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“I won’t dignify that with an answer.” She scooted around to straddle him and glared, pulling on one thin braid that hung from his temple.
He took that opportunity to capture her lips with his. She leaned into his touch and slid her hands over his back. The muscles rippled under her fingertips. A pleasurable hum spread through her, and she shivered. He moaned into her mouth. Her hands fisted in his hair, the strands caressing her skin.
She pressed her breasts against the solid wall of his chest, their tips stiffening. His arousal jutted proudly against her lower stomach. She shifted, and his hands spanned her waist to move her up and forward. His sex pressed against hers. Oh, God. Heat flooded her lower regions. He thrust against her. Oh, God. Oh, God. She grew slick with need, and her hips moved in rhythm with his. His hands came up to cup her breasts, and she groaned as he flicked his thumbs over her nipples. Some part of her mind screamed they needed to stop, but the other part wanted to tear his clothes off and throw him down onto the blanket. If they kept going, she’d do exactly that.
He seemed to read her mind because he pulled away with a moan. His pupils were dilated, and his hoarse voice revealed his acute discomfort as he spoke. “Enough, or I’ll take you right here. My restraint is perilously close to snapping. I don’t want our first time to be a hasty, unplanned coupling. I want to do this right, with the proper ceremonies. When we make love, it will be as a bonded couple.”
She suppressed a tremor. He sounded so authoritative. Dear Lord, why’d she find that so sexy? All she could manage was a nod. She didn’t point out that they hadn’t agreed to bond. They sat in silence, their harsh and ragged breathing the only sound roaring in her ears.
Once air returned to her lungs and her pulse slowed, she cleared her throat to control the huskiness of her voice. “You still haven’t addressed any of my questions.” She nearly laughed at the comical surprise that flitted across his face. So he’d expected her to forget what they were talking about? Not going to happen.
He appeared to choose his words carefully. “There are other fae species and countries. But if there’s no complaint, I would like you to first focus on Eria, and its culture and history. That’s quite an undertaking in and of itself. After you develop a comfortable foundation there, other countries and their peoples will be addressed.”
“Fae peoples!” She smirked, giddy with new knowledge and a sense of achievement.
Relian framed her face with his hands and planted a kiss on her forehead. “There are quite a few of them, each similar and different in their own right.”
Not so different from Earth, then. The thought of her old home cast a sadness over her. It came and went, some days worse than others.
“Tell me about your home life, if you will?” Relian must’ve sensed her pensive mood, as he often did, since he changed the subject. It was a tactic he’d used more than once, and though she was aware of it, she allowed it most of the time.
“Only if you reciprocate.” She turned sideways in his embrace, so she could lean her shoulder against him.
“Of course.” Relian dipped his head, hair spilling over his velvet-clad shoulders. Her fingers itched to play in that fall of hair. Why shouldn’t she? He often had his fingers in hers. She and Relian had practically humped each other, so that made most caresses seem innocent. They didn’t have to be locked in a passionate moment for her to touch him. Her hands relaxed involuntarily, and she reached up to run a hand through the beckoning strands.
“I love your hair.” Her fingers glided through the black curtain, her skin a splash of paleness against the inkiness of his hair. He leaned into her touch, practically purring with a look of...utter bliss on his face? She faltered a bit. Could he really like that simple act so much?
He looked down at her, smiling unabashedly. “I love your touch.”
Her hands stilled. Well, that cleared up any lingering question she had.
“What you do is a very relaxing, yet intimate act for my kind.”
She nearly dropped the strands her fingers had frozen on. What, this was a form of foreplay to them?
Relian’s shoulders shook. “Oh, Cal, how you make me laugh. Though it’s true this is an intimacy shared between lovers, it’s also one shared by family and close friends. There’s not necessarily anything sexual about it. It all depends on the people involved.”
“So it’s kind of like the socialization that monkeys undergo when grooming each other for bugs?” Her free hand flew to her mouth.
Instead of being offended as she feared, he broke into peals of laughter. “I’ve never heard it quite phrased that way, but I guess it’s as close a description as any. That is if we were monkeys—which I have only a vague idea as to what they might be—and carried around insects on our person.”
Her face heated. Great, he was teasing her. She’d probably never live it down. What if he told his father or Kenhel? Or worse, Maggie?
“Don’t fret. I won’t tell a soul.”
She relaxed.
“Except for maybe my father and Kenhel.”
She stiffened and started to remove her hand from his hair. He stopped her. “Nay, I tease. I won’t tell if you promise to remain as you are and speak of your life. However, I can’t guarantee I won’t tease you, whether in public or private. But I won’t release the details without your permission.”
“That trade is acceptable: story and finger-combing for semi-silence.”
A smile lit his face. “Good, my lady. Please proceed at your earliest convenience.”
She rolled her eyes upward. Now he was just being a goof. “Where to start?” Her hand started its movement again.
Relian gave a sound of contentment before he answered. “Your typical day would be sufficient. What endeavor would you usually be engaged in at this moment?”
