by Lola Gabriel
When the last few guests started trickling out of the party, Max didn’t know whether he was relieved or gutted. He was gutted in one sense because it meant this magical night of fun and flirting had come to an end. Tomorrow, he figured things would go back to normal between him and Ellery. Friendly and nothing more. And he was relieved for the same reason. He didn’t think he could have stopped himself from taking Ellery in his arms and kissing those sensuous lips for much longer.
“It looks like we’re the last two standing,” Ellery smiled, looking around the ballroom, which was now empty except for the serving staff who had begun to clean up as the DJ packed away his equipment.
“Yeah,” Max agreed. “What happened to your parents?”
“Oh, they always slip away from these things early,” Ellery said. “Once they’ve shown their faces, they disappear. They’re not really party people.”
“They missed out on a great night,” Max said.
“They did,” Ellery said. “Considering at the start of the party, I couldn’t wait for it to be over, now I’m kind of upset everyone has gone. I had a really great time.”
“Good,” Max smiled. “Oh. And happy birthday, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Ellery grinned. “And it was a happy birthday. The best one in ages. I think it must have been the company.”
She looked deep into Max’s eyes as she said it and he had to look away, because he knew exactly what was going to happen if he didn’t.
“We should call it a night, then,” he said, knowing it sounded lame but not knowing how else to stop himself from getting carried away with Ellery.
“You can come to my quarters for a drink if you like,” Ellery said as they started walking across the ballroom.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Max said quickly.
“Oh,” Ellery said. “It’s just, I’m a little worried about going back there alone. You know, in case anyone has snuck into my rooms. It’s like you said, security gets a little bit lax at these events. I thought you might check it out for me.”
Max knew for a fact that Ellery didn’t think for a second that anyone had snuck into her rooms. But he also knew there was no way he could refuse such a request without looking like he was shirking his responsibilities to Ellery as her bodyguard.
“Sure. I’ll come and take a look around, but then I really must get back to my own quarters. I think I’ve had more than enough to drink for one night,” he said.
Ellery nodded her head.
“Okay, whatever you think,” she smiled.
They walked through the hallways and up the stairs. They weren’t touching, but Ellery was close enough to him that he could feel the heat coming off her skin as they walked, and he knew that if she so much as rubbed his arm now, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from taking her right there in the hallway. His cock was hard inside of his trousers and he hoped and prayed that it wasn’t obvious to Ellery. He was glad she had given him his jacket back once they went back inside and he pulled it closed, hiding his growing bulge.
They walked in silence now, a silence that felt heavy with promise, a silence dripping with desire. Max tried his best to ignore the feeling, to ignore his cock that was screaming for Ellery. It was almost impossible to do. It was like Ellery was a magnet, drawing him in and not letting him go.
They finally reached the door to Ellery’s quarters and Max turned to Ellery.
“You wait here. I’ll go in and check the coast is clear,” he said.
Ellery nodded and Max opened the door. He swept his eyes around her living room. No one lurked anywhere. He moved through the rooms, switching on lights. Her bathroom, her kitchen, and her little library room were all clear. There was only one room left to check. Ellery’s bedroom. Max felt strange about going in there, especially the way he was feeling right now, but he knew he had to. If there was anyone waiting to ambush Ellery here, that was where they would most likely be and he didn’t fancy trying to explain to Faust that he had searched the premises except for Ellery’s bedroom because it felt weird. Plus, he would never forgive himself if anything happened to Ellery because he didn’t do a thorough enough job.
Steeling himself, he pushed open the door and flicked on the light. His eyes were drawn to Ellery’s huge king bed, and for a second, he imagined the pair of them on the bed, writhing together, naked, their sweaty limbs entangled in each other. He blinked the image away and turned to leave the room. It was all clear. Ellery would be safe here tonight.
As Max turned, he came face to face with Ellery. She had ignored his instruction to wait outside of the rooms. And now she was almost close enough to touch. The feeling of lust in the air was back, and it was heavier than ever. Max cleared his throat and went to step forward, but Ellery smiled at him, freezing him on the spot for a second in her beauty.
“I thought you were never going to come in here,” she said, and then she reached behind herself and opened the zipper of her dress. She let it slide from her arms and down her body until it pooled at her ankles, leaving her standing in only her bra and panties.
Max gasped and swallowed audibly as he looked at Ellery, almost naked and completely beautiful. He made a tortured groaning sound as Ellery took a step toward him, and he knew then, job or no job, he couldn’t resist her any longer. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them, and their lips found each other’s, their hands moving all over each other’s bodies as they kissed hungrily.
Max’s hands moved over Ellery’s skin, caressing her, loving the silky softness of her. He ran his hands over her back and unhooked her bra. She pulled her arms away from him long enough for it to drop to the ground and then she began to push his jacket off his shoulders and pull his tie loose. They broke apart from their kiss so Ellery could pull the tie over his head and then they came back together, their lips locking, their tongues finding each other.
As Ellery began to work on Max’s shirt buttons, he brought his hands to the front of her body, caressing her breasts and massaging her nipples between his fingers. She moaned into his mouth as her nipples became hard points under his hands.
