“Because I have to tell you, Olivia, I’m not looking for a quick fuck.” He caught her gaze with his own and wouldn’t let her look away. “I don’t want to do this half way—I want all of you.” His voice was a low growl, filled with desire. “That means my cock all the way inside your hot little pussy. My mating fist locking us together while I fuck you and come in you over and over until you’re mine forever. Are you ready for that?”
His hot, explicit words and the blazing need in his gold eyes sent a shiver of lust through her entire body. “I’m ready,” she assured him breathlessly. “And…and that’s what I want too. I want you all the way inside me.”
“But why?” he persisted pulling out of her and putting some distance between them with an obvious effort. “Why the change of heart? I don’t want you doing this out of a misguided sense of guilt or pity.”
“I’m not.” She leaned forward again and gave him a long, leisurely kiss on the mouth. “And I’m not doing it because I can’t help myself either. It’s because I want you and I want to be with you…forever.”
“Gods, Lilenta, I love you.” He crushed her to him in a hug that nearly took Liv’s breath away. “Which is why I can’t do this with you. Not tonight.”
“What?” Liv pulled back and gave him a look of disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Afraid not.” He shook his head firmly.
“But…but I thought I’d lost you.” Liv blinked back tears. “And then when I finally get you back and all I want to do is be with you forever you say no. Why?”
Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not because I don’t want you. Gods, Lilenta, I have never wanted anything more than I want to fill you with my cock and bond you to me right here and now.”
“Then why don’t you?” Liv demanded. “Please, Baird—I’m ready now.”
“I’m not sure you are. Look, Olivia…” He pulled her close and looked into her eyes. “I just don’t want you to rush into anything. I don’t want us to do something now, tonight in the heat of the moment that you’ll regret later. Remember—once I bond you to me, it can never be undone. We’ll be one forever.”
“I understand. That’s what I want.”
Baird kissed her and nuzzled her neck. “And if you still want it tomorrow after you sleep on it, believe me, I’ll be more than willing to give it to you. But not now—not tonight. For tonight just let me hold you in my arms and breathe in your sweet scent.”
Liv appreciated what he was trying to do in delaying their bonding but she still felt irritated. “I can’t believe this. You’re taking us back to the first week—to the holding week.”
“Yeah, if you wanna think of it that way,” he growled. “Which means no touching under your clothes. And since you’re sitting naked in my lap about to drive me crazy I think it’s time we got up and you put something on.”
Before Liv could protest further he’d somehow fastened his pants over his still erect cock and was getting off the couch. She was left sitting there, exposed and more than a little upset.
Baird must have seen the hurt in her eyes because he knelt beside the couch and took her hands in his. “Try to understand, Lilenta,” he murmured. “I just want you to be absolutely sure. I don’t want us to have an incomplete bonding.” He kissed her palms gently and looked into her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you once. I don’t ever want to feel that way again. If we bond, I want it to be the most complete, strongest bond possible. One neither one of us will ever regret for a minute.”
“Baird—”
“I’m sorry.” Rising smoothly, he walked out of the living area leaving Liv on the couch alone.
Well this certainly isn’t how I pictured the night ending! Splashing sounds from the bathroom let her know he was probably taking a dip in the bathing pool. She started to get up and go join him when she realized he probably wouldn’t allow it. Damn! Liv had never felt so sexually frustrated in her entire life and she knew in her heart she was ready—truly ready to become one with Baird. But how could she convince him of that? How could she make him see that she wanted him to do more than hold her? It drove her crazy to have to start from the beginning all over again, made her frustrated beyond belief that they were back to the strict guidelines of the holding week.
Suddenly an idea began to form in her head. The holding week, hmm? We’ll just see about that. Humming to herself, she hopped off the couch and went into the bedroom.
If she hurried, she could be ready when he came out of the bathing pool.
