"Tell me,” he coaxed, wrapping his hands around her thighs and urging her legs apart a little farther.
Had Rhea stopped to consider her words, she'd have been mortified by what sprang from her lips. But at that moment, she was no longer the sensible woman who kept herself in check and tried to act rational in all situations. No, at that moment, Rhea was free.
"Taste me, Valos! Make me come,” she cried, tangling her fingers in his dark hair and urging his head downward.
"As you wish, my love.” His thick tongue plunged inside her. Withdrew. Then plunged again.
Rhea felt her sheath begin to constrict. Her hips came up off the bed and she pressed her head against the pillow, arching herself upward even more. Within seconds, she'd be falling off the edge of reality and into a world of orgasmic bliss.
Valos withdrew his tongue once again, only to replace it with two fingers, which deftly found that miracle spot on the upper wall just inside her opening and began to vigorously rub against it. When his mouth came down to possess her swollen clit, drawing the pulsating bead in and out of his mouth, Rhea could hold back no longer.
With an unbridled cry of release, she let herself go.
"That's it, Rhea. Come for me,” he breathed heavily, sucking and stroking without relent.
After the initial bolt of pleasure shot through her, the intensity only grew. Rhea gasped. Held her breath. Then gasped again. It was too much. She couldn't take it. She felt as though she might die from the ecstasy.
"Valos ... please. I can't..."
She dug her heels into the bed, trying pushing herself away from his torturous mouth. Then another wave of pleasure hit and her body contracted as though she'd been shocked. Rhea threw back her head as his name was torn from her lips.
She gripped his shoulders with bruising fingers, part of her wanting to push him away, the other wanting to hold him in place. “Oh ... dear ... God! You're ... killing ... me!” she declared between gasps.
Valos halted his sweet assault and resorted to stroking her lightly with his tongue. As though simply tasting her flowing juices—which ran from her opening and down into the crack of her ass—weren't enough, he lapped at her canal, greedily trying to catch every drop.
"Did that feel good?"
It wasn't really a question in need of asking. He knew the answer. Had her shameless cries and moans of pleasure not already confirmed it? But Rhea sensed he waited for a response.
With her eyes still closed, she nodded. As her breathing began to settle, she realized her hands were still clamped tight on Valos's muscled shoulders. She instantly released him, knowing she'd likely pierced his skin with her nails.
"I'm sorry,” she whispered, feeling her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. She didn't recall ever acting that way before. It seemed as though Valos had indeed perfected the art of oral gratification.
Rhea chanced to look down at him. She cringed when she saw the damage she'd done. Four evenly spaced puncture wounds lined the corded muscle running from the side of his neck to the top of each shoulder. A small crimson bead welled in the center of each.
Her face flamed with mortification. With a shaking hand, she gently traced one, wiping away his blood. “Valos, I—"
Balancing himself on one elbow, he grabbed her outstretched arm by the wrist, then brought her hand to his mouth, where he proceeded to lick her fingertips clean.
Rhea couldn't help but focus on his lips. She watched, mesmerized as his pink tongue brushed against her skin, skillfully cleansing away the red smears with one long sweep. She inhaled sharply, suddenly yearning for his mouth upon hers.
Valos smiled, then slowly pulled himself up her body until his face was parallel to hers. Without saying a word, he dipped his head forward and teasingly brushed his lips across hers. He kissed her chin, her cheek, her brow, everywhere but the one place she wanted.
The waiting was almost too much to bear. Rhea tilted her chin up, offering him access to take more. She sensed he was purposely prolonging her torment, and the realization sparked her anger.
The air around them was permeated with her need. What more did he want? Winding her hands behind his neck, she tried to pull him down, capture his mouth. But he resisted, staring down at her with a haughty grin.
Rhea wanted to scream. “Valos!” she warned, frustration apparent in her voice.
In one quick motion, he rolled over, taking her with him. Rhea yelped as she felt herself being whipped over. Before she could react, he'd positioned himself on his back, and now she sat astride him.
