Peeling myself off the wall, I set my half-empty mug of coffee on the rail before closing the distance between us until we're only separated by a few inches. Zale's chest rises and falls quicker, his eyes raking down the front of my body as if he's just now only seeing the robe clinging to my naked skin. I wait until he finally lifts them back to mine before I breathe. "You weren't stealing me, Zale. You were bringing me home."
The words ring true in my head and heart as I say them. If there was ever a place I was meant to be, it was here. Curse or no. Threats of impending war or no. Enough unanswered questions to last a lifetime or no. My fate has always been tied to these three men. A fact no one will ever hear me complaining about.
Not giving Zale the chance, I press our bodies together. Running my hands up his chest, I sink them into his blond mane and use it to pull his lips to mine as I lift up on my toes. How could I have possibly waited so long to kiss him again? Sure, we've both been busy, but kissing this mate of mine is precisely what coming home feels like.
His tongue brushes mine, and I have to fight the urge to crawl up his body into his arms. I can feel the heat from his palms through the thin material covering my back, making me wish I'd never put the thing on in the first place. My head tilts back, giving him better access as his lips move down my chin and follow a path to my collar bone.
Stepping back, I take one of his hands in mine and lead us toward my little reading spot in the floor. Slowly, I undo the sash tied at my waist and let the robe slip down to a pool at my feet. Sensing he needs a little more persuading, I move to lay down on the floor that's just as soft as any bed. I leave myself open and completely bare to him, letting him drink his fill while he brings a flush beneath my skin with each pass of his gaze.
Though the bulge in his jeans and the expression he wears are enough to say he's feeling the same thing I am, his hesitancy is something new. I'm sure it has to do with him still thinking I was pressured to stay. Contrary to how he kissed me before, he must've been thinking I was a temporary in their lives. It makes me sad to know that could have been the truth. Whatever his reasons, there's only one way to prove I'm not going back to the human realm anytime soon.
Trying to push that button that I know must be hidden deep down inside somewhere, I remark, "Where's the Zale who held me down and kissed the daylights out of me, hmm? Having second thoughts?"
I'm not sure if it's the first question or the second, but they do the job. His nostrils flare and his chest expands as he sucks in a deep breath. Dropping his hands to his jeans, he undoes the button before letting the material slide down his legs to the floor. Then my beautiful mate stands before me like a naked bronzed statue of a divine being. I love the defined muscles that stand out in his shoulders and arms, leading down to a sculpted chest and abs not to dissimilar to that of his brothers. Almost without conscious thought, my hand reaches out to play with those beaded strands that hang down the front of his body. Of course, he's too far away for that, so I simply flip it over and motion to him with one finger.
When the wild glaze comes over his eyes, I expect him to march over the way Zanthus would, but he doesn't. Choosing to take his time in the way he swaggers to where I wait for him, he drops to his knees at my feet. I want that sexy mouth on mine again, but he seems to have something else in mind entirely. My head falls back on the soft padding as he lifts my leg and his lips press against the inside of my ankle. From there they come in small flits up the inside of my calf and then thigh. Just as I start to feel the tickle of those blond locks on spots that are craving his attention, he abandons that leg for the other one, repeating the process all over again. This time he doesn't stop at my thigh. Those lips blaze a trail up my hip bone and across my lower belly to the other side before he finally presses a kiss to the top of my mound.
Out of the many years of my sexual experience, I've never had a man's mouth between my legs before meeting these sexy mer. I always thought it'd be this awkward situation that wouldn't feel as good as what most women make it out to be. Now I'm kicking myself for not letting it happen sooner. Maybe it's for the best, though, because I like the thought of having this first with my mates.
His arms go underneath my thighs and wrap around, using his fingers to spread me even wider. The first swipe of his tongue has my back arching off the floor. When my fingers reach down to sink in his hair, I don't stop them and neither does he. I should be embarrassed by the noises coming out of my mouth and the fact that my hips are moving, burying his face even further into me. The only reason I'm not is because I can feel it as his cheeks lift in a grin. Then his tongue starts working figurative magic on my clit with a few quick brushes of his teeth and lips and all thoughts in my mind float away on the wind.
Between all of the teasing and the feel of his hair tickling the rarely touched skin of my inner thighs, I’m already at that peak of no return. When he hums, sending a vibration through his still flicking tongue, it’s enough to send me straight over that edge. My fists clench in their spot sunken deep into his hair, and I’m barely conscious of grinding my hips into his face as a breathless sound escapes my chest.
Lifting his head, he runs a hand down the lower part of his face, wiping away the wetness there that I should probably be slightly embarrassed about. Trailing a fiery path of kisses up the center part of my body, he takes his time showing each and every inch of skin its own personal attention. By the time those lips find their way to mine, I feel like a worshipped goddess beneath him.
I smile against his mouth, feeling his own match it. Wrapping both arms and legs around him, I tug his body tight against mine, pulling a soft moan from him in the process. It slides into my mouth easily seeing as his tongue is still plundering and staking his claim. All of it is enough to have my heart pumping over time. I don’t want to wait any longer.
“Zale,” I plead softly.
Another one of those sounds passes through his lips before he brings himself back up to his knees. Somehow he’s managed to see through the fog to remember to hand over the talisman. Jutting my chin upwards gives him perfect access to place it around my neck.
His fingers linger around my collar bones, and an unreadable expression crosses his face as he confesses, “I don’t like this, damselfish. I don’t like the thought of hurting you.”
Forcing him to look me in the eye, I reply, “We don’t have a choice if we want to break the curse.”
“Not necessarily. We’re not certain it has to be done this way,” he says with a short shake of his head.
I appreciate his concern, but it’s not worth the risk.
“I don't know about you, but I'd rather not take the chance over a tiny burn that can be healed almost instantly. We know next to nothing about any of this, Zale." Reaching up, I caress the side of his face as I tell him, "I want to see your kingdom and for you, your brothers, and our people to be able to return home. To ensure that happens, we do everything we've been doing in the right order. Now, are we going to lay here and keep talking, or are you ready to claim your mate?"
His face nuzzles into my hand as he presses a kiss into my palm, trying to hide the smile that flashes across his lips. Hooking my free arm around his neck, I pull them down to mine for another taste. This earns me exactly what I've been asking for.