She moaned again as he moved his hands down her sides and over her hips, cupping her ass. She opened the last button of his shirt and pulled it off him, bringing his hands away from her body for a second. She ran her hands over his pecs, over his abs, and she moaned softly again and then he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him.
Her hands moved lower, opening his trousers and pushing them down, his boxer shorts following close behind. She pushed them to his mid-thighs, and they fell further, gathering around his ankles as Ellery’s fist enclosed his erection.
She moved her fist up and down, sending sparks of pleasure flooding out through Max’s body. As she worked him, he pulled his mouth from hers, kissing down her chest and taking one of her breasts into his mouth. He sucked on her breast, flicking his tongue over her still hard nipple, and then he pushed one hand into her panties, stroking her clit with his fingers.
Ellery moaned, her hand still working him. He knew he had to stop her because he could feel his climax building up inside of himself and there was no way he was cutting this short. When he climaxed, he would be inside of Ellery’s warm, wet center.
He reached down and grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away from his cock, wrapping her arm around his back. He kept working her clit as he released her breast from his mouth and moved to the other one. Ellery clung to him, her head going back as he brought her to an orgasm. He felt her clit pulsing beneath his fingers as she called his name, digging her nails into his back as her body went rigid against him.
The feel of Ellery’s orgasm against his fingers and the rush of warm liquid that ran from her as she screamed his name almost pushed Max over the edge and he bit down on his tongue, concentrating on the stinging pain, holding himself back.
He pulled his fingers away from Ellery’s clit and grabbed her hips, moving her closer to her bed as they kissed again. El
lery wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pushing her mouth tighter against his as they moved. He reached the bed and turned, pushing Ellery gently onto her back on the mattress. She shuffled backwards, getting into place on the mattress. He paused, kicking off his shoes and socks and then stepping out of his trousers and boxer shorts.
Max clambered onto the bed, glancing down at Ellery’s spread legs, her glistening center. God, he wanted her. She reached for him, pulling him down on top of her, and they kissed again. Max kissed her deeply, wanting to consume her, wanting to taste her kiss forever. He reached down and grabbed his cock, lining it up with Ellery’s core, and then he pushed himself into her.
He pulled his lips back from hers, moaning in pleasure as he felt how tight she was around him. He filled her all of the way up, loving the way she gasped as he entered her. He began to move his hips, thrusting into Ellery, and she moved beneath him, thrusting along with him, pushing him inside of her deeper and deeper.
As Max moved inside of Ellery, he looked down into her eyes, and he felt something shift inside of him as their eyes locked. In that moment, Max knew this was more than just lust, more than just a one-night stand. He knew in that moment that he had found his one true mate, something he had never allowed himself to even dream could happen to him.
He kept moving inside of Ellery, knowing he would never be able to let her go after this, but knowing he had to. He intended to make this night a night they would never forget, because he couldn’t help but doubt himself, couldn’t help but think that Ellery wasn’t feeling this too. It couldn’t really be the start of the sacred bond, could it? Things like that just didn’t happen to normal guys like him.
He pushed the thoughts away, wanting to focus only on the moment, the perfect moment between him and Ellery. Ellery wrapped her legs around his waist and he felt himself slipping into her even deeper. She called out his name, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, holding him against her as she orgasmed again.
Max felt her pussy clench around his cock and the feel of her wrapped so tightly around him pushed him over the edge. His climax slammed through his body, filling his cock and his stomach with delicious heat. His skin tingled, his body on fire. And then he was coasting down, coming slowly back to earth as his climax faded away, leaving him feeling worn out but happier than he had ever felt before.
He rolled off Ellery and lay beside her on the bed, both of them panting for air. He allowed himself to lie in place for a moment and then he started to sit up.
“Where are you going?” Ellery asked him quietly.
“Back to my own quarters,” he said. “If your father catches me here, Ellery…”
He trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence. They both knew what Faust would think if he found Max in bed with Ellery. Ellery shook her head and smiled at him.
“My father never comes into my rooms, Max. You’re fine,” she said.
Max wasn’t sure if that was entirely true, but when Ellery put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down onto the mattress, he didn’t fight her. She snuggled closer to him, curling into his side, and he rolled over and wrapped his arm around her.
He told himself he would lie here a little longer, enjoying the scent of Ellery, the closeness of her body. And then he would have to leave her, because despite her reassurances, he wasn’t willing to risk being caught in Ellery’s bed. If he was right about the feeling inside of himself, the feeling of coming home, and there was any way they could be mates, then Max knew they would have to tell Ellery’s parents at some point. But that was a lot different from them finding out by catching him naked in her bed.
8
Ellery woke up slowly to see sunlight streaming in through the still-open curtains. She smiled to herself. She had been much too busy last night to worry about something as trivial as closing the curtains.
She rolled over, already sensing that Max had left, but she had to know for sure anyway. The sight of the empty half of the bed beside her made her feel a deep longing, a deep sense of missing a part of herself, and for a moment, she was hurt to find Max had snuck away from her while she was still sleeping.
