Sharing Hazel: Lick of Fire

by Kallysten

  He woke up—barely—when a whisper caressed his ear.

  “Roll over.”

  A gentle hand pushed at his side, and he rolled into the movement until he was lying on his back. Soft, warm skin draped over him like a living blanket. His arms encircled Hazel’s waist, as they had done so often in the past. He would have liked to say something, tell her what it meant to him that she was here, in his arms once again, but his lips only formed the word “Hazel” and he was drifting back into sleep again.

  The next time he woke up, the comfortable weight against his chest was gone. His mind still fuzzy, he reached his arm out to the side, finding only emptiness. The next second, he froze as he realized what had awakened him exactly: heat, delicious wet heat swirling around the tip of his half-hard cock.

  Raw need rushed through him, turning his cock to steel and making his toes curl up and crack. He could feel Hazel’s lips draw into a smile even as she pulled up and released his cock with an obscene little ‘pop.’

  “Morning,” she whispered, raising her head to look up at him.

  Her eyes shone bright, but nowhere near as brightly as her smile. She’d turned on a lamp on the night table, and it cast suggestive shadows over her body.

  “Is it still morning?” he heard himself ask, though he couldn’t have cared less what time it might be.

  Hazel didn’t bother answering. Instead, she returned to her spot, lying between his thighs. Her lips fluttered along his hard length, brushing kisses along the vein beating to the rhythm of his galloping heart.

  He’d always loved those tiny, barely there kisses, a prelude to more. He’d told her before how much he loved them. She remembered.

  In the next few minutes, she showed him she remembered everything. Two months apart, but she hadn’t forgotten a thing. Not how much he enjoyed a light touch, at first. How when his hips started moving of their own accord, it was time for some harder kisses, with just a hint of teeth. How when his hand curled at the back of her neck, he was close, and suction, relentless, single-minded suction, was all that was needed to make him come undone.

  His mind was still bursting with colors, his body still shaking in the aftermath when she climbed back up to lay by his side. The musky taste on her lips, his own essence, wasn’t one he cared much for, but he feasted on her mouth regardless, giving thanks and grace without uttering a word until he needed to break away to catch his breath.

  He rested a hand on her cheek, lightly, just to keep contact. He tried to tell her he loved her, but instead, what came out was, “I missed you. I missed you so damn much.”

  He was about to explain that, even when he’d seen her during those two long months, it had only made him crave that much more the intimacy they’d lost. Not just the sex, but the small gestures, the shared looks, the laughs. Everything. He didn’t need to explain, though, did he? He could see in the curve of her mouth and the softness in her eyes that she’d missed it all, too.

  “Are you really okay with all this?” she asked, her hand rising briefly as though to encompass everything around them.

  Capturing that same hand, he rested it briefly on his chest, then led it to her own.

  “If ‘all this’ means that this is possible, then yes. I’m okay with it.” After a brief pause, he grimaced and added, “I’m not saying it’ll be easy every day, but I’m going to give it my all. I want to make it work, for all of our sakes. I think we all want that.”

  She nodded solemnly, and twisted her hand around his until she was the one leading. She guided his palm to rest over her breast, where her nipples were tight and burning.

  “I missed you too,” she murmured, and laid her mouth upon his again.

  Even as their lips devoured and worshiped, Petro’s hands started roaming over her silken skin, mapping out treasure paths he’d retraced every night in his dreams these past few weeks. He reveled in every gasp he drew from her with a caress or a gentle scratch, each one sending a frisson down his spine and to his slowly reawakening cock.

  When his questing fingers slid over her thigh and to the apex of her legs, they found there the wetness he’d known was waiting for him. He plunged a finger within her folds, then a second, twisting them a few times but purposefully avoiding the one spot that would have her writhing against him.

  “Bastard,” she whimpered before taking a playful nip at his lips.

  He kept his laughter silent and brought his fingers up to his mouth, licking them clean with relish.

  “Why, was there something you wanted, my love?”

  The endearment put an end to their teasing. Hazel looked at him with clear eyes, her voice wavering ever so slightly when she said, “You. That’s what I want right now.”

  All words fled his mind, leaving only desire and love. Their fingers entangled over his cock for a few strokes, and it was together that they guided him to her core. He buried himself inside her slowly, savoring every inch of warmth, every shiver that rocked her body underneath his own. When he filled her fully, she clutched his shoulders with both hands and wrapped her legs around him, drawing him just that much deeper within her. They remained like this for a few seconds—or was it an eternity?—bodies, gazes and souls locked together as one.

  When they started moving at last, it was together, pushing and pressing slowly at first, but soon losing all restraint as yearning overtook them both. Petro buried his face into her neck, kissing and nuzzling and silencing his harsh breaths against her skin. She did the same against his shoulder, but even so his heart melted every time a tiny, breathless cry escaped her.

  It had never been like this, maybe because he’d never imagined before that he might lose her. It made sharing this moment with her that much more precious, and when they finally shattered together, reaching as one toward pleasure, Petro’s climax felt like a revelation. He knew it’d remain engraved on his heart and soul forever.

