Flame Thrower (11 page)

Seeing her offer herself, Ryan groaned. His eyes continued to drink in her swollen lips, dotted with her own moisture and grinned. With his healing he’d just completed, all her injuries and soreness were eradicated, so Tillian lay before him utterly perfect with the exception of her innocence. That he couldn’t replace. Other than that, she was his, freely offered.

“Oh, Tillian,” he sighed again before he caressed down her thighs with both hands and underneath to cup her backside in his firm grip, lifting her slightly off the bed. This made her body open like a flower before him.

From this position, Ryan breathed in the scent of her arousal and it drove him insane with the need to taste her, to feel her and to love her. Trembling and with his last resolve, he knew it was now or never. Since she didn’t deny him, Ryan leaned down to sample what she offered him. He teased her lips apart and licked at her folds, hearing her response which had him trying different techniques. Her sounds drove him to figure out what she enjoyed.

Tillian experienced a sharp intake of breath the moment his soft tongue touched her inflamed body. That in combination with his beard tickling her sensitive flesh sent her jerking off the bed. If it weren’t for his hands gripping her backside, she’d have succeeded. That would have forced her to miss the glorious attention he gave. He held tight to her body and lavished her with divine strokes which had her racing towards the greatest bliss she’d ever experienced. This was nothing like what the others had done, and it didn’t even compare to the pleasure she felt then. This was better, so much better.

Ryan raged with intense desires he knew he could barely control. He knew what he did was wrong, but under no circumstances was he going to stop. He needed her as much as she needed him. Suddenly, his vow not to make love to her this night was very foolish and Ryan began thinking of ways he could take it back. All he wanted, no craved, was to feel his body sheathed in hers while he rode her over the edge.

He lost another battle between right and wrong when he took a deep breath. Her scent intoxicated him and smelled of honey and spice. He used the flat of his tongue to toy with her tenderly from the bottom of her opening to her clit. When he reached that swollen spot, he pressed down hard, only to lift and capture the nub in his teeth. He was a crazed man, one driven to the brink of insanity and there he dangled precariously.

She writhed on the bed, clawing and grasping at anything within reach. She let herself get lost in the sensation and floated in a heavy fog of bliss as he enticed her to let go. In the back of her mind she kept chanting,
I’m safe. This is good. I’m safe.

Ryan reveled in her moans and changed his tempo based on her reaction, once more taking mental notes. This was more about her than him, and he applied different techniques in order to get her to the greatest pleasure possible. She wanted to be set free, and he’d fulfill that desire.

He looked up briefly with glazed eyes and knew she was lost in whatever wave she rode. She’d thrown her head to the side and she mewed little sounds that had his own arousal twitching painfully, tempting him to give in. He released a tortured moan before continuing, but his pleasure would come later. For now, he showered Tillian with his affection and poured every ounce of his emotion into each caress.

“Ryan!” her throaty call bellowed. “Oh yes, Ryan,” she continued to moan the more he lavished her with his caress. He went faster, matching her climb towards her ultimate release. All the while he inhaled her perfection and took whatever pleasure he could get from tasting this divine creature.

She fell apart moments later, shaking uncontrollably. Tillian fell hard into the mind-shattering climax which had her panting hard when her body released its pent-up need. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but for the first time tonight, they were not tears of sorrow or remorse but instead, unhindered joy. For the first time in ages, Tillian felt complete; she felt happy.

Ryan shook with adrenaline while he watched her succumb to her own joy. He had never ever seen such beauty and hoped he was lucky enough to witness this view for the rest of this life. Tillian being freed definitely was a sight to behold and quite the little treasure. He knew he’d cherish this memory for the rest of his life.

He didn’t disturb her while she recovered and his only contact was tiny little kisses along her upper thigh while she slowly clawed her way back to awareness. When she did, his face was the first thing she searched for and she bathed him in the warmest smile that melted his heart.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly.

“You’re welcome,” he answered.
Oh, what had this women done to him?

