Wray (21 page)

“I’ve told you how Tornian males attract a
female
,
Kim.”

“By what they can give them.”

“Yes. There are fit and worthy males that
work their entire lives and never attract a female.”

“Like your brother
,
Grim.”

“Yes, like Grim. I never had to.” Wray had to
force himself not to look away from her as he admitted his
shame.

“What?" Kim's frown grew. "I don’t
understand. Never had to what?”

“
Try
to attract a female.” He told her
shortly. “I never had to concern myself with it. I never had to be
concerned that my line might end… because I was the Emperor. I
could be severely scarred like Grim and a female would
still
Join with
me
… because I am the Emperor.”

“You were treated differently.” Kim finally
understood. "Because of your position."

“Yes.” He admitted grudgingly, “Everyone has
always known who I was… what I was… you didn’t… and I wanted to
know…”

“What it would feel like to be treated just
like every other male.” She finished softly.

“Yes," Wray nodded, "so I took advantage of
your ignorance and lied. I’m sorry
,
Kim.”

Kim rose from the table and started to pace,
thinking about what Wray had told her. All her life she had felt
like she’d
lived
in her sister’s shadow.
Yes, her parents had loved her, but everything she had ever done
had been compared against Jen, never just accepted. Now Wray was
telling her he had felt the same way, only the shadow that
he
lived in was that of the Emperor, a position, not a
person.

Which was worse? To never live up to an ideal
person
or the
ideal
itself? Turning, she looked at
Wray. Could she really blame him for wanting, for just once, to be
treated like everyone else?

“So how did it feel
,
Wray?” she asked softly, sitting on the edge of the couch.

“Wonderful… Terrible…. Amazing… Frustrating…”
He ground out.

“Really,” Kim found her lips twitching. “All
that.”

“Yes.” Wray stood and slowly moved towards
her. “You
talked
to me
,
Kim. To
me
, not to the Emperor and that confused me. You even
yelled
at me a few times.” She saw the astonishment cross
his face. “No one has
ever
yelled at me before and while
that frustrated me, I found I liked it. You treated me as if
I
mattered, as if
I
were a worthy male because I was
Wray
… and that was amazing.”

“You
are
worthy
,
Wray.” Kim found she didn’t like him doubting it.
“
You
saved me from the Ganglians.
You!
Not the
Emperor. ‘Emperor’ is just a title. It means nothing if the male
holding it isn’t fit and worthy… and
you
are
,
Wray.”

“You truly believe that
,
Kim?" Wray asked hesitantly sitting down next to
her. "Even after I lied to you.”

“I do, but,” she said, stopping him before he
could pull her into his arms, “that doesn’t mean you're off the
hook."

"Off the hook..." Wray frowned, not
understanding her words.

"It means I'm still upset with you. You had
more than enough time in the cave to tell me the truth.”

“I know.” He admitted, bowing his head
slightly. “I was about to when the locator went off.”

“Is that all of it
,
Wray?” Kim asked giving him a hard look. “Is there something else
you’ve lied about?”

“No
,
Kim, my vow. If
I could go back, I would change it. I know now it wouldn’t have
mattered to you, but I didn’t then.”

Kim silently studied him for several minutes.
“Never again
,
Wray. I won't survive it if
you do. I need to be able to trust you, to believe in you, if I
can’t…”

“You can
,
Kim," he
lifted a gentle hand to cup her cheek. "My vow. I will never lie to
you again.”

Kim’s eyes continued to search his and saw
the truth in his eyes. “Okay.” She said and covered his hand with
hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Wray thanked the Goddess for her blessings as
he lifted Kim into his arms and settled her across his lap. “I vow
I will always tell you truth
,
Kim. I love
you. I can’t imagine spending even a moment of my life without
you.” He whispered into her hair.

“I love you too.” She replied nestled deeper
into his arms, the one place where she always felt safe.
“Wray?”

