Tamed by the Prince (Elven Lover) (6 page)

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked at last without turning round.

Her heart leapt. Butterflies spread through her belly and her hand was holding the door handle so tightly that it hurt.

“I … I heard music and …” she said hesitantly without answering his question.

“Perhaps it’s best if you go now,” he said huskily. “I’m no longer good company for you.”

“Why not?” she asked quietly and took a few steps into the room.

“Go!” he growled. “You need time? I’m not in a position now to give you any if you come closer.”

Cherry stood still and stared at his back. He had assumed a stiff, cold stance and his fists were clenched.

“I … I don’t understand …”

He swung around and stared at her. The dark glow burning in his eyes made her step back. He smiled cynically.

“Yes! Step away from me. It’s better this way. I want you! Do you understand? I want you so much that part of me doesn’t care whether you want me or not! I’m burning! Do you understand?” Anger and pain resonated in his voice and his evident emotional upset frightened her.

“I … but …”

He closed his eyes – his body was extremely tense.

“Go Cherry. I want you. But not like this! I am too dangerous for you in this state. You’re not ready for this. Leave me alone here today. Tomorrow I’ll be fine. Go now!”

Cherry woke from her trance and turned. As if the devil himself were chasing her, she ran from the room, down the corridor and down the stairs.

Merlon uttered a cry and clenched his fists as hard as he could. His whole body was shaking. He had to get over this stage. Neither Aerios nor he had realised that this situation would arise. It would not have been a problem if he were now in his homeland where he would have been provided with a willing elf to help him deal with this stage in the healing process. Then his sexual energy would not have built up so painfully and he would now be calm and not so full of aggression. Only the thought of how badly he could hurt Cherry in this state stopped him from losing control. But a moment longer with her and he could have guaranteed nothing.

C
herry had spent
a restless night in her office. She had thought about Merlon’s strange conduct for a long time. It was obvious that he wanted her. But the intensity of his desire had shocked her. His eyes had been dark with longing. Such a dark blue, like the night sky. She could see him clearly before her. The way he had clenched his fists and tensed up his body like a beast of prey right before it leaps. The most worrying thing was not his strong yearning but rather her own. For a moment she had wanted him to let nature take its course and simply take her, giving her no chance to back out. But he had held back and sent her away. Why? Why had he not given in to his desire?

She heard footsteps in the hall.

“Cherry?” sounded Merlon’s deep voice.

“Here,” she answered and her heart began to beat more quickly. “I’m here, in the office.”

The door opened and his huge body filled the door frame. Their eyes met and the butterflies in her belly awoke with renewed life. She held her breath. No man had ever before aroused such feelings in her. The only emotions that she had known up to now were fear and panic. And at best resignation when she gave in to her fate. But never before had she yearned for a man’s touch.

Merlon went into the room and closed the door without taking his eyes off her. She could do nothing but stare at him. He was so damned attractive. His hair was a little dishevelled and there were shadows under his eyes, as if he, too, had not slept well. Perhaps his yearning had kept him awake. This thought brought back her memories of the previous evening and she wondered whether he had now cooled off. He did not seem to be as tense as the day before, even though his eyes were, again, dark with desire. She did not dare move. She could only stare at him as he slowly approached her and finally knelt down in front of the chair and took her hands in his.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I frightened you. I didn’t want to do that. I never wanted you to be afraid of me. I’m not a monster, please believe me, I …”

“I… It’s OK, I was more afraid of … myself – of my feelings. – I … I wanted you, too.”

“It was not a good time,” he said, kissing her fingertips. “I was not able … I couldn’t …,” he sighed. “I could not have been gentle with you. I would have hurt you.”

“Why?” she asked. “What was wrong with you? I don’t understand what …”

“It’s to do with my healing. I was badly wounded and I received a lot of energy from Volcan and Aerios for days. This energy means that I am healed, but it also causes something else. It means that at a certain point in the healing process I have a very high sex drive. It’s so strong, so aggressive, that I would have fallen upon you like an animal if you hadn’t gone away. If I had been in my kingdom then an elf would have been brought to me who …”

“Who would have relieved your desire?” Cherry helped when Merlon stopped speaking.

He nodded.