  As she laid in his arms afterward, he absentmindedly ran his thumb back and forth across her shoulder blade. Her own hand rested above his heart, a familiar and comfortable weight. They’d cuddled like this hundreds of times over the years, sometimes after sex, sometimes before or after sleep. It suddenly dawned on him how much he’d missed this quiet intimacy during those two endless months.

  And now, he had that back. He had her back. Not under circumstances he’d have ever thought he’d agree to, but he’d had two months to test out the alternative. Paris was right that, as Hazel’s mate, Petro needed to do his best to help her find happiness. Selfishly, though, it was about his own happiness, too. He could only be happy with her, and he could only have her if he was ready to share.

  Soon, it’d be time to face the world again, and to be only one of her mates. But for now, she was with him, and he’d hold her close as long as he was allowed.

  EPILOGUE

  “It’ll be okay.”

  Offered with a gentle hand rubbing up and down her back, Paris’ reassurance felt like a soothing balm to Hazel’s nerves, but her tremulous answering smile must have given away that it wasn’t enough. Paul jumped in right away even as he twirled a plate between his fingers.

  “It won’t be just okay, it’ll be fine.”

  Coming out of the house with the rest of the cutlery, Petro snatched the plate from his brother’s hand.

  “It’ll be even better if we don’t start with broken porcelain.”

  He set it on the picnic table they’d covered in a bright yellow tablecloth. Six place settings crowded it, water pitchers set at both ends with a bottle of red wine already waiting at the center of the table. It was the perfect September day to eat outside, sunny enough that the shade of the oak tree would be welcome, warm without being too hot thanks to a gentle breeze coming in from the recently harvested fields.

  As idyllic as the setting might be, Hazel had to fight back the urge to flee or hide. Even in the worst UIPP jails, she’d never felt like this.

  Her parents were supposed to arrive in a few minutes.

  Smoo
thing her hands down the sides of her sundress, she surveyed the table once more, checking one last time that every glass, every knife and fork was in its place. They were… except for the new plate Paul had chosen to juggle with. He remained completely unabashed when she threw a glare at him, and replied with a grin and a wink. He might not have grinned so widely if he’d noticed Petro behind him. He’d picked up one of the water pitchers and was lifting it above Paul’s head. He raised an eyebrow toward Hazel, his question clear.

  She stifled a laugh before shaking her head. Another pointed eyebrow raise asked if she was sure. Paul, meanwhile, was now frowning at her, clearly wondering what she found so funny. Was he really that oblivious to Petro’s presence behind him? Or was he playing along to help calm her? The twinkle in his eyes made her lean toward the latter. It was just the kind of thing he’d do.

  Before she could reply, her heart jumped at the sound of a car pulling up the driveway. She thought she would start hyperventilating and had to force herself to take slow breaths. She had some practice: she’d done the same just hours earlier.

  Sanctuary didn’t have hotels per se, but several of the larger homes operated as such for people who visited family in Sanctuary, or when new arrivals first came in the hope of settling here. She’d reserved a room for her parents in one such home close to the eastward gate, and that was where she’d waited for them that afternoon.

  She’d gone alone. Each of her mates had offered to accompany her, but she’d declined. She needed to talk to her parents first, to make them understand she’d made her choice at last, like they’d said she would one day. It wasn’t the choice they’d prepared her for, but it was the right one.

  The reunion was bittersweet. She’d missed them a lot these past few years, but even as she hugged them and asked about their trip, she was already bracing herself for the talk that needed to come. And it came all too soon…

  “You’re not wearing your wrist brace,” her mother noticed suddenly, interrupting her dad as he asked something about security in Sanctuary.

  It wasn’t the opening Hazel expected, but she took it anyway.

  “I’m not. I don’t need to anymore. I’ve found all three of them, and I would like you to come meet them at our home tonight.”

  Their expressions turned alarmed, and she could guess already all the questions they would throw at her. She’d prepared for those questions, but all of a sudden she didn’t feel like answering them alone anymore.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve got to run, I have a meeting for my job,” she lied. “But I’ll see you tonight. Seven o’clock.”

  With that, she kissed her mother’s cheek, pressed a map of how to get to her home into her father’s hand, and fled like a scared child.

  But she wasn’t a scared child, was she? She was a grown woman, a woman who made her own choices and lived a good life. A woman who loved and was loved in return. A happy woman—and in a world where people like her were hunted by the government, happiness was a precious thing indeed.

  By the time her parents’ car parked next to Paris’ in the driveway, all three of her mates were by her side—pitcher and plate had thankfully been returned to the table without incident. As she glanced at Paris on her left, then at Paul and Petro on her right, Hazel’s fears slowly ebbed away, replaced by a sense of peace. As unusual as their arrangement may be, it was based on love; surely her parents would recognize that.

