Which was why she screamed when warm hands grabbed her from behind. Whirling around, she saw Roarke lift a finger to his lips.
"Let us not wake the entire castle with your screaming."
'Twas hardly her fault since he surprised her. "I did not hear you." He winked and grinned. "I know. I wouldn't be much of a warrior if I crashed through the hedges like a charging bear, now would I?"
The thought of him thrashing through the brambles like a lumbering animal made her giggle.
"Ah, now that is what I wanted to see." He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
Her heart fluttered as rapidly as her beating wings. "What is that?"
"My faerie's smile. You have gone much too long without one." His faerie. The words should mean nothing, and yet were what she had dreamed of for a very long time.
But dreams and reality were neither close nor attainable.
Nearly invisible in the darkness wearing his black breeches and tunic, she nevertheless could easily make out every curve and angle of Roarke's body. His nearness unnerved her, sparked desires she should not be having for a man who was not her betrothed. Yet she knew no way to stop her feelings other than to stay away from him.
Something she had failed miserably at doing.
"Why did you ask me here, Roarke?"
He reached for a scarlet curl that lay just over her breast. Her nipple rose to greet the brush of his hand.
She gasped at the tightening pleasure spiraling through her.
"I don't know what I want. I just know that I wanted to see you. Alone."
"Being alone is not such a good idea."
"Yet you came when I asked you."
"Aye." That she did, but she shouldn't have. Not when she belonged to another. Yet he pulled her like an invisible force that she could not deny.
"What do you want, Solara?"
She turned away from him and fluttered to the edge of the cliff, trying to immerse herself in the sounds of the ocean instead of answering Roarke's question. "It does not matter what I want."
"To me it does."
Heat emanated from his body as he stepped behind her. She steeled herself from turning around and leaping into his arms. "This was a mistake. I should go back to my room." But when his hands caressed her bare shoulders, his breath ruffling the hair on top of her head, she couldn't move. Memorizing his touch, his scent, she vowed that despite her fate, she'd never forget the way her body came alive when his hands touched her. The dark promise in his eyes, the way he smiled, would always be a part of her mind.
"Look at me, Solara."
She dare not. Admittedly weak where he was concerned, one glance and she'd be lost. Too much was at stake to take that step. She held firm to her resolve, refusing to waver.
Her mouth fell open in a gasp as he whirled her around, pulling her tight against him. She wriggled away, afraid of him. No, that was not true. Fear was her own making, fear of her own reactions to him. "Let me go, Roarke."
Concern etched his face in a frown and he loosened his hold on her. "Am I hurting you?" He'd taken tender care with her wings, sliding his hands below them to pull her close. His fingers burned through her shift and set fire to her skin. "No."
"Then tell me why my touch revolts you?"
She paused, stricken that he would think such a thing. "Oh, no. Your touch does not revolt me at all."
"Then what is the problem? Why do you seem as if you want to be close, but when I touch you, you pull away?"
The words hovered on her lips, but she feared lending them voice. Telling him how she felt put her feelings in the open. She dared not. "Because you shouldn't touch me." He looked away. "You are right, of course. You belong to another, and I have no right." But when he stepped away, doing exactly as she asked, her soul cried out for him. A chill crossed her body at the loss of his warmth. She wanted to ask him to come back. She wanted to tell him that it didn't matter that she belonged to another man.
But it did matter. To both of them.
"Why don't I feel guilty when I look at you and think things I shouldn't?" he asked, his voice so faint
'twas almost as if he asked the question of himself.
Solara flew over to where he stood and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Because we want something we can't have."
When he turned to face her, she knew his pain mirrored her own. "I know. The problem is, I want to touch you, Solara. It's almost a burning need that I cannot resist." She wanted that more than her next breath. Yet a part of her still held on to her duty, more for his sake than her own. "You can't."
"Why?"