Valos punched the pillow around a moment before settling down into it, then slipped his hands behind his head and adjusted his broad shoulders a bit until he'd apparently gotten comfortable. Once he'd grown still, he stared up at her with his big chocolate-brown eyes, waiting to see what she would do.
Rhea bit her bottom lip with uncertainty. She knew what she wanted to do, but she felt hesitant. Of course, they'd already passed the point of modesty. Why should she care what he thought?
"Why indeed?” he asked, one of his thick brows arching with amusement.
Rhea recoiled back a few inches. “I wish you wouldn't do that,” she snapped.
"What?” he asked, his expression innocent.
She crossed her arms over her breasts, covering them against his appreciative stare. “You know what!"
Valos chuckled, then shrugged. The motion caused the muscles in his arms to bulge, instantly drawing Rhea's attention.
"I ... don't ... like it ... when...” she started absently, her eyes moving over the expanse of his wide chest.
"There's no need for reservations now, Rhea. I know what you want. And I'll assure that you get it before the night's done. We'll both get what we want."
Rhea's attention snapped back to his face. She tried not to notice the arrogant set of his jaw, the firm line of his mouth, or the heady desire portrayed in his unwavering stare—the traits that made him so damn attractive and so utterly dangerous to her—but she couldn't seem to focus on anything else.
When her gaze finally fell to his mouth, and she felt her insides shudder with need, she knew she had to get out of there. “I've got to—"
Her wrists were suddenly caught in a steely grasp, preventing escape. Rhea stared down to where Valos held her imprisoned within an unbreakable hold. Although she'd never considered herself tiny by any means, her arms seemed strangely small within his large hands.
How had he moved so quickly?
"Where are you going?"
His deep voice interrupted her thoughts. Rhea slowly lifted her gaze to his. “I should...” Her eyes fastened on his mouth once again, halting her feeble explanation in mid-sentence.
"Leave? Why would you want to leave, Rhea?"
The question held an unspoken invitation. Rhea watched in stunned silence as he took her hands and placed them upon his tanned flesh. The warmth of his skin beneath her palms was her undoing. She no more wanted to leave now than she had when he was driving her beyond the borders of sanity with his skillful tongue.
With gentle encouragement, he coaxed her into running her hands along the contours of his muscled chest. Before long, Rhea was traversing the chiseled planes on her own, and Valos had returned his arms to their previous position beneath the pillow under his head.
At first, she dawdled around his pecs, mesmerized by how his soft brown nipples hardened into perfect little nickels at the slightest touch. Then she moved lower, down across his sculpted abs and trim waist. At his navel, she followed a thin, dark trail of hair until the tips of her fingers brushed against the gathered material of his pants. There, she paused.
Rhea chanced to look up at him, catching his steady stare. He cocked his head a little to the side, one thick brow lifting with amusement. She could tell he hid a smirk behind his tight-lipped expression.
He's enjoying this!
Then she glanced back down to where her hands hung above the satiny ties at his waist, waiting for her to give the orde
r to forge ahead into perilous territory. There was no mistaking his arousal. The shiny material of his lounge pants stood up like a pitched tent above his groin.
And so am I, she realized with an irresistible sense of excitement.
CHAPTER 11
Just a gentle tug is all it took for the ties to pull free. But before she loosened the waistband and exposed his erection, Rhea leaned forward and placed a soft kiss at the crest of each of his hipbones. Then, she trailed her mouth along the material's edge, from one side to the other. Every few inches, she'd dip her tongue beneath the border, purposefully trying to torture him as he'd done to her.
She felt the muscles in his legs stiffen beneath her. And when she glanced up to meet his lust-filled stare, Rhea couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. Apparently, Guardians weren't impervious to a mortal's touch. With a new sense of power, she set about tormenting Valos inch by glorious inch.
She took her time, kissing and caressing his flawless skin, as she slowly slipped his silk trousers down his narrow hips and brawny thighs. Once she'd removed his pants, Rhea merely stared down at him in awe, meticulously taking in each detail of his perfect form. She could think of no other word to describe him other than beautiful, if one could consider a man as such, for Valos was indeed a creation of the gods.
