Braden (17 page)

Hell.

Elisa wiped her eyes. “What happened?”

Braden shrugged again. “Nothing happened. It’s just over,
baby.”

“I heard about the new regulations this morning. Is that
what’s wrong? You don’t want to get into trouble over seeing me? And what
we…do?”

“Partly,” Braden said. “But you don’t want to get caught up
in Shareem problems, sweetie. Trust me.”

Her gaze turned sharp. “There’s more to this than what
you’re saying, isn’t there?”

“Nope, that’s it. I figured we’ve pretty much done everything
you wanted to do, so why keep it up? You don’t need to be embarrassed by
overzealous patrollers. And they love being zealous.”

Elisa watched him a moment longer then calmly drew off her
sun-blocking robes. “Braden, please do not bullshit me.”

Braden hid his uneasiness. “Oh, so you’ve learned bad words
hanging out with your Shareem?”

“I learned that Shareem cover up emotions by pretending they
don’t have any. Tell me what is the matter.”

Fuck, this isn’t working.

Braden rubbed his face and lost his nonchalant pose.
“Sweetheart, things are bad. There’s all kinds of shit going on. I can’t tell
you most of it, but I want you out of it. I want you back up in your library
all safe, not doing anything more dangerous than looking up declensions of
weird words from Ariel.”

“Safe in my library while what happens to you?”

“I don’t know.”

Braden couldn’t stay away. He went to her, took her hand,
pressed a long kiss to her palm.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, love,” he said.
“I don’t know if anything’s going to happen at all. But the thought of you
being hurt by any of it, Elisa, is killing me.”

Elisa hated the emotions running through her—anger, worry,
pain and knowledge that she didn’t want to leave Braden for any reason. The
emotions tangled and beat at her, hurting her…scaring her.

“Maybe I can help,” she said.

Braden pressed another kiss to her palm, his lips so warm,
so smooth. “No, I want you out of it. Please, sweetheart. Go back up on your
hill and stay there.”

“Braden, you don’t understand the full extent of what the
vows of celibacy mean. It’s more than declaring you won’t have sex or conceive
a child. It bestows amazing privileges on us. Even me taking a leave of absence
to be with you won’t change that. My order considers what I’m doing a part of
testing and training for my calling. It means that I can get away with a
lot
,
because a vowed celibate is the most trusted of women. By implication, whatever
I choose is right. So tell me what I can do to help you.”

During this speech Braden simply watched Elisa with his
Shareem blue eyes. He was so strong, so tall, his hands holding heat that
warmed her. Her body felt fragile against his, and yet, she suddenly understood
he was more vulnerable than she ever would be.

“No, Elisa. Go away and be well.”

The stubborn glint in his eyes wasn’t going to fade. Elisa
tightened her grip.

“Not yet,” she said softly. “We haven’t finished yet.”

“Sweetheart—”

“Not yet, Braden. There are still things I want to do.
Things you wanted to teach me.”

She felt the bump in his pulse, his skin start to heat.
Elisa slanted him a smile, rubbed her thumbs over the backs of his hands. “I
wore the plug to work,” she whispered.

The blue in Braden’s eyes began to spread. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. It felt good. It made me think of you.”

“You are so asking for trouble, sweetheart.”

“I know.”

“Hell.” Braden slid one arm around her, pulled her against
him. She felt his heart hammering in his chest, his body temperature rising.
“Don’t do this to me.”

She kissed his chin, his whiskers like sandpaper. “Why not?”

His grip tightened. “I’ll show you why not.” He kissed her,
mouth opening hers, teeth scraping her lips. Hot, wet, wicked.

He ended the kiss too soon and pulled her not to the bedroom
but his bathroom. The chamber was just large enough to contain a dispose hole,
a sink and a standup shower. The shower took up one entire wall and drained
right into the tiled floor.

The lights came on when they entered the bathroom, but
Braden left the door open.

“Strip,” he said.

Elisa glanced nervously out the open door and Braden stepped
in front of it. “Yes, Justin might come back. Or not. What if he sees you?”

“I’ll be embarrassed.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be turned-on.” Braden’s blue irises
spread. “You’ll like him watching me pleasure you, him listening to you moan as
you come.”

