Butting In

by Zenina Masters

  He laughed. “All right. Come on.”

  He got to his feet and pulled her with him. She swayed and rested against his chest for a moment.

  After ten seconds of being hugged by him, she muttered, “This feels lovely, but I have to pee.”

  His shoulders started shaking, which didn’t help her a bit. She pushed away from him and headed for the door, banging into the tables, doorway and anything else that was remotely close to her path.

  Being sleepy was nearly as bad as being tipsy, but it was worse in the way that she made more sense. She remembered every stupid thing she did when she was tired, and it was usually humiliatingly memorable.

  Apparently, this morning was no exception.

  She pulled herself up the gorgeous staircase and headed for her room.

  * * * *

  Riox watched his mate-to-be escape him by crashing into everything in her path. Apparently, her nimble feet had abandoned her.

  Drak came around the corner and crossed his arms. “So, how did the evening go? I see you have recovered from your war wound.”

  Riox chuckled. “I have. She was worried about it, so I healed it.”

  “How did she react to that?”

  Riox laughed. “She has to use the restroom. Her coffee consumption caught up with her.”

  Drak blinked. “Did you tell her that there were facilities down here?”

  Riox shook his head. “I didn’t have a chance. She started crashing her way out of the library, and chasing her at that point would have just caused her an issue.”

  Drak put his hands on his hips. “This has taken a weird turn.”

  Riox nodded. “I would have to agree. If this is what it is like taking a shifter to mate, the fey who have managed it have my respect.”

  “Go and get some sleep, Riox. You need to be pretty for her when she wakes up.”

  “Yes, elder. See you later.” Riox passed his brother and patted him on the shoulder on the way to the stairs.

  The chance that Gera was offering to Riox was not one he was going to throw away. He could bring little halflings into the world, and they would spread magic and power into the next century. Gera would have to agree to have several children, but she had come from a big family, so he didn’t think it would be an issue.

  It was funny to think that he had accompanied Drak here on a lark. His flirting with the ladies had provided them with the energy they needed to build the Axion.

  Drak’s dream was to create a space where he could practice matchmaking. He was good at it, but he was no seer. He matched the soul more than the body, and that was not what the fey court was currently looking for.

  Getting the location in the Crossroads was a dream come true for his brother, so Riox was going to do whatever he could to keep Drak moving toward his goals. Gera’s help and her suggestion to drop the glamour had covered miles of differences that Riox hadn’t even realized were there.

  The idea that a glamour would cause hostility to be the reaction of most of the shifters was an insight that they had missed, but it did explain the fights that Riox had gotten into before Gera arrived.

  Now that he had settled on her as his mate, there was a calmness spreading through him. The hunger for women was gone. He only wanted her. The urge to take her was constantly riding him, but taking it slow was the way to win her, unless she made a move on him first.

  He was really hoping that his luck held and her instincts took over.

  * * * *

  Gera opened her eyes six hours later, her princess bed was just as pretty as when she had crashed on top of the sheets and passed out.

  She got up, kicked off her remaining shoe and staggered to the bathroom again. Her cheeks were on fire. She couldn’t believe that she had left him after announcing that she had to pee.

  Muttering to herself, she stripped off her cocktail dress and underwear before she jumped into the shower.

  “Damn it!” She had forgotten to pull out the hairpins that were keeping her hair up. She yanked at the pins and shampooed her hair, wondering how her day could possibly fit any more unfortunate incidents.

  The only thing she could imagine that would cap off her day was walking in on Riox jerking off or something.

  That mental image stayed with her as she got dressed, brushed her hair and left her room.

  The stairs were just as magical as they were the day before, but today, it was magnified by Riox waiting for her at the base of the steps.

  “Good afternoon, Gera. Would you care to join me for lunch?”

  She nodded. “Yes, please. I didn’t want to put Drak out.”

  “He normally lives for that sort of thing, but he is getting a briefing from Teal, Tony and Dira. His next paying clients are booked in for tomorrow.”

  Gera completed her cruise to the base of the steps, and she went up on her toes to brush her lips against his. “Hello.”

  He put a hand at the back of her neck, and he deepened the kiss. When he raised his head, he smiled. “You just brushed your teeth.”

  She blushed. “And you just had a cup of coffee.”

  “Shall we head to the café?”

  “Please. This conversation is going to deteriorate.”

  He laughed and offered her his arm. She put her hand on the back of his wrist, but he took it in his other hand and moved it so that she had herself wrapped around him and they were hip to hip.

  They walked out of the Axion and headed to the café in a comfortable silence.

  The lunch went well. Gera was comfortable with him, but there was one thing for him to see.

  “After we finish, I need to take you to the shifter’s meadow so you can meet my beast.” She nodded at his confirmation of what she needed before she slept with him.

  “I have already seen it, albeit at a distance.”

  “Well, it is a little different up close.”

  He gestured to her empty plate. “Don’t you have to wait an hour or something?”

