Redemption (Red Dragon Book 1)

by Bradley, H. J.

  With another laugh, Valto left his cousin fawning over the picture and weaved his way through the crowd in the ballroom until he was able to push open the doors outside.

  Thankfully there was nobody else on the terrace, though he did take the winding steps down into the garden and settled himself on a patch of grass surrounded by tall bushes. The last thing he wanted was for his other cousins to find him out here calling his fiancé; he would never hear the end of it. Tipping his face momentarily into the fading sunlight, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open.

  With his heart in his throat, he scrolled through his contacts before finding Cat's number and hit 'call'.

  "Hello." Her voice was slightly muffled, as if he had woken her up and he had a flash of guilt at that.

  "Cat? It's Valto."

  "Oh." There was the sound of her sitting up, and her quiet yawn made him smile. "How's the wedding?"

  "Starting to wind down now. Kai and Steph have already left, so it's just us stragglers hanging around."

  "Did you give Johann the picture?" There was a certain tone of amusement to her voice.

  "Yes you tease, and I think it'll be providing his entertainment for the evening."

  "That is disgusting! Myf will have a heart attack when I tell her."

  "I don't know why everyone thinks you're nice, you can be quite evil when you feel like it."

  She laughed then. "So did you dance?"

  "There wasn't anyone to dance with. Plus I don't dance, you know that."

  "I'm sure there are plenty of pretty single girls there who would be up for a spin."

  "None of them were you." The alcohol that Kai had been all but pouring down his throat all evening had turned him into a sap. "Why would I want to dance with anyone but you?"

  "How much have you had to drink?"

  "A bit. You know us Finns."

  "Yes I do."

  "How were your meetings? As boring as you thought they would be?"

  "Worse. Agricultural treaties are quite possibly the worst things on Earth. I've come to the conclusion that this is how they actually killed the Kings of the past; they bored them to death. I mean seriously who cares how many head of sheep one county can have over the other?"

  "Oh you Welsh and your sheep."

  "Shut it reindeer boy."

  They both laughed at that, and Valto found himself clutching the phone even tighter wishing that she was there with him. "I miss you."

  "Oh Valto. You've only known me a handful of days."

  "That's enough Cat. More than enough."

  At that moment there was a shriek of laughter, and another one of his cousins came tumbling out of the bushes in a ball of blonde hair and powder pink silk.

  "What was that?"

  "Riika," he said. "I'll call you later."

  "Sounds good." Cat gave one last laugh and then hung up the phone.

  "Oh my God did you hear yourself?" Riika was laying on her back on the grass, arms outstretched as she laughed almost uncontrollably.

  Johann's little sister was distressingly like her elder brother. Both were too attractive for their own good, terrible flirts, and completely unable to keep their noses out of other people's business. It was bound to get her into some real trouble one day, and if Valto hadn't had so much to drink that he couldn't see straight it would have been today.

  "What the hell are you doing listening through the bushes?" he said, throwing a small rock at her and watching as it bounced off of her forehead.

  “Bored.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Everybody is starting to go home, and Johann is mooning over some picture of a girl with huge ...” Riika held her hands out in front of her chest.

  “Ah.” Valto smiled at that. “I'm glad he likes it.”

  “What's it like to be in love?” she said, hugging her knees against her chest.

  “Painful. Actually more like a combination between blissfully happy and complete agony. Riika is there something you want to talk to me about?”

  She shook her head quickly and gave him a brittle smile. “No. No I'm fine. Do you love Caitlin?”

  “Yes.” He didn't even need to think about it. “Very much so.”

  “And she loves you, right?”

  Valto had known that eventually someone was going to ask him that question, and that when they did he could either lie through his teeth or be brutally honest. Now looking at Riika's sincere face he found he couldn't do the former. “That's a difficult question to answer. I hurt Cat a lot and in the worst possible way.”

  “You broke up with her because you thought she slept with Johann,” said Riika.

  “That's right. I was wrong, horrendously so, and now I've sacrificed my entire life to try and make it up to her.”

  “Why?”

  He gave a soft laugh. “Because my life is meaningless without her, and it's taken me five years to work that out.”

  ***

  It was nearly one o'clock in the morning when he finally made it back to Caerdydd, and he had to admit that he was glad to be back. He would miss Helsinki that was for sure, but it had been more than a week since he had last seen Cat, and he had only been able to talk to her a couple of times. How on Earth had he survived as long as he had completely banished from her side?

  He seriously contemplated just falling into bed fully dressed, but he had been wearing the same clothes for the past thirty-six hours and they felt and smelt stale. With a low groan he slowly pulled off his clothes, choosing to then collapse face first onto the mattress. He had had a good few days in Finland, and it was always good spending time with his twin. It was also nice to see Kai so blissfully happy, something which made his stomach turn. He wanted that, a spouse who he could worship and adore, and who would love him in return.

  Sleep must have claimed him then, because the next thing he knew he was being poked awake. The room was dark around him except for the silvery beams of moonlight coming through the window, and they framed Cat so perfectly that he thought he was dreaming.

