Remedy Maker

by Sheri Fredricks

  “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m here.”

  Through his shirt, the contractions of his back muscles splayed and moved under her fingers. The scent of clean, warm male filled her senses. His bulge rubbed over her panties, stoking her raging fire, and his massaging hand moved from her neck to cup a breast. He plucked at her nipple with a thumb and forefinger.

  Patience whimpered her thirst for him. Goose flesh exploded over her body, and slammed into her pussy, causing it to seep with need. Reaching up, she drew his head lower to kiss his lips and slipped the string of leather out of his hair.

  “You feel incredible,” she said. His shoulder length strands slithered through her fingers—smooth and silky. “Your hair is so soft.” He evoked emotions she’d never felt before, and she dared herself to discover more with this man.

  Taking possession of his mouth again, she had just found his tongue when she abruptly arched her neck and broke away to gasp. His cock rode her, building the pressure below. “Touch me more,” she said. “I love the way your hands feel on my skin.”

  Insistent lips burned a path to her ear. A wet swirl traced the curved shape. He nipped her neck, and then licked the sting, all while pushing against her, simulating the love act.

  His hard breath came fast, matching hers in tempo. She spread her thighs wide and raised them higher on his waist, tilting her hips to receive maximum stimulation. Behind the zipper of his jeans, his erection hit her clit and she cried out.

  “Gods, I want in you so bad, Patience,” Rhys voice rumbled, adding to her sexual tension.

  “I—I don’t know…” She didn’t know how to talk anymore; coherent thought became impossible. Flames burned a path that followed his traveling hand. His fingers were taking a walk, heading south, past her waist and up her splayed leg. A light stroke skimmed over her knee and down the inside of her thigh.

  Carried away by the fire coursing through her veins, Patience gyrated her hips toward his seeking fingers, not knowing what she needed, but moaning her frustration at his lack of speed. The tension within her grew. Her hands caressed his back, touching every available inch.

  When he finally made contact with her damp panties, Rhy groaned and leaned to the side, making room for his hand. Up and down, he stroked the material over her slit before cupping her tight. Then he slipped his fingers under the elastic edge.

  He played so close to her core. Craving blasted her into an orbit around the planet. Curious about foreplay she’d only whispered about with Daisy, she burned for the intimate details now.

  Lightly, he skimmed her outer folds.

  Patience lifted her eyelids halfway, arousal weighing them down. Stark desire flamed in Rhy’s eyes, his features drawn tight, pained. She could barely breathe.

  “I feel so . . . hot inside.” She managed to rasp out.

  “Gods, woman. Don’t say shit like that.” No sooner had the threat left his mouth, when his slick fingers breached and entered the slippery realm.

  Euphoria of him fondling her in the one place she needed it most, drove her hips to wriggle. A moan formed deep in her throat. He leaned back to shove her t-shirt into a wadded mass above her breasts. Excitement and cool morning air tightened her nipples. She welcomed his crushing weight, feeling secure and safe beneath him.

  Rhycious’s eyes locked on his latest discovery; his mouth hung slack. “Patience—” His words broke off and he came down on her breast. His warm lips took a distended point deep into his mouth. The heat and sucking motion moved in time to the fingers pushing insistently between her legs. She almost cried from the want of him.

  Pressure gathered deep inside. Patience curled her hands on his shoulders, and then in his hair—both pushing him away and pulling him tighter to her. He plunged in and out, rubbing the lust-laden juice over her clit, murmuring to her in a language she didn’t understand. Moving his lips back to her mouth, he thrust his tongue deep and worked his magical massage faster.

  “Come for me, baby . . . let it go.” His breath rasped in her ear, his heart pounded against her side. “Let me feel you fall apart on my hand.”

  With a firm push, Rhycious drove his fingers deep inside her. Before the pain hit, she knew what had happened. A sharp prick, and he had broken through her innocence barrier. The sting was momentary, but enough that her body’s reaction stilled his fingers.

  “What the hell?” He leaned back far enough to see her clearly. Confusion creased his brow. “You should have told me.” He moved to withdraw, but she reached down and held his hand in place.

