“No, you’re right. I’ve been foolish before.” She stopped him from retreating by tightening her hand around his cock as she smiled up at him. That was when she noticed the line of blood-matted fur running down one side of his chest. “You’re hurt!”
“It’s only a scratch,” he said dismissively. “It was my own fault for underestimating my opponent. I had forgotten how hungry the lower-ranked players are to advance.”
Now that she was looking for it, she thought she could detect signs of strain on his face. And he was going to fight every day? Because of her?
Guilt washed over, and she tentatively slid her hand down his shaft. He was doing this in order to help her. The least she could do was provide some comfort.
“You do not have to touch me.” Even as he protested, he pressed into her hand.
“Maybe I want to touch you.” Her voice sounded unexpectedly sultry, and she realized that this was about more than giving him comfort. She liked exploring him, liked seeing him shiver at her touch. “But would you be more comfortable in the pool?”
She saw the quick longing in his gaze and didn’t wait for a verbal answer. Still holding his shaft, she led him over to the pool steps, then reluctantly let him go.
“Go on.”
“Are you going to join me?”
For a fraction of a second, she hesitated, but this was her choice. She nodded firmly, and he rewarded her with that fierce, attractive smile. As he settled into the water with a sigh of relief, she unfastened her dress and let it drop to the ground. Even though she had been naked in front of him before, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she saw him watching her, and she hurried into the water. He held out a hand, and she took it, joining him on the underwater bench.
“I was wrong,” he said thoughtfully.
“About what?”
“You are more beautiful without clothing, my aria.”
Chapter Ten
Izzie blushed at Baralt’s words, but they still gave her a glow of pleasure. Despite that, now that they were in the pool, she was beginning to have second thoughts. Her instincts told her to trust Baralt, but her instincts had been wrong before. And he was so much bigger and stronger than she was that if he took her interest as encouragement, he would have no difficulty in overpowering her.
She shivered, and he immediately put his arm around her, his touch comforting rather than sexual.
“Why do you call me that? Aria?” she asked, seeking a distraction.
“It is a small creature that exists on my world. When it is young, its skin is soft and bare and golden. Like yours.”
“And when it’s older?”
“Ah, then it has golden fur and fierce fangs.”
His description made her think of a lion, and she decided he was calling her kitten. That was really rather sweet. He was rather sweet.
They sat silently in the pool as she leaned against him and tried to decide if she was ready for more. A surprising amount of arousal thrummed through her body, and when she looked discreetly at Baralt, his cock still reared hard and ready between his legs. The fact that he was not trying to force himself on her despite his obvious arousal gave her courage. Taking a deep breath, she reached over and put her hand around him once more. He gave a low growl of pleasure, but he didn’t move. Encouraged, she slipped her hand up and down his thick shaft, too slippery to be attributed to the water alone.
“You are very slick.”
“That is because I am very aroused, my aria. Do human males not produce honla to ease their way into their mate?”
“Not really, no. Women are the ones who become wet.”
“I remember.” The heat in his eyes intensified. “Never have I experienced anything as delightful. Or delicious.”
Her cheeks were heating again, damn it. She wasn’t the type of woman who blushed easily, but Baralt seemed to have that effect on her. Looking away from him, she concentrated on watching her fingers trace up and down the massive column of his cock. Unlike a human penis, the head and shaft formed a single column except for a curious ring around the base.
“What is this?” She traced her finger around the ridge and heard him growl again.
“My kotra ring. It will swell when I ejaculate inside a female and lock us together.”
Oh my. That image should not be as appealing as it sounded. She traced the wide ring again, trying to imagine his already massive cock increasing in size. Would it be painful or pleasurable?
Stop that, she scolded herself. You are not going to find out.
“Do you like it when I touch you like this?” she asked.
“Very much.”
“You, um, asked me to show you what I liked. Will you show me what you like?” She couldn’t look at him as she spoke.
He didn’t respond in words. Instead, he lifted her effortlessly into his lap so that she was facing him, trapping his erection between their bodies. “I like this. I want you close to me so that I can see your excitement and feel your wet little cunt pressed against me.”
Putting a big hand on her ass, he pulled her closer so that her labia parted, and she could feel the hot, slippery hardness of his shaft against her sex. His other hand cupped her breast, pulling gently at the stiff peak. The sudden rush of sensation threatened to overwhelm her, but when she pushed against his chest, he immediately lifted his hands away. Her anxiety receded, and she allowed herself to relax into his touch as she took hold of his cock once more.
“I meant how did you want me to touch you,” she said, her voice shaking.
“You are touching me,” he pointed out, deliberately angling his hips so that the ridge at the base of his cock slid over her swollen clit.
God, that