The thought that Merlon could find relief in the arms of another woman caused an unaccustomed feeling of jealousy in her – even though what he was describing did not sound like a romantic act of love.

“Would you have hurt her, too? The way you would have hurt me?”

“Elves are much more robust than you humans. It wouldn’t have bothered her.”

“But now you’re …?”

“It’s safe now. I’ve got myself under control again.”

Merlon turned her hands over in his and bent down to caress the palm of her hand with his tongue. This erotic touch caused a pleasant shudder to run through her, and heat flooded into her sex. She held her breath.

“Cherry,” he murmured, raising his eyes from her hands to direct his look of yearning into hers. “Cherry.”

Panic rose within her as she realised that he was about to kiss her. She wanted to push him away from her and put her hand on his chest. But as his mouth gently touched her lips she forgot any thought of resistance. She trembled and her fingers grasped his shirt to steady herself. Her heart was pounding.

Sighing, she opened her lips and his tongue accepted the invitation to enter her mouth. Strong arms embraced her and pressed her closer to his muscular body. She heard a groan and only realised at the second groan that the sounds were coming from her. Overcome by sensations that she had never felt before, she first responded to his tongue-play cautiously, then she was swept along by his passion and she responded with a desire that threatened to tear her apart. It was only when she felt cool air on her breasts that she realised that he had pushed her jumper up and opened her bra.

His large hands enveloped her breasts and fondled them gently. As his thumbs stroked the aroused tips she groaned longingly and pushed herself against him. Fear and desire fought within her. She had never before longed to willingly give herself up to a man, but Merlon’s caresses and kisses caused a reaction in her that she could not explain.

“You have no idea how much I want you,” Merlon murmured huskily into her ear.

His hot breath made her shudder and she put her head back so that he could get to her neck. He kissed and nibbled her neck, covering her throat in tiny kisses right up and over her chin to her half-open mouth. 

“Merlon,” whispered Cherry, her lips trembling beneath his feather-light kiss.

Hearing his name coming from her lips was like balsam for his soul. He wanted her to desire him as much as he desired her. She should not be afraid of him. He would give her ecstasy – teach her how fulfilling the union between a man and a woman can be.

“Cherry. Let me make love to you, Cherry.”

He teased her with tiny kisses. He awaited her agreement.

“Yes,” she breathed.

He needed no further confirmation. He got rid of his clothing and began to slowly undress her. He kissed every centimetre of her soft skin as he unveiled it, her quiet utterances of passion firing up his own desire all the more.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured reverently as he let the last piece of material slip to the floor so that he could admire her beauty in its entirety.

Her whole body was rounded in the most feminine way, but her flesh was firm and immaculate. He had never been enthusiastic about the over-slim elf women. He could not wait to touch Cherry’s silky skin, to taste her tender flesh and to drink of her nectar. He wanted to be intoxicated by her and satiate all his senses.

Merlon slowly drew in air. The scent of her femininity sent his senses wild like a drug and he closed his eyes, groaning. His desire was so strong that he had to summon all his strength to rein himself in. He had to force himself to take it slowly. For her sake he had to proceed carefully. He wanted her to learn to trust him and encouraged her with gentle pressure to open further.

Cherry felt herself blushing as she realised that she was completely naked and was fully on view to him. He had said that he found her beautiful, but didn’t men often say such things to get between a woman’s legs? Justin had often told her that she was too fat and that was why he often used other women. Not that she was concerned about the fact that he did not bother her very often, but now, for the first time in her life, she wanted a man to really find her beautiful and desirable. As his hands stroked her inner thighs a shudder went through her body and any thought of shame was forgotten. Holding her breath, she waited for him to touch her where her yearning was burning the most. She looked down at him, her eyes half-open. He looked at her with such desire that the tips of her nipples pinched together painfully and yet more hot liquid flowed between her legs. She saw his nose quiver slightly and he closed his eyes, groaning. Could he smell it? She blushed again. She was embarrassed. She wanted to back away from him but his hands held her there.

“Trust me, Cherry,” he begged her huskily. “I will never hurt you. I only want to make love to you.”