  “It isn’t swimming.” She grinned.

  Riox shrugged. “I am sure I will get the hang of it.”

  They paid, and she took him by the hand, hauling him to the meadow. With long strides, she pulled him past the cabanas and deeper into the meadow along the treeline. When she was sure that they were alone, she kicked off her shoes and unzipped her dress.

  Riox stared at her. “Are you sure that you want to do that out in the open?”

  “The only reason to strip in private is when you are with strangers. You are not a stranger.” The dress slid down her body, and then, she unclasped her bra before she slid her thumbs under the edge of her panties and pushed them to her ankles.

  When the cool breezes were touching all of her, she glanced at Riox. He was locked in place and staring at her body with an absorbed fascination.

  “Now you see it, now you don’t.” She shifted, and her beast was standing next to him.

  She lifted her head and turned it so that she was staring at him. Her vision wasn’t great if someone was right ahead of her, but that was why she had the horns.

  He reached out and rubbed her forehead. “I remember these.”

  She snorted and jumped up and down on her small hooves.

  She turned away from him, springing and prancing in the grasses, and then, she rolled on her back and waved her legs in the air. When her back was appropriately scratched, she got back to her feet and returned to him. She pressed her head against his chest and shifted into her human form.

  He lifted her chin on two fingers and kissed her. “You are beautiful in either form.”

  She analyzed it, but she didn’t hear that air of seduction that he had tried before. She smiled and pressed herself against him, kissing him wildly.

  Her beast was happy, so she was happy.

  Riox ran his hands down her back, and he cupped her butt. With a sudden move, he pulled her up to him, and she wrapped her legs around him.

  H
e reached between them and stroked her between the thighs.

  Gera wanted to blush at the wetness he discovered, but he groaned against her lips. He slid two fingers into her and moved them in a slow and deliberate motion.

  She shivered as heat swamped over her. It was apparent that her body was trying to make up for lost time.

  She bit at his lower lip with all the care she could muster.

  He grunted, and his hips jerked toward her.

  Her skin was alive, hot, and every touch of his skin on hers caused an electric shock. She shivered and tried to climb higher to get a better angle on his body.

  Riox pulled away. “No. Not here. Not like this.”

  She looked at him and pondered how hard it would be to pin him down and take what she and her beast wanted. Her logic centre emerged, and she reluctantly unlatched her legs and dislodged his hand as she stood on her own feet. A moment later, she was getting dressed. He held out his hand, and she balanced with it while she put on her shoes. Her cheeks heated when she smelled herself on his fingers.

  “Back to the Axion?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “I think that would be safest. How fast do you think we can walk so that no one knows what we are doing?”

  Riox lifted her up and flipped her over his shoulder. “This is the Crossroads. Who cares?”

  He patted her backside and headed for home.

  Chapter Eight

  Riox’s room was just as lovely as hers was, but it was far less feminine.

  He flipped her off his shoulder and knelt at her feet, pulling off her shoes.

  He ran his hands up her legs, and she leaned back and closed her eyes. Riox pressed a kiss to the inside of her left knee, and he worked up her thigh.

  She propped herself up on her hands and lifted her hips when he slid his fingers under the elastic of her panties and pulled them down and off.

  Gera held her breath when he parted her legs, and his hot exhalation made her gasp and her thighs jerk.

  He lapped at her slowly, and she twitched, trying to squirm away. His hands held her in place.

  Gera had grown up listening to her sisters talk about orgasms, but feeling the tension building in the unused muscles in her pelvis and accepting that the fire in those nerves was not going to hurt her were two contrasting bits of information. The pleasure was bordering on pain, and she was terrified of tipping over the threshold.

  He stroked two fingers into her and sucked at her clit.

  The pain and pleasure brought over her, and she jerked hard, pulling at the sheets while the cascades of enjoyment went on and on.

  Her dress and bra disappeared in a rush of fey magic, and his clothing followed suit.

  Her voice was throaty when she rolled to her side. “Nice trick.”

  Riox crept onto the bed next to her. “I have an entire playbook of tricks involving clothing. I hope to be able to display them all to you at one time or another.”

  She looked him over. He was all golden skin and black hair. His chest was lightly furred, which was unusual for the fey.

  Gera stroked her hand down his chest, following the arrowing trail to his groin where the golden column of his erection stood with its tip weeping slowly.

  She wrapped her hand around him and moved up and down the length of him, her fingers barely able to close around the circumference.

  She pumped with deliberation until he pulled her hand away.

  “There are a thousand adventures for another time. Right now, I want to be inside you.”

  Gera shivered. “I am pretty sure that I want that as well.”

  “May I proceed?”

  She nodded. “Yes; thanks for asking.”

  He moved quickly and rolled her to her back. Riox kissed her neck, stroked his hands down her breasts and teased her navel. His description of urgency had a lot more foreplay than she would have imagined.

  She was gasping, glowing with sweat and clutching at his shoulders before he shifted completely over her and the head of his erection was requesting entrance.

