Devoured: Brides of the Kindred 11 (24 page)

“And what…” Garron cleared his throat.
“What exactly is it that you think I need?”

“Skin-to-skin contact.” Tess looked him in
the eyes. “I have a confession to make—I actually woke up earlier than you
thought this morning. I really had to use the restroom so I was going to go but
then I heard you talking to someone in there—I guess maybe your brother?”

He groaned. “You heard all that?”

Tess’s heart began to pound. Was he mad?

“I did,” she said steadily. “And I’m sorry
I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“It’s all right.” He shook his head. “I
just…didn’t want you to know.”

“I would have put the pieces together
anyway,” Tess assured him. “All day you’ve been so tense…so on edge. I didn’t
realize it before but this was why, wasn’t it? You’ve been fighting the…the
other
that lives inside you. The…what
did you call it?”

“The
dr’gin.”
He looked grim. “It has been…especially
insistent
today. I don’t know how much longer I can hold it off.”

“And what happens if it comes out? Never
mind…” Tess held up a hand. “I don’t want to know. Right now what I want is for
you to strip. Um, down to your shorts, I mean. If…if you wear shorts?”

He frowned. “I’m not sure what article of
clothing you’re talking about. But if you’re asking if I wear anything under my
flight leathers, I’m afraid not.”

“Okay, um…” Tess bit her lip. What should
she do?
It’s not sexual,
she told
herself firmly.
It’s comforting…calming.
And completely necessary.

“Tess?” He had already taken off his black
t-shirt, baring the most mouthwatering chest she’d ever seen.

She took a deep breath. “Take it off,” she
commanded. “Go ahead, take it
all
off.”

Garron complied, but slowly. “What exactly
are we going to do?” he asked as he finished taking off his boots and began
unfastening his trousers.

“Nothing sexual,” Tess said quickly.
“Just…just hold each other, that’s all.”

“All right.” If he was disappointed, he
showed no sign of it. But when he pushed down the tight black leather trousers,
his long, thick shaft was more than half erect.

“Oh!” Tess couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped
her. He had the most spectacular body she’d ever seen on a guy. Broad shoulders
led down to a tan chest and rippling abs that moved like molded steel when he
shifted. Long, muscular arms and legs with big, capable hands which she already
liked were nice but her eyes kept straying back to his torso. A small trail of
black hair led from his belly button down to his… Tess tried not to look but
she couldn’t help it.
So I was right when
I hugged him this morning,
she told herself as her eyes flickered over the
long, thick shaft.
He really
is
that big. And he isn’t even all the
way hard!

“Are you all right? Do you want me to put
my leathers back on?” He started to reach for his trousers but Tess shook her
head.

“No, no! I just…I’m sorry. You’re just so,
um, big…everywhere.”

Garron looked down at himself with a
frown.

“I believe my endowment is normal for a
Kindred.”

“Well, it’s a lot bigger than normal for a
human.” She could feel her cheeks getting hot and she tried again not to look
below his waist. “Look, never mind about that. Just get on the bed with me.”

“All right.” He lay down on the bed on his
back and looked up at her. “Are you coming?”

Poor
choice of words!
Tess felt a
hysterical bubble of nervous laughter rise in her throat and swallowed it back down
with difficulty. She had to get hold of herself now—it was time to do this.

She lowered herself to the bed wearing
only her pink lace bra and panties. She supposed she really ought to be naked
for this to be true skin-to-skin contact but she just wasn’t quite that brave.

Garron was lying on his back, waiting for
her, so she scooted over and put her head on his chest. She could hear his
heart, deep and steady, and after a moment, he put an arm around her and drew
her closer, so that her entire front was pressed to his long side.

“Mmmm.” Tess dared to rest a hand on his
broad chest, between the flat copper disks of his nipples and let his warm,
masculine scent envelop her. His skin seemed hot—almost as though he had a
fever and she wondered if he was okay. He didn’t seem sick—maybe Kindred just
ran hotter than humans. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

“This is…nice. Comforting.” His voice was
a deep rumble in her ear.