"Because your touch awakens something in me." As soon as the words left her lips, she knew she had made a mistake. Now he knew exactly how she felt. Already weak where he was concerned, she wasn't certain she'd be able to tell him no again.
Moon glow shone on his face, lighting up his features. His eyes held a melting warmth, their color toasty brown with flecks of dark gold, like sunshine peeking through a thick canopy of trees.
He bent his head and brushed his lips against hers.
Her internal battle was lost. She gave herself up to the magic of Roarke's mouth.
Chapter Two
Roarke should have never touched Solara. Never pressed his lips to hers.
What was he thinking?
He wasn't. Not with his head anyway. His cock propelled him to make stupid choices. This woman in his arms was betrothed to another. His honor forbade him to touch her.
But touch her he did. Her lips tasted as sweet as fresh dolaberries, her tongue tantalizing as it brushed up against his. When she whimpered into his mouth, he knew he was lost.
Damn her fate, and his. He was no king, could not claim a faerie princess as his bride. He was nothing more than an elvin warrior, a commoner among the royal elves and faeries.
What he did now tarnished his honor and that of his king, his friend, a man who was as close to a brother as he would ever have. They shared a telepathic link forged since childhood, their lives bound together forever.
And yet he could not stop. Solara gave with all her being, moving closer to him. She retracted her wings so he could fit his arms fully around her, her acquiescing movements an invitation he could not resist.
His faerie craved their joining as much as he did. Aye, it was wrong, but let him be damned for eternity, for he'd not let her out of his arms.
With a burgeoning ache, his cock hardened. He pulled Solara toward that sweet pain and rocked against her. A moan escaped her lips and he drank in her desire, sipping at the delectable nectar of her mouth.
Passion overcame common sense and he lifted her into his arms. Finding a secluded spot within the hedges, he laid her down on the soft mound of grass and marveled at the moon's glow shining over her.
Her skin twinkled in the night like red stars. Kneeling down beside her, he tentatively brushed his fingers over her shoulder, then down her arm, eliciting small shudders of delight.
Her nipples hardened to tight peaks against her transparent shift. Unable to resist, he swept the gown over her shoulders, baring her breasts. He sucked in a breath at the perfect beauty of the small globes.
Anxious to taste her, he bent down and fit his mouth over one hard nub. She gasped and threaded her hands in his hair, whispering his name.
Her pheromones invaded his senses. The sweet smell of flowers in the summertime wafted over him, covering him with the desire to lick her skin and discover if her taste was as arousing as her scent. The urge to tear her shift away and bury himself deep within her was nearly overpowering. He fought the desire, knowing it would be a dangerous road from which neither of them could return.
Already he had breached that which he should not. But he was a man possessed, unable to halt his actions.
And, stars, she did not wish it either. Her body writhed against the soft earth and she held out her arms to him, beckoning him to take her. A small part of him knew this was wrong, knew they should stop before they
went too far.
"Solara, we should not--"
"Roarke, please," she begged. With an urgency he clearly understood, she grasped his shoulder and pulled him down against her. Eagerly, she reached for his shaft and palmed it over his breeches.
He sucked in a tight breath, panting like an animal. Heated to near boiling, he was delirious with the fever she gave him.
She would never be his, he would never take her virginity, but by all that was magic he would have a small part of her tonight.
With a low growl he covered her body with his hands, clearing his mind of guilt and hesitancy. For many long months, since they had first met, he had wanted her, dreamed of her, desired her.
The long separation had done nothing to quell his need for her. Every night he lay unable to sleep, feeling a connection to the scarlet faerie who resided so far away in D'Naath. Many times he had wondered if she felt the same way, if she burned for him despite being apart.
Her response now told him that she had.
Like a blind man relying on touch, he memorized her skin. The hollow in her throat, the way her neck arched as she swallowed, the way her breasts rose and pressed against his hands. The small buds nestled perfectly in his palms, her nipples teasing him with their tightened tips.
Her waist was so small he could circle it with his hands. Her hips were slender, yet with enough substance she could accommodate his form between them. That thought brought about another painful tightening of his balls.
