little. “You aren’t. I want this, Jaro, I promise. I’ve been dreaming about touching you ever since the first time you put your mouth on me. You’ve made me feel so good. I want to make you feel good too.”
There’s a moment of hesitation, and then Jaro releases my wrist with a low groan. Maybe he can hear the truth in my voice, or maybe there’s a limit to even this man’s self-control, because he doesn’t stop my hand again as my fingers slide down the length of his cock.
He buries his face in the crook of my shoulder, nuzzling and kissing the sensitive skin there as I explore the length of him, finally satisfying the curiosity that’s been burning inside me.
He’s thick and long—that’s the first thing I notice. The glimpse I got of his cock the other night let me know he was big, but as I wrap my hand around him and feel just how big, wetness gathers in my core, desire flaring inside me. Something about the girth and size of him is a little terrifying, but a little thrilling too.
Maybe it’s because I know Jaro would never hurt me. He’s only brought me pleasure so far, and I know that’s all he’ll ever do.
I indulge my curiosity by sliding my hand up and down his shaft, running my fingers and palm over every inch of him. A small wave of relief moves through me at the fact that he’s shaped similarly to a human man. There are slight differences though, and Jaro groans against my skin as I explore him, his hips jerking toward me.
There’s a low, hard ridge that runs along the entire upper side of his length, from the base to the tip. The head of his cock is broad and rounded, and when I slide my hand downward again, I discover a hard nub at the base. I run my thumb over it, eliciting a grunt from Jaro, and my breath catches as I realize exactly what this little node would press against with Jaro’s cock seated fully inside me.
My clit throbs as if in anticipation, my entire lower half pulsing with need, and I give up my gentle exploration as I stroke Jaro in earnest, moving my hand up and down his shaft and gathering the precum that spills from his tip.
“Akhi.” He grunts what I’m pretty sure is a curse word, his hips matching the tempo of my hand as he thrusts into my fist. “That feels so good, my kira. So slanching perfect.”
I wanted to bring him pleasure, to give back some of what he’s so selflessly given to me—but what I didn’t expect was that I’d be so fucking turned on by it.
The sounds that Jaro is making, the feel of him losing a bit of his iron control because of my touch, because of me, makes my heart pound in my chest. My clit pulses, sending little jolts of pleasure streaking through me, and he’s not even touching it. It’s just the feel of caressing him that’s doing this to me, driving me closer and closer to the edge.
“Jaro,” I whisper, my free hand roaming over his back and shoulders again as I continue to stroke him. “Touch me. Please. I need… oh god, I need to…”
My voice trails off on a soft moan, but I don’t need to say anything else. Jaro’s hands come between us, shaking slightly as he tugs at the zipper and button on my pants. He
shoves them down a little, then delves the fingers of one hand lower, sliding through my wet folds before finding the place that’s aching for him. He teases my clit, circling it over and over before dipping two fingers inside me.
“Fuck!”
I arch against him, clinging on for dear life, my fingers digging into the hard muscles of his shoulder as my inner walls clench around him. It feels so good, and as I stroke him with more urgency, I imagine it’s his cock sliding into me. I imagine him filling me completely, stretching me, overtaking my body until I don’t know where I end and he begins.
And that thought, that image, is what sends me hurtling over the edge.
“Jaro! Oh, god, I’m coming! I’m—”
My words break off as he lifts his head from the crook of my neck and kisses me fiercely, his tongue plunging into my mouth the same way his fingers are thrusting into my pussy.
The pleasure cascading through me spikes even higher, wave after wave of it rolling through my limbs until it feels like it will never stop. I lose my rhythm as I stroke Jaro jerkily, desperate to keep giving him pleasure even as mine nearly overwhelms me.
He’s close. I can feel him thickening in my grasp, his body tensing as his hips pulse forward into my touch.
For a second, my hand speeds up, my fist tightening around him to push him closer to the edge. But as he withdraws his fingers from my still-fluttering channel, the sudden emptiness makes me whimper.
I stop stroking him, unwrapping my fingers from his hard cock. Jaro breaks our kiss, looking down at me with heavy-lidded eyes. His markings are glowing brighter than I’ve ever seen them, and his breath is ragged.
“Thank you, Sadie,” he murmurs hoarsely. His voice is strained, as if he’s nearly at his breaking point, but he leans away from me a little. “That was—”
I hook the top of his loincloth with my fingers, pulling him back toward me as I grin up at him, desire burning through me. “Oh, I’m not done with you yet, mister.”
He blinks, and I see heat flare in his eyes as he realizes what I mean. “Are you sure?”
Unexpected tears burn the backs of my eyes, and I find myself suddenly overwhelmed by my feelings for this man. Grasping his face in my hands, I look up at him, holding his gaze. “Yes. I’m more sure of this than I’ve ever been about anything. I want you, Jaro. I want to be yours, and for you to be mine.”
“My kira,” he breathes, his eyes darkening as he leans toward me. He mirrors my action, cupping my face as he brings his lips so close to mine they almost touch. “I am already yours.”
Then he kisses me, and if he hadn’t already said the words, this kiss would tell me everything I need to know. It’s warm and deep and full of desire, and I feel like I’m drowning in it, the world spinning away into nothingness around me as all my focus narrows down to the connection between us.
He wraps his arms around me, lifting me gently into his embrace before kneeling and settling me onto the soft grass near the base of the tree. It’s cool against my flushed skin, and I bite my lip as I watch Jaro crawl between my legs. With careful movements, he tugs off my shoes and then slides my pants down my legs, discarding them nearby. Our gazes never leave each other as he undoes the ties of his loincloth, and when his cock springs free, I suck in a soft breath.