  “Please. Don’t stop. Rhycious, please—”

  She moved his palm to cover her center once more. His cheek muscles clenched a few times before he took over, nudging her hand out of the way.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” he ground out.

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t talk—couldn’t think.”

  She thought she detected a male smirk while Rhy kissed her mouth, cheeks, and nose. He worked his soft lips down the column of her neck, latching onto her breast. Inside her, his fingers moved quickly, his thumb flicking over her hypersensitive clit. The bonfire inside her blazed, the crescendo came to a peak.

  “Rhycious. I’m . . . I’m—” She grabbed his wrist, holding him with perverse pleasure as he dealt his magic, pushing her toward the edge.

  “Polytima. Come for me.” A fine sheen covered his brow, working her to total abandon. Her body’s lower half shook with his efforts. Strong fingers buried within, his thumb circling her nub.

  The tightening within came to a breaking point, and she exploded with a scream. Her back arched, impaling herself firmly onto his hand, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Warmth spilled from inside her, wetting the insides of her thighs, creating erotic sounds with Rhy’s fingers.

  Every stroke of his thumb caused luscious aftershocks to rock her body. Her inner muscles clenched and held, tightening when he shifted to withdraw. Slowly, her body relaxed, and he moved his hand away.

  “Mmm.” Rhycious chuckled at her body’s response. He alternated between kissing her lips and licking her nipples. “You were very naughty not to tell me—”

  A loud knock rapped three times on the front door, and Patience jumped, her heart in her throat.

  Rhy muttered a long curse.

  Melted from her orgasm, Patience lay drained beneath him. She stroked his hair and watched his mouth pull at her tingling breast. “Are you going to get that?”

  “Nope.”

  There was another knock, louder this time, followed by the clip-clop of pacing hooves on his porch.

  “Damn! This place has become a revolving door since you showed up.” He kissed her nipple, and then her mouth, taking his time with both. “I’ll get rid of them. Don’t move.”

  “Aye-aye, Capitan.”

  He slid off her and stood. The hard-on he sported inside his jeans looked painful. Outlined in perfect detail, she saw an impression of the thick ridge on its head. Grinning, she flicked her eyes up to his and made to pull the t-shirt down to cover herself.

  “I said to not move.” He unfolded the handmade quilt from the back of the couch and laid it over her. “I’ll be right back.”

  Rhycious walked stiffly toward the door. Adjusted himself, he untucked his shirt and covered the telltale bulge. He paused and took a deep breath before pulling the door open.

  “Rhycious, didn’t think you were home. I need—”

  The door slammed with a resounding bang. “Damn people won’t leave me alone.”

  The pounding resumed, accentuated with the occasional striking hoof. Rhy nearly tore the door off its hinges when he opened it a second time.

  “What do you want, Alek?”

  “Don’t you fucking do that to me. I’m here on the Queen’s business.”

  Peeking over the couch, Patience ducked down when the armed Centaur guard moved with equine grace through the doorway, and into Rhycious’s home.

  Six

  A gorgeous dark-haired Centaur, with equally hand
some dark eyes, leaned his arms on the back of the sofa, resting his chin in his palm.

  “Well, hello sweet-thing. What’s your name?”

  Patience gripped the edge of the blanket, its soft weave a thin barrier from prying eyes. She peered out, keeping her face half hidden.

  His long fingers stroked an immaculate goatee, framing perfect white teeth when he smiled. Links of thick gold chain circled his tanned neck and swung with his movements.

  “Leave her alone, Alek. She’s my . . . patient.” Rhy closed the front door harder than necessary and crossed the room in long strides. His brows pinched over his eyes, as he checked to make sure she remained fully covered. Facing the sorrel-colored Centaur, he crossed his arms and inclined his head. “Let’s talk in the kitchen.”

  Alek’s smile grew, but he made no sign of straightening. Double rows of barbed-wire tattoos wound around his right bicep and jumped when he pumped the muscle. “I don’t think so.” He winked and pointed with his chin. “If he’s just your remedy maker, why’s your pretty face turning red, sweetheart?”