Baird had hoped that a long, relaxing soak in the bathing pool would help him relax and forget his need for his bride but so far it wasn’t happening. He kept seeing Olivia spread out and open for him, begging him to take her. In the past he would have jumped at the chance but his time with the Scourge had made him hesitant. In his mind’s eye, the scenes the AllFather had shown him played over and over in an endless loop. Olivia angry and accusing, demanding to know why he had taken her away from her family. The look in her eyes when she told him she didn’t really want to be with him—that she wanted to leave, to go back to Earth and never see him again…
Lies, everything that bastard told me, everything he showed me—all lies, Baird told himself uneasily. Because that was what the AllFather did—he took your memories and hopes and dreams and warped them. Twisted them just enough to plant a seed of doubt. But even knowing that, Baird couldn’t get over the uncertainty he felt.
Closing his eyes, he tried to push the false memory away but the real one which took its place was even worse. The hurt look in Olivia’s eyes when he’d turned her down, refused to bond with her. The distress in her voice when she’d begged him to take her. I hurt her. I should go to her—make it right. But he couldn’t. Even though he wanted her with every fiber of his being, he couldn’t let himself take her until he was certain she was ready. Not after she’d spent so long fighting and resisting him. And not after the AllFather’s seed of doubt had been planted deep in his head.
I’ll just hold her tonight, Baird told himself. He knew the scent of a willing female—the one female in the universe who was right for him and who was ripe and ready for bonding—would be a torment almost past endurance. But he had no choice. He had to give her a little more time to think—time to be sure—before he took that irrevocable step.
Sighing, he got out of the bathing pool and dried himself thoroughly. Putting on his black sleep pants, he headed for bed. It was going to be a difficult night but somehow he had to get through it. And if Olivia really still felt the same way tomorrow and wanted him to bond her—
His train of thought was cut off abruptly by what he saw when he opened the bedroom door.
Olivia looked up eagerly when the door opened and had the pleasure of seeing the stunned look on Baird’s face when he took in her outfit.
“Lilenta?” He looked at her uncertainly, desire and doubt warring in his amber eyes. “What in the seven hells do you think you’re wearing?”
“This?” Liv gestured down at her outfit. It consisted of a crimson see-through bra which clearly showed the hard points of her nipples through its open weave lace and a tiny black pleated skirt so short it barely deserved the name. It started low on her hips and ended at the tops of her thighs. When she shifted and the flirty pleats of the skirt flared up, a pair of red lace panties which matched her bra were revealed. It was absolutely the naughtiest thing Liv owned and she had never had the nerve to wear it before. But desperate times called for desperate measures and from the look on Baird’s face, he was rapidly becoming as desperate as she was.
“Yes, that.” Baird was positively glaring at her now. “What the hell is it?”
“Nightclothes.” Olivia smiled at him. “You told me to put something on, so I did. Why, don’t you like it?”
Baird ran a hand though his hair. “You know damn well I do. But can’t you wear something different? Where’s that long, ugly gown you were always wearing during our first week?”
/>
“My granny gown? I’m afraid I lost it.” Liv raised an eyebrow. “Now are you coming to bed or not?”
With an unreadable look, he came around and sat on his side of the huge bed. Leaning back against the headboard, he continued to stare at her.
Liv blushed at his intense scrutiny but she was damned if she would back down now. Giving him a seductive little smile, she dropped to her hands and knees and crawled over to where he was sitting. But when she started to straddle his lap, Baird put a hand out to stop her.
“Wait a minute—what do you think you’re doing?”
“Nothing against the rules.” Liv looked at him innocently. “I just want to be close to you—isn’t that okay?”
Baird groaned as she settled herself firmly in his lap. “Damn it, this is hard enough as it is.”
“Something is certainly hard.” Grinning naughtily, Liv lowered herself until the lace crotch of her panties was rubbing against the rigid length of his cock. Baird groaned again but made no move to stop her as she pressed against him, letting him feel how hot and ready she was.
