Tagan's Child

by ammyford1

  “He looks exhausted,” Elaya said, looking at him sympathetically.

  “He is. He’s had more than enough excitement in the last week.” I turned my attention to the King and Queen. “We’ve had a lovely day, thank you.”

  I still hadn’t given Ahran an answer as to whether I would be joining him in his room later. Judging by the sexual tension between us, he was clearly anticipating it. The voice of reason in my head was telling me I would be mad to go to him even when every other part of me longed to be in his arms again.

  “We have enjoyed it too,” Leylana said, gazing at her grandson adoringly.

  I stood up and the King and Ahran respectfully followed suit.

  “Would you like me to carry him to bed?” Ahran offered.

  “No, I think we’ll be okay, thank you,” I replied quickly. I didn’t want to risk having Ahran in our rooms, not when Toby was there. I honestly didn’t trust myself.

  “Goodnight everyone,” I said, coaxing Toby out of his chair.

  I managed to get his barely conscious form into bed. And then I sat in front of the television, not paying any attention to what was on the screen whilst the battle of whether I should go to Ahran raged within me. After what had happened in the lake I knew he fully expected me to spend the night with him, and I hadn’t actually told him otherwise, but if I had any chance of doing the right thing, I needed to spend the night alone.

  I stared at the television as two contestants achieved superhuman feats over a ridiculously difficult assault course on some kind of Ramian game show before the thought that Ahran might come to my room struck me. It wasn’t a risk I was prepared to take. Before I knew it, I was heading to the door. I would go to his room and explain that I couldn’t spend the night with him, and that I wanted to cool things off for a while, at least until I had made a decision about what was going to happen with Toby.

  I poked my head out into the corridor, the lights had been dimmed and all seemed quiet. I carefully pulled the door shut behind me. I really had no choice but to go to him and explain. Fortunately, our rooms were in the guest quarters so the chances of running into the King or Queen were slim.

  My heart was in my mouth as I padded down the corridor in my bare feet. I practiced what I was going to say in my head and after a few wrong turns I eventually came across the door I thought was his. I hesitated before tapping gently, what if it wasn’t his room?

  Ahran opened the door. “There you are. I thought you’d never get here,” he said as he gently grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me into the room. My heart lurched as he reached past me to close the door, he smelt of that heady mix of aftershave and him. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. Now, if a perfumery could bottle that smell they’d make a fortune.

  I gently withdrew my arm and took a step back from him. Being in his air space was doing my resolve no good. “Ahran, I can’t stay,” I said quickly. I didn’t sound quite as definite as I had when rehearsing it on my way here. I forced myself to look him in the eye hoping that he wouldn’t see the longing in mine.

  His eyes were focussed on my lips, he clearly hadn’t heard a word I’d said as he closed the distance between us. “You should not be allowed to wear that dress, you’ve been driving me crazy all evening,” he said huskily. As soon as his lips touched the side of my neck all my good intentions flew out of the window. The feel of his lips against my throat was my undoing.

  I would be spending the night with him and that was that.

  I tilted my head to the side giving his lips better access to the sensitive skin below my ear. He trailed a series of tiny kisses up my neck taking advantage of the greater exposure I had just given him. His lips sent shivers across my skin and my heart started to thump hard and fast as my knees began to fail me.

  What had I come here to say? Who the hell knew?

  I moaned involuntarily as he took my earlobe between his teeth.

  “I intend to make it my life’s mission to get you to make that sound as often as possible,” he said breathlessly as his lips made their way across my cheek. I was a fool to think I could ever resist this man.

  When his lips found mine I kissed him passionately, my body straining against his.

  “Oh Sophie, you have no idea what you do to me,” he said, breaking away and looking deep into my eyes. He was looking at me as if he couldn’t quite believe I was real. It struck me as being entirely the wrong way round.

  His head dipped and he unleashed the full effect of his lips on mine and I clung to him, kissing him back as if my life depended on it.