“What
,
my Kim?”

“You wouldn’t really have done it
,
would you?” she asked, tipping her head up to look
at him.

“Done what?” Wray asked his lips grazing her
temples.

“Refused to send the food shipments to the
Kaliszians.”

“Yes, I would have.” He told her bluntly.

“Wray!” Kim pushed against his chest but was
only able to move back as far as he allowed, his arms tightened
around her to hold her in place.

“I am telling you the truth
,
Kim," he said, his eyes refusing to let her look
away, "just as I vowed I would. I will let nothing separate us.
Will let no one take you from me. It would destroy me.”

Kim opened her mouth to argue, then shut it
finding she couldn’t. He’d done what she’d asked him to do. He’d
told her the truth, that she didn’t like it wasn’t the point.

“I… alright, but I think you were being a
little extreme, but I won’t let anyone or anything separate us
either." Rubbing her hands over his shirt, she found herself
frowning again.

"What is wrong
,
Kim?" Wray asked, concerned.

"Nothing, I just think I like it better when
I’m
the only one wearing a shirt." Her eyes moved to his as
her hands slipped under the material to touch his skin. “I liked
touching you.”

"Goddess
,
Kim."
Groaning
,
Wray sank his fingers into her
hair and tipped her face up so his lips could capture hers.

Kim’s fingers gripped Wray’s shoulders as she
sunk into the kiss, letting its healing balm ease all the hurts and
misunderstandings of the day. This was what mattered. Her and Wray.
The rest they would figure out... together...

"I want you
,
Wray."
Kim whispered against his lips. "I want to Join with you." Looking
into his eyes, she saw them flare with desire and need.

"Are you sure
,
my
Kim?" He asked gruffly, knowing he would be unable to stop this
time. He wanted her too badly.

"I am but there's one thing I have to do
first," she said and twisted so she was straddling him.

“What could you possibly need to do?” Wray
questioned, groaning at the feel of her heat against his growing
shaft.

“I need to apologize
,
Wray.” She told him
,
feeling the stiffness of his shaft.

“What?” Wray pulled back slightly. Nothing
she could have said would have shocked him more. Females didn’t
apologize, at least Tornian females didn’t.

“I said terrible things to you in the
cave
,
things that weren’t true. I tend to
do that when I’m upset. I speak without thinking. I did it with Jen
and I did it again with you saying you deserved what the Goddess
had done to you and your people.”

“We do
,
Kim.”

“
No
,
you
don’t. Especially not you
,
Wray, you are
nothing
like Lucan.” Framing his face with her hands, she
refused to let him look away from her. “I know who
you
are
,
Wray. Lucan
chose
to abuse his
females. He
knew
it broke the law and didn’t care, thought
it didn’t apply to him. The Ganglian and Kaliszian
chose
to
ignore what he was doing. They chose to
ignore
the law.” Kim
had to take a deep breath to continue.

“
You
didn’t ignore the law
,
Wray.
You
could have killed Fala and Gyula
for attacking me. No one would have stopped you.
I
wanted
you t
o
,” Kim was ashamed to admit that,
“and
I
would have been wrong because while what they did was
wrong,
they didn’t
break
the
law
and you knew
that.”

“Kim….”

“Let me finish.” She waited until he nodded
to continue. “I know you will fix the law
,
Wray. Not because of
me, but
because you are a fit and
worthy male that never wants
any
female to suffer as Lucan’s
females did. I may not always like your decisions
,
Wray
,
but someone has to
make the hard
choices
and I’m proud to
know that
you
will be that person because I believe in you.
You truly care and want to make things right for your people.”

“Goddess
,
Kim.” Wray
dropped his head into the crook of her neck, overwhelmed by her
belief in him. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

Kim lifted his head from her shoulder, making
sure he saw the truth in her eyes. “You
exist,
Wray, and
that’s more than enough.”