No, tonight he would not have her in the way that would make her his forever, but he would hear cries of ecstasy pour from her lips and know that he'd given her pleasure.
"Raise your knees, Solara."
Her shift parted and slid down her silken thighs, revealing the treasure between them. Scarlet curls covered the mound of her sex. Her pussy glistened with moisture, an invitation he was unable to resist.
He swiped at her nectar, watching her shiver, hearing her moan of pleasure as he brushed against her clit.
With deliberate slowness, he brought his finger to his mouth, licking her essence from his fingers. Solara watched him with rapt attention, her tongue darting out to sweep over her own lips. The urge to give her his cock was overwhelming.
"Aye, Roarke, let me taste you."
A smile graced her lips. She'd made telepathic contact with him. He laughed, realizing that he'd let his guard down and allowed her insight into his thoughts.
"So you'd like to suck my cock, faerie?"
"Yes, you know I would."
He thrilled at the promise in her words, the enticing way she eagerly licked her lips as if she were starved for him. Moving quickly, he unclasped his breeches and took out his penis, stroking it slowly.
Greedy hands took over for his and she enveloped him, emitting a sigh of pleasure as she stroked his throbbing shaft. He bit back a groan and watched the movements of her small hands over his length.
She seemed a master at touch, knowing just how hard to stroke him. Pleasure unlike anything he'd ever known surged inside him. Suddenly eager to feel her mouth on him, he straddled her shoulders and bent forward, letting her take the lead.
Her tongue snaked out and licked the tip of his cock. Goosebumps rose on his skin at the contact of her warm, heated tongue on his sensitive flesh. He moved closer until her lips enveloped him.
Then she hummed, low and throaty, making him mad with the desire to thrust his shaft, hard, into her mouth. She teased him with her tongue, swirling it over the tip.
"That's so good, Roarke," she whispered, her gaze locked on his face as she took one long swipe of the head of his cock before engulfing him completely. His body shook with the force of his desire.
Cradling his balls in her hand, she tugged lightly. The sight of her mouth surrounding him was erotic, sinful, more arousing than anything he'd ever seen. She whimpered against his heated flesh.
Pleasing him excited her--what an astounding woman his faerie was. And she brought him to such heights he found it difficult to hold back.
"You had better stop, my faerie, or I will be filling that sweet mouth of yours with my come." She smiled, then urged him to do just that by squeezing his shaft harder, sucking furiously on his cock.
His balls drew up tight against his body, preparing for release. Bracing himself, he leaned over her, forcing more of his shaft into her hot, wet mouth, then exploded.
Swallowing greedily, she milked him until he had no more to give. Roarke panted, his body soaked with sweat. Despite the fact she'd emptied him, he was still hard, a fact that apparently wasn't lost on her as her eyes widened when he pulled his erect cock from her lips.
She was a magical woman, the very sight of her driving him to extremes of desire. She'd given him more pleasure than he thought possible, but they were not finished yet. He moved off and lay on the grass, pulling her against him. Her heart beat frantically against his ribs. Her sweet mouth called to him and he bent down to kiss her lip, his taste lingering on her mouth. That she would do such a thing for him, to him, without hesitation, proved that her potent sexuality more than matched his.
And now it was his turn to bring her the same release.
Solara's lips still tingled, her body burning with the need to come after taking Roarke over the edge. His cock was magnificent--more than she could have ever imagined. Taking him into her mouth had brought her to such a state of frenzy she wasn't certain she could stop from touching herself and obtaining release with him. Only his position over her chest had kept her from caressing her aching clit.
The throbbing between her legs had grown more insistent as she waited for Roarke to make the next move. Would he leave her, now that he was satiated?
Of course not. She'd no more thought it than his hands moved over her body, his skin as hot as hers.
When his palm grazed her nipple, she gasped. His hand stilled and she looked up at him.
