Born of Defiance (20 page)

Talyn bit back a curse and steeled himself not to show his revulsion at the thought. Part of the tahrs's court included Colonel Asswipe. If an enemy ever came after Anatole while Talyn was on duty, he'd have a hard time protecting the douche.

But he didn't want to dampen his mother's happiness, so he held it in and hoped an assassin made a move on the bastard. Soon.

“Will you two be seeing each other?” Felicia asked hopefully.

Galene stepped away from the bed. “Not too much. My duties are with Tizirah Cairistiona. She's mostly … bedridden. She doesn't really leave her quarters in the palace. Tahrs Jullien, on the other hand, travels quite a bit. So I'm sad to say that we probably won't see Talyn much, as he'll be required to travel with Tahrs Jullien and his entourage.”

That was another big concern for him. “What about my fight and training schedule?”

“There are special accommodations for that. It's all in there for you to look over. I think you'll be more than pleased.”

Happiness returned as he pulled his mother against him for another tight hug. “You are
the
best, Matar! I don't know how you did this, but I am forever in your debt.”

Felicia's eyes teared at his exuberant gratitude.

Patting his head, his mother bit her lip as she met Felicia's gaze over his shoulder. The guilt there was so sweet, but there was nothing to feel guilty over. This was for the best.

Don't
, Felicia mouthed to her. “Your mum is wonderful, Talyn. We're both in her debt.” She scooted across the bed to pick up his folder. “Can I read it?”

“Sure.”

Felicia smiled as she saw what her brother had done for them. She felt awful about every nasty thought she'd ever had regarding Lorens. “I'm so jealous! Your new barracks are at the palace. Near their guardhouse. Are those as nice as they sound?”

Galene snorted. “They're not
this
.” She gestured at their bedroom. “But they're not as miserable as gen-barr, which is what he had. He'll finally have a private room and his own bathroom.”

“Really?” Talyn gasped with wide eyes.

She nodded. “It's very small. Just a bed, chest of drawers, monitor, and tiny shower stall. Really a closet, but you don't have to share it.”

The look of sincere joy made Felicia sick. What she'd learned was that Talyn had been relegated to using public washrooms at his old duty station. And he'd been allowed to use their showers only during certain hours, and never when there was a Vested soldier in them.

“It sounds great,” he said with a grin.

Not to her. It sounded miserable. But she didn't want to dampen his happiness, so she returned his smile.

Galene headed for the door. “I'm meeting with my CO tonight for a status report so I'll leave you two alone for a bit.”

“Be careful.” Felicia ate a piece of fruit from the tray.

“Hey, Mum!”

She paused in the doorway. “Yes?”

“Love you.”

Smiling, she blew him a kiss. “You too, baby.”

As soon as she was gone, Talyn picked the folder up and flipped through it. “This is the best present in the universe. I've got to do something really nice for my mom. But there's no gift that's equivalent to it.”

“I think the look on your face was gift enough.”

He grimaced. “I don't.”

“Trust me. I do.” She kissed him. “Did you get enough to eat?”

“Mmm.” He nibbled her chin. “It didn't quite fill me.”

She shivered as his fangs gently scraped her skin. “Are you up to this?”

He let out an evil laugh as he brushed her hand against his hard erection. “Oh, I'm definitely
up
for it.”

Sucking her breath in sharply, she pulled back. “Hold that thought. Let me get the tray out of here first. I don't want to roll around in your food.”

Talyn pouted as he watched her leave. She was right, but he didn't want to stop. Not when he was so happy and ready. Since the moment he'd first seen her photo, all he'd dreamed of was making love to her.

Now …

Trying to distract himself in the short interim, he pulled the file toward him and flipped through his orders while he waited for her to return.

He still couldn't believe his mom had pulled this off. Anatole would have a stroke and he might protest it. But there wasn't anything the bastard could do to stop it.

At least, he hoped not.

Then again, Anatole was the son of the tadara's niece. There was no telling what kind of reach he could pull.

