Sirin braced herself on his leg, stood with the smallest smirk, and moved to stand between his legs. Which put her round, little breasts at his eye level, torturing him with their closeness. She smiled deviously, Sirin knew exactly what she was doing to him, as she sat her lush bottom on his knee.
Seated on his lap, her hips and wonderfully thick thighs—so closeto his cock which was already stone hard—were temptation personified. The image of himself rutting between them raged through him. She raised her arms, winding her hands into the hair at the nape of his neck, making him growl.
He was going to blow in his pants like a schoolboy if he wasn’t careful.
Sirin looked him in the eye, her lips an inch away from his own. The smallest movement would have them kissing.
“Allmine to explore? Wherever shall I start?“ She bit her luscious lip and seemed to consider, leaning into his neck to whisper, “The neck is always a good place but”—she tilted her head and grazed his ear with her lips—“Iamalways interested in an ear nibble.“ She took his earlobe in her mouth and gave it the slightest nip.
His heart beat faster, and he closed his eyes with a sigh, allowing himself to justfeelher.
“Though, I have to admit,” she whispered, grabbing his chin to turn his face to hers, “a kiss can tell you so much about what to expect from a lover.”
Sirin’s mouth hovered over his, their breath mingling between them. She licked her lips, their eyes meeting, before gently brushing her lips over his. The touch was like a spark, kindling his desire and spurring him to action. Heneededto touch her everywhere. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing the outside of her thigh.
Berne caught her lips with his and wasted no time with small, sipping kisses. He would, he marveled, haveyearsof leisurely caressing kisses. Right now, heneededto plunder her mouth with deep stroking slides of tongue and teeth, to suck her plump lower lip and drink down her moans. Her taste reminded him of everything he loved about the forest, wild brightness dancing along his tongue tempered by a deep, smooth richness that grounded him in the present.
She kissed fiercely as if her very life depended on it, and in a way, he supposed, it had. When he broke his mouth from hers, she let out a sound of disappointment, chasing his lips before he ducked to graze his mouth over her neck and shoulder. The sigh she released, full of yearning and desire, as he fastened his lips to her skin was more than he could’ve hoped for during his uncomfortable walk. She clung to his hair, guiding him where she wanted him most. He licked the shell of her ear, chuckling at her gasp when he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. He laved her with his lips and tongue, reminding them of how he’d like to treat her pussy. She writhed in his lap, her hands blindly scrabbling at his clothes, searching for skin. She’d already thrown her vest to the floor next to them, and had, at some point, unbuttoned half of her blouse.
Berne raised a hand to grasp her forearm, seeking their mating bite. Heneededto touch her there. It bound her to him, made him lucky enough to have such a juicy morsel wiggling on his thighs. While he’d never had an interest in an arm before, it had suddenly become ridiculously alluring. He transferred his mouth to her arm, and when he sucked on the spot until Sirin’s eyes went glassy. She threw her head back, pants falling heavily from her parted lips. He’d heard mate bites were extremely sensitive, but this was beyond what he’d expected. Her scent had taken on the deeper, muskier scent of her arousal and he gulped it down; he was parched, and she was the only thing that could quench his thirst. Sirin rubbed her legs together and gave a needy whimper.
“I need—I need you. Take me to bed,now,“ she ordered in a tortured whisper.
Berne swept her up and deposited her onto their bed. He smiled to himself, already thinking of it astheirswhen moments ago, he’d thought of it ashersalone.There was something so intensely gratifying abouttheirbed. Thinking about the smell of her sex mingling with his own on the sheets made him bite his lip as he palmed his cock through his pants.
For a moment, he allowed himself to justlookat her. For over a week, he hadn’t had any real idea of what her body was like under her thick layers, but he couldn’t imagine being more pleased with what she revealed to him. Her skirts had slipped up her legs, exposing voluptuous thighs encased in thick woolen stockings. Her long, deep umber hair had, at some point, fallen from her bun. It spread across the bed behind her, like ink he could already feel seeping in, coloring and flooding the cracks in his life. Her mouth glistened the most alluring shade of dusky pink-brown, one he hoped matched the tips of the perfect little breasts heaving under her bodice. He wanted to unwrap her like a present, pull the ties that bound her and remove the fabrics that hid her glorious body from him. But, apparently, that would take too long.