  Cheeks burning, Patience yanked the blanket over her head with a squeak. Alek’s laughter ensued, followed by hoof beats moving toward the kitchen.

  Oh gods. Her heart-stopping moment with Rhycious must have been written all over her face. She fought the urge to jump up and check in a mirror. With the tip of her tongue, she touched her lips. They were swollen and tender. Did the Centaur notice, and guessed what happened?

  “Not just, but such.” Rhy circled around the couch to where she lay.

  “What does that mean?” Alex’s hooves clip-clopped farther away.

  “It means you’re not just an ass, but such an ass. Stay there a sec. I want to help her back to bed.”

  Rhycious peeled the blanket off her face, and Patience smiled into his tawny eyes. The warmth directed back at her didn’t equal the scowl on his face. Tension radiated from his body, his needs clearly unfulfilled.

  Alek muttered, “You know, if you want privacy, you should take it to the next room.”

  Rhycious ignored the other man and gazed into her eyes. “You okay?”

  “Never better,” she answered. And that was the truth.

  She bit her lip to stifle a giggle, noting Rhy’s eyes riveted to the spot. With slow deliberation, she ran her tongue along her upper lip, loving the flare of his nostrils and the way his eyes narrowed.

  Aleksander chuckled. “Hey, Rhycious. Is staring a new type of remedy, or are you going to help her to bed?” Two hoof steps clopped closer. “Maybe I should do it for you.”

  Rhy shook his head and snapped out of his trance. “Piss off.”

  After tucking the blanket carefully around her, he lifted her into his arms and started toward the bedroom.

  “Déjà vu,” she whispered. Patience wrapped her arms around Rhy’s neck and held tight, breathing in his essence. Musk, citrus, and . . . clover? The heady scent curled a delicious knot deep in her belly. She nosed the side of his neck, rubbed her check against his shoulder.

  “You never told me your name, sweet-thing.” Alek called before she disappeared from the living room.

  Rhy answered over his shoulder. “Patience.”

  “All right. Suppose I can wait a while longer.”

  Rolling his eyes, Rhycious rounded the corner into the bedroom and set her carefully on the bed. Perched on the mattress edge, she allowed the cover to droop, teasing him with a view that proved she’d followed his orders and left the name Penn State crumpled high above her breasts.

  He groaned and grabbed the shirt’s blue hem, running the backs of his hands over her nipples one agonizing knuckle at a time. He settled the rumpled tee into place.

  “You’re driving me crazy, you know that?” Rhy leaned down, kissed her hard on the lips, and held her gaze. A hot flash of desire crawled up her neck. “We’ll talk later about what happened out there.”

  Patience grinned like a drunken Satyr, and when she spoke, her voice was steeped in sarcasm. “Your friend has great timing.”

  She stretched her arms above her head, dropped back onto the bed, and then ran a bare foot along the inside of his pant leg. The way she added to his visual discomfort with her sultry wantonness delighted her, and she reveled in her newfound talent.

  “I’ll give him a laxative and send him on his way.”

  Bashing cupboard doors slammed in the other room. Rhy’s facial scar twitched and his shoulders rose at the sound. He spun on his heel and marched to the door, clenching his fists.

  “There are more Centaur asses than there are Centaurs.” Rhycious left the room, grumbling.

  He’d left the door slightly ajar, and Patience listened to his cowboy boots thump a path across the floor. The creak of the glider rocker announced his pow-wow with Aleksander was in the next room.

  She sighed softly. There was something about having Rhycious and his hard strength near that relaxed her and allowed the world, with all its troubles, to twirl away.

  Patience crawled farther onto the bed and lay curled on her side, facing the door. The men’s conversation continued in low tones beyond the walls. She and Daisy used to stretch out on their backs at the creek, on top of the giant flat boulders. With their heads next to each other, they would dream about the men they’d one-day fall in love with. And laughed about wild chipmunk sex.

  She rolled to her back and smiled at the ceiling.