  It was this kiss that sealed my fate. I knew I was never going to be able to walk away. I would take everything he had to offer and damn the consequences, no matter how unsuitable a match I was. I hated myself for being so weak but I was certain walking away was impossible now. I could no sooner walk away than I could tell my own heart to stop beating. There was every chance my selfishness would cause him to be shunned by his family and that he would lose everything he had worked for, but I vowed that whatever he faced, we would face it together and then I would spend the rest of my life trying my hardest to convince him that choosing me had not been a mistake. I felt the most enormous sense of relief. I had finally given in to my feelings for him and it was the most joyous feeling in the world.

  His tongue sought mine. We kissed each other without inhibition. I clawed at his shirt, wanting to feel the heat of his skin next to mine more than I wanted to take my next breath. I fumbled the buttons on his shirt, my hands frustratingly incapable of carrying out the simple task of undoing them as his mouth continued its perfect assault on mine. Suddenly, his lips broke away. It felt like someone had just removed my reason for living. I opened my eyes and was about to protest when I was rewarded with the sight of his mouth watering chest as he pulled his shirt over his head, some of the buttons flying off in a dramatic fashion.

  My hands ran over his skin feverishly. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around him for the second time today. My boldness clearly excited him as his lips came crashing down onto mine. He groaned as his hands slipped under my dress. It had conveniently ridden up to the top of my thighs and he clasped my buttocks with both hands, mimicking the hold he had on me earlier in the lake, although his time there was no water to buoy me. It made no difference, he held me effortlessly. I threw my head backwards as he resumed his exploration of my neck.

  “Ahran,” I breathed, it was a demand, a plea and an invitation all in one.

  I could feel the pulse at the base of my neck hammering beneath my skin as his lips brushed over it on their way down to my cleavage. I shamelessly ground my pelvis into his. There were far too many layers of clothes between us for my liking.

  “Oh my God Sophie,” he said, his voice muffled against my skin.

  “Please…” I couldn’t manage any more words as his mouth found my breasts, the heat of it searing my skin through the thin fabric of my dress. It was like every minute of my life had been leading to this moment.

  “Sophie, I want you so badly, it physically hurts,” he said between kisses. There were no words to describe how he made me feel. All I could do was show him. I reached behind my back, unzipped my dress and shrugged my arms out of it. It pooled at my waist revealing my naked breasts.

  Ahran groaned. “I wanted to savour you, cherish you, worship your gorgeous body but my hormones are screaming at me to just take you as quickly as I can.” His voice was full of tortured apology. I responded by circling my hips against his. I had never been so turned on and what he was suggesting was exactly what I wanted him to do.

  We didn’t make it to the bed. We got as far as the dressing table, neither of us noticing when everything on its surface scattered as he lifted me up onto it. He undid his trousers and stepped out of them. He picked up his wallet from the silver tray below the mirror and took out a foil packet. I quivered in anticipation and pulled my dress up over my head.

  He stopped what he was doing.

  “You are s
o damned beautiful!”

  It felt like his eyes were devouring me and for once in my life I didn’t feel self-conscious. That look in his eyes and the evidence of how I made him feel were plain to see. It was a heady feeling to know I was the cause.

  I boldly hooked my finger into the top of his boxers and pulled him towards me. I ran my tongue seductively over his bottom lip and he let out a soft growl. We were nose to nose, chest to chest as he stood between my legs. Both of us were breathing rapidly but he stood stock still as I gently licked his top lip and then slowly sunk my tongue into his mouth seeking his. When our tongues met it broke the spell I had been weaving and he responded by pushing his hands into my hair and kissing me deeply.

  My heart slammed against my chest as he pulled away and pushed his boxers down over his hips. The sight of him standing in front of me, an obvious flush across his chest and his hands showing the slightest tremor as he rolled the condom over himself, was almost more than I could take, he was utterly breath taking. He helped me as I wriggled out of my panties and I inched my hips to the edge of the dressing table subconsciously licking my lips in anticipation.

  His eyes locked with mine asking me the silent question I was desperate to answer. I touched the side of his face in awe of the man who stood in front of me. I reached up and tenderly pressed my lips against his, giving him the permission he was seeking. He exhaled in a rush, had he been holding his breath? How could he possibly doubt I wanted him as much as he wanted me?