He crawled back up the bed to snuggle her into his embrace, but his mind drifted to darker thoughts. Ryan fought a new dread that she could be taken from him and returned to Irfan. With a grunt, he realized his earlier thoughts were still true. He now embraced his love for Tillian, and his direction set–Princess Tillian of Folkyn wasn’t returning to her homelands. Ryan would make sure of that fact and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt love at first sight was indeed possible, because he was in love with Tillian. In the blink of an eye, she became his world, his everything and he would fight an entire realm and face off with the Mage Order in order to keep her.

* * * *

Tillian awoke to the sound of a fire crackling and the smell of bacon frying. It surprised her how hungry the wonderful smells emanating from the fire made her and couldn’t stop the loud rumble when her stomach responded. It was a wonderful way to wake up.

Stretching slowly, she lay on the bed remembering the most incredible night with Ryan and held tight the memory of his mouth taking her to a whole new plane of existence. She had a fleeting feeling of guilt but it quickly faded to utter joy because of the man who did that to her. She still wasn’t sure how he’d react once he learned the truth, but she decided in that moment to just enjoy this while he remained blissfully ignorant. As her thoughts traveled to Ryan, Tillian turned to search him out and found him watching her with a sensually curious expression on his face.

“Good morning,” he greeted. “You look much better today, how do you feel?” Ryan struggled with the distraction at finding her awake. He watched her stretch and that nightgown really was threadbare. It gave an incredible view of her thin body beneath its flimsy surface. He was tempted to join her on that bed, but the snapping of the bacon alerted him that he was neglecting his chore. His attention returned immediately back on the skillet before him otherwise he might destroy breakfast.

Tillian smirked equally at his reaction to her as much as what he was doing. Ryan, the large handsome ruler of Yorath squatted before two large skillets over the fire, cooking. Cooking! “Don’t you have servants for that?” she teased but pushed up onto her elbows, clearly amused by his action.

The corner of his mouth lifted briefly. “I like to pretend I’m ‘normal’ when I’m hunting. It’s my one time to escape my bonds.” He sheepishly looked at her. “Look who I’m talking to, you probably know exactly what I mean by that. Anyway, I like to do my own chores while out here, so yes I have servants but I don’t use them here.” His face creased when he smiled innocently. “Are you hungry?”

Tillian’s stomach answered with another loud rumble and they both laughed in unison. “I would say yes, but I think my stomach answered first. That smells wonderful.” She had an easy smile on her face today, knowing full well it was the man before her that made her feel so content.

“Excellent, because I made enough food for an army!” He matched her easy smile with one of his own before he handed her a plate piled with an obscene amount of food.

“You’re serious? I can’t eat all that.” Tillian dubiously eyed the plate, picking up a piece of bacon to take a bite anyway. “Mm, it’s delicious though.”

“While you eat, I wanted to lay out my thoughts for what we do next.” He saw the minute twitch in her cheek just before she started chewing again, but only nodded in reply. “How are you feeling today, overall?”

Tillian was curious about that question, because it was the second time he’d asked. It was then she realized that all her soreness and pain were gone. She put her fork down with a clatter and explored her lips and face with her fingers. She found no evidence of her abuse and sucked in a breath when she felt no swelling or wounds. Her frantic gaze flew to Ryan who watched her calmly while she came to realization she’d been healed.

“What have you done?” she asked, not in anger, more in amazement.

“Edda and I are both skilled at healing, but I did that once you were asleep last night. She started the process though. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being in pain for longer than absolutely necessary, so took the risk you’d be offended. I’m sorry if I erred, but Tillian, I couldn’t hold the thought of you in pain.”

Tillian sighed, her shoulders dropping in acceptance. She’d never given the idea of touching magic much thought before now. Given it happened and she felt amazing, she realized it wasn’t so bad after all. “I’m not offended. Surprised, but not offended. So, am I completely healed then?” She felt a grip of panic when she realized he would have seen the abuse done to her body and know the reason. To avoid seeing his revulsion, she began eating again. She dipped her eyes, taking small bites of the delicious food and watched Ryan’s emotions play out on his bearded face through her eye lashes. She tried to mask her own fear for he wasn’t very good at hiding his thoughts.

