Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
A'tam's big, callused fingers are doing wild things to my inside. The way he traces his fingers up and down the inside of my wrist, up to my elbow, it makes my pulse race and my khui sing even louder. My nipples rub against the front of my tunic, and everything inside me is on high alert. I'm afraid to speak, because I don't want to ruin this moment, and my mouth always ruins things.
So I'm quiet.
"Will you stay tonight?" A'tam asks.
I nod, watching him.
"Will you…let me kiss you?" He asks this in a hushed voice, as if he's afraid of my answer.
I hesitate for a fraction of a moment. "Yes. I just…I'm a little afraid of doing more."
"I did not ask to do more," A'tam says. His fingers slide over my arm. "I asked for kisses."
"No, I know," I say, feeling a bit like a jerk. "It's just…you will ask for more. Resonance will make sure that happens."
He lightly runs his thumb over my wrist. "We will take our time, you and I. We will take as long as we need. I would rather have soft, happy Br'chit in my arms than quiet and miserable B'shit."
I melt all over again, because it's just about the sweetest thing he's ever said to me. "You…are you sure you don't mind waiting?"
A'tam shakes his head. "I would do anything for you. Surely you know that." He leans in just a little, his gaze going to my mouth, but he doesn't kiss me. Instead, he just watches my lips, my face, my body. "I did not know that I hurt you. I thought…I thought you were saying things to wound me or to mock me. I did not realize that I truly gave you pain."
"I didn't say anything," I whisper, entranced by his nearness. "I should have. I need to learn to speak up when something bothers me. It's just…hard. But I swear I'm trying."
"We will try together," he tells me, a hint of his usual impish nature curving his mouth. He leans in, and when I don't pull away, he brushes his lips ever so lightly against mine.
I whimper at the butterfly-soft kiss. Warmth rolls through me, languid and wonderful. I tilt my face toward his, wanting more of those light, fluttery kisses. His mouth dances over my face, peppering kisses across my skin. It's the most wonderful sensation, and I feel cherished and loved and so damn content each time his lips brush over me.
"My fierce little kaari," he whispers. "Can I still call you that?" His fingers graze over the inside of my arm, sending goosebumps up my spine. "Or does it bother you, as well?"
"I don't mind it. I just don't know what a kaari is." I rub my nose against his when he pauses in his caresses, hungry for more. Tender, gentle A'tam? I don't think I could ever get enough of this. "Is it ugly?"
He chuckles, his breath ghosting over my sensitive skin. Strangely enough, I like the scent of his breath. It smells a little of dinner, but more than that, it smells like warmth and like him, and I adore it, just like I adore the way he's touching me right now. "I did not call you my kaari because you look like one, remember? It is because they are fierce and stubborn, just like you."
"Right, right. You couldn't, I don't know, think of me more like a flower or something?"
A'tam laughs, delighted at my comment. "Flowers are weak, fragile things. You are far too clever and strong to be a flower."
Okay, when he puts it like that, I don't hate it. I slide my hand against his neck, stroking his skin. He's warm, his skin velvety soft against mine, and I can't resist petting him, just a little. His skin is fascinating to me, soft to the touch and yet able to camouflage in an instant. I kind of want to touch him everywhere, but I shut that thought down. I'm not ready for that. Not yet.
My big alien brushes his nose against mine once more, as if he just wants to rub on me. His lips skate over mine, and then he pauses, hovering over my mouth, as if waiting for permission.
I wrap my arms around his neck and close the distance between us, kissing him back.
The gentleness changes as our mouths meet over and over again. Hunger creeps in, and when his tongue strokes into my mouth, I meet it with a moan of pleasure. My body is alive as I press against him, his warmth stealing through my clothing. I love the way I fit against him, love the way his big arms hold me tight. I love how I feel small and fragile against his big body, but I'm somehow in control. And as our kisses grow more frantic, the need inside me turns from a low-burning fire into an inferno.