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)
I'm panting as he pulls away from our kissing and regards me. He's panting a little, too, his expression heavy-lidded with arousal, his lips parted. He leans in and nips at my lower lip, as if he can't resist kissing me, and then moves away.
"W-where are you going?" I protest, my entire body throbbing with need. "A'tam?"
My mate moves quickly to the far side of the hut and then returns a moment later. I'm so focused on his face that it takes me a moment to realize he's got Steph's secrets stick in his hand. He presses it into my grip, his expression asking a silent question.
"Oh," I say, flummoxed. "Are…we doing this right now?"
"I want to kiss you," he tells me, his tone fervent as he drops down to sit next to me again. "I want to kiss you all over. I want to touch you." He nudges the stick that's in my hand. "But I need you to tell me if I do something you do not like."
"Oh," I say again.
"Do you trust me? Can we do this?" He takes my hand, presses a kiss on my palm. "If you want to wait, I will. But I would like to try, if you would like it."
I hesitate. "What…what specifically do you want to try?"
"Just kisses for now," A'tam says. His gaze is utterly earnest as he watches me. "But you must hold the secrets stick and tell me if I do poorly. I would want the truth from you, my fierce little kaari. Even if it scares you."
Because I hate being vulnerable. Right. I stare down at the staff in my hand. It's about a foot long, braided with simple leather thongs. It's just a dumb stick, I tell myself. It's no big deal. Any girl would kill to have her lover want pointers in bed, so why am I hesitant?
I just don't want things to go wrong when they're so pleasant right now.
It's a cowardly way of thinking, of course. If we're going to get anywhere together, I need to be a little braver and acknowledge that he's trying very hard, and I can do the same. "All right," I tell him in a shuddering voice. "Just kisses for now."
He grins at me, his expression so boyish and thrilled that I feel as if I've given him a prize. I smile back, and when he indicates I should lie back in the furs, I do so. This will be fine, I promise myself. It's just kisses. The club-sized dick is staying in his loincloth.
33
BRIDGET
A'tam takes my hand in his—the one not holding the silly secrets stick—and presses a kiss to my knuckles. "Did you like that?"
I have to giggle, just a little. "Are you going to ask me about every kiss?"
He grins back down at me. "Why not?"
Why not indeed.
A'tam kisses my knuckles again, his lips brushing over my skin. "Well? You did not answer."
Right. "I like it. It's a little ticklish, but it's nice."
He grins at me, like he's accomplished something special, and kisses the back of my hand. "And that one?"
"Still nice."
He flips my hand over and kisses the inside of my wrist, his beard tickling my skin. His teeth graze against my flesh and goosebumps prickle up my body. "You smell good," he tells me in a low voice. "I could drink in your scent all day long and never grow tired of it."
Fascinated, I watch as he runs his lips over the inside of my wrist again, then begins to kiss up my arm. More goosebumps move along my skin, but I don't think I could pull away even if I tried. I'm too fascinated by what he's doing. He's gentler and far more tender than I ever thought he could be, pressing tiny kisses up to the crook of my elbow, where the bell of my sleeve tightens and prevents him from going any further. He looks up at me as he kisses my outstretched arm, and his expression sends heat pulsing through me. "How are these kisses?"
"Good ones," I breathe. I can't stop watching his mouth move over my skin. Man, when A'tam decides he's going to slow down, he really goes all in. "Really good."
He presses another kiss to the crook of my elbow, then gives me a sly, fanged grin. "I have run out of skin to kiss." He sets my arm down and moves closer to me, leaning in. "Perhaps I will move to a different spot. Is this all right?"
"You don't have to keep asking me with every kiss. I'll tell you if you get something wrong." It's getting a little ridiculous.
"Do I not?" he asks, tapping a hand on my shoulder and indicating I should lie back in the furs. When I do, he continues. "Do we not have this stick of secrets because of such problems?"