  He lifted me up and I positioned my legs around him, our eyes locked as he slowly lowered me down onto him, even in his heightened state of arousal he was taking care to make sure I was comfortable. He stilled, giving me time to adjust to the feel of him inside of me and momentarily his eyes glazed over as he fought for control.

  I began to raise myself up and down, needing to feel that delicious rhythm. “Ah Sophie,” his eyes closed as I pressed myself down onto him. It felt like he was touching my very soul and it made me moan. I slowly raised myself up the length of him and back down repeating the exquisite sequence again and again.

  He barely moved, allowing me to set the pace that suited me. Together we watched the effect we were having on one another, our eyes locked in their own private union. His jaw muscle was working hard, staying still was obviously testing his restraint as he continued to allow me take my pleasure.

  “I won’t break,” I whispered into his ear and kissed the side of his neck. I began to pick up the pace. It was all the encouragement he needed and he clasped my hips and began to match the movement of my hips with his own.

  Our mouths found each other’s. Oxygen was no longer required, Ahran’s breath was all my lungs needed. I grasped his shoulders as I came close. I had never felt so connected to anyone, never felt so grounded and complete. Ahran’s fingers dug into my hips and I welcomed the pressure, it took my mind off the heart-stopping summit I was about to topple over. I didn’t want to do it without him.

  “Are you…?” he asked breathlessly.

  I nodded and closed my eyes as with one more stroke we erupted together both of us groaning loudly.

  We collapsed against one another.

  Ahran peppered soft kisses on my forehead, down my nose before planting a slow and lingering kiss on my lips. I slid my arms around him and hugged him. I could hear his heart beating hard and fast in his chest and it pleased me to the core.

  Ahran gently lifted me off the dressing table and we both laughed as a tube of toothpaste that had been stuck to my bottom fell to the floor. He pulled back the covers and carefully laid me on the bed before climbing in next to me and propping his head up on his elbow.

  “And that is what happens when you wear a dress like that,” he said as a lazy grin crept across his face.

  I smiled at him, feeling languid and in love.

  “You need to have more restraint,” I said, cheekily tapping his nose.

  He smiled unapologetically. “You look even more beautiful after we’ve made love,” he said quietly. “You don’t know how hard it was to leave you that night at Galius’s,” he said, shaking his head.

  “I couldn’t watch you leave,” I admitted.

  He pushed a lock of hair that had fallen over my eye behind my ear. “I had no intention of making love to you that night. I wanted to wait until Toby was safe and we had got back to Dinara. But when I came to say goodbye you looked so sad and frightened I wanted to take away all your fears and worries. It wasn’t really how I had envisaged our first time,” he said regretfully.

  I smiled and stroked the side of his face. “I don’t recall putting up much resistance.”

  “And tonight,” he continued. “I had planned to seduce you,” he said, pointing to the bottle of unopened champagne and two glasses standing on the coffee table, “but you came in bare- footed looking as sexy as hell in that dress, I felt so turned on I couldn’t see straight. I don’t know what you do to me, but when I’m around you I somehow lose control.

  I smiled. “I’m sorry. I don’t do it on purpose.” If anything I had tried to keep my distance although lying here naked with him I knew I had failed miserably.

  He laughed. “God help me if you actually tried to seduce me,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not sure I could handle it.”

  I giggled, unable to believe that I could feel any happier. I would accept my fate come what may.

  He reached over and dimmed the lights and I stifled a yawn. I wriggled into the crook of his arm and rested my head on his chest, feeling at peace for the first time in a very long time. I must have fallen asleep just after I felt his kiss on the top of my head.

  *****

  I was dreaming I was lying in bed with Ahran and delighting in the feel of his breath on the back of my neck as his luscious mouth moved its way across my shoulders causing a little trail of goose bumps in its wake. My eyes fluttered open to find that Ahran’s luscious mouth was moving its way across my shoulders my skin responding with a trail of goose bumps. This was no dream it was dreamy reality. I sighed a sigh of relief because for one heart-stopping moment I thought I had dreamt our earlier love-making, that it had been a cruel trick of my mind, but no, I was definitely lying in his bed being kissed awake. Either that or I had died and gone to heaven.