  He rocked into her in small increments until he was fully inside.

  Gera had come twice as he slid into her and was shivering as another orgasm was signalling that it was imminent.

  Instead of thrusting, Riox circled his hips, grinding against her.

  She shook as she tried to fight off another release, but it wouldn’t be denied. She screamed as fire burned through her.

  Riox pulled back and thrust in hard. He pounded at her, and she continued to thrash in her release. He shouted and the room lit with the energy between them.

  Gera groaned and held onto him while their hearts began to beat in rhythm.

  Riox was lying on her and crushing her into the bedding. When he had caught his breath, he lifted his head and kissed her softly.

  She brushed her lips against his, and his tongue came out to tease her. She felt his erection surging to life once more, and they began again.

  He pulled out of her, turned her to her side and slid into her from behind, his body curving around hers, caressing her back and buttocks.

  Riox kept one hand on her belly to rock her against him while he kissed her neck and shoulder.

  The change in position was a heady difference for her. The soft and hot head of his cock stroked parts of her inner channel.

  Gera rocked with him, and she closed her eyes to focus on the sensations of his body working with hers. This was mating. It was a meeting of equals for a joint goal. In this case, it was the goal of satisfaction.

  His thrusts picked up speed and depth.

  Gera could feel her body straining to accommodate him, but it welcomed him with delight, despite the tight fit.

  When she was nearly incoherent with the need to end the torture, he murmured soft, foreign words in her ear, and her arousal hiked up even more. The magic of his voice cascaded along her nerves. Her voice took on a desperate pitch as she gasped, groaned and whined.

  His tone wasn’t soothing; it egged her on. He bit at her shoulder while his body drove her to the edge once again, and then, the light pain of the bite let her body find release.

  Tears streamed from her eyes, she curled around herself and held as still as she could while her body and nerves went berserk.

  Riox groaned and shuddered once again, pumping his hips into her and keeping the convulsions of her inner muscles milking his cock.

  Gera was limp, sweaty, exhausted, and she wanted to run a marathon.

  Riox pulled out of her and turned her in his arms, holding her against his chest. “I have never felt that before.”

  She was too tired to raise her head. “What?”

  “That I could be with you and a moment later want you again.”

  Her vantage point let her know that he wasn’t kidding. His erection was back again.

  She chuckled and stroked his chest and ribs with one hand, enjoying the play of muscle under skin. “It will pass. When I am pregnant, it will pass.”

  He blinked. “This happens a lot?”

  “Beasts mate when they are in season. They send the signal out that they are receptive. When the males get the signal, they come running. When the females are out of heat or pregnant, the males go about their business.”

  He stroked a hand down her back. “You are in heat?”

  “I am pretty sure. It is kind of obvious when you are a shifter. Your whole body changes, and your beast gets really aggressive.”

  He chuckled. “How so?”

  “If I acted on every time I wanted to crawl over you and feel you inside me, we would not get out of bed very often.”

  “I can deal with that. How many children would you like?”

  Gera paused. “I haven’t really thought about it. I guess it depends on how much space we have. I had to share a room with one of my sisters, and it sucked.”

  He chuckled. “That will not be a problem.”

  “I don’t know, mayb
e six? It is a lot, but I think we could manage.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I will hold you to that, provided that everything goes well for the first. If not, we will renegotiate.”

  “I can’t believe that I am with a fey, and you of all people.”

  He stiffened. “Why me of all people?”

  “Well, I have already seen you naked, and it didn’t exactly rock my world. I suppose that time changes everything.” She bit his chest lightly.

  He quivered a little as he laughed. “Fair point.”

  She sighed and relaxed against him. “Do we have to go out tonight?”

  “We don’t. I think Drak will have to practice making arrangements for a balance ceremony. Does tomorrow work for you? We will have a lot of things to arrange in the human world when we get back, so no point in delaying.”

  She snickered. “Of course. Right. Well, my sister’s wedding will come in two weeks. Will you be my date to the wedding?”

  He laughed. “Of course.”

  She snuggled against him. This could work. Maybe.

  Drak fussed with her gown for the balance ceremony. “Too bad Riox can’t do this. He is so much better at this than I am.”

  Drak held up a sketch and looked at the dress before he nodded. “Done. You look amazing, sister.”

  Gera blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that. I always wanted a brother.”

  She lunged forward and hugged him, her crystalline gown moving in the light breezes.

  Drak hugged her out of reflex before he made a genuine effort. “Welcome to the family, little one.”

  She smiled. “Okay, now, let’s go and make this official.”

  He offered his arm, and she took it, placing her hand gently on top of his for the walk to the Meditation Centre for the ceremony.

  She was beyond butterflies. Condors were whipping around in her abdomen. Gera entered the space, and several folks stopped to stare at her as she made her way to the platform.

  Riox was opposite her, and she stared at him while the mage went through the motions and their power was drained from them, combined, divided and returned to them.