“Lilenta,” he whispered hoarsely. “Please…”
“Touch me.” Lifting his hands, Liv placed them on her breasts. “You can, you know,” she said when he seemed about to protest. “If we’re back to holding week rules you can touch me as long as you do it over my clothes. Like this—see?” Arching her back, she pressed her breasts into his hands, making sure he could feel her tight nipples rubbing against his palms.
“Gods…” Baird’s eyes were blazing now and he didn’t move his hands. But he didn’t make any move to touch her further, either. Liv would have been frustrated beyond belief by his lack of action if she hadn’t felt his cock throbbing against her pussy. He wants it—wants me. He just can’t admit it for some reason. Well she would damn well make him admit it then.
“You could even do more. Without breaking the rules, I mean,” she murmured. “For instance, if you wanted to kiss me…” Lifting his hand off her right breast, she raised herself up and pressed her tight peak against his lips. “You could suck me here—suck my nipples,” she told him. “And it wouldn’t really count because I still have my bra on so there’s still some clothing between us.” Never mind that the bra in question was whisper thin and the lace was so open it was practically fishnet. Technically, they were still following the rules.
Baird seemed to agree with her logic, or maybe he just couldn’t resist any more. Whatever the reason, he took her nipple in his mouth eagerly, sucking the tight pink peak through the red lace until Liv moaned and buried her fingers in his hair. God, it felt good—the heat of his mouth, his wet tongue lashing her through the thin material. And when he switched to the other nipple, he continued pinching and tugging at the first, sending showers of electrical sparks from her sensitive breasts straight down to her pussy.
God, so good…so good! But he still made no move to go lower. Liv decided if she didn’t want to be driven crazy with lust she’d better take the lead again. Reaching down, she tugged at the waistband of his silky black sleep pants. Their sleek material felt wonderful against her bare thighs but not nearly as good as Baird’s skin would feel.
But Baird wasn’t so far gone that she could do anything she wanted. He released the nipple he’d been sucking and frowned at her. “Stop right there.” He put a hand on her wrist. “No touching without some clothes between us, remember?”
“But there will be clothing between us,” Liv argued, tugging again until she’d exposed the broad head and thick shaft of his cock. “See?” Lifting her skirt with one hand, she displayed the lacy red crotch of her tiny panties. “Even if I rub against you like this, we won’t be breaking the rules.” Lowering herself down onto his lap, she demonstrated by sliding up and down the length of his shaft until they both moaned.
“Well…” Baird’s eyes flared with lust as he watched the erotic display. “I guess as long as we’re not breaking the rules…”
“We’re not,” Liv assured him breathlessly. “In fact, the only way that would happen is if my panties accidentally slipped to one side.”
“Slipped to one side—how do you mean?” He gave her a burning, hungry look and Liv smiled.
“I’m not sure if I can explain—maybe you’d like me to show you? Just so we can be sure what to look out for so we don’t break the rules,” she added.
Baird nodded slowly, “Maybe you should.”
“Well, it would be like this…” Carefully, Liv pulled the lacy red panties to one side, exposing her pussy completely. She heard Baird’s sharp intake of breath when he saw how wet and swollen she was, her pussy juices leaking freely from her open cunt. “See,” she continued. “If my panties were to slip to one side like this and then I accidentally sat in your lap…Well…I’d probably better show you that too.”
“You probably should,” he agreed in a low growl. “Show me, Lilenta. Show me exactly what you mean.”
“Like this,” she murmured, lowering herself down. She bit back a moan as she felt the hard length of his cock part her pussy lips and settle against her tender clit.
Baird made a noise of pure lust low in his throat. “Gods, Lilenta. So hot and wet against me.”
“You…you see what I mean?” Liv asked breathlessly. “Because then if I shifted in your lap like this…” Slowly, she slid up his length, gasping as the broad head of his cock bumped over her clit and settled at the entrance to her pussy. “If I did that,” she continued, looking into his eyes. “Then there would be nothing between us to stop you from slipping inside me. Like this.” Reaching down between them, she grasped his shaft and pressed the thick head of her cock into her pussy.