I’ve already seen him mostly naked, but it’s amazing what the absence of a little piece of leather can do. He looks stunning like this, every inch of his strong body on display, his muscles rippling as he moves. His cock juts toward me, hard and thick, and he wraps his hand around it and strokes up and down a few times, a teasing smile curving his lips as he does.
It brings back a rush of memories from last night, and even though I just came, my core clenches, my entire body humming with arousal.
I expect Jaro to lean over me and line himself up with my drenched entrance, but instead, he moves the other way, shifting backward a little before gripping my thighs. He presses them open, baring my aching core to him entirely, and then he drops his head between my legs.
The first swipe of his tongue makes my back arch as my heels dig into the grass, and he doesn’t hesitate for even a second before doing it again. He laps at me, devouring every inch of me with long, slow drags of his tongue. My clit is still so sensitive that I gasp every time his tongue slides over it, and pleasure starts building inside me again, heat radiating outward from the very pit of my stomach, filling every part of me.
I toss my head back and forth, whimpering softly. “Please, Jaro. I need more… need you…”
He doesn’t respond to my pleas right away. His hungry mouth keeps devouring me, his fingers tightening as they grip my thighs, and only when the first waves of my orgasm begin to ripple through me does he stop. As a loud cry falls from my lips, he surges upward, his lips finding mine as his cock nudges my entrance. I grab on to his shoulders, pulling him toward me, desperate to feel him inside me.
As the first few inches of his thickness slide into my pulsing channel, my mouth drops open.
“Are you all right?” Jaro freezes, his jaw set with the effort of stopping, of holding back.
“Yes. Yes!” I grab at his ass, pulling him toward me. The stretch of him is almost overwhelming, but I don’t want him to stop.
Slowly, he continues thrusting forward, sheathing himself inside me. Every inch seems to draw out the intense pleasure of my orgasm, and I swear I can feel it in every atom in my body. When he’s fully rooted inside me, the node at the base of his cock grinds against my clit, and I let out a little squeak as a fresh jolt of sensation sparks through me. My arms are wrapped around him so tightly it’s like I’ll never let him go, and he gives me a moment to adjust to his size, his forehead resting against mine as we breathe together.
Then he begins to move.
His lips find mine, and he kisses me deeply as he slides in and out of me. The friction of his cock against my inner walls is a whole new kind of pleasure, and every time he buries himself to the hilt, my toes curl as my clit throbs.
I don’t know if I can come again, but I don’t care. It almost feels like I never stopped coming. Every nerve-ending in my body feels electrified, and I bury my hands in Jaro’s hair as his thrusts grow harder and deeper. Our bodies rock together on the soft ground, and I wrap my legs around his waist, pressing my heels against his ass to urge him on.
“Sadie. My kira.” His voice is choked, so gravelly and strained I barely recognize it. He kisses me again, his lips ravenous against mine. “Rhael.”
The last word is practically a growl, and as he utters it, he thrusts into me one more time and then stills. His hips grind against mine, the pressure on my clit pulling a naked cry from my lips. I can feel him pulsing inside me with his release, and I squeeze around him, holding him close as our bodies shudder together.
He drops his head to my neck again, kissing and sucking at the skin there, and I can’t help the happy tears that sting my eyes as I stare up at the drooping branches above us.
Everything feels different. I feel different, somehow, as if the very makeup of my being as changed.
As if my life has been irrevocably altered.
19
Jaro
I’ve fought against monstrous creatures several times my size and gone up against battle-hardened slaves armed with vicious weapons. But never in my entire life has my pulse pounded as hard and fast as it is right now.
The scent of Sadie’s skin surrounds me, and I draw in a deep breath as I graze my lips over the soft flesh of her neck. I’ve filled her with my essence, the pleasure as I came so blinding that it nearly undid me, but I still can’t seem to stop touching her.
I want more. More of her touches, of her warm skin, of her soft sighs and needy whimpers.
Everyone on Vox knows about the mate bond, and it’s no secret how powerful the connection can be. But I was still unprepared for what it would feel like. I’ve never felt so deeply connected to another being in my life, never felt such forceful desire and tender nee
d all at once.
My body doesn’t seem to want to move, but I force my resistant muscles to cooperate as I lift my head, gazing down at my mate. Her golden hair is spread out around her head, her cheeks are flushed, and her beautiful blue eyes…
I stiffen, a shock of worry shooting through me.
Her eyes are full of liquid. It drips from the corners of her eyelids, sliding in small droplets down her temples and into her hair. I know what those droplets mean, and my heart cracks open in my chest.
She’s sad.
Regret slams into me, self-loathing following on its heels. She wasn’t ready. As her mate, all I want to do is take care of her, and I promised her I would wait until she was sure.
I believed her when she told me she was certain, when she practically dragged me closer to her, drawing my shaft deeper into her wet heat. But I should have resisted. I should have waited.
“Sadie, I—”
I move to pull out of her, to draw away, but she grabs my shoulders tightly.
“No, wait! Don’t move yet.” A breathtaking smile spreads across her face, even though the water still spills from her eyes. “I don’t want this moment to end yet. I just want to feel you inside me, to feel connected to you, a little while longer.”
Something loosens in my chest, although my voice is rough as I ask, “Then… you don’t regret it?”
“Regret it?” Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head vigorously. “No. Not at all.” Her hands trail over my back, brushing over the nodes along my spine. “It’s just so much. So perfect. It’s overwhelming.”
I hesitate for a moment, gazing at her, wanting to be absolutely certain she means it. As if sensing my doubt, she drags my face down to meet hers and kisses me, her lips warm and sweet against mine.
Slowly, the tension drains from me. I kiss her back, relishing the softness and openness of her, the way she responds to every stroke of my tongue. Then I pull back and press my lips to her cheeks and her temples, her closed eyelids and the bridge of her nose. The little drops that seep from her eyes are salty, and I gather them up until no more appear.