Page 142 of The Hunter

Leaning into his body, she reached up and caught a strand of his loose hair, giving it a gentle tug as she coyly smiled. “Then, husband, you should take your wife to our den.”

A purr rumbled in his chest. “Wife.”

She laughed as he swept her into his arms, cradled her against his chest, and strode away from the cheering crowd.

CHAPTER 34

Lacey was thrumming with excitement and desire by the time they reached their den, and she knew Telok felt it too based on the swiftness with which he’d carried her there and the tension radiating through his body. As soon as he set her down, she dashed inside, toeing off her boots and moving to their bed.

Standing upon the blankets and furs, she turned to her mate.

Eyes intent upon her, Telok squeezed through the entryway, and without pause, strode toward her. Once he stepped onto the bedding, he reached for her.

Lacey took a step back and raised a palm. “Wait.”

His chin dipped, granting his narrowed, glowing green eyes a hint of menace in the shadows cast upon his face. “Waited enough.”

She smiled. “You won’t have to wait for long.”

“Lacey…”

The warning in his tone, the utter need seething within it, sent a rush of aching arousal to her core that had her squeezing her thighs together.

“For the last few nights, you’ve explored me, pleasured me, made me come so many times upon your fingers and tongue.” She reached for the straps of her dress and slipped them off her shoulders. “Let me pleasure you tonight, Telok.”

She let the dress fall. The silk whispered down her body and pooled at her feet.

Telok’s claspers shifted, crossing over his slit, but it still parted, giving her a glimpse of the green flesh within. His gaze roved over her body, restless and devouring, so bright and fierce that it trailed heat across her bare skin.

Once, Lacey would have shrunk from his intense stare, would have covered her body in shame. She would have agonized over what he must’ve thought of her—that she was ugly, ruined, unworthy of desire or admiration.

Now, she simply felt beautiful. He’d worshipped her body, had run his hands all over her, discovering every little thing that could make her sing. All the flaws she saw in the mirror were flaws only in her own head, viewed through a lens that had been warped by the standards of a society she no longer belonged to. Standards that had never been right to begin with.

There was nothing for her to be ashamed of.

Lacey stepped closer and flattened her palms on his chest. His hide rippled beneath her touch.

When his hands moved to grab her, she shook her head. “No. Let me.”

Growling, Telok forced his arms down at his sides. “You test me, vi’jatai.”

“Then let’s see how patient my hunter can be.”

Keeping her eyes locked with his, she kissed his chest, right over his beating hearts. Another shiver rippled through him. Then slowly, she trailed a hand down, fingers gliding over the planes of his abdomen, moving toward his pelvis.

She smiled as she teased the top of his slit and traced its open edges before dipping her fingers into its hot, wet depths.

Telok hissed, clenching his fists. “Lacey…”

Kissing his chest again, she hummed and stroked his stem, which was tucked within his slit. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.”

She slowly kissed and licked a path down his chest and stomach. Tremors wracked him, and she felt his claspers tighten even as they were losing the battle to his widening slit. The spicy scent of cinnamon and cloves saturated the air, enveloping her and making her mouth water.

“I’ve daydreamed of putting my mouth on you,” Lacey whispered as she knelt on the blankets. She kissed the apex of his slit. “Daydreamed of what you might taste like.”

Telok’s breathing grew harsh and uneven, and in her peripheral vision, she saw his hands hesitantly reaching for her.

“I yearned to take your cock between my lips.” She ran her tongue along his seam.