  They approached hand in hand, both of them in their Sunday best, Hazel’s mother carrying a bouquet of flowers and her father a bottle of wine. Hazel felt all at once like crying and laughing. She did neither and went to welcome them with open arms, knowing her mates would be only a step behind her.

  Please keep turning pages for more…

  THANK YOU

  Thank you for picking up my book and giving it a chance! I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  And if you did… Could I ask a favor from you? Would you take a minute or two to review this book on Amazon?

  Positive reviews are an important part of what makes or breaks a book’s success, and I would be grateful if you thought my story worthy of your review.

  Also, I would like to invite you to join my readers group today for free ebooks, new release announcements, giveaways and exclusive content. I hope to see you there!

  LICK OF FIRE COLLECTION

  The Lick of Fire Collection gathers stories from twelve bestselling authors. Enter this supernatural world of fire and heat, magic and adventure, and get lost in everything dark, delicious and fire.

  You can see the books by the different authors on the Lick of Fire website, or join our Facebook group for discussions, games and giveaways.

  FIERY BLOOMS SERIES

  In a world where ‘paras’ are hunted like animals by the Unit for Investigation of Paranormal Persons, the resistance has begun. These men and women with extraordinary powers, some of them shifters, telepaths or pyromancers, will stop at nothing to free themselves and their kind.

  - Burning Violet – a phoenix shifter and pyromancer romance

  - Sharing Hazel – a reverse harem shifter romance

  - Saving Marigold – a dragon shifter and telepath romance (coming November 2018)

  - Chasing Rose – a phoenix shifters romance short story, part of the Shades of Pink charity anthology coming in October 2018

  BURNING VIOLET

  No love burns hotter than a pyromancer’s…

  For five months, Idris has languished in a government detention center for paras—people with paranormal abilities. No more. He’d rather die trying to escape than spend one more day in this hell. Today, he’s getting out, and he’ll set anyone who stands in his way on fire.

  It was just another mission for Violet: help her squad free paras from unjust imprisonment and get them safely to Sanctuary. However, when she’s caught between her leader's orders and the sudden realization that one of the prisoners might be her mate, this phoenix shifter needs to choose between duty and destiny.

  On the run from the authorities, Idris only has one thing in mind: revenge. He doesn’t mind that Violet insists on accompanying him, though… after all, he’s been celibate for far too long. But when he realizes why she’s so interested in him, he can’t run away fast enough. Even running into danger on his own is preferable to yielding to love...

  EXCERPT

  By Twilight

  (Free story, part 1 of Vampire Delights)

  When a flute of champagne entered my line of sight, I accepted it with an absentminded, “Thank you,” and took a small sip without looking at whoever was handing it to me. The second I heard the reply, however, a deep, smooth “You’re welcome, Lilah,” I smiled. Had my heart been beating, surely it would have danced a little jig behind my plunging décolleté.

  I turned to him and didn’t try to disguise how glad I was to see him. We were both much too old to play coy.

  “Florian. How nice to see you.”

  I held out my free hand to him. Rather than shaking it, he gave it a light squeeze and leaned forward to brush his lips to my cheek. A trace of facial hair darkened his cheeks, chin and upper lip, neatly trimmed, and it tickled my skin.

  “You look breathtaking,” he said before drawing back, and for all that he murmured the words, they were still as smooth as liquid honey.

  I offered him a pleased little smile. As old as I was, I still appreciated a compliment like this—especially seeing how much care I had put in getting dressed. I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t have much interest for fancy parties anymore, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dress the part.

  I was wearing a form-fitting black gown, accessorized with a wide gold belt. The sweetheart neckline was daring without being vulgar. With my long dark hair up and gleaming dangling earrings that attracted the eye, I knew my exposed neck would look quite inviting to any vampire. Biting a fellow vampire is not the same as drinking warm human blood, but it can still be quite satisfying—or so I’d hea
rd.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” I said, giving him a lingering once over. “But then, you always looked quite appetizing in a tuxedo.”

  Appetizing really was the word. His muscled body filled the tux to perfection, and while every inch of him was covered in finely tailored fabrics, the hints of what lay beneath were tantalizing. His chestnut hair, carefully tousled so that it looked both meticulous and effortless, seemed to beg to have fingers rake through it—my fingers, preferably.

  A small smile told me he, too, remembered the last time we’d met. It had been at the opera, and we had dispensed with anything beyond ‘hello’ and ‘how nice to see you’ because we were both accompanied.

  We had known each other for close to two hundred years, and there had been something there, a tension or maybe an expectation, from our very first introduction in London’s high society. Every time we’d met, however, one or both of us was involved with someone else. Maybe this time…

  Continued in By Twilight

  OTHER SERIES AVAILABLE

  THE FIRELANDS WARS

  The Firelands, a world parallel to our own, is home to paranormal beings such as dragon shifters, phoenix shifters and vampires, as well as ‘regular’ people. The Argonis family, a clan of dragon shifters, rules the kingdom and peace prevails… until the king and his heir are killed, and all hell breaks loose.

  - Mated