  “Mmmm that’s nice,” I murmured.

  “Nice, doesn’t even come close. I just woke up to find an angel lying in my bed and she’s all soft and warm and the desire to make love to her is building up so much that it’s starting to overwhelm me. I can assure you it’s not nice, it’s pretty fucking amazing.”

  His accented curse shouldn’t have been so sexy. I smiled and opened my eyes. The light was streaming through the shutters.

  “Oh my God!” I leapt out of bed. “Dammit!” I frantically searched for my dress. I couldn’t see it but I spied a white dressing gown draped over an easy chair. “What time is it?” I grabbed the dressing gown and shoved my arm into the sleeve as a tidal wave of panic swept through me. I was still in Ahran’s room and Toby would be awake by now.

  “Time you got back into bed,” Ahran suggested. I darted a look in his direction as I thrust my other arm into the other sleeve of the dressing gown. He was lying on his back propped up on his elbows, the sheets gathered around his waist to reveal every mouth-watering muscle of his spectacular abdomen with a lazy grin across his face.

  “It’s morning and I’m still in your room,” I squeaked.

  “So? Come back to bed, it will only confirm what Leylana already suspects.”

  “Are you crazy?” The thought of everyone especially Toby finding out about Ahran and me like this was excruciating to say the least.

  “I’ve got to go,” I said, tying the belt at my waist and making my way to the door.

  “Don’t I get a kiss before you go?”

  I turned back towards him, torn by my desperation to get back to my room as quickly as possible and by the sight of him lying there looking all sleepy and heart-stoppingly sexy. I sprin
ted back to the bed and gave him a brief peck on the lips. What I would have done to have climbed back into bed with him.

  “I really have to go,” I said, pulling away.

  “See you at breakfast,” he winked.

  I hesitated. “Please behave yourself, I don’t want anyone to know about us yet.” A look of disagreement shadowed across his face and he opened his mouth to protest.

  I pressed my fingers to his lips. “Please. Let’s just enjoy each other for a while before we announce ourselves to the world.” The feelings I was now allowing myself to feel were all so new that I wanted to enjoy them and savour them before we had to face any backlash from his family.

  He nodded his agreement.

  “Thank you.” I gave him another kiss on the lips before I left his room.

  It was an odd mixture of emotions I felt as I made my way back to my room. I could hear the distant movement of the household waking up which caused new waves of panic to grip my stomach, but at the same time I felt elated. The shadows of doubt were still there somewhere in the recesses of my mind, but I knew I no longer had the strength to stay away from him, I had given myself over to him and my heart soared like a bird. I had no idea what my future held, he hadn’t even made any promises that we had a future together, but all I knew was that being with him, loving him, was all that I was capable of doing now.

  Miraculously I made it back to my room without bumping into anyone and I slipped inside the door praying that Toby was still asleep.

  Chapter 25

  I scanned the room half expecting to see Toby watching T.V. lounging on the sofa, his leg dangling over the arm. But the room was quiet. I held my breath tiptoeing over to his bedroom, his door was ajar and I peeked my head around it, my heart in my throat. There he was, face up, in the surrender position and thankfully, fast asleep.

  Closing my eyes, I slowly exhaled. I couldn’t quite believe I’d made it back unnoticed.

  I padded to my room and smiled at my undisturbed bed. According to the clock on my bedside, it was ten to eight. Jeez! I had been lucky. Toby was obviously sleeping in after the excitement of yesterday. I pulled back the covers and slid between the cool sheets. I didn’t feel sleepy, just buzzing. I buried my head in the pillow and let out a muffled scream of pent up emotion, the aftermath of the adrenaline I had felt coming back to my room; excitement and trepidation but most of all an overwhelming sense of happiness. I turned back over and stared up at the ceiling. What had happened last night had been amazing, everything a girl could ever dream of and more. There were no guarantees as to what would happen now, it was in the lap of the gods.