  His touch on her body was the most exciting and fearful sensation she had ever experienced in all her seventy-two years. Each glide of his calloused hand awakened a fiery need that burned in her body. She rubbed a spot below her belly button with a flat palm, feeling butterflies batting their delicate wings.

  Gods, the man was sexy.

  Covering herself with the blanket, she bent her knees and touched the slight ache between her legs. Damp cotton met her fingertips and she lifted her hips to take the underwear off altogether. Additional moisture flowed when her thighs parted. She wet her finger in the liquid, then brought it up to examine.

  Slick, with a tinge of pink. The sheen on her digit resembled polish on her skin.

  Losing her virginity on the couch wasn’t the way she had dreamed it would be. Nevertheless, Patience was pleased it had happened with Rhy. In her heart, she’d always believed the precious moment should happen with a special person.

  Though they had only just met, she felt drawn to him. He didn’t treat her like a sick child. He’d wanted her . . . as a female. That made him a special person. And it’s not like I have all the time in the world, either.

  He attracted her in ways she had never known. Most of her friends had done away with their membrane by their twenty-fifth winter. She’d be classified as dried-up kindling if word had gotten out about her intact status.

  Heaving a deep sigh, Patience had no regrets. How could she? The Centaur was positively righteous. A giggle slipped out.

  Once again, she reached her hand beneath the blanket to cover the soreness between her legs, and closed her eyes. Weariness slid in and her mind drifted away like dandelion spores on a current of air. Thoughts performed a pirouette in her head, dancing among dreams and bowing low before memories.

  Unlike the other races, Nymphs had no body hair. Smooth legs and arms meant she never required the scrape of a razor. The pads of her fingers glided along the moisture generated from her first sexual encounter. Her outer labia passed soft and sleek to the touch. Sore muscles lay hidden within her body, and she could do no more than protect the area with her cupped hand.

  Before her illness had worsened, she’d taken much of life for granted. Little things like running through the forest in the moonlight—and never tiring. Visiting the Willow Bay City Park after dark with Daisy had also been a sneaky treat. Magazines thrown in trashcans often contained wonderfulicious articles and pictures of clothing designs.

  How long had it been since she had pushed herself without becoming weak and out of breath?

  Sadness and anxiety crept into
her heart. Is this sickness fatal? How long do I have to live? She mentally shook her head. Stop the negative thoughts, she told herself, and focus on the positive.

  Rhycious.

  She was so caught up in the wandering of her thoughts and the texture of wetness below, she didn’t hear the Centaur’s heavy steps entering the room.

  * * *

  Oh. My. Gods.

  What was she doing to herself under Granny’s blanket? Both eyes were closed and her hands were hidden beneath the cover. That perfect pouty mouth of hers relaxed open, breath coming shallow. Rhy’s grip on the door handle squeezed, the cold metal bit into his palm.

  A heavy sensation grew behind his zipper, but he pushed it away. Aleksander sat in the next room, which put the hiatus on any repeat action for the next few hours. When a frown marred her brow, Rhy’s remedy maker side merged with his protective Centaur half, and both rushed to the forefront, leaving their stimulated buddy behind.

  Perhaps he had damaged her more than he’d thought. What an idiot he was. Bullheaded and thoughtless.

  Fury at his lack of sensitivity flared to life, and his unguarded temper rose. He had no one in his life because he deserved no one. Abruptly, he let go of the doorknob.

  “Patience?” His tone was harsher than he’d meant, and her eyelids flew open. She met his stare with her startled one. “Are you all right?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m shizzle bad here.” A beautiful rose-color bloomed in her cheeks. The blush expanded to encompass her alluring pixie face, reached her chin, and tumbled over like a waterfall down her neck. She swallowed and licked her lips. At his raised brow, she added, “I’m fine.”

  He tightened his fists until his knuckles popped, and followed her line of vision to the right, near her hip. His lips curved up as her dainty hand snaked out, snatched her pink panties off the bed, and hid them under the blanket.

  Suspicion number one confirmed—but entry to his filthy imagination was denied.