“I … It’s not …” she began and closed her eyes in embarrassment before she had the courage to carry on speaking. “It’s not that I’m afraid of you. It’s just … I’m embarrassed.”

“There’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about, Cherry. You’re beautiful and your scent is driving me crazy.”

Cherry so wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust him, but she could not bring herself to open her eyes and look at him. The embarrassment was too great. So she kept her eyes tightly shut as he began to carefully touch her. At first she tensed as he gently caressed her, then her body began to take on a mind of its own and she raised herself slightly to meet his searching fingers. Quiet utterances of passion slipped through her half-open lips. As she realised that it was no longer his fingers that were caressing her, but his tongue, she wanted to pull away from him again, but she was overpowered by sensations more exquisite than she had ever before experienced and she melted like wax under his hot onslaught. Her whole body shook uncontrollably as if in a fever as the orgasm flooded over her like a mighty wave driving her to dizzy heights. She heard herself cry out loud and she heard his quiet, loving words, in a language unknown to her. Then he was over her and she could feel his pounding desire upon her femininity. Her hands reached out for his chest and slid over the smooth skin upon his hard muscles. It felt so good.

“Look at me,” he begged her huskily, and she did so.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze. His eyes were dark with desire, his expression full of concentration as he slowly slipped inside her. She did not take her eyes off his dark gaze as she felt him filling her more and more. Then he pulled back slowly and came back to her again, deeper this time. With each thrust he slid a little deeper inside her, giving her time to get used to him. All fear disappeared and she responded by urging him on. Tears filled her eyes as the sensations became so overwhelming, more intense than she would ever have imagined possible.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked, and, full of concern, he stopped moving.

“No,” she whispered, sobbing, and she pulled him closer to her. “Don’t stop. Please make love to me!”

He kissed her and began to move again. As the sensations drove her higher he moved his hand between their bodies and massaged her most sensitive point, taking her over the edge of the cliff until their cries of ecstasy resounded together through the room. For a long time afterwards he held her in his arms. For the first time ever she felt completely relaxed in the presence of a man. In the pleasant warmth of his embrace she at last fell asleep.

The next two days were the most beautiful of Cherry’s life. Merlon made love to her in every conceivable way and for a while she forgot about everything. The only thing that mattered was this wonderful man: his athletic body; his husky, seductive voice; his masculine, bewitching scent and his arousing love-play. She felt beautiful, desired and even a little risqué. But then she became aware of how deep her feelings for him had become in that short time. Merlon desired her, she was in no doubt about that, but he never spoke of love. He never spoke about whether there was a future for them together and she was afraid that he would simply have enough of her at some point and would leave her with a broken heart. She did not have the courage to ask him about this. She could not bear facing him if he told her that it was just fantastic sex that was keeping them together.

Sighing, Cherry reached for a pen and a piece of paper. She had made a decision. With tears in her eyes she began to write.

Dear Merlon,

I’ve decided to leave New York. Please don’t try to follow me. I want to build a new life for myself. Alone! The last few days with you have been wonderful but it couldn’t last. I’m sure you know that as well as I.

Please have pleasant memories of me.

Thank you for the beautiful time.

Cherry

Her heart pounding, Cherry came from behind the desk and walked across the room to the other end where Merlon was sleeping on the pull-out couch. She looked at him full of sorrow. He looked so relaxed in his sleep. A slight smile turned up the corner of his mouth and she resisted the impulse to kiss his sensual lips for the last time. She hoped that she would forget him at some point, but that definitely would not be soon. It was pointless blocking out the truth. She loved him. But she was simply an awful coward. It was better to leave him now than to risk him replacing her with another woman at some time. She would not survive that. And, anyway, he was an elf. At some point he would definitely want to return to his own world. And he would live for much longer than she would. He had told her that elves can reach about a thousand years old. Whilst she, at his side, would become older and less attractive, he would remain young. At some time he would not be able to help himself losing interest in her. She would not even be able to reproach him for it. No! It was better for her to go now when she had just begun to love him. She would not risk her love growing only for it then to be broken one day.

With trembling fingers she put the note next to him and turned away quickly before she changed her mind. With weak knees and a lump in her throat she left the room. And him. As she stepped out of the house into the open air part of her died and she knew this part would never live again.