No.
Elisa was prepared to let Braden do what he
wanted—he always made her feel good—but to have another man
watch
? That
was crazy.

And yet, imagining the tall man she’d just passed returning,
leaning on the doorframe as Braden was, regarding her with quiet blue eyes
while Braden pleasured her, made her juices flow.

“That’s right,” Braden said. His tongue flicked, as though
he tasted the air. “You’d like it. Strip for me now, Elisa. I’m getting
impatient.”

Elisa quickly tugged off tunic, boots and leggings. Her
undertunic followed. Braden gathered up the clothes, tossed them onto the couch
in the living room and returned.

“You’re beautiful, Elisa. Show me your breasts. Play with
them for me.”

Elisa cupped her breasts in her hands, fingers rolling the
nipples. The tingling sensation made her draw a sharp breath.

“Nice.” Braden stepped past her to the shower. Still
clothed, he keyed on the water then rotated a knob that sent the water out
through a handheld nozzle. “Come here.”

Elisa closed the small distance to him. Braden gave her
another hot, passionate kiss then gently guided her under the water. Warm
liquid spilled over her, making her shiver in delight.

“I want to wash you, so you’ll be clean for what I want to
do,” Braden said. “I don’t want you ever to worry.”

Elisa wasn’t worried. “What do you want to do?”

“Face the wall.”

Elisa put her hands on the tile and leaned into the cool
wall. Braden sprayed the water over her back, so warm.

“Spread your legs,” he said.

Elisa moved her feet apart. She heard Braden getting rid of
his clothes and then the water was back. He stood behind her, his body heat
almost as warm as the water.

He moved the nozzle down her spine, letting water spill over
her buttocks. Then he ran the water up over her smoothly shaved pussy, parting
her opening with his fingers to let the water run right into her vagina.

“The water is clean,” he said. “It won’t hurt you.”

Elisa shook her head. Water from her hair sprayed over her
chest and ran from her breasts. The stream softly entering her pussy felt good,
though not as frenzied good as when Braden touched her. But it did feel good.
She moved her hips, enjoying it.

Braden took the water away, to her disappointment, but
splashed it over her thighs and buttocks.

He rested his hand on her butt cheeks then spread them, one
finger touching her anus. Elisa squeezed in reaction.

“Relax, sweetheart,” Braden said. “This will feel good. I
promise.”

His fingers smoothing across her star made Elisa unclench
her muscles. She leaned a little forward, so that her butt moved from the wall.
She wished he’d rinse her with the water again. It felt nice, so soothing.

Braden moved the nozzle between her buttocks and, to her
surprise, she felt the tip touch her anus. She sucked in a breath. “No.”

“Yes, love. It won’t hurt.”

Her gasp of protest cut off when warm water flooded her. She
turned her head, gripped by wild sensation.

Braden didn’t thrust the nozzle inside her, but the water
warmed and opened her. It was beautiful. She felt cleansed and happy, invaded
yet comforted. The water ran down her legs, the warm sensation heady. She felt
wicked and naughty, bold and bad.

More beautiful was the feel of the soft plug that went in
her ass once she was clean, the water gone, this plug slightly larger than the
last.

Elisa squeezed it. She’d never have thought she’d like
anything
there
, but it gave her a splendid and excited feeling. This was
taboo, forbidden, so exciting.

“I like that you’re getting used to this,” Braden murmured
to her. “I want you to feel good, never hurt. Trust me, love?”

Elisa nodded. She was learning that when it came to sexual
play, Braden could be trusted without doubt. He knew how to take her as far as
she could go and then ease back and let her rest.

And then Braden would take her to the next step.

Today would be the next step. Braden stepped behind her, as
naked as she was, his big body warming her back.

He lifted her hair and pinned it out of the way then kissed
the back of her neck. He touched kisses down her neck and spine, breath heating
her, lips sliding on her slick skin. Down each vertebra to the small of her
back. She felt his tongue on her buttocks, licking and tasting, tongue sweeping
around the plug.

What would it be like to have his tongue inside her? Wet and
hot, plunging in and out of her? She imagined it—transposing the feel of the
plug to what Braden’s tongue would be like. Deep, penetrating, but warm, human
and
him
.

