Acheron (Dark-Hunter #15)(83)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

He cupped her face in his hands and returned her smile as he sought to burn this memory into his heart so that he’d always have it close.

She moved to take his boots off. He held himself perfectly still as she unzipped his left one and removed it. She tossed his boot to the floor.

She pulled the other boot off and tossed it over her shoulder before she moved toward his pants. Ash sucked his breath in and held it as she reached for his zipper. The sight of her head poised over his fly . . . It was almost enough to make him come.

She pushed her glasses back up on her nose. Smiling at him, she unbuttoned his pants. Ash waited, his heart pounding as she slowly slid the zipper down to expose him.

Tory bit her lip in satisfaction as she freed him from his pants. The man was completely commando and he was huge. Not that she was surprised. Her earlier encounters with that bulge had given her some idea of its size, but this . . .

She pulled his pants off and took a minute to just soak in the beauty of his nak*d body. Tabitha was right, she could be rich if she took pictures of him and posted them online. He was flawless. Absolutely flawless. From his wide shoulders to the narrow h*ps all the way down those long, muscled legs that were dappled with black hairs.

And she wanted to please every bit of him.

Taking her glasses off, she placed them on the nightstand, then returned to stroke his hardness.

Ash leaned his head back as pleasure assaulted him. He watched through hooded eyes while she studied his cock. Opening her lips, she started to take the tip into her mouth then pulled back and frowned. She tilted her head and opened her lips as if trying to think of the best way to taste him.

She moved toward his c**k again, then pulled back . . . again.

"You’re killing me, Soteria."

"I’m sorry." She scurried away from him, and put her glasses back on before she opened the drawer and pulled out a book.

Ash scowled while she thumbed through the pages to a section that had a small makeshift bookmark and notes in the margin. "What are you doing?"

She ran her finger down the notes. "I just want to make sure that I do this right."

Leaning up on one elbow, he nipped her shoulder then gaped at the graphic drawings of a woman going down on a man. He pulled the book out of her hands and frowned at the title. "How to Tickle His Pickle?"

She shrugged adorably. "You know I don’t know what I’m doing. I wanted to make sure that I pleased you, too."

Those words struck a chord so deep inside him that for a solid minute he couldn’t breathe past the swell of emotion he felt for her. "There’s nothing you could do that wouldn’t please me." He kissed her gently as he dropped the book to the floor. "You don’t need that, Tory." He took her glasses off and put them away before he returned to her lips. "All you have to do is touch me and I promise you I’m in ecstasy."

Tory swallowed as he led her hand to his c**k and showed her how to stroke him. Wanting to make him happy, she dipped her head down to taste the moisture that was leaking from his tip.

Ash stopped moving the moment her lips closed around his cock. Not wanting to hurt her, he didn’t so much as breathe while she explored him with her mouth. "You have the sweetest tongue," he growled.

She ran her hands over his thighs until she cupped his sac while she tasted him. Ash was blind from the pleasure of her touch. Unable to stand it, he pulled himself away from her. "I have a lot of control, Tory, but not with you doing that and I want to be inside you too badly to spoil it."

"Okay." She leaned to her side and pulled her sheer black panties off. Ash watched as she slid them down those long, graceful legs. His mouth literally watered as his body turned so hard he could drive a nail in with it.

She dropped her panties to the floor before she pulled a condom from the nightstand. "So how do we do this?"

As he unwrapped it and put it on, a thousand different positions played through his mind of how he’d like to take her. And just the thought of being inside her was enough to make him whimper.

But sex always hurt the first time and he was big enough to make it excruciating for her. That was the last thing he wanted.

"First, we have to get your body ready for me."

"I’m ready."

He laughed at her eagerness. His body burning, he sank his thumb inside her. She bit her lip and jerked in response. "You are wet." He dipped his head so that he could tongue her and make her even more slick.

Tory spread her legs wider wanting to feel as much of him as was possible. "You’re killing me, Acheron."

"Patience, love, patience." He slid one long finger deep inside her. She shivered in response as his tongue swirled and teased. That finger was followed by another. He slid his chin against her. "Come for me, Soteria. I want to taste you."

When he returned to her, she had no choice except to obey. Her orgasm split through her until she was sure she’d die from it. Wave after wave cascaded over her and still he didn’t enter her.

Instead, he rolled her over, onto her stomach. Before she could ask him what he intended, he began massaging her. Not just a regular massage, but one that loosened every muscle in her body.

"I don’t want you to tense," he explained, his voice thick with his melodic accent.

"Oh trust me, I’m putty."

His deep laughter filled her ears before he slid his fingers into her again.

Ash bit his lip as his body ached, wanting inside hers. She was even wetter now. One more orgasm and he’d be able to enter her without too much pain.

Leaning down, he nipped at her bu**ocks.

Tory yelped at the pleasant pain that was followed by his hands delving even deeper inside her as Ash moved his mouth to kiss her at the base of her spine. He pushed her sheer gown up to her shoulders with his face while his hands worked magic on her body. Then he moved his hand so that he could rub his c**k against her without entering her. She gasped at the sensation while he moved his hands to cup her br**sts.

It was more than she could stand. Before she could draw another breath, her body cli**xed again.

This time, he drove himself deep inside her body as her orgasm mounted. Tory groaned at the foreign sensation of his body inside hers. The thickness only made her orgasm all the more intense.

She cried out from the blind pleasure of it.

His throat dry, Ash didn’t move as he felt her body clutching his. It took all of his strength not to thrust, but it wasn’t time yet. Her body was still stretching to accommodate him. "Are you all right?"