She understood why he had done it, though. He had been worried about being caught in here with her by her parents, and although she had reassured him her father never came to her rooms like this, there was always a chance of one of the household staff catching him leaving her rooms. Ellery knew if that had happened, the staff would be gossiping nonstop and her parents were bound to hear about it.
Still, Ellery thought, we won’t be apart for long. And when we see each other, it’ll make the time apart seem special, like being apart will make us only want each other more. Ellery knew now after last night that her suspicions at the party had been right. Max was her one true mate. She had felt the sacred bond forming last night when he had made love to her, and although they hadn’t spoken about it, she had seen his eyes changing as he pumped into her, and she knew he had felt that moment too.
So really, what did it matter if he had snuck away early this morning? Ellery now knew she was going to spend forever with Max. She could wait another couple of hours for it to start. She also knew they needed to tell her parents and she couldn’t decide how they would feel about the news. She thought her mom would likely be okay with it, just happy that she was happy, or more truthfully, just happy that she had finally found her mate. Her father’s reaction to the news was a bit more of a mystery to Ellery.
On the one hand, he obviously trusted Max to have given him a job as her bodyguard. But did that mean he would always view him as merely staff, not as someone Ellery could take as a mate? It didn’t much matter one way or the other, Ellery knew. Now that the sacred bond had started to form, the enchantment was proving to be working, and even if her father didn’t fully approve of her choice, he couldn’t deny her the chance to be with her one true mate. It would go against centuries of traditions, something she was sure he wouldn’t do.
Ellery got up and went through to her bathroom where she took a shower and got dressed, slipping on a pair of skinny jeans and a white tank top. She checked the time and saw it was much earlier than she had first thought. She had a few errands to run, but she had some additional time. A plan started to form in her mind. A plan that made her smile widely.
She was going to sneak out of the house before Max could come and find her, because she wanted to head out to the village alone. She was going to go back to the comic book store and buy the special comic Max had seen and give it to him as a present. She squealed with delight, imagining his face when she gave him the present.
Almost skipping in her excitement, Ellery left her quarters. She reminded herself to act normally and not draw attention to herself. She was so excited about getting the present for Max, and she didn’t want anyone to see her sneaking out without her bodyguard and alert Max to the fact that she had left the house alone.
She made her way through the house and out the front door. She felt tense as she waited for a voice to call after her, Max, or one of her parents, demanding to know why she was going out unaccompanied. She could hardly admit the reason and she crossed her fingers that she could make a clean getaway. She held her breath and it was only once she was out of the gate, hidden from view of the house by the fence, that she dared to breathe normally again.
I did it, she thought to herself. I actually did it.
She hurried toward the center of the village, hoping she could remember which side street Max had taken her down to find the comic book store. If she couldn’t, though, she could ask for directions at one of the shops on Main Street. Someone had to know where the store was.
“Ellery,” a voice called out to her as she reached the block before Main Street.
She turned toward the sound of the voice and her heart sank when she saw who the voice belonged to. Errol. And now that she had turned around, she couldn’t pretend that she hadn’t seen him. She gave a halfhearted wave.
“Morning, Errol,�
�� she called.
He started to jog toward her and any hope she’d had of that being the end of their interaction fizzled out.
“Good morning,” Errol said when he reached her side. “I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to ask you to have dinner with me.” Ellery opened her mouth to tell him no chance, but he went on, seeming to sense her reluctance to agree to the idea. “Just as friends, I mean, Ellery. I know we didn’t exactly hit it off as anything more, but you did say you had enjoyed the evening. So why not do it again?”
“I’m sorry, Errol,” Ellery said. “I just don’t think so. I’m really busy right now and…”
“Okay, I get it,” Errol said, cutting her off mid-sentence. “So come and have a coffee with me instead.”
“What now?” Ellery said.
“Well, yes, why not? There’s a nice little place just around here on Main Street I’ve been going to while I’m staying here.”
“I really can’t,” Ellery said. “Sorry.”
“Oh, come on, Ellery. One coffee, just as friends. It’ll be my way of apologizing for my appalling behavior the other night,” Errol pleaded.
Ellery knew he wasn’t going to be put off, and that the only way she was going to be able to refuse was to be rude to him. As much as she didn’t care if she hurt his feelings after the way he had propositioned her in the restaurant that night, and after he had lied about meeting her before, she hesitated. For her parents to have arranged her to meet him on a proper date rather than just giving them an introduction, Errol’s family must have been pretty important and the last thing Ellery wanted to do was to make trouble for her parents within the tribe by offending the son of someone important. She sighed and nodded her head.
“Okay. One coffee. But it really will have to be a quick one. I have a lot to do today,” she said.
“Excellent, this way,” Errol said, taking her elbow and marching her toward Main Street.
His whole demeanor had changed now that Ellery had agreed to go for coffee with him. He seemed excited, like he was slightly on edge, waiting for something to happen. Ellery was already regretting agreeing to this, but she knew it was too late to back out now. Just get it over with, get the comic, and go home to Max, she told herself. Thinking of Max calmed her a little and she knew she just had to get through this next half hour and then she would never have to see Errol again.