“I think so too.” Tess patted his chest
lightly. “Is it helping…do you think?”

“Some.” He shifted uncomfortably and she
realized something was wrong. “Garron?” She opened her eyes and looked at his
face. There was a look almost of pain etched on his chiseled features. A quick
glance further down the long, muscular length of his body showed why. He was
now fully at attention, his thick shaft achingly hard with a pearly white drop
of precum just at the tip. “Garron, honey,” she said hesitantly. “Is this…doing
you more harm than good?”

“I don’t know.” He shifted again, as
though trying to get comfortable. “Being this close to you with so little
between us is just…difficult.”

“I’m so sorry!” Tess was mortified. “I
never meant to…to make things worse.” She started to get up but Garron stopped
her with a hand on her arm.

“Don’t go.” His eyes blazed in the dim
room. “You’re so beautiful you make me ache but it’s a pain I would willingly
bear just to be near you.”

“Oh…” Tess felt a flutter around her heart
and allowed herself to be drawn down against him again. “All right.”

Garron turned his head and pressed his
face to her hair.

“Gods, you smell so damn good,” he
muttered. “And you’re so sweet and soft. It’s like I’m holding a
lin’del.”

“Um, a what?”

He looked at her. “I think it’s what your
people call an angel? An otherworldly creature too beautiful to be real. That’s
what I mean.”

“That’s so sweet.” Tess snuggled a little
closer to him. “And you smell pretty good yourself. Do you wear some kind of
cologne or…?”

“It’s my bonding scent. When a Kindred
wants to bind a female to him, his body makes a certain scent to attract her.”
He sounded conflicted about it.

“And did…did your body ever make that
scent for…” Tess couldn’t say the name.

“For Nella? No.” He sighed. “We were never
this close—ever. We barely touched hands and only once or twice touched lips.
Our society on Pax did not allow it.”

“So you never got to hug her? Or kiss
her?” Tess felt sorry for him now.

“No, though I wanted to badly. We talked
about it. We had…many plans for after we mated. But of course…” He left the
sentence unfinished.

Tess was sorry she’d brought it up. “I
shouldn’t have said anything. It’s obviously a painful subject.”

“Not as much as it used to be.” He cleared
his throat. “Maybe that’s…why I seem to have such difficulty keeping my vow.”

“It isn’t breaking your vow to do…what
we’re doing,” Tess objected. “I mean, we’re just, uh, lying here. And Nella
wouldn’t have wanted you to be in pain or out of control, would she?”

“No…” He didn’t sound completely sure of
himself. “I don’t
think
so.”

“Well, then…” Speaking of him being in
pain, she couldn’t help noticing that he was as hard as ever. Her hand, still
pressed to his chest, itched to slip down and ease his ache—to explore that
hot, hard length she saw throbbing against his flat belly.

What’s
wrong with you?
whispered a frightened
little voice in her head.
What are you
thinking of? You know that’s wrong…dangerous. It’s exactly what Pierce was
always accusing you of doing. Touching another man!

Yes, but despite all the accusations and
“punishments” Pierce had subjected her to, she had never once done anything he
had accused her of. Besides, he was her
ex-
husband,
even if he wouldn’t sign the divorce papers, and he wasn’t here. Tess wanted to
do something to banish him from her life—something she never would have dared
to do back when she was with him.

Besides,
she told herself firmly.
It isn’t sexual. It’s like…therapy. The poor
guy needs some help. I’m just going to help him…that’s all.

Slowly, carefully, she let her hand drift
down Garron’s chest and torso. His rock hard abs twitched nervously under her
fingertips as she slid even lower but he said nothing until she finally wrapped
her fingers around his long, thick shaft.