Don't think about it
. He had other things that were on his mind tonight. A beautiful angel to hold on to for a while.

More than eager for Felicia, he slid his pajama bottoms off and dimmed the lights.

“Felicia?” he called, wondering what was taking her so long. Had she run for the exit?

“Just a second.”

Talyn was about to go after her when the door opened and his stomach hit the floor. Probably his tongue, too.

Dressed in a sheer red negligee, she walked toward him so seductively that he was pretty sure he was drooling.

With the most salacious smile he'd ever seen, she pulled the blankets off and straddled him. “Hi, gorgeous.”

His breathing ragged, he couldn't respond. All the blood had left his brain. Honestly, he was afraid to touch her. To move. If he did, he might ruin this by doing or saying something really stupid.

Tsking at him, she led his hand to the ribbon bow at her hip. “Whenever you're ready, my panties are tied on. Just pull.”

“It's like opening a present.”

She nodded with the sweetest smile he'd ever known.

His senses reeling, he rubbed himself against the scratchy lace. “Are you ready for this?”

She leaned forward, her long, curly hair brushing against his chest as she moved. “I've been ready since the first time I met you.”

He hoped she couldn't see how unsteady his hands were as he pulled the ribbon between her breasts and uncovered her. Aching for a taste of her body, he slowly ran his hands over her breasts, reveling in the softness of them. He brushed his thumbs over the nipples, amazed at the way they hardened instantly. While he'd seen photos and films of naked females, he'd never seen one in the flesh.

Her body was amazing to him. So incredibly supple and beautiful.

Felicia bit her lip at the tender expression on his face as he gently and very slowly explored her. It was so obvious that he'd never been with a naked female before. He took his time and savored every inch of her flesh, inspecting it with great care and curiosity, which made her burn all the more.

He was such a large, fierce beast and yet so incredibly gentle. She had a hard time reconciling this side of his personality with the Iron Hammer who fought so ferociously in the Ring. There, he was terrifying.

Here, he was all hers and gentle. Something that was all the more precious because it didn't come naturally to him. He had to make an effort to be kind and sweet.

With an adorable half smile, he untied her panties and slid his hand over her hip and through the small curls until he touched her where she ached most for him. She hissed as he lightly teased her with his thumb.

Talyn swallowed hard as he stared into her eyes. The wetness of her body amazed him. The velvety skin, even more so. He'd had no idea how incredible a female's flesh would feel. How very different her body was from his. Unlike him, she was so soft and supple. Smooth. Licking her lips, she held his gaze as she slowly rode his fingers.

His throat dry, he brushed the red lace from her, until she was fully exposed to his starving gaze. “You're so beautiful,” he breathed as he returned to stroking her taut nipple.

She covered his hand with hers and pressed it flat against her breast. “I'm so glad you saw my profile. I can't imagine doing this with anyone else.”

Before he could speak another word, she lifted herself up and slid onto his cock, taking him in all the way to the hilt. He growled at the unexpected ecstasy of being inside her.

Felicia couldn't breathe for a second as he filled her completely. He was huge and her body wasn't used to this. It took a full minute to catch her breath as her maidenhead tore to accommodate him. But once the pain receded, she was left with an incredible full sensation of holding him deep within, in the most intimate of embraces.

Worry lined his brow. “Are you all right?”

Smiling, she leaned down to kiss him. “All good.”

As she started to move against him the way she'd been trained, he locked his hands on her hips and held her in place.

She froze instantly. “Am I hurting you?”

Biting his lip until it bled, he shook his head. “I'm trying not to come just yet. Slap me.”

She gaped at his earnest request. Slap him? Was he insane? “I'm not going to slap you, Talyn.”

Talyn fought his body with everything he had, but he was quickly losing himself to the pleasure he felt. “Don't move. Don't even breathe.”

She didn't listen.

Before he could speak again, she reached out and pinched his nipple.

“Ow! Hey! That hurt!”