Wray felt his eyes fill with moisture at
Kim’s words. Goddess
,
had a male ever been
so loved? Had he ever been told that merely existing was enough to
deserve love? He didn’t know, but he knew that he would never do
anything to lose it.

“I exist for
you
,
Kim.
You
make me deserving. Only you.”
Sliding his arms under her delectable ass, Wray stood and carried
her into their resting chamber.

Kim gazed up at Wray as he slowly lowered her
onto the bed, her arms and legs had wrapped around him as he had
carried her, keeping him close. Her lips planting little kisses
over his chest. She wanted him close, needed to feel him against
her and she saw he felt the same way. That this incredibly strong
male could need
her
humbled Kim.

Wray’s chest pressed against Kim’s breasts as
he laid her gently on the bed, his elbows on either side of her
kept him from crushing her. Her long beautiful hair framed her pale
skin in a blanket of dark fire. Her emerald eyes were filled with
desire and need. Leaning down, he captured her lush lips fulfilling
that need.

‘
How could he have ever Joined with a
female before without kissing?’
He thought.

Kissing had become a natural extension of his
feelings for Kim now, just as touching her was. It drove his desire
higher. Drove her desire higher and
that
made pleasuring her
more important than attaining his own and he intended on giving her
a great deal of pleasure.

Wrapping his tongue around hers, he sucked it
into his mouth and tasted the sweet mansikka fruit she had just
eaten. He knew he would never eat it again and not think about this
moment.

Ignoring her protest, he forced himself away
from her flavorful mouth and blazed a trail along her neck, nipping
at the pounding pulse he found at its base before swiping away the
small hurt with his tongue.

“Wray…” Kim sunk her fingers into his hair
trying to bring his mouth back to hers. She wanted his kisses,
wanted everything and ground her hips against his, begging for it.
“Please.”

“No little one.” He told her and braced his
hips against the bed, using his abs to separate their bodies. “I
want to see all of you.” His hands went to her shirt. “I want to
pleasure every part of you,
then
we will Join.” He told her
and gripped the hands that reached for him and placed them on
either side of her head. “They stay here.” He ordered his eyes
refusing to leave hers until she finally nodded her agreement.

‘
Goddess, there was nothing more beautiful
than his Kim!
’ He thought as his eyes feasted on the bounty
revealed upon opening her shirt.

Reverently, his large rough hands cupped her
breasts, rolling them so her nipples became high, taut peaks that
begged for his lips. Capturing one, he sucked it deep into his
mouth and heard her gasp as she arched up, offering him even more.
Biting down gently, he flicked his tongue across the distended
nipple and was rewarded with a groan. Releasing it with a pop, he
left the now engorged nipple to give its twin the same
pleasure.

Kim’s back arched, her hands fisting beside
her head as Wray devoured her breasts. She wanted to pull his mouth
away, the pleasure so intense she could barely stand it, even as
she wanted to bring him closer and offer him more. Every tug of his
mouth went straight to her womb, causing it to tighten and
convulse, wanting something to fill it.

“Wray…” she begged.

“Shh…” Wray admonished softly, his warm
breath bathing her wet nipple, causing it to tighten impossibly
further. A smile of absolute satisfaction crossed Wray’s face
before he slid further down her body, forcing her legs to release
his hips so he could pay equal tribute to the rest of her amazing
body.

His teeth nipped at her delicate ribcage as
his hands caressed the generous curve of her waist. Slowly he
trailed his tongue
across
her abdomen
feeling her tremble, stopping only to dip into the sexy indentation
of her belly button. With each caress, the sounds of Kim’s pleasure
grew, but her hands stayed where he had placed them.

Sliding down so his knees rested on the
floor
,
Wray found himself in
a
familiar yet uncharted territory. In this area, he
had been taught how to satisfy a female had been taught what would
bring her the maximum amount of pleasure in the shortest amount of
time, allowing him to then find his own release, but that wasn’t
what he wanted with Kim…