  “Cat?” He blinked up at her in confusion, taking in the fact that she was wearing a light blue silk dressing gown and her hair was falling loose to the small of her back.

  “You're going to catch your death of cold,” she said, walking to the other side of the bed and pulling back the covers. “Get into bed for goodness sake.”

  With a small moan he slowly complied and settled his head on the pillow, smiling gently at where she was still stood beside the bed. “What are you doing up at this time of night?”

  She suddenly looked nervous, flicking her hair back and staring down at the pattern on the quilt. “I just thought I'd see you when you came back, make sure everything went alright.”

  “Is everything ok?” He started to sit up, but came to a stop when he saw her hands move to the belt tying her gown close.

  She rose her gaze to his face then, before parting the material. Valto nearly swallowed his tongue when she revealed that she was naked except for some lacy panties. To say that she was beautiful was the understatement of the year. The moonlight made her pale skin look like it was glowing, flawless and perfect as he stared at her. Her legs were long and shapely, hips rounded and tapering into her tiny waist. However it was her breasts in perfect proportion to her slender frame that had his attention, high and pert on her chest and the desire to cup them in his hands was almost tangible.

  “Can I join you?” Her voice was breathy.

  “Yes.” He nodded his head. “Of course.”

  With that she slid onto the mattress, lying on her side so as to face him. “Valto are you going to come over here, or cling to the edge of the bed there?”

  Her amusement was practically contagious, and he found himself smiling as he wiggled across the mattress towards her, stopping just before their bodies touched. “I'm here.”

  “Yes you are.” She raised her hand and ran her hand through his hair, drawing him even closer. “Valto do you want me?”

  “Want you to w
hat?”

  “Valto,” she said. “I'm practically naked in your bed, what do you think I'm asking?”

  When he looked back on this night he knew that he would be horrified at how long it took him to figure out what she was getting at. Then again not very much blood flow was getting to his brain, since it had all been redirected southward. “Oh, but I haven't had a shower.”

  She gave a laugh. “You can be my bit of rough. Valto if you don't want this you just have to say.”

  He gently pressed his lips to hers, groaning softly into her mouth when her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him close. This was their second kiss in five years, and like their one just before he left for Kai's wedding it was almost overwhelming. So very different to the soft chaste ones of their youth that it was unbelievable.

  “You're gorgeous.” He whispered the words against her lips. “You're the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  “Oh Valto.” She scratched her nails lightly between his shoulder blades, making him gasp in response. “I'm already marrying you.”

  “I know. It doesn't make it any less true.”

  For a long moment they just lay there looking at each other, before she drew him back down into another kiss. He rested on his forearms above her, still in awe at how slight she seemed compared to him. Their tongues slid against each slickly, and he felt like he was losing time in her arms and at the sensation of her soft bare skin against his. Pulling away from her mouth, he slid his lips down the pale column of her throat watching in awe as her head fell back to give him better access. With a shaking hand he pushed back the bedspread and let his lips linger on the velvety skin of her shoulder, suddenly unsure about how to proceed.

  “Here.” Cat's smile was gentle as she took his hand. “I'll help.”

  She moved his hand downwards, the pads of his fingers brushing against the subtle curve of her breast before his hand closed over it. Her nipple was hard against his palm, and Cat's breathing became ragged above him. Valto found himself pressing against her eagerly, his body instinctively seeking out her warmth as his mouth took control of hers again.

  It was as though after so many years being dormant his body had finally woken up. Every one of his nerves on fire where their skin touched. He let his hand tighten around her breast, his palm brushing over her pebbled nipple and a moan escaping his throat when her teeth bit down on his lower lip. That move seemed to incense something inside of him, because he wrapped one strong arm around her tiny waist and first dragged her against him and then rolled her onto her back. Their kiss grew more passionate then, her perfectly manicured fingernails dug into the skin of his back as she arched her body to get more contact in a move that had him groaning into her mouth.

  “Valto.” Cat wrapped her legs around his waist, and with a rolling motion of her hips he felt her wetness slide against his abs. “Please.”

  “I ...” He pressed his lips against the side of her neck. “...don't know what I'm doing.”

  “I know.” She kissed him again, a quick meeting of lips. “Here roll on your back.”

  Without taking his eyes off of her Valto did exactly as she asked, lying on his back with the sheets rucked around his hips. He couldn't help the blush that came to his cheeks when he noticed that his erection was still obvious beneath the heavy bedcovers. With a small laugh she placed her hand over the top of the bulge and pressed down lightly, circling her palm in a way that put the most incredible pressure on the tip of his dick. He let out a hiss between his teeth, raising his head so as to meet her kiss halfway. He couldn't help the rocking motion of his hips.

  “Cat!” His hands reached for her on their own accord.

  She rocked forwards then and took his mouth in a soft kiss. Valto found himself so lost in the kiss that he didn't notice that the last of the sheets had been pushed back until cool air hit him where he was hard and straining. Then as her lips moved only far enough away that they brushed his, there was the sensation of her slight and graceful hand wrapping around him. He couldn't help the deep groan that escaped his throat at the feeling of her soft hand, completely free of callouses, against where he was most sensitive. It felt so different from his own touch that he felt like he was going to lose it at any moment. He propped himself up on his elbows to chase her mouth as she started to pull away, a teasing grin directed at him. That was when he thought to look down at himself; his erection was thick in her grasp. Almost purple in color with the veins prominent beneath the skin, he was so incredibly aroused that the foreskin was pulled back over the rather angry looking head.

