Chapter 4

Lillian K. Rockmore

"Pray tell, how did what went on between us have anything to do with affection?"

Rade stilled, his fingers still entwined in her golden curls. Confusion diffused into his demeanor as his eyes rose to meet hers.

"I cannot say, little one. I haven't thought of it that way before."

He watched as the confusion in her eyes mirrored his.

"Oh. No one has asked you of this before, Sir Rade?"

"Only Rade, Kistle. And no, no one has asked me that before." He paused. "It does make me think though..." he smiled wickedly. " ... of the wonderful things that we did just now." The last line was breathed huskily against her ear. Kistle shivered involuntarily.

"Kistle?" he murmured, his stealthy fingers dipping from her hair to the beguiling curve of her neck. He massaged the tiny knot of tension there, watching as her lips parted of their own will. "Kistle, are you sore?"

Instant heat flooded her cheeks and she averted her eyes, not wanting him to see the embarrassment in them. This was such a personal question; how could he ask her that?

"Answer me, little one," Rade said as he tilted her chin up toward him so that she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

"Yes," she said, then burrowed into the softness of the mattress.

"Very well, then. We'll have to take care of that." Rade closed his eyes and seconds later, Kistle felt the dull throb in her nether regions disappear. She frowned at him when he opened his eyes.

"What language were you murmuring in?"

"It's Hersan. The language of Royalty. It holds mystical powers no one can really understand. I was taught it when I was younger and trust me, it has been a useful tool for most of my life." He smiled, using his lips to nuzzle the side of her smooth cheek. By the Spirits, she smelled lovely.

"You are royalty, Si- uh- Rade?"

"Yes. The Marq King and I are cousins of sorts." The lips on her cheeks traveled lower to where her pulse fluttered erratically.

"Oh!" Kistle squeaked when he nipped at the indentation of her pulse. A delicious shiver wracked her body.

"Rade, is it wise to — oh — we only did this a few — oh!"

She whimpered as his devil tongue found the delicate golden nub of her nipple. He traced it lightly with his tongue and even then, it coiled and pebbled in his hand so quickly that she could not even draw breath. She clutched at his dark head, her fingers intertwining with the thick mat of black curls on his head. Her hips lifted off the bed as she arched into his mouth. He continued to suckle her pert breasts deep into the wet cavity of his mouth until she was lost, yet again, in the hot, erotic void that he had spun around her once before.

His thumb and forefinger rolled her other nipple, flicking against the blunt tip of it gently, plucking it to give her pleasure. A throaty moan seem to emanate from her very soul as she clung to him, feeling need drizzle through her. She couldn't think about anything but the pleasure that was roiling in her veins and the heat of him plastered against her. But if she had a chance to think, she would probably realize what a wanton she'd become from the staunch nun she'd been. For now, though, the woman in her took control of her body and she let Rade show her the new feelings that had awakened with that woman.

His tongue sampled its way from one breast to the other and when it laved over another hard nipple, Kistle's moans became desperate. Because with the way he was caressing her came a longing and with that longing, came an empty ache. It wasn't only an ache in her loins but an ache that spread through her body. And for the first time that night, she acknowledged how badly she wanted him.

Her fingers cupped his jaw as it worked on her breast. She felt him jerk at the soft touch, as though he hadn't been expecting it, then he rubbed his jaw against her fingers as a gesture of acceptance.

Rade could hear her heart beating swiftly under him. It pleased him to note that he could drive her to do something she would never have done given a choice, and make her like it; perhaps even crave it. He could feel the way she was moving her hips against him, as though she was longing for him to thrust into her. He smiled against her glistening breast before placing a chaste kiss on its side and moving lower on his adventure of delight.

Fiddling with a luscious fold of dark skin above her navel, he bit into it, feeling the sudden, quick rush of blood to the skin's surface. He laughed huskily at her surprised squeak of pain and pleasure and smoothed the pad of his thumb over the bite mark. A sudden rush of possessiveness overwhelmed him as he took in the sight of his teeth marks on her flesh. She is yours, a voice in his head interrupted his exploration. A part of him acknowledged that fact but the other part was too distracted by the musky smell of her that invaded his senses. He pressed his mouth to the top of her sex and just rested there for a moment, feeling the tickle of her golden hair against his lips. He jerked again when one of her hands touched his head as though to coax him into hurrying his duty. His eyes flickered up to hers and found that the vivid violet of her eyes had darkened to a deep purple. He was entranced.

"Please..." he heard her beg as his mouth remained still on her soft mound. She wriggled against him, trying to push herself off the bed so that his mouth would lie against her slit instead. Rade watched her, enjoying her efforts for a couple of heartbeats before moving over her, depriving her of his mouth on her pussy. Kistle moaned in dismay when his mouth left her, but groaned in delight as it plunged into the heated recesses of her mouth.

It was like being drugged, Kistle thought. Not that she'd ever been drugged before, but if she had to imagine what it felt like, it should be like this. Her bones felt like they were melting and there was a heady daze muddling her brain. His hands felt like they were everywhere on hers and his heated gaze never left her own wanton ones.

