Page 176 of Kneel Before Me

Kronos writhed beneath her. His hands found her breasts, which were pressed against his abs. He squeezed them until they ached. Daphne was so aware of him, so tuned in to the way he felt and the way he made her feel. It seemed impossible that she could have such a connection with someone whose cock hadn’t been in her pussy. Yet everything they had done so far was just as meaningful to Daphne, if not more so.

He could not speak; his mouth was buried against her center. But he communicated using everything else. His hands squeezed her ass so hard there were sure to be bruises there tomorrow. The sounds he made were quick and desperate. Daphne knew when a man was close, and Kronos was close now. She adjusted her motions accordingly, taking him even deeper, sticking to a specific rhythm, pushing him to the brink. Her throat felt numb; she was breathing through her nose. With a final hitch of his hips, Kronos released himself, his cum pouring into her mouth. Daphne swallowed it before raising herself up on her hands. She stared down at his cock—glorious, thick, and seeping cum. She spit on it again, just to see her fluid join with his.

Kronos hadn’t stopped tasting her; his hands were gripping her thighs, holding her in place. Daphne rolled her hips slowly, testing her range of motion, seeing what different angles did for her pleasure. His tongue was relentless, pushing inside her, teasing her clitoris. Daphne was beginning to wonder how she had survived without such ecstasy for so long. She arched her back, one hand going to her breasts and the other going between her legs. There was no stopping her now. Her orgasm built slowly, then all at once, slamming into her shamelessly. She gasped in release, pressing herself against Kronos, positive she must be suffocating him. If she was, he didn’t say so. He simply kept licking her, even when she had fully finished, even as she leaned forward to give his cock one last kiss. This time when she straightened, she turned around so that she was straddling his torso, looking down at him. He smiled.

“That was a beautiful way to wake up.”

She smiled back. “Was it?”

“Yes.”

There was a pause. Daphne traced her finger over his chest, feeling the muscles beneath his skin. “I hope it’s…enough.”

Kronos frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I know everyone else is…doing more. It’s important that you rank highly right now, and I just hope this is enough to—”

He raised his hand to cut her off. “Is that why you did this? So that my rank would improve?”

“No,” she said. “I…did it because I wanted to.”

His frown remained. “Are you certain?”

Was she certain? Or was she overcompensating, trying to make up for the fact that she wasn’t fucking him? Daphne wasn’t so sure anymore.

Kronos sat up, adjusting her on his lap so that they were face-to-face. “Daphne,” he said quietly. “I do not ever want you to do anything just for me. I only want you to do something because you want to.”

“I just feel bad,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I know it’s not enough to—”

“Daphne.” He grabbed her face, holding it still. “I will take whatever you give me. Anything you let me have is enough.”

She stared up at him—at his burnished golden eyes, glowing in the dim light of his chambers.

“It is a privilege to wait for you,” he finished quietly.

Daphne wanted to give him what he craved more than anything. Yet she couldn’t. The wounds Benjamin’s words had inflicted had barely begun to heal by the time Maximus came along and ripped them open anew. Every time Kronos made her feel like she was worth something, someone else reminded her she was worthless. Her self-esteem was so intrinsically intertwined with sex she wasn’t sure how to untangle it anymore. The wounds that were slowly healing were not yet closed. Withholding herself was the only way to protect her dignity—the only way she felt like she could keep herself safe. Even if Kronos was not a danger to her.

“Tell me about the Ranking,” Daphne asked, desperate to change the subject. It would be morning soon—perhaps it was nearly already. She figured she might as well learn what she was in for. “What will happen today?”

Kronos looked at her for so long Daphne thought he might not answer. But then he finally said, “As you know, the Ranking will last three days. The first day will begin with the opening ceremony. The queen will bless each guest and bind them to their host.”

Daphne nodded. That didn’t sound so bad.

“Each day has a challenge with a specific purpose. On the first day, the host must make their guest finish twelve times.”

Time stopped.

“Twelve?”

“Yes. Whoever does so first wins the first round of the Ranking.”

Daphne stared at him open-mouthed. She’d never even finished more than twice in one night before. And now she was supposed to do it twelve times?

“Why twelve?” she asked because all her other questions were unfathomable.

“It is a holy number to us. It is said that Kora had twelve lovers.”

Daphne wanted to comment on how that was a lot of lovers but decided against it when she realized she’d had far more than that. Perhaps she and Kora were more alike than she thought.