His lips then brushed my ear as he whispered, “As far as what we are, I’m more than happy to be whatever you’ll allow me to be, for as long as you’ll have me.”
His tongue, gliding down the column of my neck, sent shivers all over my body. My nipples hardened, exposing themselves through my nightgown. Forrest, eyeing them right away, placed his mouth over one. My breath hitched as he gently flicked it with his tongue. His hand made its way underneath my backside, grabbing a handful of me as he held my breast with his other hand, moving his mouth over to my other nipple. He dragged his teeth along the silk, sending shivers throughout my body. The area between my legs throbbed with a dull ache. Wetness slickened the spot where my thighs and sex met. He was suddenly caressing the inside of my thigh with the back of his fingers, teasing his way up to the hem of my nightgown. His other hand wrapped underneath my other thigh, gently pulling it to the side.
He shifted my nightgown up a few inches and looked up at me with a devilish grin. “I can’t wait to bury my face inside you,” he whispered as he kissed up my inner thigh.
His lips grazed my wetted core, gracing it with his softest kisses. His tongue slid, teasingly slow, inside me, feeling around like he was searching for a prize. I spread my legs wider, giving him more space to work with. His hands were on either side of my sex, spreading me apart, licking me with forceful thrusts from bottom to top. With each passing stroke, the tension within me increased. His mouth made its way to my clit, sucking and flicking it with his tongue. My back arched as a loud moan escaped me.
He lifted his head up to look at me. “Your taste, your scent, it drives me fucking wild,” he growled.
I sat up and tried to grab his cock, but he snatched my hand and tsked at me. “No. Right now is about you, and I want to make you come as many times as you’ll allow.”
Then he reached down between my legs and slid two of his fingers inside me. He started doing this incredibly delicious thing with his middle finger inside me, curling up against my clit, making me come almost instantaneously. Another finger was inserted, and thistime he curled two fingers against my inner walls. Another quick climax racked me. He added one more finger. Four in total now, stretching me to my limits. The sensations were battling contradictions. It felt like too much but then not enough at the same time. I willed my legs to spread further apart so Forrest could stretch me further. My walls tightened and closed in on Forrest. His hand pumped inside me, in slow, methodical thrusts, his thumb rubbing firmly on my clit. My breaths were quick, and my core felt like it would come undone at any moment. This time, the release was incredibly powerful.
I flopped back on the bed, panting, trying to catch my breath. My vision blurred. Forrest had made me come so hard I was sure I was about to pass out. He slowly slid his fingers out of me, our eyes locked, and licked them each individually like he had just finished a decadent meal. He crawled up the bed to lie beside me as I desperately tried to catch my breath.
He turned his head toward me. “Three is not bad, but I feel like I could do much better next time,” he said as he rolled over to kiss me on the cheek.
I turned toward his warmth, allowing it to envelop me fully as we lay in each other’s arms, comforting one another and allowing ourselves a moment of happiness.
*
The days following the skirmish between Forrest and Wyatt in the village square were unnervingly quiet. Given the reaction from both Wyatt and the members of the cult who had assisted him, I expected either one or all of them on my doorstep within hours, demanding some sort of retribution. The lack of response was suspicious.
That day in the square, I had seen a side of Wyatt that I had never witnessed before. It was ugly, jealous, and contemptuous. This man that I had known for years, with whom I had shared my thoughts,desires, and fears, who knew my body in the most intimate of ways, now felt like a stranger to me. I had no idea what he was capable of now that his ego, pride, and face had been so thoroughly bruised. My nerves were frozen in anticipation of the awful things that may come our way as a result.
Forrest, on the other hand, was coping with the situation more calmly. He had taken it upon himself to assemble our emergency runaway bags, which included some coin, clothes, a couple of medicinal kits, dried fruits and meat, blankets, matches, and sleeping rolls, just in case we had difficulty finding shelter. Forrest also found it therapeutic to revisit the events of that day. He was quite proud of himself for handling Wyatt the way he had. His only regret: that he hadn’t had the chance to break other parts of Wyatt for calling me such a foul name. Forrest hated that man more intensely than I ever could.
“I really wish I knew what was going on with Violet and Fiona,” I said as I passed Forrest a wet dinner plate to dry. “It’s been a few days, and we still haven’t heard anything. What if something bad has happened to them? I need to go back and check to make sure they’re all right.”
“And what if they aren’t? What do you plan on doing then?” he said as he put away the plate in the cupboard.
“I don’t know. It feels wrong to just sit here and wait it out, hoping nothing bad happens.”
Forrest turned to me. “Getting yourself worked up and charging back into the mouth of the monster you’re trying to avoid being bitten by isn’t going to help anyone. You staying put is exactly what you need to do right now. If the Children don’t already think you had a hand in this, they’re going to know for sure you did if you barge in there and start causing more trouble.”
I growled at his response, annoyed at him for being so rational. He was right, though. I was letting my emotions get the better ofme, allowing them to override my self-preservation instincts, which were yelling at me to stay put and be quiet.
“How long do these things with the Children typically take?” he asked, pushing me aside to finish washing the dishes, since I clearly couldn’t concentrate on the menial task anymore.
“They’re usually quite quick to throw their accusations and punishments around. This has already lasted longer than it normally does. I’m not sure what to make of it.” I sat down on the stool in the corner of the kitchen.
“Do you think it’s possible that they weren’t able to find anything, so they would just leave them be?” Forrest asked.
I laughed at that. “No. Regardless of what they find, they aren’t going to leave them alone. They don’t need to find proof to justify their actions.” I placed my head in my hands. “This delayed silence only speaks to a bad omen. Something awful is coming our way. I can feel it.” I felt the familiar tightness of a panic attack coming on. “What do you think Wyatt meant when he said I’d regret what I had done?” I asked, doing my best to keep my composure.
My chest tightened; my entire body started shaking, and tears fell down my cheeks. “I don’t know that man we saw in the village square. He is not the person I thought I knew. I have no idea what he’s capable of, and I’m terrified.”
Forrest’s strong hands found their way to my back, rubbing soothing circles.
“I feel like I’m losing control, and I don’t have a grasp on anything anymore. It’s all gone to shit because of me.” Sobs started to rack me.
“Aurelia, I promise you nothing has gone to shit because of you.”
“You can’t say that, Forrest. People will almost certainly lose their lives because of me, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t stop thinking about them and this awful situation. It’s tearing me apart.” A shaky breath escaped me as I looked up at him. “Doesit not bother you? Does it not make you mad to watch good people get cut down by a bunch of unchecked, fanatical freaks?”
Forrest took a moment before he responded. “Of course it bothers me. I’m just as mad as you are. My most immediate concern is you, though. I’m worried about your well-being and how all of this is affecting you.” He grabbed my chin, tilting my tear-stained face up toward him. “You know what else bothers me? That you are prevented from practising an art form that you excel at because you make small men feel insecure. I’m bothered that you force yourself to stay in a cold, unwelcoming place like this, one that constantly tries to extinguish the light within you.”
Forrest looked away from me for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Then he looked back down at me, his eyes boring into mine, his lips straightened into a terse line. “What I’m bothered most by, though, is that you allow someone like Wyatt to affect you. That pathetic excuse for a man was never worthy of your time, your love, your body, or your soul. I beg of you, do not waste another moment trying to figure out how that coward thinks or feels.” He leaned in closer to me, my lips warmed by his breath. “I am here for you now, and always. I will sacrifice myself to any extent to ensure that you are unharmed. Please, allow me to bear the burden of worrying for you.”