Elisa groaned. Braden’s hand stole to her mons at exactly
the right moment, rubbing and stroking while he kissed her back. Black waves of
passion lifted her, weakening her knees, and she started to collapse.

Braden held her, his strong arms keeping her from falling
while he stroked and rubbed, kissed and nipped. His cock was firm against her
backside, the tip of it moving on the butt plug.

“
Please, Braden.
”

Braden nipped her ear. “I love it when you beg.”

“Please.”

“You got it, babe.”

Before she fully wound down from the wonderful climax,
Braden lifted and carried her, soaking wet, out and into his bedroom and laid
her facedown on the bed.

She was so damn beautiful, skin slick and wet, eyes warm
with desire. Braden rubbed her dry with big towels and then quickly toweled off
his own body while Elisa watched.

He carefully eased out the plug. Elisa whimpered when she
felt it go, which made Braden’s pounding hard-on pound harder.

He smoothed her with lube, working a finger inside. He was
big, and the last thing he wanted was to give her pain.

Braden slid a pillow under her, lifting her at just the
right angle, and Elisa smiled at him. She knew what was coming and she wasn’t
afraid.

Gently, Braden parted her cheeks and touched his tip to her
well-lubed opening. He rubbed more lube on his cock, making everything nice and
slippery.

Elisa felt him slide a half an inch in before she
instinctively clenched, but Braden soothed her with hands and voice.

“Hush now. You’re all right. I won’t let anything bad happen
to you.”

His voice, as always, mesmerized her and made her believe
him.

Another push, more of him. This was different from the plug,
which was small and just
there
. This was Braden, hot, big, her Shareem.

Yes
, she thought, and her body opened to him.

“That’s it.” Braden put a reassuring hand on her back.
“That’s my girl.”

She opened more, and Braden slid farther inside.

He stopped. Through her very tight walls, she could feel his
pulse—one, two, three, four. Rapid, exciting.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

Her breasts were tight, nipples hard little points that
brushed the sheets. Wonderful. Her clit rubbed the pillow, the swollen nub
pleasured by the friction. And then Braden’s heat all over her, his very hard
cock pushing into her back opening.

She was surrounded by him, penetrated by him. Elisa couldn’t
move, but her whole body beat with pleasure. This was what Shareem did, what
they were made for. Her heart soared. This was
Braden
, buried inside
her. Gods, it was glorious.

Braden moved. Unbelievably, he went in farther, his cock so
big and wide. She couldn’t take it, she couldn’t. Elisa shook her head against
the bed, bracing herself. She couldn’t.

And then she did. Braden was all the way in her, his groan
loud, his cock hard. But it was slippery, and Elisa was loose and open, and he
simply lay there, filling her.

“You’re all right,” Braden said, stroking her hair. “I’ll
take care of you.”

“I know. I love you.”

Braden stilled. Elisa knew she shouldn’t have said it, but
she had no control over her mouth right now. It said what she felt, and that
was that.

“Elisa.”

Elisa pinched her lips together. She wasn’t taking it back.
She loved him, she loved him inside her, and Braden would have to live with it.

“You get me so excited,” Braden whispered. “With your body
and your groaning and what you say to me. So, so exited, I never know what I’ll
do.”

A thrill shot through Elisa. She looked back over her
shoulder at him, wanting to see him.

He was on his knees behind her, his body so large, his skin
beaded with sweat and remains of water from the shower. His pulled-back hair
was damp and dark, his eyes hot and blue in his square, hard face.

He was smiling, his smile positively sinful. He was around
her and holding her and inside her. Touching, penetrating.

Braden kissed her back, mouth hot. Elisa lowered her head
again. Her come wet the pillow, her pussy so happy against the mounded cushion.

Braden nipped her skin, then he pumped. Slowly, in short
slides, he started riding her. Nothing too hard or deep, just enough to make
her crazy.

Without realizing she did it, Elisa slid her hand underneath
her and clamped it to her pussy. She cupped herself, moving against her own
hand, needing to feel that. She craved release but didn’t want it. Not yet.