  “Looks like it would hurt.” Her voice was amused, and then with a twinkle in her hazel eyes she bent her head and slowly licked the rosy head.

  There was something undeniably erotic about watching the way her eyes fluttered closed at the taste of him, and the way his own fluids made her bottom lip glossy in the moonlight. Resting all of his weight on his left arm he reached out with his right to rub the pad of his thumb against that glossiness. There was a tackiness to it and she moaned softly before sucking it between her lips, the feeling of it was like a bolt of lightening down his spine.

  “Try not to choke me alright?”

  His brain hadn't quite caught up to her words by the time she had once again lowered her head to slide his length into her mouth. It was wet and hot, an inevitable light scrape of teeth as her mouth was quite small in comparison to his dick. A high pitched keening noise rent the air, and he distantly knew that it was coming from him but at that moment all his brain power was keeping him breathing. With a bit of suction she started to pull off of him in a way that made his eyes all but roll into the back of his head.

  “Cat.” He reached out again, hand hovering over the top of her thick chestnut locks eager to touch her but not knowing how he would be received. “God Cat.”

  With a pop she pulled off of him completely and pushed the top of her head into his hand, before moving back down. Her eyes were wide as she continued to look up at him, and then she engulfed him again in a soft sucking sensation. He let his fingers slide through her silky hair, eyes riveted first to the way she arched her spine in a position that put her surprisingly shapely arse in the air. His mistake was to let his gaze wander to her face and in that instant he was lost, the sight of her plump glossy lips wrapped around him with her eyes closed and a blissful expression on her face made him cry out.

  That was when he felt it building up from his thighs and up his spine, his impending orgasm heading over him like a wave. Valto felt his fingers tighten in her hair, his breathing becoming laboured, and every muscle in his body tightening with each stroke of her mouth.

  “I'm ...” He couldn't even finish his sentence, and instead he started to pull desperately at her hair even as his own head started to fall back on a groan.

  Either she didn't understand what he was trying to tell her or she simply didn't care, because her mouth started to move even faster on him. His hips started to rock in counterpoint to her, sweat breaking out on his skin, and he was wound up so tightly that he thought he would stop breathing. Suddenly with one last swipe of her tongue his climax crashed over him, and through the fog he felt her hands clutch his hips as he all but started to thrash beneath her and he knew that he was being anything but quiet.

  Embarrassingly he must have passed out at some point because when he blinked his eyes open Cat was lounging on her side next to him. Her hair smelt like lavender as it fell around him to pool on his chest, and she was smiling gently down at him.

  “Hey.” She gently stroked his brow, and for a moment he almost forgot that her love for him was hidden beneath a layer of bitterness. “Are you alright?”

  He opened his mouth to answer but his breathing was so heavy that he found he couldn't talk, so instead he reached up and pulled her down into a crushing kiss. He could taste himself on her tongue and found himself dragging her against him desperate to give her at least some of the pleasure that she had given him.

  “It'
s alright,” she said against his lips. “That was incredible to watch.”

  Incredible wasn't exactly how Valto would describe it; he had probably been a babbling sweaty mess completely at her control. Hardly the epitome of masculinity that Johann, or Niko, or Hans were.

  “You don't want …?”

  She laughed gently. “You have no idea how much.” Taking his hand and guiding it between their bodies, and then pressing it against the front of those lacy black panties. She was so tiny in comparison to him that his huge fingers delved between her slender thighs almost to her arse. Damp wasn't even the word for what she was, soaking wet was more like it and on an act of instinct he curled his fingers into her heat. Immediately she let out a keening noise and arched her back, fingers clawing against his bare chest. “Fuck, Valto.” Removing his hand he watched as her head fell forwards, her breath coming in soft pants against his sweat slicked skin.

  “What can I do for you?” He craned his neck so that he could whisper the words in the vulnerable flesh of her throat. “Cat tell me.”

  She took several deep breaths before rolling over him so that she was beside him on the mattress, for a long moment they simply looked at each other before Valto reached over tentatively to brush aside a curl of hair that had fallen across her eyes. “I would love to have your mouth.” Cat also reached up to trace his lips with her fingers, and he couldn’t help but kiss them in response. “But I don’t have the patience right now to teach you what to do with it.” Something in Valto jumped at the idea of being taught how to pleasure a woman, this woman in particular. “I think I shall make do with your hand for now.”

  With that she slipped out of the black lace panties, and Valto nearly went cross-eyed at the sight of her naked next to him. She was completely bare, like the women in the pornos he pretended he didn’t watch. Valto felt himself beginning to harden again as she slowly parted her legs, and he was confronted with soft pink flesh. “Oh my God.”

  She took his hand again and moved it down between her thighs. “I’m sure you’ve watched enough porn over the years to know what to do now.”