His cock stood proud and erect, jutting straight out from his groin like a steely blade—easily seven inches of deadly steel, poised and ready to thrust. And just as she'd suspected, a mass of dark curls surrounded the thickened base like a protective cloak, broken only by his rotund testicles which lay nestled and secure within the silken patch like two perfect eggs in a basket of Easter grass.
Rhea's heart rate quickened. Her hand longed to wrap itself around his hardness, to grip his staff within her palm like a mighty warrior preparing for battle. Unable to stop herself, she reached out and lightly brushed her fingers across the glistening black fur nestled around his thick shaft. He shuddered.
"Rhea..."
The word came out as a strained sigh.
Her gaze locked with his. “What do you want, Valos?” she asked innocently, trying her hand at his game.
Her fingertips traveled along his length with a teasingly light touch, and like a dinghy caught in an ocean maelstrom, his penis bobbed and butted against her in response. Then she curled her palm around him and proceeded to move in an even up and down motion, sliding the outer layer of his velvety sleeve along the hard inner rod with ease.
When she bent forward and took him into her mouth, Rhea watched with silent gratification as his expression changed from arrogance to shock and finally to pleading. His breaths were no longer even and shallow, but rather came in broken gasps with each stroke of her hand and caress of her tongue. She could feel his excitement growing, his climax drawing near, as fluid coursed through the pulsing vein on the underside of his penis, rushing to the mushroom-shaped head in preparation.
But Rhea had no intention of letting him get off that easy. She wanted him buried deep inside her when he exploded. Just as she felt he was about to break free, she abruptly stopped.
Valos's disappointment was apparent in his choked gasp. “Rhea...” he growled, piercing her with a harsh glare that clearly portrayed his frustration. His eyes were darkened with need—the pupils large and round, like two onyx marbles, and the strong line of his jaw had tightened with strained patience.
Ignoring his obvious displeasure, Rhea rose up on her knees and positioned herself above him. Then she reached down between them and placed the bulbous head of his penis at her opening. In one quick motion, she plunged her hips downward, burying his hardened length to the hilt within her slick sheath.
A shocked gasp tore from her lips as his size filled her completely, as though they were made for one another. At first, Rhea merely sat there, impaled upon his throbbing cock like an extra appendage. But as her own body quickly molded around him and began to pulsate, gripping his shaft with a primal need to pull him in even farther, she rocked her hips.
Forward and backward, slowly at first, but as the movement caused him to butt against that magical spot, her gyration quickened. Faster and faster, the motion sending tiny sparks of electricity racing through her groin. Her clit tingled with anticipation. Rhea focused on it, grinding herself against him and willing her pleasure to come. When the muscles in her pelvis clenched, she knew it wouldn't be long.
Valos grasped her hips with vice-like fingers as he drove himself upward, meeting each of her downward motions with his own powerful thrust. Their heavy breathing melted together into uniform pants. Each of them were only seconds away from bliss. As Rhea felt the cresting begin, she closed her eyes, threw back her head, and let out a throaty moan. Valos's own cry followed shortly thereafter.
Her energies spent, Rhea collapsed forward, wallowing in the warmth and security of her Guardian's strong arms as he wrapped them around her and held her tight. She lay there for a long while, listening to his heartbeat as it thumped against her ear. Fearing an end to this magical moment, she pressed herself even closer, willing their bodies to stay united as long as possible.
Valos gently caressed the planes of her back. Then his hand moved up to her neck and hair. With long strokes, he ran his fingers through her chestnut tresses, letting them slip through his grip like a waterfall and spill across her skin with a feathering brush.
Rhea's eyes grew heavy. How she longed to let herself slip into a peaceful sleep, wrapped within a cocoon of Valos's love. But she resisted, sensing that when she woke up, he'd be gone, and this would all just be another dream.
"Shh...” he crooned. “Go to sleep, Rhea. Everything will be fine. I promise."