“Tess?” His deep voice was hoarse and
uncertain. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you.” He was so thick she
couldn’t get her hand all the way around him but she slid her fingers up and
down his hot length anyway. It felt like holding a living, pulsing bar of iron
in her hand and touching him seemed to make the warm spice he’d called his
bonding scent intensify.

“Helping me…what exactly?” He gave a low
gasp as her hand reached his broad, flaring crown and then traveled down again
to his base.

“Helping you have a release. That was why
you went to the Pairing House in the first place, wasn’t it? You needed a release.
Only you never got one.” Tess stroked him again, beginning to find a rhythm. “I
think if you did you’d feel better—more in control.”

He gave a shaky laugh and pumped up into
her hand. “You appear to be the one who’s in control,
lin’del.”

“I am, aren’t I?” Tess liked the idea. It
made her feel strong, powerful…less vulnerable. She had never been in control
with Pierce. She’d never been allowed to do anything but lay there and look at
the ceiling. Now Garron was lying naked on the bed, his big muscular body
spread out just for her like some kind of erotic feast, and he was completely
open to her. Touching him like this was a heady experience.

But
wouldn’t it be even better,
whispered the naughty
little voice of Tess BP,
wouldn’t it be
even nicer to
taste
him?

The thought gave her a wicked little
tingle right between her thighs. Did she dare? She looked at Garron, lying
there with his big hands clenched in the quilt on either side, his entire body
tense with need. The look of almost pain was back on his face and she wasn’t
sure if he was trying to reach a release…or trying to hold it off.

How
can you resist?
the little voice
urged.
Besides, you’re helping
him—remember? It’s just therapy…

Therapy. Right. Tess knew she shouldn’t
and yet…the little voice was right. How could she resist?

Slowly, she pressed a soft kiss to his
chest and then moved lower, to kiss his rib cage.

“Tess?
Lin’del?”
Garron’s eyes—which had been tightly shut—flew open. He looked at her
uncertainly as she kissed the hard ridge of muscle right above his hipbone.

“Shhh,” Tess soothed him. Her heart was
pounding, but with excitement, not fear—she hadn’t felt so empowered for years.

“But what are you—?”

“This,” she murmured and pressed a soft,
gentle kiss to the side of his shaft. Then she looked up at him. “Unless you’d
rather I didn’t?”

“It is forbidden.” His breath was coming
fast now—his broad chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Then…you want me to stop?” Tess bit her
lip and started to pull back.

“No, please…” He shook his head quickly. “That
which is forbidden…is desirable. If you truly wish it, I would not…would not
stop you.”

“Good.” Tess smiled at him and rubbed her
cheek up and down his length. God, he smelled so good here! So warm and spicy
and masculine and the shaft of his cock felt hot and velvety and perfect
against her skin.

“Ahhh…” A low groan fell from between his
lips as he looked at her. “Oh, Tess…”

“Yes?” Feeling daring, she opened her lips
and placed a hot, wet kiss just below his crown. The long shaft twitched and he
groaned again.

“I can’t stop watching you,” he confessed
hoarsely, his eyes half-lidded and glowing in the dim room. “I cannot…seem to
help myself.”

“You don’t have to,” Tess assured him
softly. “Watch if you want to.” Holding his eyes with her own, she placed
another hot, open-mouthed kiss directly on the broad head of his cock, taking
it between her lips and brushing its velvety hot surface lightly with her
tongue.

“Ah! Gods!” Garron’s hips jerked, sending
another thick inch of his shaft between her lips. Suddenly Tess found that she
was sucking him…not that she minded. He was hot and hard and there was no way
she could get him all the way into her mouth but she liked the feel of his
broad, plum-shaped head rubbing against the roof of her mouth—not to mention the
salty, slightly bitter taste of his precum which was flowing freely now.

Slowly, her eyes never leaving his, she
began to bob her head, sucking just the tip and the first two or three inches
of his thick cock between her lips, laving him gently with her tongue and
stroking the rest of his shaft with her hand as she worked him.