Sirin raised her legs to remove her boots and chuck them to the floor. Berne smiled wickedly because, in her haste, she’d revealed the most perfect thatch of dark curls and glistening mahogany sex to him. His mouth watered for her, ready to drink in the slickness that dewed at the edges.
A frustrated scoff tore him from his fantasy. “Well? You’re wearing too many clothes!” she admonished while frantically unbuttoning her blouse so it hung open over her stays.
“Yeharean impatient one, aren’t yeh?“ He chuckled as he raised his shirt over his head, tossing it down. He reached down to help her ease out of her own, pausing to kiss the indignant look off of her face. She giggled into their kiss, and Berne couldn’t resist tickling as he untied her side lacing stays. He ran his hands up the sides of her ribs, skating over her skin and drawing peals of laughter with his fingers. He watched the ripples of her body as she squirmed under his touch, revealing her expanses of soft, delectable skin. The heat of his desire was fierce and demanding, but this other fervor felt steady and firm—enduring.
With her clothes clutched in his hand, he let out a pleased grumble and ran his tongue over her pert breast. He nuzzled the valley between them before latching on to her erect nipple, sucking and rolling it around his mouth. After several strong pulls had her arching off the bed, he moved to give the other the same treatment, abandoning her clothes in favor of caressing her side and untying her skirts. He nipped her breast goodbye, already anticipating his return, kissing his way down the soft round of her belly. Then, with the most delicious slowness, he eased her skirts down to the floor, allowing him to bury his nose between her thighs and drink in her scent. He inhaled, luxuriating in being surrounded by her complex perfume, her sounds all he could hear. His entire world narrowed and centered on her. Sirin made himhungryin the most carnal way, and he thought he might have growled in desperate approval.
Berne placed small, reverent kisses and licks along the crease of her thighs, pausing every so often to nuzzle in and enjoy the scent of her. He ran his hands up the insides of her strong legs, pressing his thumbs to her mound to spread her wide for his view. Berne glanced at her face; Sirin’s cheeks and chest were flushed, her mouth open on a pant as she stared down at him, desperation in her dark gaze.
He was pleased to see how needy she was, how lost to him, but grumbled when he realized she was awkwardly lifting her head to watch him. That would never do. He quickly grabbed his pillow, tucking it under her head, with a peck to her kiss-swollen lips, devouring her giggle. He ran his hands down her arms and led her hands to her breasts, kneading his own over hers.
He broke the kiss to whisper, his voice gravelly to his own ears, “I am going to be occupied for a bit. Will yeh take care of these for me?”
Sirin nibbled his lip and nodded, sucking to keep him there longer.
Berne nearly stayed, the suction on his lip pulsed in time with his cock, but he knew he only had one chance for their first time. Sirin was considering him as a true match, more than just a farce, and he wanted to show her what a good mate he would be. He wanted her to know he would always see to her pleasure. Hoped somehow he could show her what a gift she was to him.
He was, if nothing, a determined bear, single-minded in his dedication to a task. He’d win her over with his fervor. He’d addled her mind, wringing her pleasure from her so thoroughly that she couldn’t possibly regret this, regret him.
1.Shortly after these events, the council of Sanctuary clarified their rulings around trespassing, which involved a sliding scale of infractions and corresponding responses. Until the Barrier fell, they worked swimmingly.
2.Though admittedly, answers about Annika did help ease his pain.
3.Astute readers will likely deduce that while we’ve always been deeply in love, we’ve also had our fair share of power struggles, especially concerning what Berne likes to call my “harebrained schemes.”
Chapter eleven
Sirin
IN WHICH SIRIN CONDUCTS FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION, PRODUCES CONSIDERABLE RESULTS, FINDS IT TO HER SATISFACTION, AND IS IN WANT OF A CHAMBERPOT