Rhea's body grew heavy. She felt as though her limbs were turning to concrete, beginning at her fingertips and toes, and slowly working its way upward. She inhaled his earthy scent, tucking the memory away for later as her mind began to drift.
"Go to sleep, Rheaaaa..."
* * * *
"Rheeeaaa! Rheeeaaa!"
At first, the feminine voice seemed to stab the darkness from far, far away. Rhea pulled her knees in tightly to her chest, willing the calling to cease. She didn't want to wake up. She was having such a lovely dream.
"Rheeeaaa!"
This time a man's voice, clear, distinct, and strangely familiar. Rhea's eyes flew open. Sunlight, bright and piercing assailed her vision. She groaned, throwing her arm across her face in defense.
Where am I?
"Rheeeaaa!"
The calling continued, a choir of voices. Rhea slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings. The mirrored room, the ivory bed, the satiny coverlet, everything was gone. And so was Valos. She was alone, somewhere along the Amapayaco River, and dressed in the clothes she'd had on the night before.
Rhea felt the sinking of despair. It had all been a dream. Her vision clouded with tears. She had merely wandered away from camp, fallen asleep in the brush, and dreamt of a wonderful night in Valos's embrace. It had never been real.
She held her breath, hoping he would invade her thoughts and tell her she was wrong as he had before. But there was nothing, no warm chuckle, no lulling baritone voice, just the normal sounds of the flora and fauna commonly found in the Amazon Forest.
A single hot tear slipped from her lashes, making way for several others to follow in its wake. Ignoring the ever-persistent calls from Ashley and Jon, Rhea let loose a whole floodtide of disappointment and sorrow, wailing out her pain to the quiet greenery around her.
After several long moments of shameless sobbing, she finally got control of herself. She sniffed a few times, wiped her face on the front of her shirt, then pulled herself to her feet and started toward the others. It wasn't until she took a deep breath that she caught the wind of a faint but familiar scent.
Rhea stopped in her tracks. She inhaled again. The aroma remained.
"Valos?” she called softly, almost in a whisper.
No reply.
"Val—"
"Rhea!
Oh, my God! Where've you been?” Ashley burst through the shrubbery before her like a wild woman, sending several colorful birds jetting into the canopy with squawks of alarm. Jon followed closely on her heels.
"Rhea, are you all right?” He grasped her upper arms and shook her gently.
Rhea looked up at Jon. “I'm ... fine,” she mumbled.
"What're you doing out here?” Ashley demanded, butting in between them. “I was worried sick! I thought you'd been kidnapped by some crazy—"
"I'm fine, really.” Her voice broke and she took a step back, wishing they'd both leave. Feeling moisture gather at the corners of her lashes once again, Rhea turned away. “I'd like ... to be alone, for a while. Please."
But Ashley had no intention of being dismissed so easily. She stepped around Rhea and stood directly in front of her. “Rhea, when you were missing this morning ... How did you get out here?"
Rhea glanced up at her friend, pleading with her eyes for Ashley to leave her be for a few minutes. Just long enough for her to gather her thoughts and come up with some logical reason for all of this. “Ashley,” she whispered. “Please, just let me alone for a few. I'll tell you about it later. I promise."
Ashley stared at her a long moment, then reluctantly nodded. “All right. But don't go wandering off again. We'll be waiting on the trail.” She pointed out the right direction, then waited for Rhea to acknowledge her.
"All right,” she returned quietly. “I'll only be a moment or two."
With a defeated sigh, Ashley stepped around her and ushered Jon off into the brush.
Rhea waited until they were both out of hearing range, then took a deep breath through her nose. Her nostrils flared, trying to take in every aroma within a twenty-yard radius. Valos's scent was gone. Crestfallen, her shoulders slumped with despair.
She turned away and started for the trail. After a few a paces, she paused. Rhea glanced over her shoulder, not really expecting him to be there, but hoping nonetheless. Nothing.
A hearty screech drew her attention to the canopy above. Suddenly startled, a large scarlet macaw lifted from its perch and flapped noisily away. Rhea stared at the branch from which it flew, searching for some evidence of the bird's disturbance.
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