By this time she was so wet and hot there was almost no resistance. Baird’s cock parted her folds easily and the first few inches slipped into her cunt smoothly, stretching her inner walls with a pleasurable pain that made her bite her lip. Both of them groaned at the same time and Liv was certain that now he would finally agree to take her but…
“Olivia, wait.” The need in his voice was painful to hear but his grip on her hips was unbreakable as he slowly drew her off him. He looked at her, his eyes filled with desperation. “I can’t…can’t let you do this. What if in the morning you’re sorry and you hate me for it?”
“I could never hate you,” she said fiercely. “What in the world would make you think that?” She searched his eyes with her own and suddenly the answer came to her. Not what—who. It was the AllFather. That evil bastard. She remembered well how horrible it had been, having the leader of the Scourge digging around in her mind. And Baird had been through the same thing only much, much worse. Was it any wonder he doubted her feelings for him—her need to have him inside her?
“Lilenta,” he whispered. “I want you so much. Need you so much. But I can’t risk losing you.”
“You won’t lose me. Oh, Baird, how can I make you understand how I feel?” She kissed him gently and rubbed her cheek against his. “How much I want you, how much I need you.”
“More than you need to be back on Earth with your friends and family?” he asked, searching her eyes with his.
“I’ll miss Sophie and Kat,” she admitted softly. “But I know they’ll understand when I tell them how I feel about you…how much I love you.” Tears rose to her eyes and she blinked them back. “You don’t know how upset I was that I didn’t get to tell you that before. I watched you walking away and all I could think was that I hadn’t told you how I felt. I love you, Baird. I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” He took her mouth in a hungry kiss. “More than you can ever know.”
“Then make love to me—bond me to you. Please, Baird, I want you to and I know I’m doing the right thing.”
He locked gazes with her. “You’re sure about this? Absolutely certain?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. You’re what I want—what I’ve always wanted. I just didn’t know it at first.” She looked him in the
eyes. “It took almost losing you to make me see.”
“Once we’re bonded we can never lose each other,” he promised, his voice thick with need. “We’ll have a link that can never be broken except by death.”
“That’s what I want,” Liv assured him. “I want that with you, forever.”
“Prove it.” Baird sat back, his grip on her hips relaxing at last.
“What?” Liv frowned, raising her eyebrows at him.
“Show me how much you want it, Lilenta. How much you want me.”
Liv understood. She had spent so much time and energy resisting him that he wanted to be sure that the bonding was really what she wanted. It was up to her to take the lead. Well, isn’t that what I was trying to do in the first place?
Once again Liv gripped his thick shaft in one hand and lowered herself down. This time Baird let her. She rubbed the broad head of his cock over her slippery folds, savoring the delicious sensation of his heated flesh sliding against her clit. God, feels so good…so right…They both groaned at the intimate contact and it was all Liv could do to take things slowly. She suddenly had the urge to have him in her now. To feel his thick cock filling her, stretching her to the limit and bottoming out inside her. To know he was hers and she was his forever.
“Want you, Lilenta,” Baird growled softly. “So damn much it hurts.”
Liv wanted to answer but she was too busy sliding up and down against his thick shaft. God, he felt amazing against her. Hot and hard and rose petal soft at the same time. She could feel her desire peaking and suddenly the need to have him inside her now couldn’t be denied any longer.
“Slowly, Olivia,” Baird cautioned as she fit the head of his cock against her entrance and began to lower herself onto him. “Careful now. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t hurt me,” Liv said, trying to sound confident. To be honest, he was extremely thick—much more than she was used to—and his shaft seemed to get wider toward the base. The first few inches had slipped in easily but now the stretching pleasure/pain of his entry filled her with equal parts lust and fear. God, it felt incredibly good but how was she going to deal with Baird’s mating fist when she was already so full of him? Liv tried not to think about it. Somehow they would make it work. They had to.