Like her, he sighed. “Yes, for the most part.” When she looked up, his eyes looked deeply into hers for a moment and then he nodded. “Even that drug has run its course and is gone. I can’t hide this very well, Tillian, but it angered me to find the damage I did when I healed you. It wasn’t severe, but it was enough.”

Tillian swallowed the lump in her throat at his confirmation that he’d seen but he still wasn’t rejecting her. “It was enough for you to be tempted to heal me without my blessing though,” she said with sincerity. “Thank you.”

Ryan was extremely relieved she wasn’t reacting violently, and smiled into her sweet face. “You’re welcome, Princess. So, back to my grand plans. Since you’re obviously healed, I have no reason to hold you hostage in Yorath on the pretense of healing.” He looked down for a moment. “I would dearly love to hold you hostage though. What can I do to convince you to remain in Yorath with me for a period of time?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe if you promise to cook for me like this every day, maybe, just maybe I could be convinced,” Tillian laughed a deep sound at the look that crossed Ryan’s face. “Only then.” She didn’t realize how much she wanted to stay until he offered it. Relief didn’t begin to describe the feeling she felt at his words, because he still wanted her company, even after seeing what had been done to her.

“Wicked. You ask a steep price, because I don’t cook at home. Honestly, I would send the kitchen staff into a panicked fit if I stepped foot in their domain. You make a dangerous request, dear.” Ryan’s eyes had not left her gorgeous face, though. He watched every smile, every flash of her eyes, and knew that he’d do just about anything to get her to agree without a fight. He could see she wasn’t backing down from this request and gave into her, knowing full well he’d not deny her anything. It made him smile. “Fine, but only for a month, then I will let the seasoned staff take over, deal?” Ryan held his breath while she feigned thinking about her answer. He knew damn well she didn’t want to go home any more than he wanted her to.

“Deal.” Tillian laughed a gentle sound, something that seemed to come easily around Ryan. “How long is the ride to your palace?” she asked with a toss of her head that was seductive.

“A half a day, nothing too strenuous.” Ryan watched mesmerized when Tillian cleared her plate, amused by her distraction. “Would you like more food?” He found it extremely satisfying to watch the woman he loved eat the food he prepared. He was going to enjoy this next month and looked forward to more moments like this.

When he mentioned the plate, she looked down in shock to find it empty. Groaning, she laid her utensils down in disgust that she’d eaten that amount. “Ah, no thank you.” She’d just eaten enough to feed three people and if pressed, she probably could have eaten more. This was the first time in months she’d been allowed more than a few bites and stale bread. The decadence of this meal and her ability to eat all of it astounded her.

“I have more, Tillian,” he indicated the half full skillets sitting near the flame. “I won’t mention it to my men that you ate their breakfast.”

Tillian grinned at his sexy smirk but shook her head. “No thank you. They can eat their own.” She chuckled again, holding his attention with her foreign eyes. “One month, Ryan. I want to experience that every day for one month. That’s a fair price to pay, is it not?”

His heart swelled at her confident demand before he stood. “All right, you already won, Tillian. I would be willing to do just about anything to get you stay with me, so cooking seems a cheap price to pay.”

Her stomach fluttered violently when he stared at her this way. When he added those words, she practically melted. What was wrong with her?

Tillian watched him move around the room collecting odds and ends from their stay and tucking them securely in bags and crates. “How long until we leave?” she asked, curious because it appeared he had been busy while she slept and the place was nearly packed. The cabin felt deserted in this state and even the mugs and extra plates were stored away. He even stripped the other beds of their sheets and blankets, also packing those away in a chest in the corner. The bed she sat on and the dishes from breakfast were the final acts that needed to be done to make it look as if no one had been here at all.