These feelings were new to him and beyond just the physical. There was an unexpected edge to his desire for Dharma. As much as he wanted to sex share with her, he also wanted to protect her.
On the surface she seemed tough, her demeanor warning any from getting close. But beyond that, Bane perceived something softer, a sweetness she’d been forced to hide. Something or someone had left her leery of genuine connections and he wanted to break through that barrier for all to see what he did. Her beauty.
She snuffled and shifted about, a frown creasing her brow. Bane ran a hand along her side, adding the right amount of pressure so she could feel his touch through the layers of silk. She settled. He kissed her temple and then rose to retrieve a blade from his pack in the closet.
When he returned to the bed, she’d wiggled onto her back. A grin tugged at his lips. He was reluctant to destroy the sight of her sheltered in his silk. With a steady hand, he worked to slide the blade beneath the silk threads, cutting from the top to the bottom. Once finished, he rubbed her wrists and checked for any marks or abrasions. Nothing. He climbed into the bed beside her again and kissed her fully on the lips.
Dharma moaned. He cupped her breasts. Lush, soft, small enough to fit his palms. Her arms came up and latched onto his shoulders to tug him closer. Caught off guard, he braced a hand on the mattress beside her head to hold his weight away.
“Please.” She rocked her hips and Bane had no defense. He lowered himself atop her and kissed her again. Body to body. The sensations were incredible. All of her sliding against all of him, their curves and dips aligning. Her tongue met his with wicked lashes.
“I need you, Bane.”
His name. He loved hearing her say his name in that desperate, needy voice.
“Are you back?” he asked. He needed to know she was awake and aware. Sometimes a female could come out of the fila telagrum confused.
“Please,” she begged again and opened her eyes.
Her brown gaze was drowsy but full of clarity. Bane was lost.
“Will you sex share with me?” He had to hear her agree. She twisted about and he smoothed his hand down her torso. “Still.”
She relaxed back onto the bed. Her gaze darted around, the jagged edges of fear starting to return. Then she licked her lips and nodded. “Yes. I want to fu—sex share.”
Satisfaction roared through him. He planted a quick kiss on the broad plain of her nose and rose from the bed. She made a noise before he kneeled beside her and made quick work of removing her shirt and drawstring pants. He tossed the clothing to the floor and took in her beauty.
Chapter 11
Languid, Dharma didn’t want to move. She lay in the bed wearing nothing but a pair of black underwear. The room was warm and her nipples budded or was it the heat leftover from what he’d done to her. It didn’t matter.
“You’re beautiful.”
She flinched. No one considered her beautiful anymore. Her beauty had been destroyed with no hopes of ever returning.
“You’ve an unusual beauty. The outside is pleasing to the eye, but what I can see of the inside has an unmatched appeal.”
Tears clogged her throat. She didn’t know how to reply to such a specific yet wonderful compliment. “Thank you.”
His brows lowered as he studied her longer than she wished. What secrets did her expression reveal?
“You are most welcome.” Bane joined her in the bed and propped up on his knees.
She had an upfront view of his naked form. He made no effort to hide or cover himself. Magnificent. Far better than she’d dreamed. Broad shoulders enhanced by the wide smooth chest. His torso teemed with rippling muscles that led to his narrow hips.
The erection rising from the nest of blond hair held her attention. Veins twisted about the length, pulsing as she stared. It was smooth, unmarred by the rings she was used to. The conical shaped end twitched and leaked cloudy white drops that rolled in a steady stream down to the blond hair, dampening it in spots.
He grasped his shaft and pushed it down as he crawled between her legs before she could study it further. Or worse, put her mouth on it as she had the odd inclination to do. His hands hooked her legs behind the knees and bent them back slowly. She didn’t resist. He hovered above her and glanced down. “You’re wet.”
Was he seeking confirmation? Was she not supposed to be? Embarrassment crept through her and she attempted to close her legs.
“Don’t hide. I like looking at you. Seeing your arousal is visible proof you want me.”
He leaned forward until their sexes almost touched. Hands going to his chest, she moaned with need before spreading her fingers and gliding them over the muscled terrain. He was hard all over. She’d touched him before but never with so much desire.
“Dharma—”
She placed a finger over his mouth. “Earlier, you called me something else.”
Bane frowned. Confusion flashed in his gaze. Then his eyes narrowed. He peeled her hand away and kissed her fingertips. “Gariad.”
Yes. It was soft. In the midst of her panic, she’d heard him say the word and knew it for an endearment. Her native language had few love names. Females weren’t revered, so the words relegated for them or the act of fucking were often negative or insulting.
Suare. Tutanis. Salim. Seed sucker. Whore. Slave.
Thinking of her life at home cooled some of her ardor. She closed her eyes and thought of Bane’s webbing, how secure she’d felt in the thick threads. Slowly unease dissolved.
“That’s right, gariad. Only think of me,” he whispered.
She opened her eyes to half-mast. He placed a hand on each side of her underwear, met her gaze and jerked. The material ripped, leaving her bare to his gaze. He palmed her groin.
The swirling ball of heat unfurling in her belly expanded. “Yes, yes.”
Bane came over her, his mouth crashing against her own. His tongue pushed between her lips and she opened, responding to the hungry demand. Kissing him was addictive.
Blunt fingers slid between her legs and probed beyond the dark curls. She spread her legs wider, wanting more of his touch. He parted her folds and plucked, rubbed, dipped his finger in her deepest places. Wet. She was wet and the sounds of her slickened flesh sent more shooting spasms through her body. Her stomach cramped, the pleasure more intense than anything she’d felt before.
His mouth dragged across her chin, jaw, then lowered to her throat. He continued down her body until he tongued her right nipple. The peak budded and grew taut. He switched sides and flicked his tongue over her left nipple. Then he cupped her breast and laved it before drawing it into the recesses of his mouth.
Wicked, tempting flames licked all over her body, setting her senses on fire. She arched on a cry, her hands reaching, grasping. Bane groaned and rocked, his cock brushing over her opening. Her lower region clenched as her legs locked about his hips. She skimmed her heels down the back of his legs and tried to climb his body in desperation.
He shivered and arched in her embrace. Dharma was relieved. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. The thought caused her to moan as his conquering mouth gave her right breast the same dedicated attention. She dug her nails into his back, needing to hold on to him. Bane made her want things she knew weren’t possible. If she let herself believe in fantasies, she would fall deeper into caring for him.