"Your body is so sensitive to my touch, Solara." To prove his point, he once again moved his fingers over her breast, lightly pulling the already distended nipple. Her core flooded with juices and she arched her hips.
Her body was much more than sensitive to his touch. She had been made just for him.
Only for him.
Fighting back tears, she refused to think about what would happen beyond this night. Tonight, she belonged to Roarke. What may come after that, she would not dwell upon.
"You brought me great pleasure, my faerie. And now I will try to please you in the same way." It would not take much trying on his part. Already she was near orgasm. He had but only to brush his hand over her aching sex and she would cry out release.
Instead, he slowly trailed his fingers over her ribs, her belly, her hips, moving his body down until he was nestled between her spread legs. Her inclined position on the little hill afforded her a view of his dark brown locks. She reached for him, gently winding her fingers into his hair. With his gaze locked on hers, he took a long, slow swipe of her sex.
Surely the cries of ecstasy could not be hers. She was aware they were in a public place, knew that should someone be walking nearby, they would have heard her wails of pleasure. Yet she could not hold them back. Roarke's lips and tongue performed a magical dance along the folds of her pussy, lapping up the juices that had gathered there and lightly teasing the knot of pleasure aching for a suckling.
No man had ever pleasured her before. Truth, no man had ever touched her, as it was not allowed for a faerie princess who was betrothed to a king. Yes, she had pleasured herself many times, both with her hands and with the faerie tubara stick. But for her first actual lovemaking experience to be with Roarke was everything she had hoped for.
She felt no guilt at giving something that belonged to another. In her mind, her very heart, she knew she was Roarke's.
The sensations soaring through her body, however, were nothing like she could have imagined. Tension knotted her muscles. She drew up her legs, giving Roarke access to all of her.
"Such a beaut
iful cunt you have, my faerie," he murmured against her thigh, lightly nipping her tender flesh. He swept his fingers over her folds.
"Roarke." She breathed his name on a blissful sigh, her gaze transfixed on his mouth and his hands.
He pressed his palm against her, petting the area below her pussy, then dipping his finger against her moisture and wetting her nether region.
"I may not be able to take you with my cock. I may not be able to slip deep inside your hot pussy, but I will enter you tonight, my princess."
Unable to speak, her body cried out the words she could not say. Roarke added more moisture to his finger and then lightly breached her anus. She stiffened, expecting pain, but he covered her clit with his lips and lightly licked until all she knew was pleasure.
He continued to suckle her bud, at the same time probing deeper and deeper into her anus until he breached the barrier and slid his entire finger inside. She cried out at the pleasure. Relentlessly he lapped at her, swirling his tongue over her sex and fucking her lightly until she contracted hard around him.
"Roarke, please, I cannot hold back."
"Then come for me, my faerie. Let me drink your sweet honey." When he pulled his finger nearly out of her body, then thrust hard inside her nether hole, she let out a keening wail of climax as she poured her essence onto his awaiting tongue. Her hips bucked off the grass as she fed him her sex, the swirling sensations taking over her thoughts, her voice and her actions.
Roarke held onto her as she rode out her orgasm, then gently removed his finger and cradled her body against his, taking her mouth in a heated kiss. She tasted her sex on him as he devoured her with his lips and tongue.
Clutching him as if she was never going to let him go, she pressed a kiss against his neck, noting the throbbing of his pulse. His rigid cock brushed her thigh, only inches away from her sex.
Oh, why could he not make love to her? They were fated to be together, the fire they brought forth consuming them both. Could he not see that?
Roarke sat up and helped adjust her clothing, then tucked his still hard shaft in his breeches. "It will be dawn soon. We must go before someone finds us."
"Go? And then what? After what we have just shared, has nothing changed between us?" With a wistful smile he pressed a light kiss to her lips. "What could possibly change, my faerie? You are still betrothed to Braedon of Greenbriar. As it is, we should never have done what we just did. My apologies to you, princess, for taking advantage."