"Are you kidding?" She slid herself further down his shaft.

He gasped as pleasure almost overrode his control.

"Is this right?"

"Yes," he breathed, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as his entire body shivered.

She rocked herself against him even harder.

"Stop!" Ash cried.

Tory froze, afraid she’d hurt him. "What’s wrong?"

He pulled out of her and rolled over onto his back to look up at her. He brushed the hair back from her face before he ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. "I want to come while looking at you."

She kissed him as he pulled her over his body. She straddled his h*ps while they kissed.

Ash trailed his hand down her back until he touched himself so that he could guide his shaft back inside her. They gasped in unison as she sank herself down on him.

As she did so, her thoughts whispered through his head. Am I doing this right? I hope he’s not disappointed. Why can’t I do this with my glasses on so that I can see him better? Please don’t be disappointed, Ash.

Those doubts tore through him. Most of all the sincerity of them, the concern for him brought tears to his eyes. "You’re wonderful, Tory. Perfect."

She paused to squint at him. "Really?"

"Yes," he breathed, reaching down so that he could stroke her while she rode him slow and easy. His throat tight, her gentleness succeeded in breaking him where the beatings never had.

One small tear slid from the corner of his right eye. Slamming them shut, he surrendered himself to her. Right now, this moment, she owned him in a way no one ever had before.

No, she didn’t own him.

He gave himself to her and for the first time, he understood the difference. He understood what it meant to make love. To share his body with someone not out of obligation or fear, but because it made them closer.

In this one heartbeat, he was hers and she was his.

Tory burned at the sensation of Ash deep inside her. All her life she’d wondered what this would feel like. But her imagination had nothing on this reality. Nothing on the beauty of feeling the restrained strength of Ash lying under her.

He was so hard and fierce and yet so gentle. She wished that she could crawl inside him or more to the point that she could wrap herself around him and keep him from harm forever.

If only he’d let her.

Ash cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately an instant before he came with a force so strong it rendered him temporarily senseless. Growling, he pulled back to stare in her eyes as he tasted the first real bliss he’d ever known.

And it was followed by a fear so profound that his heart stilled. Now that they were finished, how would she react?

Would she shove him away? Would she cry? Hit him? Curse him?

He held his breath, waiting.

Smiling, she leaned herself against his chest and cuddled there like a kitten while their bodies were still joined. She let out a deep sigh as she stroked his shoulder and arm. "That was even better than I’d ever dreamed."

Ash flinched, still expecting the worst. "You’re not mad at me?"

"Why would I be?" She took his hand in hers and brought it to her lips so that she could nibble his knuckles.

Ash relaxed as he realized that she wasn’t angry or upset at him for what they’d done. And the more he relaxed, the more he enjoyed the sensation of her nak*d body lying against his. "I could stay like this forever."

"Wouldn’t it be nice?"

He nodded as he leaned his head against hers and inhaled the scent of her hair. Unfortunately, he felt himself sliding out of her. Damn.

"I better take care of this." He reluctantly moved her to her side so that he could pull the condom off.

Tory watched as he left the bed. Hating to not see him, she reached over to get her glasses. After they were in place, she opened the Sprite that she’d left there and took a sip.

Ash returned with a wet cloth for her. "Sorry it’s so messy."

She fingered his lips. "I like your mess. I think you taste wonderful." She exchanged her drink for his cloth.

Ash had never tasted a soda before. Curious, he took a drink of it and was surprised by the sharp tartness. "Wow, this is actually good."

"Haven’t you ever had a Sprite before?"

"No."

She rolled her eyes as she cleaned herself. "I know, you stick to beer."

Ash didn’t answer as he took a deep draft of it again. He frowned as a strange wave of dizziness went through his head. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he was getting a buzz from it. But that was impossible. As a god, he didn’t get drunk. And even if he did, there was nothing in soda that would intoxicate him.

Tory frowned as she watched Ash down the whole twenty ounces of Sprite in one gulp. "Ash?"

"Is there more of this?"

He was acting peculiar. Like he was drunk.

"There should be another bottle in the fridge."

He licked his lips as he cupped her chin in his hand. "You know, you are beautiful for a human."

"What else would I be?"

He laughed before he kissed her. "You could be a goddess, but you’re not bitch enough for that. Then again, Katra isn’t a bitch. She’s beautiful like you." He cocked his head as if another random thought occurred to him. "I need to see my daughter soon. She’s going to have a baby. A girl like her only not like her. It’ll be a baby her with a lot more power. I just hope she has enough of her father in her not to be a goddess of destruction. There are already too many of us. We need more who are innately good."

Tory was baffled by his rambling tone that was half Greek and half English. "What in the world are you talking about?" There was no way he was old enough to have a daughter old enough to give birth to a baby. "Are you screwing with me, Ash?"

He nipped her breast. "I’ve already done that, Soteria, and I enjoyed it like nothing I’ve ever enjoyed ever. Where’s that drink?"

She handed him another bottle. "Are you drunk?"

"I feel drunk." He looked up at her and smiled brightly. "I’m drunk on your beauty. Look what you’ve done to me, human." He took a drink of Sprite, then set it aside and reached for her. "Touch me, Soteria. I feel so clean and whole when you touch me." He rubbed her hand against his chest, raking her nails against his nipple and as he did so, she saw a scar appear that ran from his throat all the way down past his navel. Another scar, a hand print, appeared around his throat as the hair on his entire body changed from black to blond.

"Ash?"

His eyes turned a dark, fiery red.

Terrified, Tory got up to run for the door.

Somehow Ash appeared in front of her. "Where are you going?"