Rade stroked her over and over, from breasts to back — even the softness of her bottom wasn't spared. He learned every nook and cranny of her, every inch of skin, every fold on her flesh. It was exquisitely delightful to know that she had a sensitive patch of flesh at the junction where her thighs met her bottom, and that she was most responsive to gentle touches. It was also the sweetest of sensations to know that he was pushing her to the brink of sanity when her finger nails started to rake shallow furrows on his back.

When he couldn't stand the wait any longer, and when her moans had turned into keening screams, he slid into her, heat into heat, flesh into flesh. She folded herself around him, welcoming him.

A feeling of wholeness washed over Kistle as he entered her. His skin felt so good, and he was so gentle with his touches. Everywhere their bodies were joined, she felt a tiny, lighting stab of pleasure and his hardness was driving her wild.

Rade waited for her to move first. The gyration of her hips wasn't long in coming. As soon as he slid into her, she moaned and lifted herself off the bed, wrapping her legs around the back of his thighs. She was so exquisitely beautiful in her sex that he couldn't resist looking at her as he started to move within her.

His strokes were unhurried, even leisurely, unlike his prior loving; Kistle wanted to kill him. She needed to feel him deep within her, like before. She wanted to see his eyes closed as he thrust himself into her, pleasure evident in all his features. She wanted him to hold her close and tell her that she had pleased him. She opened her mouth to tell him these things, but she found that she could not for his lips had descended upon hers in a blur.

As soon as his lips met hers, he could not stop the animal that took over him. She was so wet, hot and welcoming inside that he couldn't hold back any longer. He had meant to love her softly, slowly, but it looked like she wouldn't let him. Her legs on the back of his thighs were digging into the muscle painfully, demanding that he take her faster.

His hands ran down the length of her legs and secured them around his waist, enabling him to seat himself deeper within her. He moaned in ecstasy as he started pushing into her wet heat eagerly, and with abandon. It was a wild, uninhibited loving and he could've sworn that he hit her womb with each thrust from the way she shook and shivered under him, her eyes closed, her lips parted.

"Come with me, little one," he heard himself say as though from a distance as the waves of pleasure started to engulf him. He thrust into her once more as he felt his seed start, then he was lost.

Kistle heard herself cry out as a sticky, hot substance singed her womb. It was an exquisite bliss to feel herself taking flight after the tension that had rocked her body. The release shimmied through her like water flowing in a stream. It seemed like the delight went on forever and ever and she didn't really want it to end.

When she floated back to earth, she found herself buried under a mass of man. He was heavy, but not too heavy, and she rather liked his weight over her. She touched a hand to his black curls and waited for him to look up at her. When he did, she kissed him.

Rade let her dabble at her new-found sensuality. He briefly forgot the infertility spell that he'd been about to cast, letting himself drown in her gentleness.

It was a temperate kiss, a mere experimentation, and she smiled with impish joy when he reached for her to take the kiss deeper.

"What're you smiling at, imp?"

"Nothing," she said, although the smile never left her lips.

It was that point in time that the sun chose to rise and extend its rays onto the centre of their love nest. Rade looked at the shameless temptress on his bed and knew that with a sinking heart that he would be too busy for the rest of the day to take her again. He would have to wait until sunset.

He slapped her lightly on her bottom.

"Better get dressed, wench."

"Dressed? I don't have anything to wear, Rade," she said.

"There are garments in the closet, next to mine. You may wear them for the time being. I'll arrange for someone to see to your clothing needs, soon," he said, gesturing to a huge cupboard in the opposite corner of the room.

"Oh. Thank you." Kistle was already mentally picturing froths of lace and wool made to fit her body. She'd never worn anything other than her habit in all her twenty years and the prospect of dresses was really quite thrilling. What would she look like? She'd always imagined she'd look like a princess in a pink gown, but that was when she was younger. A purple one, perhaps, to match her eyes, with white lace around the bodice. Oh! It was all so exciting!

Rade angled his head at her, watching as a look of delight washed over her features. He didn't know what he'd said to give her that delight, but he was glad he'd said it. He reached out and ruffled her hair, repeating his order for her to get dressed.

"Oh. Now?" Kistle said, clasping the sheet to her breasts in modesty. She couldn't imagine traipsing across the room in nothing but skin, bare to his gaze.

"Of course. Now out with you, little one." When she didn't move, he flipped the sheet out from under her so that she rolled over the side of the bed and hit the floor with a loud thump.

"Ow! You pushed me!"

"Yes," he drawled, looking down at her from the corner of the bed. "I bit you, too, just now. You didn't complain then."

A drizzle of redness tinged her already heated cheeks.

"You- oh!" she fumed, forgetting her shyness. She marched across to the large, wooden cupboard and wrenched it open.

Good Goddess!

She stared at the contents of the cupboard in shock. Every article of clothing in it was either black, white or gold! It took Kistle a moment to realize that they were the Marq colours.

"What's wrong?" came a voice from behind her.

She turned to find Rade behind her and gasped before she could help it. It was the first time that she'd ever seen a naked man and Goddess, was he beautiful. The chiseled ridges on his stomach were gorgeous and his flanks were so well-muscled.

Between his thighs! Goodness. It was so big! No wonder he hadn't let her see it last night! It would've scared her half to death if he had.