She pinched his other one.

Scowling at her, he rubbed the offended area.

“Better?” she asked impishly.

He laughed as he realized it'd worked. And it was better than her slapping him. Kind of. While he was still hard inside her, he wasn't quite on the verge anymore. “Thank you.”

With an adorable expression, she slowly rocked her hips against his. “No problem. But if you return that favor, I will get up and leave.”

Laughing, he ran his hands over her breasts as she rode him, slow and easy. “I would
never
do that to you.”

“Good.”

Felicia lifted his hand to her lips so that she could nibble his knuckle as she savored the feeling of him deep inside her. In all her dreams, she'd never imagined just how good he would feel there. Even with the pain of her virginity, she welcomed the sensation of his thick fullness. He was so gorgeous and sweet.

So adorably innocent and worldly.

The bruises and cuts on his body still made her want to hunt his commander down and skin the rotten beast. But the smile on his face as he watched her kept her focused on this one precious moment with him.

She shivered as he rose up to capture her lips. He sank his hand in her hair as he lifted his hips under her.

“Don't hurt yourself,” she breathed. “I'll do all the work.”

His gaze adoring, he dipped his head so that he could lave her breast. “You taste like heaven.”

She cradled his head to her breast as a wave of love for him tore through her. “I love—” She barely caught herself before she confessed her feelings to him. “How you feel.”

He sucked his breath in sharply an instant before he came. Groaning, he leaned back to look up at her. “Sorry.”

She leaned down over him to kiss his lips. “It's okay, sweetie. I'm amazed you made it as long as you did.”

“Yeah, but I'm not done with you.” He flipped with her.

“Talyn! Don't get hurt.”

Lifting himself up on his elbows, he grinned. “No worries.” Then slowly he began nibbling a blazing trail from her throat to her breasts.

“What are you doing?”

“I'm devouring you. It's what I've been dying to do to you since the first time I saw your picture. I'm going to taste every single inch of your body tonight … until you're begging me to stop.”

It was a promise he more than delivered on. And when he got to the part of her that ached for his touch, she thought she'd die on the spot.

Lifting her hips, she buried her hand in his braids as his tongue and fingers teased and delighted her.

He growled, using his chin and fangs to heighten her pleasure. Within minutes, he had her body humming with heat.

She threw her head back and cried out as unimaginable pleasure ripped her apart. “Oh my God! Talyn!”

Still he continued until he'd wrung every last bit of tremor from her. And still he stroked her with his fingers as he kissed his way over her stomach and back to her breasts.

Her entire body quivering, she kept waiting for him to stop, but he didn't. Not until she came over and over again.

The moment she cried out, he slid himself back inside her. She bit her lip at the sensation of him hard once more.

He held her close as he rocked himself against her hips. “I'm not hurting you, am I?”

“No. Not even a little.”

He kissed her cheek then pressed his cheek against hers as he quickened his strokes. “Say my name, Felicia.”

“Talyn.”

Lifting himself up to look down at her, he smiled. Then he kissed her and came again with a soft growl.

She felt his heart pounding as he slowly lowered himself over her. “Am I too heavy?”

“No. You feel wonderful.” Wrapping her legs around his waist, she ran her hands over his muscled back.

He let out a happy sigh. “I can't believe I finally got to do this. I was beginning to think I was going to die a virgin.”

She laughed at his angst-ridden tone. “It did seem like the very gods were against us.”

Rolling over, he pulled her to rest on top of him. “I never want to leave this bed again.”

She ran her fingernail over his nipple. “I'm game if you are. But you'll have to surrender your Ring title.”

“Done, even though Erix will kill me. Probably Ferrick, too.”

“You'd die happy.”

“That I would.” He pulled her hand to his lips so that he could place a kiss in her palm. “Thank you, Felicia.”

“For what?”

“For agreeing to be part of my life. The best part of it.”

Tears choked her at the sincerity she heard. “I don't know. You are such an onerous burden. Quite unmanageable.”